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Dear SkyPad User,
My how the number of SkyPad customers has grown! Since the last issue of this newsletter in late June, we've nearly doubled the number of SkyPad users, many of you purchasing in late November on Black Friday. With so many new users, we thought it best to do a special issue devoted to the basics of using the SkyPad.
We're continually improving the SkyPad, both in terms of general Voyager software changes, and also software and hardware specific to the SkyPad. The purpose of this newsletter is to inform you of improvements were making to the SkyPad and to convey tips and tricks for using the SkyPad.
I'm very interested in your feedback, both to the newsletter or to the SkyPad itself. Please send any comments or suggestions to me directly at stevep@seattleavionics.com.
Back issues of SkyLounge (SkyPad/SkyPad2 customers only) and Flight Log, the newsletter for general Voyager users, are available from our Web site at
http://www.seattleavionics.com/Newsletters Getting to Know Your New SkyPadAs I said, we just sold the proverbial boat-load (technically minivan-load, in this case) of new SkyPad systems and suspect a lot of you have questions. Here are some suggestions and tips and tricks that you might find helpful.
Attend A Webinar From Your Own PC
We've just scheduled two special Webinars just for new SkyPad owners. A Webinar is a live presentation during which you see and hear the presenter (in this case, me) demonstrate the product. You can type questions and see them answered in real-time either by the presenter, or, more likely, someone else here. Both webinars cover the same material so there is no need to sign-up for both. Each Webinar is scheduled to last one hour but we often run a few minutes long answering questions. To watch the webnar, all you need is a PC or Mac connected to the Internet and to have signed-up before the presentation. Click either of the two links below to sign-up. We'll also attempt to "tape" the webinar for future use but we've found that is often problematic so don't count on it.
Tuesday December 21, 2:00 PM Pacific
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/190562600
Wednesday December 22, 5:00 PM Pacific
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/948477065
Watch a Video (or Two)We have a quick (about 10 minutes) video that covers many (albeit not all) of the features of the Voyager software that powers your SkyPad. It is slightly dated so doesn't cover a few of the features in the current product and isn't technically SkyPad-specific but you'll still find it very useful if you haven't seen it yet. We very, very strongly recommend watching it.
http://www.seattleavionics.com/Videos/SkyPad.wmvIn addition, to learn more about the Voyager system in general, with special emphasis on the flight planning features, we suggest the longer general Voyager video.
http://www.seattleavionics.com/Videos/V4Overview.wmv
Brochure / OnScreen Help Commonly Asked Questions
Unless otherwise noted, these topics apply equally well to the SkyPad2 Convertible (keyboard) and the SkyPad2 Slate (no keyboard).
Using the Touch Screen
The SkyPad2 has what's called a "multi-touch" screen similar to an Apple iPad. This is fundamentally different than older touch screens (including the original SkyPad). With the older touch screen, you would try to touch the screen with as close to a single "point" as possible using either a plastic stylus or your fingernail. The newer multi-touch system is much more natural; simply use the pad (not fingernail) of your finger to touch the screen.
Additionally, keep in mind that the concept of clicking the right button on a mouse to pull up context-sensitive menus is a little different with a touch screen. Since there is no button on your finger, Windows 7 interprets a press and hold (for about 2 seconds) as right-mouse click. Thus, any time you press and hold your finger to the screen, the software is interpreting that as one right-mouse click not a series of left-mouse clicks. More on the implication on that below. You know when this happens because Windows will quickly draw a fairly large hollow circle around where you clicked. When you make a normal (left-mouse button) click, on the other hand, Windows draws a much smaller filled circle that's more like a small stone splashing into a pond.
Zoom
Several of you have already written that you find it hard to use the zoom + and - buttons on the toolbar or, if using the moving map, around the Range indicator. That's because of the issue with "touch and hold" described above. With a touch screen, you can't press and keep holding a button to get rapid-fire clicks. That's why we have other mechanisms to zoom the screen.
