Garmin GpsMap 396 - Flight Test

"Mike Spera" wrote:


Then I tried something I never really tried with my other GPS units. I
watched the sat page while transmitting. All sat bars marched down to the
bottom and disappeared in about 5-7 seconds. Release the transmit button
and they immediately came back up to where they were. So, now I cannot
trust this thing while transmitting?

It could still be you have a faulty 396, but it sounds like it's you have a
radio/electrical problem. I had a Cessna NAV/COM that did the same thing to
my old 295. Swapping the radio with another one solved the problem. You may
also have a leaky antenna cable shield.

Is that the only COM radio you have? What happens when you power it off and
use another transmitter? If the same thing happens, you may have a
grounding problem in the airplane.

Trying the other portable GPS is a good test. If you're lucky, the Lowrance
will work ok and prove you have a bad Garmin. If not, I still recommend
that you turn off EVERYTHING electrical in the airplane and see how the 396
receives satellites. Then, add stuff back in one at a time until you
observe any loss of signal.

Good luck with your gremlin.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM