Garmin 195...295...296...396....

Still flying with the 195 on my yolk and that was $ well spent years
ago but would like to upgrade. Anyone hear anything about what's coming
down the pike next? Seems about 2 year intervals for these portables.

Thanks for any info.

Dale
PA-24

make that yoke.

wrote:
make that yoke.

Oh darn, I was looking forward to thinking of something clever to say about your
yolk.

About your original question... I don't know what's next, of course, but the 396
is available now and is a nice addition to your yoke.

I have the yoke mounted 396 that supplements the panel-mounted GNS480. Next week
the avionics shop will upgrade the connector so that the 396 will be able to
automatically display the flight plan from the 480. Connecting to ship's power
means the 396's battery is continually kept topped off, ready to work as a
standby if needed.

I have a Stormscope, too. The combination of 396 plus Stormscope gives me a lot
of confidence for summer flying.

I configure the 396 with the map-plus-HSI display and it's easier to follow than
the HSI display on the 480. It's closer to my scan and easier to see. Only as a
supplement to my approved navigation equipment, of course.

DGB

I've not heard of anything new coming out, the 396 is pretty new. To
me, the biggest jump happens in the 296 because you get terrain. Flying
singles over mountains makes the terrain feature almost a requirement.
Those on the East coast my disagree. The 396 is only better if you
maintain the $50/month subscription, otherwise it turns into a 296.

-Robert


wrote:
Still flying with the 195 on my yolk and that was $ well spent years
ago but would like to upgrade. Anyone hear anything about what's coming
down the pike next? Seems about 2 year intervals for these portables.

Thanks for any info.

Dale
PA-24

Robert M. Gary wrote:
The 396 is only better if you
maintain the $50/month subscription, otherwise it turns into a 296.

There are two levels of subscription, $30/mo and $50/mo. I use the less
expensive one and it has all the important stuff.

If you like, you can jump back and forth between the two levels of subscription
on a month-to-month basis.

http://www.xmradio.com/weather/0726_xmwx_realease.pdf

Thanks gentlemen. Very helpful. The 396 is obviously a marvelous tool

Don't know if I'll wait for the 496 or not-wonder what the changes will
be. Sort of fun to predict where the Garmin gang will try to make
improvements. They have competion to worry about.

Dale

wrote:

Thanks gentlemen. Very helpful. The 396 is obviously a marvelous tool

Don't know if I'll wait for the 496 or not-wonder what the changes will
be.

Why wait? The 396 is fairly new. Every time Garmin's come out with a new
model, I've traded up. Never had a bit of trouble selling the old one.

I love the 396. The wx capabilities make it an awesome cross country tool.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

Why wait? The 396 is fairly new. Every time Garmin's come out with a new
model, I've traded up. Never had a bit of trouble selling the old one.

The 396 will likely wind up in my plane and maybe eventually on ebay to
make room for the upgrade if the next iteration is worth the trade.

thanks.

Dale

"DB" == Dave Butler writes:

DB If you like, you can jump back and forth between the two
DB levels of subscription on a month-to-month basis.

Can you turn the subscription on and off?

For instance, most of the year I fly locally in Northern California,
within a few hundred miles of home base, and the weather is very
predictable: sun inland, fog on the coast in the morning. But once a
year I like to fly an overnight cross-country and then the WX would be
very handy.

Has anyone tried the vistanav software (www.vistanav.com)? Reading
their website and reading through the operating manual, it appears that
it does everything the 396 does, and then much much much more. With
the wx package i believe its just shy of 5 amu but certainly adds a lot
more features such as Highway in the Sky, Chart view type software, 2D
and 3D views, and also very handy (for someone like me who needs to get
at their email) the LS800 computer can be taken from the cockpit and
used in the hotel or wherever you're staying as a real full functioning
computer with builting 802.11. The GPS and WX units connect to this
wirelessly (bluetooth) so you can stick those devices under your seat
or in the back. The screen measures 8x5 (roughly) on this computer too
compared to the small Garmin screen.

I have a Garmin now, however once the vistanav contains Canadian
information (they told me 6 - 9 month) i'm getting in line.

-dr