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AirMap INSTALLATION AND OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS VERSION 3.3...
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All rights reserved. ® Lowrance is a registered trademark of Lowrance Electronics, Inc. IMS SmartMap™ is a trademark of Lowrance Electronics, Inc. ® Jeppesen is a registered trademark of Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc. USE THIS MAPPING UNIT ONLY AS AN AID TO NAVIGATION. A CARE- FUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHOD TO OB- TAIN POSITION INFORMATION.
INTRODUCTION ... 1 INSTALLATION ... 2 BATTERY INSTALLATION ... 3 EXTERNAL POWER ... 4 ANTENNA ... 5 REMOTE ANTENNA MOUNT ... 5 MAP CARTRIDGE INSTALLATION ... 6 REMOVING MAP CARTRIDGE ... 7 YOKE MOUNT ... 8 KEYBOARD ... 9 OPERATION ... 10 TURNING POWER ON ...
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FINISHING THE ROUTE ... 53 FOLLOWING A ROUTE ... 54 DELETE A ROUTE ... 55 NAVIGATION ... 55 NAVIGATE TO A DATABASE LOCATION ... 55 NAVIGATE TO CURSOR POSITION ... 56 NAVIGATE TO A WAYPOINT USING THE MAP ... 56 “NEAREST”...
The Government’s accuracy specification is 100 meters horizontally and 150 meters vertically 95% of the time. In other words, the position shown on your AirMap could be up to 100 meters in any direction from your actual position, and the altitude could be plus or minus 150 meters from what’s shown on the screen, 95% of the time.
INSTALLATION The AirMap operates from six AA batteries or from 6 to 35 volts DC. The cigarette lighter adapter included with your unit plugs into virtually any aircraft’s electrical system. The AirMap automatically switches to external power when it’s plugged into the unit (provided that the external power...
To install the batteries, first turn the AirMap so that it is facing you. Now grasp the bottom part of the case and push it to the right until it comes ®...
Slide the battery pack onto the unit and the AirMap is ready for use. EXTERNAL POWER Instead of batteries, the AirMap can operate on 6 to 35 volts DC from an external power source. To use external power, an adapter cable is sup- plied with your unit that will plug into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter.
(2), until it clears the AirMap's right side (3). To replace the antenna, reverse the above steps. Make certain to align the antenna with the AirMap until the antenna slides into place to the left by itself. When it does, the antenna has mated with the connector inside the unit and it’s ready for use.
This locks the bracket onto the bracket with a friction fit. Press the other end of the cable firmly onto the AirMap's left antenna mounting bracket. Moisten the suction cup and press it onto any clean, smooth surface. The unit is now ready for use.
28 days. See page 80 for Jeppesen data- base update information. To install a cartridge into the AirMap, first make certain the unit is turned off. Never install or remove a cartridge with the unit turned on! You can damage your unit if you install or remove a cartridge with the unit turned on.
The AirMap attaches to the yoke mount with hook and loop material which is already attached to the back of your unit. Simply press the AirMap onto the hook and loop material that’s on the yoke mount.
In other words, you can use the ENT key instead of the right arrow key to select a menu or enter data. The PWR key turns both the AirMap and its lights on and off. Note: To prevent an accidental power shutdown, you must hold the PWR key down for a few seconds in order to turn the unit off.
However, if you don’t want to push buttons at this time, that’s fine. The AirMap will lock onto the satellites and give you a position without any input from you. This is called a “cold-start”. It simply means that the unit is searching without your help for the satellites that are in orbit.
Once the AirMap locks on to the satellites and finds your position, it stores the satellite data in its memory. The next time you use the unit, it should take much less time to lock on. To use your AirMap, first take it outside, away from hangers and buildings.
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Using the down arrow key, highlight the “Ini- tialize GPS Receiver” menu, then press the right arrow key. The screen shown below ap- pears next. This is the GPS initialization screen. The posi- tion, altitude, time, and date the GPS receiver is currently using to find the satellites is shown at the bottom of this screen.
(Don’t worry about altitude.) When everything is acceptable, press the EXIT key to return to a mode screen. The AirMap will instantly use the data you entered to find the satellites in the sky. (The unit knows which satellites will be available at the position, date, and time you entered.
DO NOT NAVIGATE WITH THIS UNIT UNTIL THE DATA STOPS FLASHING! POSITION/NAVIGATION DISPLAYS The AirMap has navigation, mapping, and windows group modes. These screens were designed to show data that is used most often. Many of the navigation, mapping, and windows screens can be customized to show data other than the ones chosen by the factory.
Navigation Screens There are two navigation screens. Nav screen number one shows a graphi- cal view of your trip, the other screen shows all navigation details in large digital numbers. Nav Screen #1 This screen is dominated by a compass rose. Your track (direction of travel) is indicated by an arrow pointing down toward the compass rose at the top center of the screen.
course has nothing to do with your present position, except for your start- ing location.) It’s shown as a dotted line on the NAV 1 display. This is shown as a reminder so that if you deviate from your original course, you can easily return to it.
Mapping The AirMap has a ground map of the world built inside. This map has the majority of its detail in far southern Canada, the continental United States and Hawaiian islands, northern Mexico, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.
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VORs, NDBs, and controlled airspaces at the same time without filtering the data, the map screen would become so cluttered that it would be useless. The AirMap turns off virtually all aviation data at large ranges, selectively turning on more data as you zoom in closer to your present position or cursor location.
Screen number one is the start and is on the 1 mile range. Intermediate stages progressively zoom out, until you’re at the mid- way point. The AirMap then begins zooming in as you get closer to the destination.
To use the autozoom feature, first set the AirMap up to navigate to a waypoint. (See the Navigation section for more details.) Next, simply press the MENU key, then use the up or down arrow keys to highlight the “AUTOZOOM OFF/ON” menu. Press the right arrow key to turn it on, the left to turn it off.
SMALL RUNWAY(S) LARGE RUNWAY(S) Obstructions Your Airmap has obstruction capability. The database cartridge installed in your unit lets you see ground obstructions on the map display such as ® radio and television towers. This information is included in the Jeppesen cartridge, so you don't need two cartridges for aviation data.
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"OBSTRUCTIONS" label on the "Air Map Options" menu, then pressing the right arrow key. The obstruction menu appears as shown at right. The AirMap defaults are: obstructions from 205 to 499 feet (shown as 200-500 on the menu) off and obstructions 500 feet and above on.
Airspace The AirMap can show the following airspaces: Class B and C airspace, control zones, control areas (CTA), Terminal Control Areas (TMA), pro- hibited, restricted, MOA’s (including training, danger, and caution areas), and alert areas. In this example, the Class C airspace surround- ing Tulsa International airport (TUL) is clearly visible as two dark circles.
To erase this screen, simply press the EXIT key. Air Map Options You can select the aviation symbols and air- spaces that you want displayed on the screen. To do this, first press the MENU key, then press the up or down arrow keys until the black box is on the “AIR MAP OPTIONS”...
Map returns to the AirMap Options menu. Map Orientation Normally, the AirMap shows the map with north always at the top of the screen. This is the way most maps and charts are printed on paper. This is fine if you’re always travelling due north. What you see to your left cor- responds to the left side of the map, to your right is shown on the right side of the map, and so on.
The earth map consists of the built-in back- ground map of the world, plus any cartridge that is attached to the AirMap. To change the Earth map options, first press the MENU key, then press the up or down arrow keys until the Earth Map label appears.
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Map Boundaries If you have a IMS SmartMap™ or a C-MAP™ cartridge plugged into the back of the AirMap, this feature will show the boundaries of the cartridge on the map. This lets you know the exact area covered by your cartridge. The example at the top of the next page shows the boundaries of the Oklahoma - East IMS SmartMap cartridge.
“hides” them. Detail Cartridge The AirMap has two cartridge slots in its back. Either one can hold a IMS SmartMap or C-MAP cartridge. The unit can only show detail from one type of cartridge at a time. In other words, you can’t show detail from an IMS SmartMap and a C-MAP cartridge at the same time.
Fill With Gray When the AirMap is first turned on, all water is filled with gray to distin- guish it from land, which is clear. (See below) To make the land fill with gray and water remain clear, press the down arrow key until the “Fill With Gray”...
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Set Visible Plot Trails The plot trail can be turned off, if desired. To turn it off, press the up or down arrow key until the “Set Visible Plot Trails” menu is highlighted. Now press the right arrow key. The screen at right appears.
EXIT key to erase the menu. ICONS The AirMap has fifteen symbols or “icons” available. These icons can be placed anywhere on the mapping screens. These can be used to mark fishing spots, boat ramps, rest stops, airports, or whatever. You can place an icon at your present position, or at the cursor location.
