AirMap 300 TM
INSTALLATION AND
OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS
Copyright © 1996, 1997 Lowrance Avionics
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.
WARNING!
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.
Never use this product while operating a vehicle.
The background map built into this unit is not intended for navigation and
its accuracy has not been verified. This map is derived from U.S. govern-
ment sources which rely on ground and aerial surveys and satellite data.
Since there can be inaccuracies in the data used to create the maps and
in the map’s resolution, plus position inaccuracies in the navigation sys-
tem, use caution when using this product.
CAUTION
When showing navigation data to a position (waypoint), this unit will show
the shortest, most direct path to the waypoint. It provides navigation data
to the waypoint regardless of obstructions. Therefore, the prudent naviga-
tor will not only take advantage of all available navigation tools when trav-
elling to a waypoint, but will also visually check to make certain a clear,
safe path to the waypoint is always available.
The storage temperature for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167 degrees
Fahrenheit (-20 to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended storage temperatures
higher or lower than specified will cause the liquid crystal display to fail.
Neither this type of failure nor its consequences are covered by the war-
ranty. For more information, consult the factory customer service depart-
ment.
All features and specifications subject to change without notice.
All screens in this manual are simulated. Many were taken with an IMS
SmartMap™ loaded into one of the cartridge slots.
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1
INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................. 2
NiMH BATTERY INSTALLATION ................................................................................. 3
ALKALINE BATTERY INSTALLATION ......................................................................... 6
EXTERNAL POWER .................................................................................................... 7
ANTENNA ..................................................................................................................... 8
REMOTE ANTENNA MOUNT ...................................................................................... 8
MAP CARTRIDGE INSTALLATION ............................................................................. 9
REMOVING MAP CARTRIDGE ................................................................................... 10
YOKE MOUNT .............................................................................................................. 11
KEYBOARD .................................................................................................................. 12
OPERATION ................................................................................................................. 13
TURNING POWER ON ................................................................................................ 13
MENUS ......................................................................................................................... 13
FINDING YOUR POSITION .......................................................................................... 13
COLD START ............................................................................................................... 13
INITIALIZATION ........................................................................................................... 14
ENTER BY MAP ........................................................................................................... 14
ENTER MANUALLY ...................................................................................................... 16
POSITION/NAVIGATION DISPLAYS ........................................................................... 17
NAVIGATION SCREENS ............................................................................................. 18
CDI INDICATOR ........................................................................................................... 19
MAPPING SCREENS .................................................................................................. 20
AUTOZOOM ................................................................................................................. 22
MAP CURSOR ............................................................................................................. 23
MAP SYMBOLS ........................................................................................................... 24
OBSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................................... 24
AIRSPACE .................................................................................................................... 26
AIR MAP OPTIONS ..................................................................................................... 27
MAP ORIENTATION ..................................................................................................... 28
EARTH MAP OPTIONS ............................................................................................... 29
C-MAP OPTIONS ......................................................................................................... 31
PLOTTER OPTIONS .................................................................................................... 32
ICONS .......................................................................................................................... 34
WINDOWS .................................................................................................................... 36
REPROGRAM WINDOW GROUPS ............................................................................. 36
SATELLITE INFORMATION SCREEN ......................................................................... 38
DUAL MAPPING ........................................................................................................... 40
CLOCK ......................................................................................................................... 40
TIMERS ........................................................................................................................ 42
REPROGRAM BOXES ................................................................................................. 43
DATABASES ................................................................................................................. 45
SAVING PRESENT POSITION AS A WAYPOINT (QUICK SAVE) ............................. 49
SAVING CURSOR POSITION AS A WAYPOINT ........................................................ 50
SAVING PRESENT POSITION AS A WAYPOINT (SELECT WAYPOINT #) .............. 50
SAVING CURSOR POSITION AS A WAYPOINT (SELECT WAYPOINT #) ............... 50
EDIT WAYPOINT LAT/LON .......................................................................................... 51
WAYPOINT NAMES ..................................................................................................... 51
