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AVMAP EKP IV feedback

AVMAP

AVMAP

I'm New Here
Hi everybody,
my name is Luca De Marinis, I am Italian but I live in Huntington Beach, CA.
I work for the Italian AVMAP company and I am trying to develop a new, better, product for the next year.
If you have any kind of feedback about AVMAP products please don't hesitate to post here or send a private email.
Thank you very much

Luca De Marinis
 
I've been using an EKP-IV for 2.5 years in a RV-9A. I have two very clear requests.

1. Put the white color scheme back into the code as a option. The new "BETTER" color scheme is unreadable in RV's with their bubble canopies.

2. XM weather. NOW!
 
AVMAP said:
Hi everybody,
my name is Luca De Marinis, I am Italian but I live in Huntington Beach, CA.
I work for the Italian AVMAP company and I am trying to develop a new, better, product for the next year.
If you have any kind of feedback about AVMAP products please don't hesitate to post here or send a private email.
Thank you very much

Luca De Marinis
Click to expand...

Ad a video input to the EKP for taxi aid camera systems.
 
Question for Luca

Luca,
Are you going to be at Oshkosh by any chance?

I've been flying the EKP-IV for a couple of years now and really like the "hardware", but I hope that you guys are serious about updating, upgrading, and generally improving the software. This is a really good unit that could be much better with some timely attention at the software level.

I would love to discuss it with you. I had planned to stop by the booth and harass ;) Vern over the color scheme issue. :mad:

Hope to see you at OSH.
 
OSHKOSH

Hi guys, and thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately I won't be at OSHKOSH but someone else from Italy will be there and you'll be able to talk to him about almost everything -food, wife ladies etc.- :)
I believe that our product has the potential to be leader on the market and we'll operate to improve it.
Thank you again

Luca De Marinis
 
Kudos

Luca,

I applaud you to ask for feedback on your products here. Excellent idea and I wish other manufacturers did such things.:)

Bendix/ King/ Honeywell are you listening?
 
Glad your here also

however, a straight answer on what is going on with the weather feature would be appreciated...
 
WX and AVMAP

The WX will be working and sold at OSHKOSH or my head will fall off....and that's all I have :)
 
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One more thing----

The instruction manual could use a lot of improvement.

All in all, I really like the features of the unit.

Absolutely love the size of the screen.:D

Battery life is a bit low, too.
 
Can the AvMap connect with radios like the SL30/40 and ICOMM 200/210 to transfer frequencies? If not, would be a nice feature.
Luca (buon giorno - sono un 'mezzo' Italiano - ho nato in Roma ma vivo negli stati uniti) - I am seriously interested in the EKP IV vs the Garmin 496. In reviewing threads over the past 2 years (purchase will be sometime next year), my biggest concern is support for your product in terms of timeliness, quality of tech support, etc. Haven't heard of issues recently. There seems to be good and bad stories in the past. And yes, XM WX will be welcomed!
Thank you for your inquiry - it says a lot!
Saluti,
Carl
 
When installed to use aircraft avionics power and also having internal batteries installed, when the aircraft power is turned off the unit switches to internal batteries and remains on indefinitely. Would be nice if the unit would start a count-down in this situation stating it will turn itself off in 30 seconds unless you press some button, like the Dynon EFIS does. Currently you have to manually turn the unit off each time you turn off your avionics power. This behavior also prevents having the unit automatically come on when avionics power is turned on.
 
Internal batteries

Hi Joe, thank you for your feedback. That's a good idea and will be included with the next upgrade.
Thank you
Luca
 
Better updating system

In the past we could order a new CF card for the updates and now we have to download them from your website in a 2 step system. I would really like to see both ways available to customers to update our units. What seemed to be the problem with sending new CF cards and us returning the old one? Or even if we could just send the card back to you to have it updated and have you return it. I agree with the others in this thread that the unit is great but is a nightmare for updating.

Thanks
Peter
 
Here's my short list

I'm on my 2nd unit now, and love the screen with terrain depiction and TAWS. I personally don't need Wx but many others want it.

1. Faster processor
2. More data - What happened to the lakes? On my older pre-terrain unit, there were many more lakes in my area. Also, when zoomed above 2nm, the names of the little towns all go away. Settings on the cycles don't change this.
3. TIS traffic interface for the Garmin 330 or other systems.
4. Get rid of the blinking airplane symbol.
5. Copy Garmin's airspace ahead features. When you move the curser into an airspace, it should highlight and give a readout for the Class B shelves.
6. Better resolution for the TAWS.