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Place Icon - Cursor Location To place an icon at cursor's location, first use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the position that you want to place the icon. Next, press the ENT key. Now select the desired icon using the arrow keys. When it's selected, press the ENT key.
To remove only certain icons, highlight the “Delete Icons From Map” label. Press the right arrow key. The unit returns to the mapping screen with the cursor centered on your present position. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the icon on the map that you wish to erase. Press the ENT key when you’re ready to erase the icon.
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REPROGRAMMING A GROUP SELECTED “REPROGRAM GROUPS” FROM MAIN MENU. PRESSED THE UP ARROW KEY TO REPROGRAM GROUP “F”. AFTER TWO MESSAGES APPEAR AND ERASE THEMSELVES, YOU’RE RETURNED TO THE WINDOW SELECTION MENU. REPEAT STEPS 2 AND 3. THIS MESSAGE APPEARS AFTER THE LAST WINDOW IS SELECTED FOR THE GROUP.
Special Windows Although most of the windows used in the AirMap are self-explanatory, there are several windows that have special features or can be used in unique ways. The following section describes these windows.
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ing the satellite, or a "S" if the receiver is searching for it. ELV is the elevation of the sat- ellite above the horizon; AZM is the azimuth, or direction of the satellite from your location. SNR is the signal-to-noise ratio. The higher the SNR, the better.
Dual Mapping The windows feature gives you the capability to have more than one map on the display at one time. For example, group "A" shown at right has two half-screen maps, side-by-side. Both of these maps are completely independent of each other. In other words, you can zoom in or out, set op- tions, and other functions on one map, without af- fecting the other.
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When the alarm goes off, an audible tone sounds along with a flashing message on the screen. Press the EXIT key to turn the alarm off. Note: The AirMap must be on in order for the alarms to work. In other...
7:00 a.m., then the AirMap will have to be on at 7:00 a.m., also. TIMERS The AirMap has two timers built in. One is a countdown timer and the other is a count-up timer.
REPROGRAM BOXES The digital boxes on the MAP 3 and both NAV screens can be repro- grammed. The changes you make to the screen will remain in memory, even if all power is removed from the unit. You can, however, return the boxes to the factory settings from the “Preset Groups”...
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REPROGRAMMING BOXES SELECT “REPROGRAM BOXES” FROM MAIN MENU. THE FIRST BOX IS PLACED AT THE TOP. AFTER MESSAGES ERASE THEMSELVES, YOU’RE RETURNED TO THE BOX SELECTION SCREEN SHOWN IN STEP 2. THIS MESSAGE APPEARS AFTER THE LAST BOX IS SELECTED . IT AUTOMATI- CALLY ERASES.
Thanks to the Jeppesen database and the AirMap’s ability to save loca- tions in memory, (waypoints) you can navigate to virtually any location. The AirMap can store up to 250 waypoints. You can store your present position, the cursor’s location, or enter latitude/longitude positions as way- point locations.
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Suppose we’re planning a trip to Fort Smith Re- gional airport in Fort Smith, Arkansas. There are three ways to find this airport in the AirMap’s data- base. You can find it by searching through the air- port identifiers (ID), airport name, or city. In this example, we know the airport identifier is FSM, so we’ll move the black box to the “ID”...
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Press the left or right arrow keys to view the rest of the radio information. When you’re finished with this screen, press the EXIT key. The AirMap returns to the previous database screen. Runways To view the runway information, press the down...
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If the airport has more than two runways, simply keep pressing the right or left arrow keys until the desired runway appears. When you’re finished with this screen, press the EXIT key to return to the airport database screen. Runway Extensions This unit can draw an extension onto a runway to make it easier to line up to the runway on final ap- proach.
USER DATABASE The AirMap gives you the capability of creating your own database of locations, called “waypoints”. These locations are stored in the “User WPTs” section of the database. You can save your present position, cursor posi- tion, or enter a latitude/longitude and save it as a waypoint.
Saving The Cursor Position as a Waypoint When the cursor is showing on the map and you press the WPT key twice, the AirMap puts the cursor’s position into the first available waypoint number. A message appears on the display telling you the waypoint number it just used.
WAYPOINT NAMES The AirMap lets you assign a name to each waypoint. The name can have up to twelve characters. To name a waypoint, first select the waypoint number that you wish to name. (Note: A waypoint must have a position...
press the right arrow key. A screen similar to the one at right appears. Press the up or down arrow keys to select the first letter in the name. Press the right arrow key to move the black box to the next position in the name. Re- peat this sequence until you’ve entered all of the letters in the waypoint name.
Distance Between Waypoints The AirMap can easily give you the distance between two user waypoints. To do this, first press the WPT key, select the User Waypoints menu, then highlight the “Next Page” label and press the right arrow key. Now high- light the “Dist Between WPTS”...
Once you have the first waypoint showing on the screen, then you need to choose the other way- point that you’re going to measure. Highlight the “Select” label at the top of the screen, then press the right arrow key to select “B”. Now choose the waypoint that you wish measure.
route number appears. In this example, however, we’ll use route number one. Beneath the route number is the route name menu. If you wish to name the route, highlight the “NAME” field, then press the right arrow key. Use the arrow keys to name the route, then press the ENT key when you’re finished.
Continue selecting waypoints until the route is com- plete. As you add waypoints to the list, the bearing and distance from each waypoint to the one previ- ous is shown to the right of the waypoint’s name. In this example, the second waypoint in the list is 104 degrees and 30.75 miles from the first way- point in the list.
Following a Route To follow a route, first recall it by pressing the MENU key, highlighting the “ROUTES” label, then high- lighting the “RUN ROUTE” label and press the right arrow key. The screen shown at right appears. The black box is on the “Route # 01” label. If this isn’t the route you want to use, press the right or left arrow keys to switch to another one.
“AIRPORTs” database (as shown above), we selected the airport. Next, we moved the black box to the “NAV GO TO AIRPORT” label and pressed the right arrow key. This started the AirMap’s navigation system. It will show navigation data to the airport on all navigation and mapping screens.
Navigating to a cursor location The AirMap lets you navigation to a location without storing it in the way- point database by using the map and cursor. To do this, first switch to any map screen. Map number 1 shown at the top of the next page is used in this example.
“NEAREST” FEATURE The AirMap can show a list of the forty nearest airports, VORs, NDBs, intersections, or user way- points to your present position. To use this feature, simply press the Z-OUT and Z-IN keys at the same time . The screen shown at right appears.
The screen shown at right appears. TRACK HOLDING Your AirMap has a special feature called "Track Holding" that prevents the unit from showing random numbers on the navigation screens when you're travelling less than 3 miles per hour. These random numbers are mostly caused by S/A (Selective Availability).
The WGS-84 label is highlighted. To change it, sim- ply press the up or down arrow keys until the de- sired datum is highlighted, then press the ENT key. This selects the da- tum and erases the datum menu. The AirMap is now using the datum you selected.
.047 minutes north latitude. Using the PCF feature, you can make the AirMap match the chart you’re using. If you move, the unit will continuously add the change to all position, navi- gation, and mapping displays.
EXIT key. Position Format The AirMap can show the position in degrees, minutes, and hundredths of a minute (36° 26.106') or degrees, minutes, and seconds (36° 26' 06.3". It can also show position in UTM’s or Universal Transverse Mercator pro- jection.
EXIT key to select the format and erase the menu. NMEA / DGPS The AirMap transmits data through the data port in the back of the unit using NMEA 0183 format, version 1.5 or 2.0. This data is used by other electronic devices such as marine autopilots for position and steering information.
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NMEA Sentence Selection Some equipment requires different sentence. The AirMap default setting for these sentences is on. In other words, it automatically sends these sen- tences when NMEA is turned on. To turn any of these off, first highlight the “NMEA Messages”...
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NDC-1 TO AIRMAP AIRMAP WIRES WHITE WIRE RED WIRE TO +12V SHIELD WIRE GROUND WIRES OTHER DEVICE’S WIRES OTHER DEVICE’S RECEIVE DATA WIRE NDC-1 TO AIRMAP AIRMAP GREEN WIRE WIRES WHITE WIRE RED WIRE TO +12V SHIELD WIRE GROUND WIRES DGPS RECEIVER’S...
8 data bits. Press the EXIT key to erase this menu. RESET OPTIONS To return the AirMap to its original factory settings, press the up or down arrow keys until the “Preset Options” menu on the System Setup screen is surrounded by the black box.
ENT key. Your I.D. is saved in permanent memory. The name or number you save is written into the AirMap Sport’s per- manent memory. You won’t be able to change it once you enter it, un- less you return the unit to the factory.
