While not exactly the thread for the discussion. I tried out three systems at the same time on my last flight. I had to give one of the Caravans a work out from a storage period. So I had an installed Garmin 530 WAAS with TAWS, an iPad with Foreflight and a Bad Elf gps and finally the Garmin 796 ( a present from Garmin, I love free stuff, long story). The 530 works just fine but spinning the knobs to get through all the menus could give somebody carpel tunnel. The display is big, but lacks a lot of fine detail, on the other hand lack of detail is good for quick situational scans.
The iPad works just fine, but is a bit too large to use on the yoke, obscures too much panel. So I made a mount out of some RAM mounts to attach to the side of the Co-Pilot's seat and it faced me. The iPad 3 is very readable at this distance and has incredible detail. Foreflight is easy to use and I like the display over sectional maps the best. I didn't have to contend with sunlight on the pad where I mounted it, but when the sun was on the 530's display, it got washed out, but still readable.
The Garmin 796. It is expensive, but holy hot damm it is impressive. It is very readable, even in the sun. It has incredible detail and with an active XM account really great real time WX data. I loaded up all the charts, did the checklists in the editor and mounted it up on the Yoke. It is as large of a device you would want to put on a yoke. It's supplied yoke mount works really well without issue. The maps work seamlessly, the displays toggle quickly and intuitively. Shows position on approach plates. Does log entries for each flight, interfaces with the Garmin 330 with one wire for TIS (and it works just fine). I even scanned my POH and put it in the doc reader (which the iPad does as well). So if you have the money, get a 796. I am installing a Garmin 650 in my 185, since it had early Jurassic avionics installed. I'm just putting one in and using the 796 as the back up. I have yet to play with the 650, but I'm swapping the Caravan out for the 185 next week, so I can compare those two. I kept going to the Garmin 796's info pages rather than the 530's for frequencies and such. It is just easier to access.
Yes, the 796 was free to me, but I would actually buy one if I had a choice over the any pad/phone version of any nav. I have used it in my Birddog as well and it is a quantum leap over the 496 that is installed there as a semi-permanent GPS. The only accessory I bought for it, aside from what it came with, was an adaptor for permeant wiring. That way I could get the serial ports in and out. You do not need the supplied external antenna, even when the unit is well within the Caravan's cockpit. The iPad & Bad Elf combo worked equally as well deep in the Caravan's cockpit. I kind of like having both displays, it is kind of a second screen for a wider picture. Then again you can watch movies on the iPad or listen to books on tape if the vast expanse of, lets say...Texas is boring you to tears.