I still love my EKP-IV! Keep up the good work :)
 
Forum ??

Luca

There used to be a forum on Avmapnavigation.com, however it was removed after the posts became quite beligerant over the lack of delivered promises on the unit. As a unit AVMAP should have a much bigger market sector here, its very good and works well, however most of us will tell you the same thing, the company support on the unit has been terrible. From the missed delivery dates for terrain, to poor communication on updates etc etc. The ability to transfer flight plans from popular navigation packages for instance has been left to industrious individual developers, nothing from Avmap itself !Your website is updated once a year if lucky leaving users the responsibility of following progress or the lack thereof to the google searches I am sure we have all done. I applaud your gumption to ask the questions you have but I do warn you,dont ask unless you really want to know. Hope the weather does come to fruition at OSH, it would be nice if the website released the news at the same time rather than a year or so later.

Happy with the unit but it could be Oh so much more!
 
Drive the autopilot and have the xm weather active

I do like the size of the unit. I need to be able to drive the autopilot and still receive xm weather at the same time. Having the ability to get xm radio on it like the Garmin 496 would also be nice to have. I plan on making a decision to buy this unit or the Garmin within the next 6 months. I hope you can make these and the other improvements soon.
 
Robert Babler said:
I do like the size of the unit.
Click to expand...

Agreed-----this is the main reason I went with one.

Robert Babler said:
I need to be able to drive the autopilot ----
Click to expand...

You can drive a TruTrack with it, I would assume other brands as well, just have to settle for a lower form of communication-------- serial, I believe it is.

I am using the AvMap as a secondary input (through a switch) for my autopilot.

My primary is the GRT, due to the fact it has ARINC, and the auto pilot will do so much more with that.

Another thing to look into adding, Luca.
 
Keep the box the same!

What ever you do, do not change the dimensions of the Avmap. I just installed one in my panel. If I ever need to replace it or update it to a better version, I do not want to install a new panel because the thing does not fit anymore!

Very happy with my EKPIV, except the Jeppesen data (Europe).

Regards, Tonny.
 
Keep same size

I wanna ditto what Tonny said........when you upgrade to a newer hardware unit keep it the same size.IE Garmin 196/296/396/496. You will get more repeat business because few people wanna remodel their panel to make a new GPS fit.

Dean
 
More than one serial port

Having more than one serial port would be useful for those desiring a simultaneous input (from a Zaon XRX to a TIS display, for example; or from a panel unit output) and output (to an autopilot, etc.).

I'm very interested in an EKP, but don't yet own one. Does it accept a standing NMEA Aviation In input? (i.e. could accept input from flight sim program, panel unit ?) Accepting flight plans from more programs than just Jeppeson would also be very attractive. (For example, RMS Flightsoft will send flight plans to Garmin units currently.)

Whatever unit I buy to replace my current unit (196) will have XM weather - which is why I am waiting to see what happens with the EKP.
 
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EtherAviator asked...

Hi, it does accept NMEA inputs. without problems. It's a matter of cable to connect it to the device.
Thank you
 
Another serial port

Won't another serial port will be required since I understand that the current EKP IV cannot drive autopilot and have weather at the same time.
 
Yes another....

serial port will be required to connect multiple devices as AP, WX, Collision etc.
Unfortunately the hardware architecture doesn't allow us to install more.
 
Touch Screen Tecnology

This is what I like to see in the next upgrade:

I find working with a "joystick" to input data cumbersome, specially in turbulance. can we have touch screen technology like those GPS units for cars?

Yes XM weather is coming..great.

Easier way to update the data/charts....more dummies proof software.
 
I have been using a EKP IV for a year. It's a great piece of equipment, but it needs a vertical guidance fix. I have emailed tech support and forwarded email from Dynon on this subject. Dynon tells me that Garmin is the only GPS that provides vertical guidance to the needles on the D100. Avmap tech support tells me they have a Garmin 496 and will look at the data string and see how they output the data.

Aubrey Price
RV7a N600AP
 
Yes it is...

specially after I've seen the units working properly. I wasn't there but the CEO was there. I still have my head on since he decided not to sell the WX but i really don't understand why. He'll be back in few days and we'll have a talk for sure. Maybe I won't have a job anymore after that....
 
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I for one hope you still have your job:)

It sure is nice when a vendor has a presence here.

Thanks for your involvement.
 
