Mike 'Flyin'8' wrote:

Garmin 196
-It looks like this device has the ability to set on top of the dash
in the plane with the antenna exposed through the windscreen. So I
would imagine if left on top of the control panel an external antenna
is not necessary. So, would an external be needed?

-With the previous in mind, is this device usable if left on top of
the panel?

It works OK in my car on its beanbag mount sitting on the dashboard. It doesn't
work on the yoke in the Mooney, never tried setting it on the glareshield. It
might depend on rake angle of the windscreen and how much of the sky is visible
from its mounting position.

I keep mine on the yoke in my Mooney, use external ship's power and the external
antenna. I use small spring clamps to route the wires so they're not in my way.

-Can you reach up and accurately press buttons as needed?

On the yoke mount - no problem. In the car on the dashboard the distance from my
eyes is inconvenient for my bifocals. I can read the big numbers but not the
little street names.

-Is the screen large enough to see if left sitting on top of the
Panel?


General Questions:
How do the GPS Yoke mounts work? I do not own a plane and rent, so is
the Yoke Mount easibly removable, or should I forget that idea all
together and just use a wrist strap? Does it work on a Cessna 172
without getting in the way? Is the wrist strap even worth messing
with?

The yoke mount and the associated wiring and spring clips for routing the wiring
are a bit of a pain for me as I share the plane with 3 partners who don't want
to use it. Still worth it, though. It probably takes only 3 minutes or so to
install/uninstall.