While testing this instrument we couldn't help but think back to the very well made Garmin GPS III Pilot, which came to our editorial department at the beginning of this year, and which we at that time considered to be the best instrument on our market. At that time we had no idea how soon we would have to adjust our opinion. Things that were pretty much perfect have been honed to absolute perfection and some parameters we found surprisingly cool.

    Controlling the instrument we found, again, is precise and perfect, just as with the Garmin GPS III Pilot. The LCD screen dimensions are 5.3x3.1cm, and in contrast to the Garmin GPS III Pilot, it is not possible to switch to width display format. This too is one of the few differences between the Garmin GPS III Plus and the GPS 12 MAP, if we overlook the external antena, which on the GPS 12 MAP is built into the instrument and an external one can be connected to the back of the instrument.

Power Supply and Usage
    We used several measuring instruments to test power usage but still couldn't believe our own eyes. Four AA batteries or an external source of 10-32V can power the instrument. Power use in the "Normal" mode, where information is updated every second, fluctuates around 90mA, which is the smallest amount of power consumption we've measured with any GPS instrument. Fully-charged NiMH batteries with a capacity of 1,100mAh last something over twelve hours. The manufacturer guarantees 36 hours when using alkaline batteries in the Power Saver mode, which we can unanimously agree with.

    Another pleasant surprise came about when we turned on the LCD light on full. Power demand increased by only 30mA, which means we're dealing with tube lighting. Placing the lighted display up to your ear it's possible to hear the slight buzzing of the transformer creating a higher charge for the tube lighting.

    When switched off, the instrument uses 0.17mA, which is such a small value, that it is not necessary to remove quality batteries from the instrument for longer periods of inactivity. The traditional, built-in lithium batteries supply the memory of the instrument, which holds user data and settings even when the AA batteries are removed and have a life of 10 years according to the manufacturer. This doesn't mean, however, that the instrument can be without batteries for several years without loss of memory. The lithium batteries are constantly charging from the AA batteries or external power source, and without this re-charging have a life of about three months. After that the memory is erased.

    It is of course also possible to set what of batteries are in use momentarily. The battery indicator is then more accurate in following the de-charging curve of the batteries in use.

Instrument Control
    is no different from the Garmin GPS III Pilot and it is difficult to add anything. It is basically flawless. Except for the big buttons and the difficulty of control while wearing thick gloves.

Communication Interface
    Data transfer between the GPS 12 MAP and other Garmin instruments or a computer is accomplished the aid of the well-known four-pin connector on the backside of the instrument. Ground, external power, data in, data out, rubber covering of the connector and that's all.


User Settings
    Every displayed page is user-configured and it is possible to set the types of data, which will be displayed on the given page. What does this mean? Take, for example, the Position page, which at factory setting displays six pieces of data in six fields. From speed, to course, to battery power. User setting allows you to exchange data in any of the fields, choosing from 13 other types of data! So it is possible to set the time of sunrise in the first field, sunset in the second field, speed in the third, mileage counter in another field, because maybe these, and not the factory settings like battery charge, are of interest to me, the user. Using the "Restore Defaults" function returns any selected page to the original factory settings, which is often useful and necessary.


Timers
    Several independent timers tick away within the instrument, which count in seconds, how long the instrument has been switched on, from some event. An "event" for the instrument can be, for example, a change of batteries, or re-set to factory defaults, or reaching the zero point on the user timer on its countdown. So it is possible to monitor the lessening of capacity of re-chargeable batteries over several years of use.


Alarms
    Using visual and acoustic signals, the instrument can point to many interesting and independent events. The first of which is the Alarm Clock. Another is the Arrival Alarm, upon reaching arrival distance. If we set 2km for example, having flown that distance the alarm will warn us that we are at that point. Another alarm monitors route deviation, and signals when we are more than the pre-set distance off course between two points on our route.