1. Range drop-down (pre-flight planning) or Range indicator (in-flight)
When you're in pre-flight planning mode, you'll see an indication of your current zoom ("Range") on the toolbar above the chart. Tap the "down arrow" next to the range and select the zoom you want. Note: Because you can't click and hold an on-screen button with a tablet, we don't suggest you use the magnifying glass buttons to zoom the chart. This works great with a mouse but not your fingers.
If you're flying, you'll see a larger but unlabeled range indicator. Tap the range number itself to see a large list of available zoom ranges. Note: Because you can't click and hold an on-screen button with a tablet, we don't suggest you use the magnifying glass buttons to zoom the chart. In fact, these buttons will be removed in future versions of Voyager.
2. Pinch to zoom. Much like an iPad, Windows 7 on the SkyPad supports the concept of "pinching" a chart to zoom in and out. To zoom in, use two fingers, typically your thumb and forefinger, to touch the screen at the same time and "pinch" them closer together. To zoom out, do the same but begin with your two fingers touching the screen near each other then, while holding them against the screen, move the fingers away from each other. That said, the hardware on the SkyPad2, esp. the video card, isn't really fast enough to support this feature with the butter-like smoothness you'll see on your iPhone or Android device so we suggest using method #1 above.
Onscreen Keyboard
While in GlassView mode (that is, moving map mode), any time you should reasonably need a keyboard, Voyager includes a large built-in keyboard right there where you need it. In pre-flight planning, however, we do assume you have a real keyboard so don't pop one up. In that case, when ever you click a field that requires typing, Windows will pop-up a small "keyboard" icon.
Click it and Windows puts its virtual keyboard on the screen. In addition, if you touch anywhere on the screen, you'll see Windows slide out, just barely visible, a glimpse of the keyboard from the left side of the screen. While it's peeking out, tap it again to fully show it.
Hooking Up the GPS / Bluetooth
Your SkyPad was already linked to the Bluetooth (wireless) GPS that we ship with the SkyPad. If you need to re-link it for some reason, the procedure is outlined in the SkyPad booklet or by clicking the "life ring" icon on the SkyPad desktop.
Both the SkyPad Slate and SkyPad Convertible use what's called a Bluetooth "dongle" to connect the Bluetooth devices. Technically, the Slate already has a built-in Bluetooth radio so should not need it but we didn't find it to be reliable or long-range enough so we added the much better quality dongle. The dongle fits one of the two available USB ports and, as it sticks out very, very little, we don't suggest removing it. Note: The internal Bluetooth on the Slate has been disabled so it doesn't interfere with the dongle. Thus, you will have no Bluetooth connectivity if you remove the dongle.
You can also connect the SkyPad to the GPS using a USB cable. In that case, no Bluetooth dongle is necessary as no wireless is used to communicate with the device. While the GPS comes with a USB cable, the supplied cable is only meant for charging so only has the wires required to supply power to the GPS; it does NOT have the "data" wires so it cannot be used to get GPS signals into the SkyPad. If you want to use your GPS with a USB cable, you'll need to use one you already have (such as one that comes with most digital cameras) or purchase one from Radio Shack or any electronics store.
Rotate the Screen / Change Brightness
With either the SkyPad Slate or Convertible, rotate the screen using the SkyPad Controller. The SkyPad Controller is a small piece of software that we created to make it easy to rotate the screen or change the brightness. Look to the bottom of the screen and click the icon as shown below.
Note: You cannot rotate the screen while Voyager is running. This is intentional because the DirectX-based charting engine in Voyager can't be rotated once it starts running. If you need to rotate the screen, close Voyager, use the SkyPad Controller to rotate it, the re-launch Voyager.
Buttons on the Bezel
There are small physical buttons around the screen (the "bezel") of both the Slate and the Convertible. In the case of the Convertible, they are completely disabled so you can't hit them inflight. For the Slate, we have not yet found a way to disable them but they're fairly harmless (the arrow buttons map to the cursor keys and OK is the Enter key).
