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Discontinue Garmin 495/496 ?

M

mrbill

I'm New Here
General Aviation News had a short article announcing the end of the Garmin 495/496 production, I later confirmed this on the Garmin website. What impact will this have on the RV12 finish/avionics kits?
Any speculation?
Mr. Bill
 
Brantel said:
I would say little to none. The Aera can replace em quite easily.
Click to expand...

Yes that is true, if and only if, Van's makes the change to the plans and kit so that it is approved for the RV-12. We have seen this coming for some time and many have ask Van's for a replacement for the 496/495 so that we would not have to buy an outdated unit that will in several years not be supported by Garmin in any way.

I hope that this gets some fire under Van's so that we can all have equipment that will not have to be disposed of in just a few years. If you look at the $ 2000 price and ir only is usable for four years then if cost $ 500 a year plus the cost of upgrades another $ 150 per year and then if you only fly 100 hours per year that is about $ 6.50 per hour or about half the price of gas per hour.

The Area has not been all that well received, I have not seen anyone who has one so hard to say if it would be a good replacement.

Best regards,
Vern
 
vernhendershott said:
Yes that is true, if and only if, Van's makes the
The Area has not been all that well received, I have not seen anyone who has one so hard to say if it would be a good replacement.
Click to expand...

I bought one when the unit was brand new, which I usually don't do. It had a SW bug that caused it to switch itself off during flight when passing a user defined POI. This issue got fixed with the first SW update about 7 days later and since then I just love this unit. I have the aera 500 and I am swept off my feet by its functionality, ease of use with the touchscreen and the bright, crisp display.
I am very certain that no-one will miss the 496 when it gets replaced by the aera 560. Since I committed to build the RV-12 I was hoping I wouldn't have to buy the 496 as part of the avionics kit and if so, already had plans to immediately replace it with my existing aera 500 or upgrade to an aera560 right after certification. Now it seems I don't have to go through this and can expect this to be in the avionics kit by the time I get to it later this year.
 
rocketbob said:
Does the Aera respond to touch inputs if the user is wearing gloves?
Click to expand...

If the Aera uses the same technology as the Nuvi, (and I think it does) then yes. It is actually not a "touch" screen. You have to "press" it.
 
Gloves

I would think that Garmin uses the same touch screen as their popular 255W series which I have, cause physically they look the same. I use the 255W on a motorbike (Ram mount) with gloves and while it is doable for the basic functions, I would not be able to enter an address because the "virtual" keyboard keys are too small for a gloved hand.

Maybe a thin aviation grade glove would be better than my motorbike glove.

You can always take one glove off temporarily. Not so easy on the bike...:eek:

Bevan

Do not archive
 
If I did not misunderstand, I thought the 496 was somehow connected to the nav/com so that selecting an airport on the GPS would bring up that freq on the radio. Would the other gps options do that as well?
 
Likely so...

Next generation equipment is likely to increase functionality, not reduce it.

How it works on the 496 series:
Select the airport on the active GOTO page and press Enter,
Highlight the Comm tab, all the available airport frequecies will be shown,
Highlight the frequency you want and press Enter,
the frequency appears in the standby window of the SL40 com radio,
hit <--> to activate it.

It might even be simpler on the new equipment.

Tony
 
New Garmin 2400 Series

Garmin just announced it is coming out with a new nuvi 2400 series navigator which has a 5" display. I called Garmin to see if they are going to make this into an aviation version and they had no reply but hinted to wait tell Sun & Fun. I'll wait a little before ordering my 560 just in-case this happens.

Ron RV-9A, RV-12
 
GPS ETC.

This is one of the reasons I have wanted to see / Or have a SKYVIEW fitted to the RV 12 . This has more then is required & in future will have a VHF Radio Extension added...........so the Skyview becomes even more futuristic & Accomodating
 
I am hoping that Garmin releases something better that the Area 500/560, now that the 495/6 is at the end. Wonder what happened to the 595/6 range.

So I am hoping something with a higher resolution 800x 480 and thinner, like the new Nuvi 3700series form factor, with multi touch.
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=63940

One can only wish!
Garmin_3790T_Ubersicht1.jpg
 
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496 = good stuff

While I personally prefer not to mount handheld gps devices in the panel because of obsolescence, I also think the 496 has some advantages over the Aera series that make it a fine choice. Here are two that come to mind:

1) Tactile buttons. Users familiar with the x96 buttonology can usually access most information without looking at the unit. You can't do this with the Aera. Touch screens are cool, but they have no tactile feel, forcing you to stare at the device while you poke at it. Not ideal in the cockpit.
2) Auto mode. If you ever use the 496 on road trips (I know it's crazy to drive when you have an RV), you'll find it has some great display options. You can display aviation information and weather on the road map. I don't know of any other aviation handheld that can do this. The Wx overlay is great for winter driving.

I think it's too bad that the 496 is being discontinued, but I'm glad I have one. Given its quality, I'm sure I'll get another 5 - 10 years of reliable service out of it. Having the latest stuff is cool for a while, but I certainly wouldn't be ashamed to have a 496 in the panel of a shiny new RV12.
 
The Area has not been all that well received, I have not seen anyone who has one so hard to say if it would be a good replacement.
Click to expand...

I have been using my AERA for almost 10 months now and love it. I like it much better than the 496.

Used it with gloves over Christmas and other than entering text worked fine. Entering text was problematic with gloves because of button size.

The only downside I have found so far is if you put it in direct sunlight on the glareshield it can overheat and shut down.
 
