Garmin 196 GPS - what do you guys think?

Paul Tomblin wrote:
the only thing that would make the 396 perfect to me would be if
they'd add approach plates.

Why?

Hilton

In a previous article, "Hilton" said:
Paul Tomblin wrote:
the only thing that would make the 396 perfect to me would be if
they'd add approach plates.

Why?

Because once I'm being vectored to the ILS, I don't need the GPS any more
for course guidance, just situational awareness, and so it would be nice
to switch the display to something I can use.
Because it would be nice to see a little "you are here" on the course
line.
Because those flimsy approach plate books are always tearing and I'm
likely to lose the plate I need.
Because if I have to divert, it would be nice to hit "GOTO" and then have
the approach plate come up rather than hunt through my book. Especially
if the diversion is to another state or province.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My
opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller
that could have been prevented by a good teacher. -- Flannery O'Connor

Indeed it would be nice! I'm sure it would be just too much for the
liability guys to swallow at this point. There are 3 or 4 legal
disclaimers you required to accept responsibility for every time you
turn it on.

But what a machine!!

Paul Tomblin wrote:

the only thing that would make the 396 perfect to me would be if
they'd add approach plates.

Why?
Because once I'm being vectored to the ILS, I don't need the GPS any more
for course guidance, just situational awareness, and so it would be nice
to switch the display to something I can use.
Because it would be nice to see a little "you are here" on the course
line.
Because those flimsy approach plate books are always tearing and I'm
likely to lose the plate I need.
Because if I have to divert, it would be nice to hit "GOTO" and then have
the approach plate come up rather than hunt through my book. Especially
if the diversion is to another state or province.

"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)?


I bought one this summer off Ebay for around $500 used. I also fly at an
aero club and use it for VFR flying. It rocks. I would recommend one to
anyone. Make sure the database is updated before you buy a used one.

I would not pay more for the 296. If you're VFR, you shouldn't need a
handheld GPS to tell you where the rocks are. If you want to use it as an
IFR backup in the mountians, that's a different story. I might consider it
then. But I don't fly much in the mountains. I wish they offered the w/x
downlink into the 196, then it'd be a perfect machine. I would pay extra to
have the w/x overlayed ontop of my gps map, but that will be my next
purchase in a couple of years when the price comes down.

196 is a great GPS - perfect for over 90% of VFR pilots.
If you fly lots of new mountains/night the terrain avoidance of the 296
would be great.
If you fly in lots of crappy weather, often enough to make paying a
monthly download fee sensible, the 396 is great.
So how do you fly?
196 is enough for most - not all.

HTH

Tony
Garmin 196

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

I bought a new 196 about 9 months ago and have flown with it for 95 hours of
VFR day, night, mountain flying. I works great! I don't regret getting the
less expensive unit at all. Visibility is great in sun, instrument red, or
internal illumination. I love uploading my track log to a topo map program
and reliving my flight. It also works fine for use in the car.

tom



"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....

On Mon, 5 Sep 2005 21:16:01 -0700, "tom pettit"
tompetatpeakdotorg wrote:

Visibility is great in sun,

Good point. The 296 screen often washes out in sunlight, and you get a
lot of sunlight in an L-4-glazed Piper Cub.

By the way, I had to buy a G Force suction cup mount for the 296. None
of the other lashups including the yoke mount supplied by Garmin
worked in the back seat of a Cub. That added fifty bucks to the cost
of the project. I mount it on the port window, about even with the top
of the front seat.


-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

The 296 is a wonderful device. I enjoy it hugely, though I'm not sure
that I would have bought it if I had known that:

1) it would interfere with my radio transmissions (handheld Vertex)

2) on one occasion it would relocate one of my "saved" waypoints to
South America (imagine my surprise when I noticed that my home airport
was several thousand miles away and that it would take me 84 hours to
get home).

I fly low, so the terrain avoidance is indeed useful (radio towers on
hills). The moving map is the screen I most often use. It's brilliant.



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

The 296 is a wonderful device. I enjoy it hugely, though I'm not sure
that I would have bought it if I had known that:

1) it would interfere with my radio transmissions (handheld Vertex)

2) on one occasion it would relocate one of my "saved" waypoints to
South America (imagine my surprise when I noticed that my home airport
was several thousand miles away and that it would take me 84 hours to
get home).

I fly low, so the terrain avoidance is indeed useful (radio towers on
hills). The moving map is the screen I most often use. It's brilliant.



I believe you can now download obstacles on the 196.

"John Doe" wrote in message
news:PdfTe.19037$8q.15223@lakeread01...

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...


I believe you can now download obstacles on the 196.
You can get the Jeppson obstacle database for $35 download from the garmin
site. No terrain avoidance on the 196, but it is nice to get a reminder
when a tower is ahead in the haze.
tom