Hi all, Is there a GPS solution out there? I want a GPS in the panel of my Queenair sim. Not somehting mouse controlled but an emulation of the real thing. ANy ideas?

Sorry, my mind slipped for me there... :-)

http://www.simkits.com/builderbuzz.phpBuzz Hohmann has done this using a real Bendix GPS unit, hooked up to the GPSOut software from Pete Dowson.He is certainly building a high quality GA sim.

The best, most realistic GPS simulation for GA aircraft is what RealityXP offers. They have both Apollo and Garmin products; I own both but haven't used the Apollo stuff in a long time since it's not an instrument approach-capable GPS.The Garmin product (530XP) actually interfaces with Garmin's own (free) PC-based trainer simulator that you can download from www.garmin.com, which runs real GNS530 code and has an (expired) navigation database that works very well with FS2004. Essentially what 530XP is, is an FS2004 gauge wrapped around that program.The good news is that all 530XP knobs and buttons can be controlled using ctrl-shift-key combinations, and in fact I have programmed my PFC avionics stack's GPS section (plus a few other buttons on the stack) to completely control the nav side of the 530XP. (Note that the same thing can be done with FS2004's "GPS500" with the PFC stack's controls, via FSUIPC.) Although I have not yet tried it, in theory you can use GoFlight modules to do the same, and once there's a way to generate keystroke combinations with GoFlight rotary controls (right now only GF buttons can do this) I plan to migrate my 530XP control to one or two GoFlight modules, and build a custom bezel with the knobs and buttons in the correct places, and possibly even wrap that around a small SVGA display that is dedicated to the 530XP.RealityXP is promising a dual GNS430 capability Real Soon Now - i.e. two GNS430s in one aircraft (currently with 530XP you can only have one of 'em in the cockpit). I'm looking forward to that.Dave Blevins

You can control the FS2004 GPS gauge from FSUIPC / keyboard as well.The drawback is that you cannot input your route from it - need to use the FS flight planner.The whole gauge is XML, so it would be possible to create a "full frame" version without the front plate border, just the "LCD" and put it on a small display (or on a larger monitor behind a "mask" panel along with other gauges)Many people blame the FS2004 GPS is not realistic, but few realize there is no way to update the Jeppesen database on the Reality XP GPS'es either.GPSOut.dll works fine with a handheld Garmin *aviation* GPS, but that is a bit too costy solution just for home cockpit use. Works for me thouhg since I can use the same on the real plane - a good advantage for training with the same unit also at home..//tuomas

What different or better by the garmin of RealityXP and the one native on FS ?BOB

The built-in GPS500 has the advantage of understanding FS flightplans directly, whereas the 530XP requires you to enter your flight plan into its memory if you want it to track the same flight plan that you entered into FFS2004.The 530XP is a 100% accurate emulation of the real unit as I indicated above. Where this is most evident to me is in the way instrument approaches work. I haven't done much simming lately so I don't remember the details, but the GPS500's approach behavior is "dumbed down" compared to the real unit. It still works reasonably well, and is a major improvement over FS2002's "GPS" gauge. It's probably fine for simmers that will never have the opportunity to use a real Garmin aviation GPS. However, for practicing instrument procedures and wanting everything to behave as it does in a real airplane, the 530XP is the only way to go.Dave Blevins

>The built-in GPS500 has the advantage of understanding FS>flightplans directly, whereas the 530XP requires you to enter>your flight plan into its memory if you want it to track the>same flight plan that you entered into FFS2004.Has anyone tried if the "FSGarmin" solution from FS2002 works in 2004? I remember those were released as freeware with a registration key generator included (in avsim file library) - it also uses the Garmin trainer program like Reality XP. I think those were a bit less integrated than the RXP ones (IIRC it didnt control the autopilot etc) - but those might be another solution to try. And if it doesnt work on FS2004, it might still work in WideFS on another machine that runs FS2002..I am also trying to ponder a moving map gps solution for my sim, I have one of those Playstation ONE LCD screens that is within millimeters of the GNS 530 screen size even, and since we are very likely going to have a GNS430 on our C172 soon at the club, it would be such a great way to practice the use of the unit.. I guess the old databases on the Garmin trainer do not matter too much for the training use anyway though.. But I'd need to figure out a way to position it so that just the LCD part shows in the screen.. Any clues for that?>The 530XP is a 100% accurate emulation of the real unit as I>indicated above. Where this is most evident to me is in the>way instrument approaches work. I haven't done much simming>lately so I don't remember the details, but the GPS500's>approach behavior is "dumbed down" compared to the real unit.>It still works reasonably well, and is a major improvement>over FS2002's "GPS" gauge. It's probably fine for simmers that>will never have the opportunity to use a real Garmin aviation>GPS. However, for practicing instrument procedures and wanting>everything to behave as it does in a real airplane, the 530XP>is the only way to go.Yep. For a VFR GPS moving map the built in one is great. The only real downside (in my opinion) is that you cannot input the flight plan from the knobs. On the other hand this can be done from the FS menus, but then again for training/practice purposes it would be better if one could do it from the knobs.The RealityXP is a "real" garmin 530 that should have most of the functionality, the built in gps is very similar, even has some approaches and such, but since I dont fly IFR for real, I really cannot tell what to expect from those features, so I dont know how "good" or "bad" those two gps'es are.