From: "Dewey Davis" Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 15:19:32 -0500 Subject: Re: Tracker On Jan 31, 11:36, Kenneth Brimmer wrote: > Subject: Tracker > Hey DL, > How come you have not mentioned your Tracker to the Cozy News > Group? It works great and you are not charging much at all. Would you > like me to do it? > KenB >-- End of excerpt from Kenneth Brimmer Well, since you brought it up..... This is a copy of a message I sent to someone else who just asked about it also. On Jan 27, 15:10, Mike Ross wrote: > Subject: GPS Garmin 55AVD > Hi from New Zealand. I have one of the above GPS units and would like > to install a A/pilot in my Glasair G-I and slave it to my handheld GPS. > I understand you have products in this area ? > > Thanks > Mike Ross >-- End of excerpt from Mike Ross Yes indeed. I think the Glasair is a great cross-country airplane. An airplane like that could benefit well with an autopilot. I use a NAVAID single axis autopilot in my COZY and I think it is one of the neatest features in my plane. Originally, I installed a Northstar LORAN, which I coupled to the autopilot for tracking. It worked fine but sometimes the LORAN wasn't very reliable. I remember a time in particular when I was flying in the Bahamas. We were a flight of five EZs moving from one island to another. I was leading and navigating with the Northstar. After a while over open ocean, a debate arose between the five planes as to the correct heading. The three of us with LORAN said one thing and the two with GPS said another. We decided quickly to follow the guys with GPS. We ended up on a course that was 18 degrees different. By the time we reached the island, we were showing about ten miles off course! I decided then that I better get on board with the GPS. These handheld GPS units provide better navigation than airliners had just a few years ago. Truly amazing accuracy. The only problem is that they don't drive our aviation autopilots. Aviation autopilots were designed to track using the L+ and R+ analog input signals that drive the CDI needles in our instruments. The new handheld GPS units are derived from a basic design that is really intended to serve the much larger marine market. The marine guys have a nice serial, digital interface, NMEA-0183 to drive their boat autopilots. So the GPS manufacturers, always trying to eliminate size, weight and cost, do not include the extra analog circuitry to drive the aviation autopilots. That is where the Track Wizard comes in. The basic function of the Track Wizard unit is to listen to the NMEA-0183 serial data messages from the GPS (this is very similar to RS-232) and look for the particular messages that contain the cross-track error information. The Track Wizard is essentially a microcomputer that reads the messages, extracts the data, checks for proper range, and converts it to the L+ and R+ analog signals for the autopilot. It is packaged in a small case with LED indicators and weighs less than 50 grams. The unit has one cable that runs to the GPS for an input signal and another that runs to autopilot to supply the output (and pick up 12 v for power). There is an LED that indicates power on, another LED that indicates a message is being received from the GPS, and another LED that indicates that it has found the right data and is in sync and tracking. It works with the autopilot just like my Northstar LORAN used to work, except that I get even better accuracy. I used to find the airport just fine with the LORAN. But now with the GPS, I can fly hands-off to the airport and track directly over the center of the runway! The accuracy is amazing and it is far more reliable than the LORAN. I built about a dozen of these to spread out the development costs and I offered them for sale at $105. So far I have had quite a bit of international interest. I have shipped to Canada, Australia, and Switzerland, as well as the US. I built another batch and have them advertised in the next issue of Sport Aviation. I will have them advertised for $119 in Sport Aviation, but I have decided to sell them all for $105, since many people may be expecting that price based on word-of-mouth. If you think you might want one, let me know. You can email me here, or call me at (540) 341-7227, or write at 6824 Sandstone Ct, Warrenton VA 22186 and I'll send one out to you, or send a User's Manual or spec sheet to you if you just want to think about it for now. To be honest, I should also tell you that you have a couple of other options. First, there is another guy that is selling essentially the same kind of device for about $189 in Sport Aviation, although I think his unit is not nearly as compact. Second, if you have not yet purchased an autopilot, you might be able to get one from NAVAID with an option to work from the NMEA-0183 digital interface directly (in other words, a device like the Track Wizard is built into the autopilot). I don't know what the exact cost of that mod is, but I have heard that it is about the same as a buying a separate interface unit. But in any case, I heartily recommend getting the autopilot and coupling it in one way or another to your handheld GPS. The extra safety and convenience is worth the cost. Let me know if I can help. thanks, Dewey Davis Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 18:56:00 -0500 From: Nigel Field Subject: Autopilot I too want an autopilot for my VE and Cozy (when its finished) that accepts NMEA signals from my Garmin GPS 100. Check out the home page:"http://user.aol.com/chanik/ed " This guy has some interesting stuff including an autopilot that is NMEA compatible and competively priced. It uses tilt sensors, no gyro, and cross track or angle track (difference between bearing and track) from the GPS. I haven't seen one or know anyone who has flown it so I would like to hear from anyone with experience with this SE5b autopilot. Is it for real or just a wish and prayer and marketing brocure? Nigel Date: Thu, 27 Jun 96 14:27:30 EDT From: "Nick J Ugolini" Subject: COZY: Radios FYI, I just ordered a Terra 760D comm radio and a Terra Transponder (w/o encoder) from Velocity Air Craft, Inc. for $2140 (total). Martin Hadley is the avionics tech and he can be reached @(561)-589-1860. Velocity is willing to sell them to our group at the same price. If you check out Trade a plane the cost is much higher ($2450-2700 ). He is also willing to wire them up to your specs for an extra $100. It is the best price by far that I found. The same package (comm/transponder WITH encoder) is: $2809 list, or $2247 from Velocity. Velocity is also a rep for other manufactures, i.e. Garmon, King, Navaid, etc. You might want to contact them if you are in the market for equipment. I want to personally thank Wayne Lanza for pointing me in the right direction. He just saved me hundreds of $$$$. U. Nick Southern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command P.O. Box 190010 N. Charleston, SC 29419-9010 Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 14:22:20 -0500 From: jerry kennel Subject: COZY: Empire Development Avionics Autopilot Does anyone have expierence with this autopilot? At a price of $699 for a 3 axis autopilot I am interested. I have not been able to find anyone that has one of these. Can anyone help? Jerry Kennel #241 Wiring & Painting left... From: "Jon Finley" Subject: COZY: Intercom Suggestions Date: Tue, 8 Oct 1996 21:34:01 -0500 Hi all, I am in the market for a good, reasonably priced, two place, mono, panel mount intercom. Does anyone have any good suggestions for make and model? Thanks, Jon Finley From: "Krasa, Paul" Subject: RE: COZY: Intercom Suggestions Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 10:03:06 -0400 Jon Finley said > >I am in the market for a good, reasonably priced, two place, mono, panel >mount intercom. Does anyone have any good suggestions for make and model? Check out the kit from RST or if you are using the Terra Com then you don't need one; its built in. Paul Krasa Long EZ 214LP !---*---! > Date: Wed, 09 Oct 96 10:14:00 PDT From: Brian DeFord Subject: Re: COZY: Intercom Suggestions Jon Finley asks: >I am in the market for a good, reasonably priced, two place, mono, panel >mount intercom. Does anyone have any good suggestions for make and >model? You might look at RST's home page. They have a variety of components that can be assembled from a kit. Their URL is: http://www.rst-engr.com The standalone intercom is about $80 and takes about 8 hours to assemble. They have a 4 place for $100 and an audio panel with intercom included for about $175-200. Regards, Brian DeFord Cozy MK-IV #309 Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 14:41:09 -0400 From: SMilesCozy@aol.com Subject: Re: COZY: Intercom Suggestions In a message dated 96-10-09 12:53:51 EDT, you write: << Hi all, I am in the market for a good, reasonably priced, two place, mono, panel mount intercom. Does anyone have any good suggestions for make and model? Thanks, Jon Finley >> I would recomend that you contact Jim Weir at RST, their homepage is at http://www.rst-engr.com/index.html they have a full line of kits available. I've purchased a 4 place portable intercom and four headset kits from them. Very good instructions and components. Hope this helps. Steve Miles Cozy MkIV 272 starting this fall ???? From: "James E. Marker" Subject: COZY: Micro Vision VM-1000 Dimensions & Cozy MKIV Panel Dimensions. Date: Thu, 10 Oct 1996 19:49:40 -0400 Does anyone know the dimensions of the VM1000 Engine Monitor? I see them in adds and they look huge, but they always say they are 40% smaller than comparable instruments? Also, Does anyone know where I can get a gif or jpeg of instrument panel with dimensions? I don't have access to Autocad or Microstation, and I haven't ordered the plans yet. (doing a little thinking about avionics) Jim Marker | JEMSTONE@csra.net http://www.csra.net/jemstone | Dad of Jacob (singleton), Kassidy, Zachary, Skyler (Triplets - Nov 95). University of Illinois - Nuclear Engineering 1990 Desert Shield/Storm Vet - XVIII Airborne Corps - Dragon Brigade Cozy Mark IV Builder this fall ????? Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 17:59:10 From: RSiebert1@gnn.com (Reid Edward Siebert) Subject: Re: COZY: Micro Vision VM-1000 Dimensions >Does anyone know the dimensions of the VM1000 Engine Monitor? >I see them in adds and they look huge, but they always say they >are 40% smaller than comparable instruments? These measurements were taken off the units displayed by Lance, at the airshows: Data Processing Unit: 5" high x 6.25" wide x 3" deep Display Screen: 5.47" high x 5.30" wide x 1" deep Annunciator Panel: 0.815" high x 5.046" wide x 4.75" deep The DPU can be mounted anywhere in the airplane. It is connected to the display screen by only a flat ribbon cable. I'm mounting the DPU box forward of the firewall, on shock mounts attached to my aft landing gear bulkhead (made of glass covered burch plywood). This reduces the length of all the sensor wires. Hope this helps... Reid Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 15:22:56 -0500 From: mbeduhn@mail.snider.net (Mark Beduhn) Subject: COZY: Vision microsystems VM-1000 Dimensions Jim Marker Wrote: >Does anyone know the dimensions of the VM1000 Engine Monitor? >I see them in adds and they look huge, but they always say they >are 40% smaller than comparable instruments? The display is 5" X 5" with 5 small (1/4" dia) buttons below it. For panel layout purposes allocate 5" wide X 5 3/8" tall. >Also, Does anyone know where I can get a gif or jpeg of instrument >panel with dimensions? I don't have access to Autocad or Microstation, >and I haven't ordered the plans yet. (doing a little thinking about >avionics) I wouldn't bother with a drawing. If you call visions microsystems, they will send you an aluminum template to use in cuttnig out your panel. Since you don't have plans yet that would be premature, but others who are closer to installation might want to get a template to help layout their panel. Mark Beduhn Cozy MK IV #494 Chap 19 & 20