Whoa what's this I see Garmin came out with a new GPS, the 495. Looks like the same features as the 496 but without XM weather. All those features for around 1500 as opposed to 2400 for the 496. Glad I waited, looks like a 495 might just be more the ticket....

Don't underestimate the value of the XM weather feature. I've used it to significant advantage on EVERY cross country flight since I got the 396, and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

The 495, I suspect, is designed to capture the market in areas where there is no XM weather coverage, like Alaska, etc.

There, it might be a good deal, but that weather feature is really nice once you start using it.

MTV

Yeah but for 900 bucks I can make a lot of phone calls to weather and here in San Diego it's great weather most of the time and I don't fly if it's questionable anyway./

What does the subscription cost for the XM?

Bill

Hi bro's, I just got my XM weather up and running on my Motion LS800 tablet. I run the FlightPrep Chart Case Pro. It has almost every chart availible Sectional, TAC, Hi and Low enroute, Approach plates and so on.

The XM subscription is $29 or $49 based on how much info you want.

This is the best part. I am driving home from Boise, Id to Troutdale, Or. I have the XM weather on. Every Metar on or around my route was reporting VFR. It was anything but VFR! and it was all showing up right on my tablet in almost real time. 5-10 minutes old.

I say XM is worth the money.

Cheers...Rob

Ice,

Sorry, I've been in San Diego when it wasn't that great, weather wise.

And, good intentions are wonderful, but even with good intentions, you can wind up in some ugly stuff.

The XM WX allows you to make BETTER IN-FLIGHT decisions on how to AVOID weather issues.

Working around thunderstorms is a great example. I simply don't get close to those things, but the NexRad picture is worth 1000 words over the phone.

Try it--it really will pay for itself, and make life a lot nicer.

MTV

Question for you 496 users - When using it in the automobile mode can you use it to navigate to an airport? For example - if I'm on a business trip and want to drive to an unfamiliar airport.

Don

Yes.......you can look up an airport, address, restaurant, place of interest or whatever......and if you have the 12 volt adapter plugged in, it has a speaker, and it will tell you where to go.........just like you were married!

KR5T wrote:Question for you 496 users - When using it in the automobile mode can you use it to navigate to an airport? For example - if I'm on a business trip and want to drive to an unfamiliar airport.

Don

Short answer: Yes.

When using it in the car, you switch it into Automotive mode, and the software is very different. I don't think you can input an identifier, but you can look up the airport with either a text search, or by category, and it will route you there via surface roads and give you turn by turn directions. Very cool.

I am about to activate my XM Wx subscription for the summer flying season, and if it weren't for the Winds Aloft forecast, the $29 package would suffice. Mike, I assume you're running the full package. Could you live with the Aviator Lite package? I just think the winds aloft are nice to have, but I'm not sure if it's worth and extra $20 a month given that they are only forecast on 6-hour intervals.

Zane,

Nope, I've done the Aviator Light package since I started it. The differences are winds aloft, echo tops, and lightning.

My philosophy is that all my flying is relatively low, so winds aloft arent going to change much. Winds aloft are forecasts, issued on a schedule, and not every hour, so they don't change generally during a flight. Get the forecast prior to flight, and then see what the winds REALLY are when you get up there.

Remember--forecasts are simply horoscopes with numbers.

The echo tops and lightning would be nice at times, but my philosophy is those are for the guys who are actually looking for holes in lines of thunderstorms. I try to avoid that at all costs. When I'm traveling with this plane, landing somewhere unintended is simply another opportunity to see someplace I've not seen, and meet new people.

So, the Aviator Light package has worked fine for me so far.

MTV

Have any of you compared the 396 and 496 through actual usage? The 396 looks like the smaller-budget setup that still gets one XM WX. I'm thinking about one for after I finish my private, as $2500 for the 496 is a little hard to swallow.

als wrote:Have any of you compared the 396 and 496 through actual usage? The 396 looks like the smaller-budget setup that still gets one XM WX. I'm thinking about one for after I finish my private, as $2500 for the 496 is a little hard to swallow.

I've had the 396 with XM for two years now, and I don't have a single negative thing to say about the GPS or the XM (Aviator Lite weather/XM radio) service. At my speeds, the 5 to 10 minute delay in the radar means nothing, and the TFR depiction is worth it's weight in gold.

The screen looks the same as the 496, though the 496 refreshes faster, which means nothing in GA VFR or IFR real life, and the 496 has the more extensive database and the taxi diagrams, which again means nothing unless you go in to a lot of private airports or spend time at places like JFK. I don't, and the 396 fits the bill perfectly.

Gump

I have had the 396 for a year and am with Gump on the differences and reason I chose the 396. I had the full boat XM WX and found the winds aloft to be a great deal if you travel long distances a lot. I quit doing that about six months ago and down graded to the aviator lite to save a few bucks. It fits the bill...

Take care, Rob

I had a 396 and sold it with my 180hp maule back in Nov. So I bought a 496 for my new maule and I really don't see much difference between the two other than the airport taxi way over lay.
If you want the garmin just for the GPS,weather ,and XM radio I would just get the 396 my self again.
Now I bought the 496 and the Zaon triffic watch which is really nice I think and the Zaon will show traffic right on the 496 screen and say traffic warning in the head phones. The Zaon is not cheap but it nice to have and I'm not sure if the 396 will handle the Zaon.