I suspect that Garmin will continue to service the 496 for a long time to come as it is consistent with their good service. Electronics tech progression speed is such it doesn't matter what Van put in the 12 panel as it would be outdone by new in a couple of years. New tech model by Garmin doesn't reduce the function of the 496 so I am not too worried about it. Just have fun in your 12.
Dick Seiders
 
Skyview

By asking the right questions at the Vans and Dynon booths at OSH I was informed in a roundabout way that the Skyview is the top contender (the only contender) for the replacement.
 
Have spoken to a couple of folks at Vans on this, most notably Ken and Mitch....it made my "Go" decision ....Skyview is the definite replacement and they are currently working on getting the integration right. As is typical of Vans, when it's right and not until then, it will be certified in the S-LSA and soon be made available as the Avionics kit thereafter....hopefully for similar $$$ to todays kit. It IS an outstanding system which provides all the modern features of a glass panel....incl traffic ( http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/news_technology_preview.html )
 
I was talking to a friend who is building a SeaRey, he is going to put a Skyview in his plane. He mentioned that the Skyview has an Autopilot, I just confirmed it on their webpage. You need 2 servo's for $1500 and you're ready. Curious how this will work with the RV12 who has it's own Autopilot option.

Peter
 
The Rv12 servos are the same as the Skyview servos. The only difference is you do not use the AP74 with the Skyview.
 
Skyview

Dpellet100 said:
Have spoken to a couple of folks at Vans on this, most notably Ken and Mitch....it made my "Go" decision ....Skyview is the definite replacement and they are currently working on getting the integration right. As is typical of Vans, when it's right and not until then, it will be certified in the S-LSA and soon be made available as the Avionics kit thereafter....hopefully for similar $$$ to todays kit. It IS an outstanding system which provides all the modern features of a glass panel....incl traffic ( http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/news_technology_preview.html )
Click to expand...

Great this is GREAT news its what I have been waiting for as soon as its up & running I'll be ordering my own RV 12..... Well Done Vans!
 
I have to be content with the gamble. My kit arrives this week, and I am gambling that by the time I am ready, the Skyview will be on the menu. I did not order the avionics and engine kits yet, waiting as long as I can. I guess I can always go E AB and put one in anyway.
 
Mitch said he should have the Skyview set up in his RV12 by Sun-N-Fun.

10" single skyview is standard, Dual 10" is optional. Deletes the Garmin GPS, Transponder, Autopilot. They had a diagram of the Dual Panel layout on display and it looked very clean. Looks like switches/fuses are getting moved to center panel. along with keep the radio in the center section.
 
I had not studied it enough to realize it eliminated all those things! Has anyone done the math, it appears it might even come out CHEAPER than our current setup in comparison?
 
LSA Expo at Sebring. Mitch had it in the booth. Sounds like they are working out the final details before handing it to Mitch to implement in Blue. Mitch was thinking that cost would be close to what things are now, of course only time will tell. But if the final product is what was on the drawing it should turn out to be really nice panel.
 
Should I delay wiring installation?

Figuring that the new panel will be available/old panel discontinued when I get to it, I'm wondering how much of the wiring harness, which I'm just beginning to install, will be modified with the new panel. For you builders who have completed the build, if I were to skip the wiring and go on to the flight controls, am I asking for untold grief?
 
Add extra wires

I would continue with the wiring. Regardless of the avionics package, the wiring outside of the panel is not going to change much, if any. In any case, I would add a couple of extra wires for future use from the panel back to the baggage area. Keep in mind that this is my opinion and is not based on knowledge of the proposed changes to the avionics package.
Joe
 
Radio's

Also Guys If you check with Dynon a furture feature of the Skyview will be the Inclusion of its own Inclusive Radio as well.........Don't know how far down the Pipeline these are but man the way these guys are going with their Developments who Knows ..........Skyview will Rock as they say!! :)
 
vandi said:
LSA Expo at Sebring. Mitch had it in the booth. Sounds like they are working out the final details before handing it to Mitch to implement in Blue. Mitch was thinking that cost would be close to what things are now, of course only time will tell. But if the final product is what was on the drawing it should turn out to be really nice panel.
Click to expand...
It's only the avionics in the panel that are going to change, ALL new components (except SL40 comm), and of course the required cutouts. Beauty of Skyview is that it's a "buss" system, totally modular, with almost unlimited upgrade capability....spent considerable time with the Dynon GM at Sebring discussing traffic, weather, synthetic vision, maps etc capability and clearly Skyview has a very promising future....liken it to Garmin 1000 capability for experimentals at a fraction of the cost....all coming to an RV-12 near you! Vans seems clearly aware that for similar cost, most folks are going to wait on the upgrade now before ordering avionics kit.....duh.....
 
Don....hope you get your kit soon.....only took a week to get my empennage kit last October....now I'm waiting on the wing kit....suspect it'll be March at earliest due to the "rush" before the price increase next week......I'm kit #452....any idea what yours is yet? You WILL love the build once you get started....lotsa new skills, but the instructions are fantastic as is the support from VAF. In the meantime, lotsa good reading/blogs available......dennis
 
Hi guys, it's been years but I am stuck with the old system and the Garmin 495 which I don't like. I am ok with the D180 though and hence thinking about the replacement of the GPS to allow me to change a plan in flight. I don't want to change completely to SkyView (mainly because if the cost connected). Did anyone connect a newer Aera 760 to the system and can give some advice? Especially how to connect the system to the D180 and the AP47.

Thanks and BR
 
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