Garmin 396 satisfaction/questions/In-flight XM wx photo

Build9A wrote:
"I have a question concerning the Garmin 396. Advertising pictures that I have seen show the GPS in terrain mode and the clarity does not look so good. So, I am interested in the opinions of experienced users of the 396 as to your satisfaction with the clarity of maps in various modes of operation and satisfaction with the various functions of the unit. thanks, jack"
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RV9A N489JE - Flying
Gainesville, Florida
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Tobin wrote:

Here's a photo from tonight over Alabama. You can see the wx in west Texas, both clouds and storms. The more I fly with it, the more I love it. Worth the high price.

Thanks for the pic. I have the Garmin 296, and it's great to see some in flight pictures, other than those on the Garmin site.

Of course, I'm already convinced, that I want one!

Besides, a 296 on the right, and a 396 on the left, is good for GPS redundency!

L.Adamson

I just bought one as well and this thing rocks! I've only used mine while flying commercial jets but that in itself is pretty awesome. Flying from Austin to Atlanta we had a top speed of 607mhp @ 39K. I can't wait to get my plane done so I can use it then. Worth every penny. Heres a few pics while sitting out back.





Heres a few others... http://jeffsrv-7a.com/GARMIN396/

-Jeff

Nice pictures.

Can anybody write a comparision of the 296/396 to a Garmin 430? Compare ease of use, screen resolution, whatever. I know it's a bit of an apples to oranges (or certified to non-certified) comparision. I'm trying to decide between going with the 430 or getting a low-end certified like the 155XL or 300XL and augmenting with the 296 or 396.

Thanks,
Dave

Garmin 396 vs 430/530

I had been holding out for a 430 also, but the local radio shop and an engineer from Garmin convinced me that the actual usable information you can get from a 430 would not be as good and would cost really big $ to get.

I attended a Garmin event this week also and was further convinced of the 396 value. Some of the 430/530 owners in attendance were awed by the little 396.

So, my new plan is my new 396 plus an SL30 displaying the CDI info on the Grand Rapids EFIS. I will not need a 106A indicator by doing so and the SL30 nav makes IFR legal.

Vern,

What you just wrote is my plan exactly. Here's my setup:

dual screen GRT system, SL-30, GMA-340 (for marker beacon) and of course transponder. Now I've recently added the airgizmos dock for the 296 or 396. Still debating whether I want weather on GRT or Garmin unit.


Now that's a different story all together - my wife (who stays out of the GA world all toghther) wonders why we need WX in the cockpit (VFR or IFR) and why we need traffic info. She said if you're VFR shouldn't you be looking outside anyway and staying clear of WX. Plus she said to check before you fly, call flight service, blah, blah blah... still trying to tell her why it's all great to have in flight - but that's another battle.

Scott
RV-7A
LZU hangar E-10

You want good pictures?

Not happy with Garmin's photos? Well, here are some of mine -- the photos themselves aren't so hot, but they show how cool the 396 is:

http://www.rvproject.com/20051028.html

I haven't written any text to go along with it yet, but the pictures should be pretty self-explanatory!! By the way, those photos are mostly just the weather browser stuff. I haven't even touched on all the variations on the "map" map and all of its customizations, zoom levels, clutter, etc.

Terrain mode works great imho...and we have a fair amount of terrain around here (SoCal).

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D
http://www.rvproject.com

If you're talking about the terrain avoidance display, the terrain database in the Garmin 296 isn't super-high resolution, it's just there to help keep you out of the dirt. I haven't used the 396, but I'd assume it uses the same data.

For what it's worth, the multi-kilobuck TAWS and EGPWS terrain displays in most bizjets aren't significantly better.

Dave

Jack,
To specifically answer your question of clarity in terrain mode, you must understand that you don't see much in terrrain mode in the first place. Anything that is not a factor (user defined in terms of clearance) is blacked out. Only when terrain/obstacles start to become a factor do they change color to yellow and red. As an example, while on the ground and on terrain page, everything is red because I obviously have no clearance with the ground. So, you either have black, yellow, or red. Really no "clarity" issue.

Now on the map page, that's another story. If you zoom way out, both topographical features and the clouds look pretty clear, you can see a photo I took of the US in flight on the link from Jeff below your post. As you zoom in, you do lose some of the clarity or "crispness", but not to the point (in my opinion) of making it less asthetically pleasing to the eye. I've flown with mine on two long trips and I absolutely love it so far.

Tobin

Thanks

Thanks to all, for the replys and links. Good info. Jack

396 all the way

I currently fly a 182 equipped with a Garmin 430. I own a 196 as well that I use in various other aircraft. I actually prefer the 196 over the 430 both for display and the extremely easy to use menus on the 196.

When my 8 is complete it will have the new 396 up front and I plan on mounting the 196 behind the pilot seat. This will be available for a back up if needed and provide the rear passenger with a display. They can also use the page that displays the flight instruments.

Just my plan.

Donald Prater
RV-8 Empennage
N284DP (Reserved)

Wx & Street Mapping

This has maybe been brought up before, but does anyone know if the Wx function works while in Street Mode?

Thanks,
Mark

flydoc said:

This has maybe been brought up before, but does anyone know if the Wx function works while in Street Mode?

Thanks,
Mark

Click to expand...

You can download the complete manual from the Garmin website. But quickly looking through it, I found a section for selecting weather tabs for aviation, surface, and marine; with options of displaying desired weather options over the map. I'm just a 296 owner that wants a 396!

