DBS Follow Me vs DBS Airport GPS

[tjrush 55]

Does anyone have experience with these two products?  All I want is something that gets me to and from the runway.  Both of these seem to do just that. Follow Me provides a car to follow.  Airport GPS is similar to a car GPS.   See http://www.dbsim.com/ if you want more info.

 

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

I don't remember exactly how the Follow Me performed in my FS9 installation.

 

The Airport GPS in FSX has serious flaws, as it may stop working while you're still within the airport area (and still on the ground): It may change from 'ground mode' to 'flight mode', so you don't receive directions anymore.

Furthermore it directs me a lot along runways for taxing, even though there may be parallel taxiways available.

 

Can't really recommend Airport GPS, I'm afraid. (Not even counting in installation into FSX, activation, and installation into individual aircraft, which are known 'challenges' with all dbs products.)

 

Must say, I still bought the GPS in one of last year's sales (discounts are possible for the patient ones among us). Activation was working and quick. I might use the GPS as a 'moving airport map' for orientation purposes only now and then, ignoring the flawed taxi instructions.

 

I'd assume that Follow Me uses a similar 'taxi engine', but I'm not really sure about it.

[Rocky_53 1,583]

I bought the DBS Airport GPS last year, only to find it would not work in fullscreen mode. Following an email support request I received no reply.  Make your own mind up... :mad:

[bk2000 0]

I use the DBS Airport GPS and really like it. I use it over the followme car.

 

Have you tried the FREE "FOLLOWME 2" CAR addon?  There is a current link to download it here: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/411841-follow-me-car/ ...Check the #3 post.

You can try changing the vehicle in this program, too. See: http://forum.simflight.com/topic/64819-followme2-update/.....Check the #4 post.

[WallysWorld 4]

I've been using DBS Airport GPS for a few years now and have had no issues with it. I like it very much.

[Beardyman 608]

This free FollowMe works great ( to be honest much better than GSX ).

I have only one issue.

When i taxi 777 i cannot see 'follow me' because it is under nose of my 777.

Is it possible to adjust 'follow me' .parameter to increase distance between car and plane ?

( i was searching a bit and found .cfg file but cannot see any parameter which describe distance between car and plane )

[zmak 331]

My DBS Airport GPS is trouble free

For those that have trouble with it there was an update issued a while ago that improved it 

 

http://www.dbsim.com/

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Yep, I made sure my Airport GPS is v1.9.0 and the airport database was updated.

 

At OOKB I wanted to taxi to rwy19. A-GPS suggested taxing the taxiway the opposite direction, and then backtrack on the runway to the other end:

 

 

On my way to the opposite runway end, A-GPS started looking funny:

 

 

At OMDB, again heading for the opposite runway end, I was standing on the parallel taxiway, asking A-GPS for its suggestions:

 

 

Admittingly, every airport layout is different, making it difficult to be dealt with by some fancy algorithm. And I'm aware of a considerable number of flawed AFCADs, even if developed by recognized "coders". So, to do some justice to this product, the native AI traffic engine apparently has its own limitations, as you can see in OSDI, where a backtrack isn't actually required:

 

[Mephic 129]

Best follow me car I've tested is in GSX but yeah... This doesn't have taxi to runway - only on arrival. Though with all the markings on runways enhanced with Rex 4 I usually don't use any guidance

[Rocky_53 1,583]

Me thinks I need to download the update...

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Me thinks I need to download the update...

 

 

V1.9.0 is current, Howard; the A-GPS in the J41's VC is my own manual panel.cfg "tweak", though.

 

Default installation of the A-GPS into those aircraft is still a separate 2D window ...

[Rocky_53 1,583]

V1.9.0 is current, Howard; the A-GPS in the J41's VC is my own manual panel.cfg "tweak", though.

 

Default installation of the A-GPS into those aircraft is still a separate 2D window ...

 

Ah, I thought it looked pretty clever Olli ! So I guess even with the new update it will still only work in windowed mode?

[ajpongress 467]

Airport GPS was a distaster for me.

The window was always crunched. I had to stretch it out every time I flew to read it.

Half the time it would track my aircraft, the other half it refused to work.

 

Registration was a complete headache.

I contacted the developer for support and his english was abysmal. Was hard to get any support. I ended up requesting a refund from the vendor and bypassed the developer directly.

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Ah, I thought it looked pretty clever Olli ! So I guess even with the new update it will still only work in windowed mode?

 

 

It was rather convenient for me to integrate it manually into the J41 VC for the tests m.a. But AFAIK the automatic installer hasn't changed.

 

For a manual install into the J41's VC replace the marked gauge "call" by a different gauge of your choice. Do at your own risk; create a backup before you start. (Airport GPS would be dbs.aptgps!handheldgps instead):

 

//   VC SECTION 2

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[VCockpit02]

(...)

gauge04=rxpWX500!RDR,  532, 528, 472, 331

(...)

 

BTW(I), my preferred gauge in that place is the dbs sim TAWS, which I like a lot (one or two minor flaws, but it helps a lot with situational awareness and comes at small price. Easy to use as well.)

 

BTW(II), looks like I'm starting to get the hang of the A-GPS, too!  :lol: Its taxi instructions are dynamic after all, so if you keep off the runway long enough for taxing, at some point the GPS "snaps" and comes up with more appropriate taxi instructions.

[Rocky_53 1,583]

Thanks for the info Ollie, but I don't have the J41 from PMDG, only the NGX. I'll take a look to see if I can figure it out. Cheers...