New Garmin 396

"Jonathan Goodish" wrote

1--The 396 hasn't shipped yet, so no one knows how, or how well, it will
work.

Correct. But since the 396 is so close to the 296 in features/screen/size
and since XM performance is well-known across multiple products and since
the 396 owner's manual is on Garmin's website, for the purpose of this
discussion we can make some fairly good educated assumptions about what its
performance will be.

2--We do know that the 396 has a small and rather unimpressive display
based on the specifications. Compared to a TabletPC or even a modern
PDA, I'm not sure how much of a weather picture you're going to get on a

Well considering that the 296 as it stands now offers terrain warnings more
effective than the panel-mount MX20 or EX500, I think it is quite reasonable
to conclude the 396 will be more than adequate to depict weather.

--------------------
Richard Kaplan

www.flyimc.com

"Jonathan Goodish" wrote in message

Well, a PDA/TabletPC and BT GPS can be charged in advance also,
requiring a grand total of zero cables.

But the Xm receiver cannot be charged in advance unless you carry a separate
external battery; the 396's Xm receiver is powered via USB from the 396.



--------------------
Richard Kaplan

www.flyimc.com

"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message

I have never heard of interfacing a 195 to a 530. What information is
shared?

Active waypoint data and flight plan data are shared. It makes for a really
nice backup unit and it also effectively adds to the number of
user-customizable GPS fields. On a 296 it means your flight plan or
approach are also overlayed on top of the terrain page.


--------------------
Richard Kaplan

www.flyimc.com

"Richard Kaplan" wrote:
What XM issues?

There have been a few that have required software revisions. I have had
to reboot a few times in the past. Right now it seems nearly bug free on
my gear.

I used WeatherWorx on Wings for 2 years and now have XM on my EX500
and with both coverage is rarely more than 5 minutes old.

When I was using it Friday, the radar button went red for nearly 20
minutes, even though I had a good locked satellite and other features
continued to work. That was the first time I've ever seen that happen.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

In article 1121145299.5ff82c7a61b1b3c0c826f2d0c4394000@teran ews,
"Richard Kaplan" wrote:

What XM issues?

I used WeatherWorx on Wings for 2 years and now have XM on my EX500 and with
both coverage is rarely more than 5 minutes old.


There have been issues with retaining activation, so you fire up your
system and find it not activated, requiring a call to XM to have the
receiver re-activated before you can receive weather. Apparently the
issues are XM issues, but I'm not sure whether the problem is with the
service side or with the receiver. If it's with the receiver, Garmin
may have found a way around the problem if they built their own receiver
or via their code to drive the receiver.

I've heard of the activation issues from both Control Vision and WxWorx
on Wings customers, both of which use the WxWorx receiver hardware. I
haven't ever experienced them myself.




JKG

In article 1121145627.4eb19f183b44f22cfc8819058a265941@teran ews,
"Richard Kaplan" wrote:
Well considering that the 296 as it stands now offers terrain warnings more
effective than the panel-mount MX20 or EX500, I think it is quite reasonable
to conclude the 396 will be more than adequate to depict weather.

I never said anything about not being adequate, but there is a
difference between "adequate" for weather display and "practical" for a
big picture view. For tactical applications, it probably won't be much
of a problem. For strategic purposes, not as practical as WxWorx or a
VGA PDA.


JKG

In article ,
(Ron Lee) wrote:
I have a GNS 430 plus Airmap 100. If the GNS 430 has a problem I have
a redundant GPS unit.


I'm not that concerned about a redundant GPS unit when I have
terrestrial navaids as a backup. The exception may be airports for
which there are no other options besides a GPS approach, but you can't
legally use a hand held for that anyway.



JKG

My understanding is that the activation issue occurs when the XM receiver is
not used for 90 days and the XM system thus suspends the account.

Regardless of whether this is an appropriate "feature," it does speak to my
point about the wires etc. being inconvenient. I suspect a good number of
the affected pilots fly more than once in 90 days but only turn on the XM
receiver on days when significant weather is forecast because it is too much
of a hassle otherwise.


--------------------
Richard Kaplan

www.flyimc.com

"Jonathan Goodish" wrote in message

big picture view. For tactical applications, it probably won't be much
of a problem. For strategic purposes, not as practical as WxWorx or a
VGA PDA.

This issue is valid but I have never seen any PDA which is optimum for
strategic purposes. A laptop, tablet, or panel-mount MFD is needed to
optimize strategic weather planning.

--------------------
Richard Kaplan

www.flyimc.com

"Jonathan Goodish" wrote in message

Honestly, if I had a 430/530 or other approach-certified GPS in my
panel, I don't know that I'd even invest in a hand held GPS.

Do you fly IFR in IMC? What would you do if you had an electrical failure
when in IMC?

--------------------
Richard Kaplan

www.flyimc.com