Notebook Manager / Driver Disk
On the Slate, a few of you have mentioned the Notebook Manager that is discussed in the CTL Corp (the maker of the Slate hardware) documention. Ignore it. We don't install it because it interferes with proper functioning of the unit for inflight use and also interferes with the Bluetooth dongle we install. The key functions of the Notebook Manager are already in the SkyPad Controller. In addition, the CTL plastic bag also contains a disk of drivers. DO NOT INSTALL THEM. We create a custom disk image for the SkyPad that is optimized for inflight use. Please do not add additional drivers or other system software as it may slow down or otherwise impair functioning of your SkyPad.
Updating Data
The SkyPad includes a piece of software called the Seattle Avionics Data Manager. The Data Manager downloads aviation data automatically in the background while the computer is connected to the Internet. You don't need to go to a Web site, click any download button, or do anything else manually. Every 28 days, when we publish new aviation data, the new data is automatically loaded into the SkyPad over night on the day of the data change so long as the SkyPad is on and connected to the Internet. New data becomes available every 4th Wednesday night; the next time being January 12, 2011. Remember to leave your SkyPad on, connected to the Internet, and plugged-into power on that night.
Power in the Plane
The SkyPad lasts about 2-3 hours during real-world use while flying. To power it longer, you can add a $59 DC adapter that plugs into your plane's cigarette lighter. Note: If you purchased this during the Black Friday sale and have a Slate, you may have noticed that the "tip" required to connect to your Slate is missing. This was a mistake made by the manufacturer that we didn't catch until after most SkyPad Slates had shipped. The manufacturer has since provided the appropriate tips to us and we're sending them out now. We're very sorry for the inconvenience.Downloading WeatherIf you're not using an XM receiver, you can still see weather while flying based on data that the SkyPad can download from the Internet. In fact, this is automatic. When you open a flight plan on your SkyPad while connected to the Internet, Voyager automatically downloads a wealth of weather data and stores it on its hard drive (or solid-state drive). While flying, Voyager uses this stored weather and displays the appropriate aging.Vents on the SlateThe SkyPad Slate is an excellent device but you do have to be careful to ensure that the device's cooling vents don't get blocked. It has vents on the side and on the bottom. In some cases, such as prolonged exposure to direct sunlight on hot days, it's especially important to keep the back vents clear. In other words, in those cases, don't keep the Slate flat on a seat or against a mount that completely covers the rear vents.  The Two Voyager Icons
We took a very minimalist approach to the icons on the SkyPad2's Desktop. Two of the icons, Voyager4 and Voyager4 QuickFly, both start Voyager but with different initial configurations. Use the Voyager4 icon to start Voyager in a mode that makes it easy to pre-flight plan. Generally this is used while the unit is in landscape orientation (that is, the screen is wider than it is tall, often with the keyboard open). The Voyager4 QuickFly icon, by contrast, bypasses the general "What Do You Want To Do" screen and begins immediately in GlassView (in-flight) mode with the GPS engaged and the map visible. QuickFly also disables all Internet access, making startup time faster since Voyager won't even check to see if you're online (most of us don't have Internet in the plane).
 Anti-virus, Firewalls, etc.We ship the SkyPad2 with the standard Windows Firewall enabled and set to the normal settings. This is good protection for general computing use. We do not ship it with any additional firewall or anti-virus program -- intentionally. We've found that all such programs slow the computer and generally interfere with the optimal performance required for in-flight use. While there is nothing stopping you from installing any Windows software on the SkyPad, including MacAfee, Norton, or other such programs, we very, very strongly suggest NOT doing so. The Windows Firewall will protect your computer from general Internet attacks. To defend against additional attacks, we simply suggest you limit your Internet downloads to trusted Web sites, only open emails from people you know, and be extremely careful when opening attachments that come in email. If you take these common-sense precautions, you'll get both optimal performance and safety. Until next time, happy flying.
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Woodinville, Washington 98072
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