296 Reboots?

swixtt · #1 03-27-2010, 01:34 PM

hey guys, what am i missing here... i got this new Garmin 296 and have only powered it for all of about 30min. during that time it powered itself down for some bizarre reason and then today it won't stay on? i see the title screen and then i cycles and reboots it seems.
have any of you seen this before? the battery is full charge, i've tried it with the power adapter as well.
thx for any info

N282S · #2 03-27-2010, 07:45 PM

I had the same problem with my 296. The following directions for a hard reset comes from the Garmin web site. I had to do this a ocuple of times before it worked properly.

The date and time being incorrect can be the result of several different issues, (ie, old almanac information, out of date software, corrupt software, and low clock battery).

If the GPS has not been used and allowed to acquire satellites within the last three weeks then follow these steps:

1. Plug the GPS into a wall outlet with the unit on and allow it to charge for eight hours

2. Perform a satellite reset: Start with the GPS off, a good antenna, and a clear view of the sky. Press and hold the ?Out? button then turn the GPS on using the ?Power? button. Continue to hold the ?Out? button until the ?I Agree? message appears on the GPS. Release the ?Out? button and allow the GPS to acquire satellites for at least 15 minutes.

If the GPS is used on a regular basis but continues to show the incorrect date and time after power on then follow these steps:

1. Update the operating software to the latest version through www.garmin.com

2. Plug the GPS into a wall outlet with the unit on and allow it to charge for eight hours

3. Perform a reset: Start with the GPS off, a good antenna, and a clear view of the sky. Press and hold the ?Quit? button then turn the GPS on using the ?Power? button. Continue to hold the ?Quit? button until you see a message on the screen about deleting user information. (If you have not backed up the user information and want to do so you will need to download this information prior to completing this reset as the reset will delete user information.) Release the ?Quit? button and highlight the ?Yes? and press the ?Enter? button.

If the unit continues to have the incorrect date and time after these steps then contact Garmin Aviation Technical Support at 1-866-739-5687, M-F, 7-7, CST.

Last modified on: 12/30/2008

swixtt · #3 03-27-2010, 08:15 PM

thanks for the info.

gotta find out what the latest firmware rev is for this. i believe it starts up with 5.6?

when i did start the unit this morning(before it started its cycling routine) i noticed the time was wrong on it. but after acquiring the sats it corrected itself to my correct local time.

swixtt · #4 03-31-2010, 06:12 PM

well i did these steps... the second set seems to have solved it?? not sure though. it's been on for about 10min. now without rebooting.

so get this... i phone Garmin and they say it needs to go back for warranty work and back to an authorized dealer.(i'm in canada and wanted at least to troubleshoot this before letting it go) i asked about the seq. for reseting it but he said it wouldn't help.
not impressed.

N282S · #5 03-31-2010, 07:51 PM

If they really want to do warranty work - seriously not going to charge you, why not? However, they have a standard charge to open up the 296 and it isn't cheap. I know I said that I did the above steps and it worked properly, but I did have one reboot while sitting in the hangar, but other than that one time, it has worked flawlessly for at least 100 hrs.