uk_figs

uk_figs

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After lots of discussion at Osh I have come to the conclusion that a good upgrade path for my panel is to change out my 496 for the 796 and replace the Dual GPS with the GDL39, this would provide:
1. Current XM weather on 796
2. ADS-B weather on 796
3. Auto switching between the two weather formats on the 796
4. Traffic on the 796
5. GPS input to foreflight in the iPad (no ADS-B weather at this time)
6. GPS and ADS-B weather on the iPad with Garmin Pilot
7. Same RS-232 output to Dynon, GTX327, SL-30 and ADI II as I have now
8. Same audio alert etc input to PS3000 that I have now

I picked the 796 because it can run in landscape mode which will allow me to mount it under the D-100 where I have the 496 now even though it is larger.

I have not flown with the 796 and understand that it is readable in the -7 although not as bright as the 696. I also looked at the AERA 560 which would fit where the 496 is, but have two friends who said it is not very readable in the cockpit. I have the iPad 3 and it is very difficult to read even with the Koger shade.

Would appreciate any feedback on my approach and in cockpit experience with the 796.
Would also appreciate any feedback on the likely resale value of the 496 (with current databases) and the Dual GPS so I can figure the delta cost.
 
Recent resale value on the 496 has been reliably in the $800 range (sometimes up to $900 or $1K) depending on condition, accessories, age, etc...

I like the 796 & GDL combo - we're going to be selling lots of those!

Cheers,
Stein
 
Can you provide a image of your current set up? Or at leas let us know what else you have. What is your mission?

With these we can provide better input (and I can learn more :) )
 
Current setup

Have a D-100 and D-120 with HS 34, SL-30, GTX-327, ADI II A/P and 496 with XM weather. 496 is connected via RS-232 to the Dynons, the SL-30 and the ADI II. 496 is mounted in an angled gizmo mount below the D-100 in front of the pilot seat so that the screen is a 90 deg to the pilot eyepoint.
My plan would be to fabricate an angle mount where the gizmo mount currently sits to bolt the 796 connector to and use the bare wire cable to hook the system into the RS-232 bus. This would put the 796 horizontally below the D-100 and again angled for the best viewing angle to improve readability. I looked closely at the mount and it will be a lot easier to remove the unit for updates and planning than removing the 496 from the current Gizmo mount. From what Garmin told me I will probably not need the remote GPS puck and the existing XM antenna will work fine.
I also have the bifocal portion of my glasses focused at the panel distance so I do not have to refocus looking at the panel or out the window.

I might use the 3.5 mm audio out as the cable is already there for the 496 and wired into the PS 3000 intercom unswitched channel which is active even if the intercom is off. Others have also reported noise issues with the bare wire audio connections caused by the RS-232 communications.

Mission is VFR cross country and a lot of fly-ins:D.

I like the setup and it works well but a bigger screen, more weather info and traffic info would be nice.
Currently waiting for a quote from Stein;)
 
I used my 796 in my 7 on the last two long cross country trips I have made and I love this thing. The latest firmware is even better, the map has better performance and does not blank out when you pan it around and zoom in and out.

The screen is way way better than an Ipad. They are not even in the same ballpark. The 796 does have shiny glass so reflections are there sometimes but it does not turn black like the Ipad, it is nice and bright.

I bought a GDL-39 to use with it at Osh and flew with it on the way home today and it worked better than I thought it would.

A screen shot in this thread:

Here is a pic today from the flight home:

936b9a30.jpg


I normally don't have all those wires hanging everywhere....
 
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I am thinking of doing something similar. This should be great for VFR CC missions.:)
 
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796

''the 796 because it can run in landscape mode

Great, I didn,t know that...It will be perfect to replace eventually my AVMAP IV and I will be able to get weather without installing another box ( No more room in my -4.

Too bad the Canadian Government is not going the ADS-B route or I will buy the GDL-39 too...

Good info

Bruno
 
Pirep on 796 to and from OSH

I used my new 796 for the trip from SoCal to OSH and back..Fantastic!! Cannot over exagerate how well this unit performed. The touch screen worked flawlessly. Never had an issue with "viewability" under many different lighting conditions during the flight.

Having current VFR Sectional and Terminal charts on it worked perfectly. I never needed to open up a sectional, terminal or WAC chart.

The weather functions available with the XM WX subscription I had were very helpful. Easy to pick up METARS, TFR's etc. There were many fire related TFR's along the route in both directions. Without the TFR's portrayed clearly on the 796 screen I would have undoutedly strayed into one even if though I had looked them up in advance.

Anxious to see how the new portable ADS-B in works out for displaying traffic.
 
796 Display

Brantel -

How did you get all the data fields to display at the top of the screen on your 796?
 
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Mike Macon said:
Brantel -

How did you get all the data fields to display at the top of the screen on your 796?
Click to expand...

Sorry Mike for being slow to respond...

Go to the MAP and then touch the "three bar button" on the bottom of the unit.

Then select "Show/Hide"

Then you can change the Data Fields selection to:

Off
Overlay
1 Row
2 Rows

I like the 2 Rows setting because the Overlay datafields get lost in the clutter.

Hope this helps!

Brian C.
 
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