quick question gentlemen, (or whatever you respond to)

Thinking about getting a GPS. Will a Garmin 196 have the variouse airports (landing strips) for the Forest Service programed into it? And, I assume it should have the other airports (basic class E/D) programmed into as well.

Also if you have owned a 196 do/did you like it? Found a new one for a good price and i think it would be nice. (I have been running the Garmin 12 which has nothing programmed into it) I am not a techi person and i don't like gadgets per say, just want something to find the nearest airport when you really wish you had a little luck.

Thanks for the Replys
ByeBill

A 196 will have every airstrip on ith that's on the sectional. Its a very easy to use GPS and I'm sure you'll like it. You can get a used 296/396/496 also for pretty cheap. I have a 496 with XM weather on it and I love it. It really adds to your situational awareness on long crosscountries being able to check metars, tafs, winds aloft, radar etc on the go. Its also really helpful when you're out in the backcountry and you can't check the weather before you fly.

The one advantage to the 196 is that it takes AA batteries so it can be refreshed without recharging. XM weather would be great though.

I have 40,000 miles on the odometer of my 196. I've had it for about 8 years. Like others have said it has everything on a sectional. It also has all airspaces to include restricted areas, MOA's, warning areas, ect. The AA batteries is nice in case you ever have a power failure. It'll run about 4-5 hours on 4 double A's. The only thing it lacks over the newer models is the ability to see terrain. Flying between strips up in the Idaho Backcountry all you get is a straight line on the screen

THose of you that have a 196-296-396 should check as an example Minam, Oregon. 7OR0 (thats "OH" R zero). The reason I sold my 396 and got the 496 was the 496 had all strips in it, including Minam as and example while the 396 didn't. Minam is on the sectional. All the Idaho backcountry strips are on my 496. I don't know if they are on the 196-296-396. I called Garmin and they indicated that the database for the 496 will not work with the other products, and is substantially larger. It has restricted, private, low use strips and I think for me the additional strips (amazing what you can find when you select "nearest") is a great safety feature.

Gary

robw56 wrote: A 196 will have every airstrip on ith that's on the sectional.....

MY 196 doesn't have non-public-use private airstrips in it, and neither did my previous Garmin 3. A serious shortcoming, esp if you have an emergency & need "nearest airport" pretty bad.

Huge gain when the 496 came out with that database. Doesn't it also have the taxi diagrams for a lot of the bigger airports?

Gump

Are database updates still available for the Garmin 196?

I own a motorola and a lowrance aviation gps, and they are both bricks because each of them stopped releasing updates just as soon as I bought it. KMAN (Nampa, ID) is just south of here, but both gps units think the identifier is S67. Radio frequencies have changed at several airports that I frequent. Etc.

After the database is a couple of years old, the effort becomes so great that it isn't worth using.

kevbert wrote:Are database updates still available for the Garmin 196?

I own a motorola and a lowrance aviation gps, and they are both bricks because each of them stopped releasing updates just as soon as I bought it. KMAN (Nampa, ID) is just south of here, but both gps units think the identifier is S67. Radio frequencies have changed at several airports that I frequent. Etc.

After the database is a couple of years old, the effort becomes so great that it isn't worth using.

I just did mine about a year ago but not sure if it's still available. I don't use my GPS for airfield info unless I have to.

GumpAir wrote:Huge gain when the 496 came out with that database. Doesn't it also have the taxi diagrams for a lot of the bigger airports?

Gump

Yeah that's another nice feature for when you're at some unfamiliar towered airport. All the taxi ways are right there for you and it automatically pulls it up when you land.

If you're feeling ambitious and technical, you can use software like GPS Babel to upload waypoints to your Garmin X96, which can be easily downloaded in a flat data file. Similar exercise would get you the UBCP airstrips into your device. It's not super easy, but it's not hard either.

how often do you 196--496 users update your database??

Garmin sends update emails to reg'd users.
Yes they still support the ol' 196.
If you need more than a 196 gives ya, I think you are no longer VFR.
I have 2 (in case one craps)

dawgfreeman wrote:how often do you 196--496 users update your database??

Had my 196 almost 4 years now & haven't updated it yet. Had my GPS 3 for 10 years & never updated it either. They don't generally move airports, just re-identifier them & occasionally make them go away. But I might break down & go for an update now that they've drastically redesigned the Seattle Class B airspace.

Thank you Gents,

I appreciate the input. I think I will go with the 196. For the dollars it makes sense. I realize I will be missing the weather, but I don't fly over 200 miles at a whack and check the weather via computer.

......but I don't fly over 200 miles at a whack......

With all those very vertical mountains surrounding you,
the term "Whack" and "Fly" in the same sentence makes me cringe...

Just me I guess...
lc

I think I will go with the 196. For the dollars it makes sense. I realize I will be missing the weather, but I don't fly over 200 miles at a whack and check the weather via computer.

Another thing to consider with the model 396 and up Garmins with the XM Weather, is using it not so much for the wx with your flying, but for seeing TFR's in real time.

Go camping for a couple days without phone/internet and fly home without checking, and you never know what kind of nasty may be waiting on the ramp. I figure $30 a month for the XM as very cheap insurance.

Plus the XM radio is as good as satellite TV for music/news/entertainment... I use mine as the main noise-maker in both the Cessna and my truck.

Gump

You can always get one of these...



Gump

I recently saw an ipad set up with gps & a bunch of aviation software/apps (flight planning, etc etc etc). A bit too much shit IMHO for using as a primary nav display in the airplane, but I could see keeping my 196 for navving & having the ipad show for weather updates, tfr's, notam's, etc. Pretty cheap too- a 196 & an ipad would be cheaper than a 496. However, that terrain avoidance feature on the higher-end x96's is pretty nice if you find yourself scud-running in unfamiliar territory. Don't know if the ipad set-up has anything comparable, or how user-friendly it'd be in a hard-core (aka puckered-asshole) scud-running situation.

I have the pro version of ForeFlight on the iPad, with the synchronized IFR and VFR charts, and it's cool, but I wouldn't want it replacing my Garmin 396. And I imagine even more so the newer Garmin portables.

Gump