GPS Update Rate/Battery Save Changing the update rate conserves battery power and lengthens the battery life. The update rate is the length of time it takes the receiver to send data to the display. In other words, normally the receiver sends po- sition data once every second.
Execute GPS Cold Start When the AirMap is turned on for the first time “out of the box”, it automatically does a “cold-start”. A cold start means the unit doesn’t have any information that helps it deter- mine which satellites are available.
ALARMS The AirMap has several alarms. You can set an arrival alarm to sound a warning tone when you cross a preset distance from a waypoint. For ex- ample, if you have the arrival alarm set to .1 mile, then the alarm will sound when you come within .1 mile of the recalled waypoint.
Airspace alarms work in the 3D mode. In other words, not only does your position and track determine when an airspace alarm is triggered, but also your altitude (displayed on the AirMap), plus or minus 500 feet. For example, if the ceiling of an airspace that you are heading for is 4000 feet and you are travelling at 4500 feet, the airspace alarm will be triggered and a message will be shown on the display, as shown above.
EXIT key to erase it. BACKLIGHT The AirMap’s display and keyboard have lights that can be turned on for night use. To turn the lights on, simply press the PWR key. To turn them off, press the PWR key again.
SIMULATOR A simulator is built into the AirMap that has several options. You can use nearly all of the unit’s features - even save and recall waypoints. This is useful for flight planning. You can “fly” the route at any speed before ever stepping foot in an airplane.
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“SET AS SIM START” label and press the right arrow key. The AirMap returns to the Simulator Setup menu. Use Arrow Keys to Fly This option lets you change both the course and speed on the screen as the simulator is running.
E6B COMPUTER To help you with flight planning, the AirMap has a computer built into it that lets you calculate density altitude, true airspeed, wind speed and direction, plus vertical navigation. To use this computer, first press the MENU key, then highlight the “E6B Computer”...
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To return to a navigation or mapping screen, sim- ply press the EXIT key twice. Vertical Navigation The AirMap can help you decide when to let down for an approach to an airport. To use this feature, first press the MENU key, then highlight the “E6B Computer”...
BATTERIES When using the AirMap with batteries, the back- lights automatically turn off after 30 seconds. (Re- member, you can change the time interval.) Press- ing the PWR key turns the lights on again. If the batteries become weak, the message shown at right appears on the display.
Updates to the aviation database are available as follows: 1. A onetime no-charge* update is available in the event that the data- base enclosed in the AirMap at the time of purchase has expired. This update offer is valid during the first 30 days from original purchase and dated proof of purchase is required.
There are six easy steps: 1. Call Lowrance at the toll-free number on the back of this manual for a Return Authorization (RA) number and instructions about what acces- sories to return. Do not return a product to the factory without a Return Authorization (RA) Number! 2.
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2) LEI Extras, Inc. P.O. Box 129 Catoosa, OK 74015-0129 or call 800-324-0045 (USA orders only.) Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our ship- ping policies, regulations, and special offers at any time. We reserve the right to do so without notice.
LOWRANCE AVIONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY “We", “our”, or “us” refers to LOWRANCE AVIONICS, a division of LEI, the manufacturer of this product. “You” or “your” refers to the first person who purchases this product as a consumer item for personal, family, or household use.
THIS IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE END-USER WHO FIRST PUR- CHASES THIS PRODUCT AS A CONSUMER ITEM FOR PERSONAL, FAMILY, OR HOUSEHOLD USE (“YOU”) AND LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS (“WE”, “OUR”, OR “US”). USING THE PRODUCT ACCOMPANIED BY THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CON- DITIONS.
DATABASES LIMITED WARRANTY “We”, “our”, or “us” refers to Lowrance Electronics Inc., the manufacturer of this product. “You” or “your” refers to the first person who purchases the product as a consumer item for personal, family, or household use. The Databases Limited Warranty applies to the one or more databases that your product may contain.
(Canadian Customers Only) We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert service and genuine Lowrance replacement parts. If you need service or repairs, contact the Lowrance Factory Customer Service Department at the toll-free number listed below. A techni- cian may be able to solve the problem and save you the inconvenience of returning your unit.
Your unit is covered by a full one-year warranty. (See page 84 inside this manual for complete warranty details.) If your unit fails and the failure is not covered by the original warranty, Lowrance has a flat-rate repair policy that covers your unit and accessories packed with the unit at the factory.
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