I for one genuinely feel sorry for the staff of AvMap, at least the U.S. staff. The EKP IV is a great product, but not having WX at OSH after all the hype is a serious blunder, and as I understand it, not at all their fault. I love my IV, but patience is wearing thin. I understand that there is in the plan a newer version that will give us many of the things we want and feel we need. But if past performance is any indication, we will have to wait years for the fulfillment. I would not buy it if it were not complete when it was released because I just don't believe the promises anymore. If product development isn't improved, I fear for the future of the brand.

And yes, I appreciate having you here. Don't let us down...

Bob Kelly
 
To be clear

AVMAP said:
specially after I've seen the units working properly. I wasn't there but the CEO was there. I still have my head on since he decided to to sell the WX but i really don't understand why. He'll be back in few days and we'll have a talk for sure. Maybe I won't have a job anymore after that....
Click to expand...

iweshuff said:
Luca, how does it feel to be walking around without a head? Must be uncomfortable. :eek:

Wes
Click to expand...

My comment was meant to be a light hearted joke. I hope that it did not come across as mean. I too feel sorry for the US staff. I hope things work out. I very much like my AVMAP and as I looked at GPSs at Oshkosh, I still think that I would buy it even with the problems because, at least I can read it. That is more than I can say for most of them.
All the best and good luck.
 
wx coming back rom OSH

Oh how I wished I has the weather on the IV. I made it back from OSH to Victoria BC, but it would have been a lot easier if I could see where the cells were.

I have the feeling that there is a difficulty in interfacing the XM weather to the unit. That's why it is postponed yet another YR.

I am really considering getting GRT EFIS with WX or go budget and get the Garmin 496, because promises gets less believable.

The IV is a great unit, but technology strides on.
 
Absolute disaster

of a company. I'm tired of the hype, tired of the promises. The hardware can be great but if management is bad (AND IT IS!) then the hardware just doesn't matter. I bought a 396 at the show. Its real, It works, Its supported. GOOD BYE AVMAP.
 
Unofficial version

AVMAP said:
The WX will be working and sold at OSHKOSH or my head will fall off....and that's all I have :)
Click to expand...

Hi Luca,

I am very curious, what the hold up is with XM WX on AVMAP IV? Your company has provided valuable service with your product. Is it possible that the hardware s not compatible with XM, or is this more a political situation? Without WX, I think your company will fall behind in sales.

thanks
 
Nothing New

Unfortunately this is exactly why Avmap has lost a large part of its customer base. I have been a EKP IV user from the very begining and sadly even my patience has worn through. I just installed an Aspen Avionics EFP Pro and they announced WX for the unit in January. I am sure that they will have it up and running before Avmap. As customers we can only vote with our feet, I feel a march comming on !
 
It doesn't Appear to satisfy my IFR needs

I like the looks of the unit and the potential is obvious. I don't care about WX or any of the non-essential bells and whistles. I simply want to get out of the paper chart operation for instrument approaches. Every time I make a trip I have to spend a lot of money on charts to cover every state I am going to fly over for approach plates, Low Altitude Charts and sectionals. The big charts are OK because I like the geography perspective, terraine depiction and the big picture planning and execution they facilitate. When I flew in the AirVenture Cup Race last month the chart cost was over $100. A trip to Baltimore earlier cost a similar amount. My Jepp coverage for Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas is on the order of $250 per year. Most of my trips are outside the coverage provided by Jepp. The first time I checked into this the coverage was reported by several users as defficient (late and incomplete), so I backed off.

Sporty's latest catalog came out with the unit featured including some comments about Jeppesen database etc. So I decided to check into it again. I called Jeppesen And tried to pursue the practicallity of the system a little further on my own. I asked about the database coverage for the unit and the technical person I was transfered to knew nothing about the unit. The distribution of updates is via the internet. So I thought OK I'm sure the the distribution medium can be made to work so what is the cost. The cost is $738 per year and an additional $100 for the first year for software.


I called Sporty's and talked to the order taker and said I wanted some information about the AV Map EKP IV data base update method and cost. I was given the number 513-735-9000 to call and talk to their technical people. I did that and the person did not know how they were updated or what the cost was. I said I want to strap this unit on my leg and be able to fly the instrument approaches to any airport with suitable approaches in the United States without having to buy all of the small print paper charts everytime I make a trip. I was told that you can't do that you have to have the paper charts in the airplane. Now there is a way to work around the paper requirement I'm sure but that is argumentative so I will not waste any more bytes here and avoid all of the instructor safety feedback. I asked if the the person I was talking to was a pilot and I was told NO.

My conclusion at this point is that the package still does not provide sufficient benefit to buy one. I can navigate fine but I need up to date approach charts in a format that makes them legally independently usable for actual instrument approaches.

Bob Axsom
 
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