Dead 396

[timwinters]

While driving to the airport to Daina's party yesterday moring I turned on my 396 only to find that it was dead. Well, it wasn't actually dead, it turned on just fine, but it couldn't find any satellites and neither the xm radio or weather was working. I was bumming since I was planning to fly nearly all day long and there was scattered to isolated t-storms in the forecast for NWAR and SWMO.

I called a friend to see if he knew the master reset code. He was out shopping with SWMBO (he, he, he...he was shopping, I'm going flying) and he didn't remember the sequence. Then he mentioned that the internal battery might have gone dead, BINGO!

The 396 had been laying in the car for a few days with a dead battery (one thing I hate about import cars is that the power outlet shuts off with the ignition).

I took out the battery pack, let it set for a few minutes, and re-booted. No luck. I noticed that the GPS was indicating the time to be 3am...it was actually 9am. Yup, dead internal battery.

So, I tried doing an "automatic find location" (or whatever it's called). That brought it back to life and everything started operating normally.

It came back to life and worked yesterday. BUT, how do I change the internal battery so I don't have to do this every time I use it? I took all the screws out of it night but the unit didn't seem to want to come apart and I really didn't think I ought to be prying it apart before seeking advice from those who may have BTDT.

So....

What's the advice!?!?!? (besides sending to Garmin for $350).

Thanks in advance.

I should note that this unit is a month shy of 3 years old and this is the first hiccup it's ever had. It's been bulletproof. It spends more time in land bound vehicles than it does in aircraft (i.e. sitting on hot dashboards all summer long for three summers now) and has well over a 100,000 miles on its odometer.

 

[gprellwitz]

Well, on the trip back yesterday the 496 stopped giving us weather updates, and said "no subscription" on the status page. This, despite the fact that I know it was getting weather on Saturday on the trip down, and was receiving XM radio at the time. I think it may even have been receiving weather earlier in the day on Sunday! Leslie's going to call them today to see what's up. Just glad it happened yesterday, when we had good weather, and not Saturday, when we were heading down along the front!

 

[timwinters]

I found out on another board that the permanent internal battery is also a rechargeable battery just as the battery pack is...I had ASSUMED it was a watch type battery that needed replaced when dead so...

I got home from work last night, put the screws back in it, put the battery pack back in it, powered it up, and it worked just fine...the memory is there, the time is correct, etc. It sat overnight without the battery pack installed so the perm. battery must be okay. Evidently, I flew enough yesterday to charge that little bugger.

Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'

 

[ScottM]

Grant what is going on with your WX?

 

[jason]

While driving to the airport to Daina's party yesterday moring I turned on my 396 only to find that it was dead. Well, it wasn't actually dead, it turned on just fine, but it couldn't find any satellites and neither the xm radio or weather was working. I was bumming since I was planning to fly nearly all day long and there was scattered to isolated t-storms in the forecast for NWAR and SWMO.

I called a friend to see if he knew the master reset code. He was out shopping with SWMBO (he, he, he...he was shopping, I'm going flying) and he didn't remember the sequence. Then he mentioned that the internal battery might have gone dead, BINGO!

The 396 had been laying in the car for a few days with a dead battery (one thing I hate about import cars is that the power outlet shuts off with the ignition).

I took out the battery pack, let it set for a few minutes, and re-booted. No luck. I noticed that the GPS was indicating the time to be 3am...it was actually 9am. Yup, dead internal battery.

So, I tried doing an "automatic find location" (or whatever it's called). That brought it back to life and everything started operating normally.

It came back to life and worked yesterday. BUT, how do I change the internal battery so I don't have to do this every time I use it? I took all the screws out of it night but the unit didn't seem to want to come apart and I really didn't think I ought to be prying it apart before seeking advice from those who may have BTDT.

So....

What's the advice!?!?!? (besides sending to Garmin for $350).

Thanks in advance.

I should note that this unit is a month shy of 3 years old and this is the first hiccup it's ever had. It's been bulletproof. It spends more time in land bound vehicles than it does in aircraft (i.e. sitting on hot dashboards all summer long for three summers now) and has well over a 100,000 miles on its odometer.

That is often something that can be changed. In one of my old cars there was a fuse with three contact points. If the fuse was in the left two contact points the power would only work when the key was on. If it was in the right two contact points it would power the socket regardless of the key position. You may want to double check that yours can't be changed.

 

[gprellwitz]

Grant what is going on with your WX?

Waiting for Leslie to tell me. I want to know too!

 

[timwinters]

You may want to double check that yours can't be changed.

Hmmm...I'll check into that, thanks for the tip.

Grant what is going on with your WX?

I've often had my weather go tango uniform on northbound trips if the puck is sitting on the glareshield. This seems to be worse the farther north you go. I've never gotten a "no subcription" message when this occurs however.

Hey...I just had another thought. Are you sure it didn't say "no reception" and you just needed to put your reading glasses on.

 

[gprellwitz]

I've often had my weather go tango uniform on northbound trips if the puck is sitting on the glareshield. This seems to be worse the farther north you go. I've never gotten a "no subcription" message when this occurs however.

Hey...I just had another thought. Are you sure it didn't say "no reception" and you just needed to put your reading glasses on.

That's interesting, because that was, of course, exactly our situation (northbound with puck on glareshield). We were listening to XM music, which I presume is broadcast from the same satellite as the weather, so I don't think the "no reception" idea fits.

 

[timwinters]

That's interesting, because that was, of course, exactly our situation (northbound with puck on glareshield). We were listening to XM music, which I presume is broadcast from the same satellite as the weather, so I don't think the "no reception" idea fits.

I've actually had them "go down" independently of each other. Don't ask why or how because I, too, assume the feed is coming from the same satellite.

I'll be happily tooling up the highway (or skyway)...listening to FM...only to look down and notice that the weather has quit updating and is 30 minutes old, or some such.

Don't ask me how or why...but it happens.

 

[ScottM]

I've actually had them "go down" independently of each other. Don't ask why or how because I, too, assume the feed is coming from the same satellite.

I'll be happily tooling up the highway (or sky)...listening to FM...only to look down and notice that the weather has quit updating and is 30 minutes old, or some such.

Don't ask me how or why...but it happens.

Different transponders???

Just a guess