WAYPOINT ICONS ...................................................................................................... 52
DELETE A WAYPOINT ................................................................................................ 52
MOVE A WAYPOINT .................................................................................................... 53
DISTANCE BETWEEN WAYPOINTS ........................................................................... 53
WAYPOINT OPTIONS .................................................................................................. 54
ROUTES ....................................................................................................................... 54
SELECT WAYPOINTS - WAYPOINT LIST ................................................................... 55
SELECT WAYPOINTS - FROM MAP ........................................................................... 56
FINISHING THE ROUTE .............................................................................................. 56
FOLLOWING A ROUTE ............................................................................................... 57
DELETE A ROUTE ....................................................................................................... 58
NAVIGATION ................................................................................................................ 58
NAVIGATE TO A DATABASE LOCATION .................................................................... 58
NAVIGATE TO CURSOR POSITION ........................................................................... 59
NAVIGATE TO A WAYPOINT USING THE MAP ......................................................... 59
“NEAREST” .................................................................................................................. 60
CANCEL NAVIGATION ................................................................................................ 61
SYSTEM SETUP .......................................................................................................... 61
TRACK HOLDING ........................................................................................................ 61
GPS CORRECTIONS .................................................................................................. 62
DATUM .......................................................................................................................... 62
PCF (POSITION CORRECTION FACTOR) ................................................................. 63
UNITS OF MEASURE .................................................................................................. 64
POSITION FORMAT .................................................................................................... 64
NMEA/DGPS ................................................................................................................ 65
SERIAL COMMUNICATION SETUP ............................................................................ 68
RESET OPTIONS ........................................................................................................ 68
RESET GROUPS ......................................................................................................... 68
SYSTEM INFO ............................................................................................................. 68
NAME INPUT ............................................................................................................... 69
GPS SETUP ................................................................................................................. 69
GPS UPDATE RATE/BATTERY SAVE ......................................................................... 70
POSITION PINNING .................................................................................................... 70
EXECUTE GPS SELF-TEST ....................................................................................... 70
EXECUTE GPS COLD START .................................................................................... 71
ALARMS ....................................................................................................................... 72
MESSAGES .................................................................................................................. 73
BACKLIGHT ................................................................................................................. 74
CONTRAST .................................................................................................................. 75
SPEAKER ON/OFF ...................................................................................................... 75
SIMULATOR ................................................................................................................. 75
E6B COMPUTER ......................................................................................................... 77
BATTERIES .................................................................................................................. 79
DEFINITION OF TERMS/ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................... 79
JEPPESEN UPGRADE ................................................................................................ 80
WINDOW BOXES ......................................................................................................... 81
WINDOW GROUPS ..................................................................................................... 83
UPS RETURN POLICY ................................................................................................ 85
WARRANTY ................................................................................................................. 87
DATABASE LICENSE AGREEMENT ........................................................................... 88
DATABASES LIMITED WARRANTY ............................................................................ 89
HOW TO OBTAIN SERVICE - INTERNATIONAL .......................... INSIDE BACK COVER
HOW TO OBTAIN SERVICE - U.S.A. ONLY ................................................ BACK COVER
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing a Lowrance Avionics AirMap 300™. With its
large LCD screen, easy to use menus, and outstanding performance, we
think you’ll be happy with your AirMap 300 for many years. No other
handheld GPS receiver on the market today has the AirMap’s combina-
tion of 12 channel receiver, Jeppesen® database with obstacles (U.S. only),
ground and hydrographic mapping cartridge capability, and programmable
screens in a handheld unit.
Like most GPS receivers, your AirMap 300 doesn’t have a compass or
any other navigation aid built into it. It relies solely on the signals from the
satellites to determine its position. Speed, direction of travel, and distance
are all calculated from position information. Therefore, in order for it to
determine the direction you’re travelling, you must be moving, and the
faster - the better. This is not to say the unit won’t work at walking speeds
- it will. But the faster you travel, the easier it is for the unit to determine
your direction.
