Garmin 496 Question

[CNEJR]

Can't find my book right now. Is the "Hockey Puck Antenna" just for XM radio or is it a GPS Antenna too? I plugged mine in and it does not seem to work as a gps antenna. Do you have to remove the folding antenna for it to work, and if so how do you unplug the folding antenna? Help.!!!!

[Brantel]

I don't have one but I think it takes both antenna's to work with XM and as a GPS.

To get the folding one off, turn it while pulling gently and the notches will align with the tabs on the antenna and it will come off.

[Geico266]

You need both antennas. The round one does nothing for GPS. If you want better GPS reception point the folding one straight up. If you still need better reception use the remote GPS antenna.

Brantel has it right. You need to rotate the folding antenna counter clock wise (looking at the back) until it reaches about the 8 o'clock position, pull gently.

[Jamie]

And actually just to clarify something a little...

Garmin calls the hockey puck an "antenna" but it is actually the XM receiver. If you ever have to replace the puck, you have to call XM to give them the radio ID on the new puck.

[Rick6a]

Originally Posted by Jamie

And actually just to clarify something a little...

Garmin calls the hockey puck an "antenna" but it is actually the XM receiver. If you ever have to replace the puck, you have to call XM to give them the radio ID on the new puck.

Jamie knows something I just recently discovered. It is the XM "antenna" or more accurately the XM reciever, not the 496 unit itself that is subject to subscription services.

[jclark]

Originally Posted by Rick6a

Jamie knows something I just recently discovered. It is the XM "antenna" or more accurately the XM reciever, not the 496 unit itself that is subject to subscription services.

And this "receiver" can be used on any other "compatible" garmin handheld GPS. So if your GPS is broken or something and you have the "big trip", you can borrow a friend's GPS, plug it in and get weather.

Think of it as an attached "input device" for the Garmin that could just as well been sold by XM.

James
Garmin "GPS" and "receiver" both sent back for "repair". :-(

[DavidBurton]

Originally Posted by Geico266

You need both antennas. The round one does nothing for GPS. If you want better GPS reception point the folding one straight up. If you still need better reception use the remote GPS antenna.

Brantel has it right. You need to rotate the folding antenna counter clock wise (looking at the back) until it reaches about the 8 o'clock position, pull gently.

Pull gently? LOL...

I almost have to use a pair of pliers to get mine off. Thought I was doing something wrong the first time I did it. I'm sure it gets easier if you take it off a lot. I don't find the need to unless I'm in my motorhome. I mounted a bracket in the roof vent of the motorhome and permanently mounted the remote GPS receiver there since it's the only place I use it.

A tip on using XM radio that might help someone. I had a cassette tape deck adapter that came with my discman CD player a hundred years ago. You plug it into the audio device and the adapter which looks like a cassette tape goes into the tapedeck and feeds the audio to the pickup head. Turns out that it works perfectly to connect my GPS to the cassette deck in the truck or motorhome. I have the auto kit so the GPS is in the car if it isn't in the plane. The sound quality is fabulous. I don't have an audio input jack on those systems so this is an easy solution. It works in a lot of rental cars as well.

DaveB
RV6

[Geico266]

Originally Posted by Jamie

Garmin calls the hockey puck an "antenna" but it is actually the XM receiver. If you ever have to replace the puck, you have to call XM to give them the radio ID on the new puck.

Wow! That is news to me. I thought it was the other way around. I thought the receiver was in the GPS Unit. I have switched units & antennas around and the antennas (hockey pucks) did not have any affect on the reception of XM weather. When I called XM weather to switch units they wanted the GPS ID not the antenna ID. How would they know which antenna I was using?

[chrispratt]

Originally Posted by CNEJR

Is the "Hockey Puck Antenna" just for XM radio or is it a GPS Antenna too?

The hockey puck is just for XM radio and weather information. On clear days I frequently fly locally without mine attached as there is no "weather" to see on the screen.

Chris

[lucaberta]

Originally Posted by chrispratt

The hockey puck is just for XM radio and weather information. On clear days I frequently fly locally without mine attached as there is no "weather" to see on the screen.

yeah, but I believe that TFRs are not really weather related, so if I were you I would always have the XM antenna plugged in and active...

At least you have that option in the USA, us Europeans have nothing like XM, unfortunately...

Ciao, Luca