Best Vario For Intermediate Pilot

[davidtheamazing1]

Hey all,
I still have yet to jump on the vario bandwagon although I did borrow one once. Somehow Hannukah Harry has put it in my head that such a gift could wind up under the family menorah ... so the question is what should I ask for? His elves don't have unlimited funds but would be willing to deliver something good.

So whats the best vario out there that doesn't have too many annoying features?

I don't ever picture myself doing a comp, but perhaps some free flying XC in the distant future. I do like the idea of downloading flights to my mac for a digital log.

[brianvh]

I think flytec has the nicest beeping, which counts for a lot since it's gonna be an important part of your life. It changes both in pitch and beep rate with altitude.

Varios basically last forever so you can get a used one and be happy for years.

The only feature I don't have and really miss is some kind of flight recording. Flight time, highest altitude and greatest climb/sink rate are usually enough, and any vario less than 10 years old should have that feature. If you want a complete flight record may as well wait until you can do it right with a GPS.

[Spark]

http://www.ascentvario.com/

Flight log ... simple ... lightweight ... portable

user-defined beep (sound)

cool features

I want one

[dbodner]

I'll echo Sparky's interest in the Ascent. Relatively cheap. And for people not interested in competition (like me) it's hard to find a vario that doesn't have features you don't need. If you go with one of the major brands, staying in the lower half of their range (probably the cheapest or second-cheapest) is probably right. AFAIK they all use the same basic pressure mechanism, so none has an advantage in accuracy. In response to Brian, my Brauniger also beeps faster and higher as my vertical speed increases.

Of course the cheapest are the sound-only units that mount on your helmet. I've never flown with one, but I think I'd miss being able to read my altitude.

[jimrooney]

Damn you Sparky!
I don't need to spend money! But DAMN! That is sexy!!!!!
Clean, tiny, simple (not overburdened with extra features that a guy like me won't use)
It looks like they solved the battery issue too (10hrs is plenty).
You big jerk!

Santa's getting a call.
We're gonna work something out.
Jim

[davidtheamazing1]

Yea I get what you're saying on the beeps. The reason I've resisted so long is because I find the beeps a bit annoying... One of the nice hings about soaring vs powered is the peace and quiet. Although I've concluded that listening to the beeps wins vs ending up on the ground after 5 min.

[jimrooney]

Garmin ForeTrex201
3d GPS. Ultra-simple, no beep but does have climbrate/decentrate. Not instantaneous, but faster than most averagers. I find it fast enough for anything but super light lift. Definitely forces you to feel the air

I'm still digging the hell out of Sparky's vario.
Jim

[brianvh]

Trust me...the vario sound will only annoy you when it's screaming sink. The up beep will quicky become your favorite sound in the world.

[Spark]

Yea I get what you're saying on the beeps. The reason I've resisted so long is because I find the beeps a bit annoying... One of the nice hings about soaring vs powered is the peace and quiet. Although I've concluded that listening to the beeps wins vs ending up on the ground after 5 min.

So with the Acent vario you can personalize the beeps. I want to experiment ... maybe a positive climb will sound like a drum. The tempo increases as I climb faster, so I want to lock into a steady beat. Pretty soon, I'm jammin'

The sink alarm would sound like flatulence Maybe I'd leave it off ...

[davidtheamazing1]

Just wondering... has anyone on here used the ascent vario after using a regular one? Any drawbacks to it's small size or limited screen size?

[XCanytime]

I just ordered one. Bacil

[brianvh]

??!!

It's the end of an era.

[hankh2rbc]

The world is definately coming to an end! :-}

[XCanytime]

I'm just using it for the flight logging function. Bacil

[theflyingdude]

I just ordered one. Bacil

Dogs and cats living together..., the end of the world as we know it!!!

JR

[Dan T]

Oh no say it ain't so, shoeless joe!

By the way David I have an old Sentec you can have if you like. All it does is beep, but it does that very well.

Dan T
in Baghdad for less than two more weeks
before vacation

[jimrooney]

I have now officially seen everything.

Jim

[mcelrah]

Not only is the up vario beep my favorite sound in the world, but I want it for the ringtone on my phone. Anybody know where to get it? - Hugh

[Danny Brotto]

I think the Ascent vario looked very nice too but it’s having a rechargeable battery as the power source would a deal breaker for me.

I have an old, entry level FLYTEC with audio and visual vario, averager, & altimeter. It uses 2 AA batteries that last well beyond a full season. After flying I throw the vario in my harness and it’s there ready to go next time I go flying. If for some reason I forget to turn the unit off I just pop in a pair of AA alkaline cell which I keep stashed in the harness; no worries or lost airtime. I really don’t want to have to recharge or maintain the vario or surprisingly be faced a discharged battery as I get ready to launch.

Now I would recommend the FLYTEC series of varios but it looks like their entry level and simple units have been discontinued. FLYTEC USA really supports the scene in the US and I recommend supporting them accordingly. If FLYTEC does not have a vario that suits you, take a look at the DIGIFLY brand of varios. Their ARCHIMEDE unit is chock full of great features and at $285 (USA Distributor web site) it’s only a bit more expensive than the ASCENT. The ARCHIMEDE PLUS is $325 and has some additional features including a barograph function. They both are reported to last 200 hours on a AA battery and that’s pretty good! I have no experience with these units but they do look great on paper.

For a decent data logger think about the GARMIN 76S. The “S” gives you a pressure altitude logger in addition to the GPS logging function; under $200 online.

Let us know what you decide.

Danny Brotto

[DanTuck]

Hugh-
I'm not sure but I think this works on any phone. I haven't tried it.

http://www.myxer.com/get/item/250751/

[mcelrah]

One thing I like about the Garmin 76S is the synthetic compass. This became useful for me when I got whited-out in a cloud in Hawaii and wanted to keep flying straight out away from the ridge as I dove out of the cloud. - Hugh

[Spark]

Not only is the up vario beep my favorite sound in the world, but I want it for the ringtone on my phone. Anybody know where to get it? - Hugh

I know a guy who uses a vario up beep for his phone. He sampled (recorded) it.

[XCanytime]

Just received the Ascent vario yesterday. Comes with wall AC and car charger. Takes less than 2 hours to charge (easily done on the way to most flying sites). Operation is easy and intuitive. Advertise 10 hours of operation with "standard" beeping of the vario. Comes with Velcro wriststrap.

Bacil

[Spark]

I'm picking mine up on Friday. So far I've heard nothing but good things from the folks who have bought them.

We flew in subzero temps last Sunday ... so cold our vario displays were barely legible.

[Spark]

I also bought an Ascent Vario and I really like it.

I haven't flown with it yet, but took it skiing yesterday and recorded all of my runs as 'flights'. It provided accurate altitudes, climb rates and temperatures.

The batteries stood up well to the cold temps, even with beep volume at maximum. When I got home, I left it logging (no beeping) and it still was running this morning, for a total of nearly 15 hours of use. The battery is a 320mAH LiPo.

I am learning how to customize the beeping sounds. From prior discussion with an owner, I understood that one could use sampled sounds with this vario, have since discovered the sound cusomization is limited to a handful of parameters that adjust the beep intervals, frequency, etc. I

like the default sounds, but I want to see if I can configure something a bit more unique ... maybe retro ... like the old Litek Hummingbird or Colver varios. To be honest, I never have liked the FlyTec beeps.

All in all, I think this vario is excellent and very much worth the price.

I'm hoping the Wx will improve so I can fly with it.

Happy Holidays all!