Garmin 196 GPS - what do you guys think?

I know I am a couple of models behind as far as the portables go, I would
LOVE to buy a 396 but just can't justify it right now.
I rent from a flying club where every plane has a different combination of
ADF/VOR/LORAN/GPS , and they all work differently, no manuals for the GPS or
LORAN units (if they are working at all that day) so I never know what I
will have available for VFR navigation.
SO, I thought it might be a good investment. For anyone that has owned or
used one of these, what are the opinions out there? Easy to use? Reliable?
What don't you like about it? Is the 296 worth twice the cash for VFR flight
in the Midwest (no mountains)?

--
Hello, my name is Mike, and I am an airplane addict....

As an aside, both Garmin and Bendix-King have Pilot's Manuals for most of
their units available on their websites in .pdf format. You can download
them and easily print the relevant parts.

www.garmin.com

https://www3.bendixking.com/index.jsp

Hope this helps...




"Mike W." wrote in message
...
I know I am a couple of models behind as far as the portables go, I would
LOVE to buy a 396 but just can't justify it right now.
I rent from a flying club where every plane has a different combination of
ADF/VOR/LORAN/GPS , and they all work differently, no manuals for the GPS
or
LORAN units (if they are working at all that day) so I never know what I
will have available for VFR navigation.
SO, I thought it might be a good investment. For anyone that has owned or
used one of these, what are the opinions out there? Easy to use? Reliable?
What don't you like about it? Is the 296 worth twice the cash for VFR
flight
in the Midwest (no mountains)?

--
Hello, my name is Mike, and I am an airplane addict....

Mike W. wrote:
I know I am a couple of models behind as far as the portables go, I would
LOVE to buy a 396 but just can't justify it right now.
I rent from a flying club where every plane has a different combination of
ADF/VOR/LORAN/GPS , and they all work differently, no manuals for the GPS or
LORAN units (if they are working at all that day) so I never know what I
will have available for VFR navigation.
SO, I thought it might be a good investment. For anyone that has owned or
used one of these, what are the opinions out there? Easy to use? Reliable?
What don't you like about it? Is the 296 worth twice the cash for VFR flight
in the Midwest (no mountains)?

Have you tried the AOPA website?

They have many of the manuals in pdf online for download.

I love my 196 and plan to keep it for a while. Easy to use when you get
used to it. They seem to be going for a song on Ebay these days.

Jim

"Mike W."wrote:

LOVE to buy a 396 but just can't justify it right now.

Is the 296 worth twice the cash for VFR flight
in the Midwest (no mountains)?

I just bought a 396 and my like-new 296 is for sale.

Email me if you're interested.

c172rg at bellsouth dot net

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

In a previous article, "Mike W." said:
SO, I thought it might be a good investment. For anyone that has owned or
used one of these, what are the opinions out there? Easy to use? Reliable?
What don't you like about it? Is the 296 worth twice the cash for VFR flight
in the Midwest (no mountains)?

I have a 195, and it's great. I tried a 295, and it sucks. I know people
who bought 295s and went back to 195s afterwards. The 196 looked like a
great improvement over the 195, and the 296 looks like they finally got
colour right. I wish I'd gone to Oshkosh this year so I could drool on
the 396 - the only thing that would make the 396 perfect to me would be if
they'd add approach plates.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Every program has two purposes -- one for which it was written and
another for which it wasn't.

"Paul Tomblin" wrote:
I have a 195, and it's great. I tried a 295, and it sucks.

!!!!!!!

That blows my mind!

I hated my 195, loved my 295.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...

"Paul Tomblin" wrote:
I have a 195, and it's great. I tried a 295, and it sucks.

I hated my 195, loved my 295.

That may be why they make both, and keep them different.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote:

I have a 195, and it's great. I tried a 295, and it sucks.

I hated my 195, loved my 295.

That may be why they make both, and keep them different.

They don't make either one anymore.

IIRC, they stopped making the 195 soon after they released the 295.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

"Paul Tomblin" wrote:
I have a 195, and it's great. I tried a 295, and it sucks.

"Dan Luke" wrote:
That blows my mind!
I hated my 195, loved my 295.

I prefer the portrait presentation of the 195 to the landscape mode of
the successive models. Also, the screen on the 195 is the biggest of all
these models.