Mark,
I was using my 396 the other day in car mode, and when I zoomed out it did show the radar and clouds. I don't remember seeing anything else, but wasn't looking either.

Tobin

Removing the magnets from the 396WXWRKS RCVR

No doubt by now some of you have noted your 396 weather antenna has magnets in its base and that they adversely affect your magnetic compass.

Garmin tech reps have been less than friendly about taking them out.


The following procedure for their removal was developed by a CPA member. I have photos I can e mail for anyone interested.

GXM30 magnet removal instructions

Notice: This is NOT an approved procedure! Disassembling this antenna/receiver will void any warranties and you could damage the antenna/receiver. Proceed at your own peril!!!

Flip the antenna over and locate the four small screws.

Remove the four screws circled above and remove the bottom slightly to gain access to the connector.

Gently (carefully) unplug the connector. There is no latch or tab holding the connector. The connector is also keyed so it can only be reconnected one way. Once unplugged, set the cover aside.

Carefully peel the copper foil that the serial number label is attached to. You will want to reaffix this during reassembly so put it someplace where it won?t get damaged.






Loosen the four screws . They don?t need to be removed.

Once loosened, pull them up
Lift up on the top half of the unit.
There is a small connector that connects the top half to the bottom half that will offer some resistance when removing the top.

On the left is the connector that connects to the top half. On the right is the connector to the external cable.
Remove the three screws and lift off the circuit board.

Paydirt! The two magnets (circled) that cause the problems with your magnetic compass are now ready to be removed. There are also spots for two additional magnets!?!? (I guess if you wanted to attach on the outside of an F15)

They are held in place with a small amount of glue. Some people have been able to get them free by inserting a very small screwdriver between the magnet and the box around it and prying them out. All I accomplished was bending a small screwdriver. What worked for me was to place the blade of a small screwdriver between the magnet and the box and hit it (lightly) with a small hammer. I did this around the perimeter of the magnet until it was loose. On one magnet, I broke it loose on the first tap. The second magnet didn?t come loose until the third side. Then I removed it by working it out with another very small screwdriver.
Reverse the disassembly steps (don?t forget to affix the serial # label) and that?s it!

Garmin 396 and TruTrac autopilot

Question: will the Garmin 396 drive a TruTrac autopilot and if so has anyone using it experienced any problems?

Trutrak and SL40

Hello,

I want to drive a Trutrak and an SL40 comm with the 396, i have the wiring harness and there are 2 wires labled data out, can you run one to each or does one need to be split?

Garmin 396/296 output

Red DC Input
Blue Port 1 Out
White Alarm
Orange Voice (-)
Violet Port 2 Out
Black GND
Yellow Port 1 in
Brown voice(+)
Green Port 2 In

TIA

Pete

396 has only one serial port

The Garmin GPSMAP 396 has only one serial port, but uses the same plug & harness as other Garmin handhelds, which do have more than one port. Just use the data port 1 wires.

Been using my 396 to send serial data out to my SL30, TruTrak Pictorial Pilot, and the AF-2500 now has NMEA processing to support knots per gallon, miles per gallon, gal remaining at XXX, gal required to XXX.

Great stuff!

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D (720 hours)
http://www.rvproject.com

Ignorant Question: GPS ->SL30

OK, I admit it, I'm stumped. What does sending GPS data to the SL30 accomplish?
h

hevansrv7a said:

OK, I admit it, I'm stumped. What does sending GPS data to the SL30 accomplish?
h

Click to expand...

Since I was curious, I found the answer.


DME information (estimated time en route, ground speed, and distance) provided by either a remote DME box or GPS receiver can also be displayed on the SL30.

Fun with serial connections

L.Adamson said:

Since I was curious, I found the answer.


DME information (estimated time en route, ground speed, and distance) provided by either a remote DME box or GPS receiver can also be displayed on the SL30.

Click to expand...

Sorta...but that's what the GX60 provides the SL30. When you hook the GX60 and SL30 together (bi-directional serial), the SL30 feeds the currently tuned-in NAV freq to the GX60. The GX60 has a nav page which shows the identifier and some basic distance/time info about that VOR/LOC.

Then there's the data that the GX60 sends back to the SL30. For the tuned-in NAV freq in the SL30, the GX60 provides DST (distance/speed/time) data, which the SL30 can optionally display (hit NAV, SEL, counter-clockwise, ENT). It's like having a DME built into the SL30.

The GX60 also feeds the SL30 relevant frequency info, both COM and NAV. It feeds COM freqs for the waypoints on the flight plan, and it feeds the nearest NAV facility freqs.

Part of the serial testing I've been doing with Garmin is testing the new mode on the 396 where it sits between the GX60 and SL30. The 396 receives serial data from the GX60, and it will "slave" off the GX60's flight plan. The 396 then sends the relevant COM and NAV frequencies to the SL30.

If you just have a 396 and an SL30 (or SL40 presumably?) then the 396 will send relevant freqs to the SL30...but NOT DST (distance/speed/time) data...because the 396 isn't aware of what NAV freq the SL30 is tuned to.

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D (721 hours)
http://www.rvproject.com

If I did this right below are simultaneous in flight photos of weather on a recent flight from a 396 (WxWrks), MX 20(FIS), on board radar, and stormscope on a recent flight from PNS to MCB. Quality is not great they were taken with a cell phone. the front was not moving very fast and the difference between nexrad and radar was about 15 NM


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