LOWRANCE 600C

Save to de.icio.us

PRICE £317.25

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Excellent manual, robust mounts, external remote antenna and the 600C looks great too. This is a well thought-out package that sets the pace in this lower-priced end of the portable units.
The screen is bright on the ground, with an impressive array of features should you want them. Good design too, with rubberised edges to the unit, adding a touch of class - and the buttons are in the right place, under the screen.

PLANNING THE FLIGHT
Fiddly at first, as we became used to the rocker switch which is used to select numerals and letters from the menu. However, we soon got up to speed though it's not quite as intuitive as the Garmin system.

Selecting an existing waypoint was a piece of cake. Creating a user waypoint was pretty simple too and there were a couple of ways to do it.

Inputting the flightplan proved straightforward - we got it right first time and the unit saved it OK.

IN THE AIR
Slight disappointment with the brightness of the screen. As we've said already, this was the stiffest test of display you could imagine and in an aircraft with a roof providing some shade, it wouldn't be an issue. The display clarity was not as good in the air as on the ground, and could not be read across the cockpit – you had to be right in front of the screen.

That said, when positioned right, the display was excellent. It's just amazing how so many different display options are available, including a mini Electronic Flight Information System, or EFIS. You could lose the aircraft's primary instruments and still fly accurately on this!

A nice touch was the display which showed the track above terrain. Not hugely necessary in flat East Anglia, but more useful somewhere hilly!

Airspace warnings came up as expected, though like many of the units here, it didn't show the disused (but perfectly adequate for an emergency landing) runway at Bentwaters.

CONCLUSION
The 600C goes head to head with Garmin's 96C and wins.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX
» 600C unit
» Power cord
» Suction cup mount
» Yoke mount
» Digital card reader
» Remote antenna
» 2 AA batteries
» Manual & Quick Guide

SPEC
» Size 142x65x30mm
» Screen size 72mm
» Pixels 320 x 240
» Weight 220g
» Battery 2 AA
» External power? Yes

SCREENS
» Moving Map
» Terrain awareness
» Vertical profile over terrain
» HSI navigation

AT A GLANCE
SCREEN ****
Makes most of space available. Display clear most of the time but suffered in bright sunlight.

DESIGN ****
Excellent. Buttons below screen as they should be. Robust feel, rubberised edges.

MAP ***
A bit 'blocky' but otherwise good.

PROGRAMMING ***
A bit fiddly at first. Rocker switch used for data entry.

EASE OF USE ****
A good size and weight, excellent mounts. Good manual.

FEATURES *****
Amazing number of screen display options including a mini-EFIS and a novel altitude over terrain side view.

VALUE FOR MONEY *****
In an aircraft with a high wing or roof providing shade, this is a first-class choice.

Send To A Friend