GPS works from satellites that transmit information to the world at very
high frequencies. One disadvantage to this frequency is that it’s “line-of-
sight”. In other words, the signals don’t bounce around like your local
radio or television. If you don’t have a clear view of the sky, or if you’re
inside a metal building, the unit probably won’t be able to pick up the
signals from the satellites. This is common among all GPS receivers. We
have found that using this product inside an aircraft is usually sufficiently
close to the windows and windshield that it works well. However, the in-
cluded remote antenna bracket and cable (model PA-2) lets you mount
the removable antenna on top of the dash, in case it’s required.
Another factor that influences the GPS’ position and navigation capabili-
ties is called selective availability or SA. This is small errors purposefully
injected into the transmitted signal from the satellites. The government
does this to degrade the system’s accuracy to civilian and foreign users.
Even with SA, GPS is the most accurate navigation system ever invented
on such a large scale. 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 300 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.
One way around the S/A problem is to purchase a DGPS receiver and
connect it to your AirMap 300. A DGPS receiver (commonly called a bea-
con receiver), picks up correction signals broadcast from ground stations.
1
The AirMap 300 takes these corrections and applies them to the position
and altitude screens, giving you much better accuracy. Even with S/A on,
and without a DGPS receiver, your AirMap 300 gives you outstanding
position and navigation information.
Please sit down with the unit and this manual and familiarize yourself with
them before using this unit in the “real world”. A simulator is built in, which
lets you practice with the receiver.
INSTALLATION
The AirMap 300 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 300 automatically switches to
external power when it’s plugged into the unit (provided that the external
power has a higher voltage than the batteries.) If, for any reason, the
external power fails, the unit will automatically switch to the batteries. The
AirMap 300 does not require batteries when external power is in use,
however they make a good backup in case of power failure. A recharge-
able battery pack, (included with the AirMap 300) has a nickle-metal hy-
dride battery and charger built into a pack that’s almost identical to the
alkaline battery pack that slides onto the bottom of the AirMap 300.
An external antenna kit supplied with the unit allows the removable an-
tenna to be mounted on a suction cup bracket up to four feet away from
the GPS receiver.
NiMH BATTERY
SUCTION CUP
AND BRACKET
2
Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery Instructions
Your NiMH battery and charger are combined into a housing that slides onto the
hand-held GPS receiver, exactly like the AA battery pack that came with your
receiver. Unlike a nickel-cadmium (ni-cad) battery, a NiMH battery doesn't "re-
member" a certain charge level. You can charge the battery any time you like
without fear of reducing its charge capacity. It can even be recharged while you're
using the GPS receiver!
READ THIS FIRST!
Safety Precautions!
1. Do not short circuit the battery by connecting the metal terminals on
top of the battery. Make certain to always attach the battery cover to
the battery when it's not in use. This will prevent coins, paper clips, or
other metal objects from shorting the battery contacts.
2. Never attempt to disassemble the battery. There are no user service-
able parts inside.
3. Do not expose this battery to fire or high temperatures. If it is exposed
to high temperatures or fire, it can explode, leak, release toxic materi-
als, or catch fire.
General Information
1. The battery may need to be charged and discharged several times at first (or
after long periods of storage) to achieve its highest capacity. To discharge the
battery, attach it to the GPS receiver and turn the receiver on. Leave it until the
receiver shuts itself off. Do not use any other method to discharge the battery!
2. When charging the battery for the first time, the charge indicator may show a
full charge after only ten to fifteen minutes. This is normal. Discharge the bat-
tery as described in step one, then recharge it.
3. It's normal for the battery to get warm during the charging process.
4. The battery will lose its charge over a long period of time in storage. It's best
to fully charge a battery before storing it. Do not store it with power applied to
the charger. Store it at room temperature and in a dry location.
3
OPERATION
To charge your NiMH battery, first slide the protective cover off the top. KEEP
THE BATTERY COVER! You will need it when the NiMH battery is not in use.
B A T T E R Y
COVER
Next, slide the old battery pack off of your GPS receiver and slide the NiMH
battery pack on, as shown below.
Plug the AC adapter or cigarette lighter adapter cable into the battery's jack - not
the GPS unit! If you use the GPS unit's external power jack, the battery will not
charge.
BATTERY'S EXTERNAL
POWER JACK
4