Garmin GPS 12 - Worth repairing?

[ABCandJRC]

I have a Garmin GPS 12 which I used as a backup on our boats. I have started flying and thought it might be a good last-ditch device before activating the dreaded 4Cs. I planned to store waypoints for the area airports, and with a typical first-fix of under a minute, could get some useful backup nav info in an emergency.

I had not used it for about a year. It turns out that it cannot maintain memory even if plugged in to a 12 VDC source. The instant it is turned off, all internal information is lost. Sounds like more than just a faulty internal battery since the 12 VDC should carry it. More like the software-reset mechanism is always triggered on power-off. The GARMIN waypoint is all that survives. It also appears to be much longer to first-fix, most likely related to the memory loss, but even seems long once it identifies the satellites it is tracking.

My question is whether that unit would be useful in my bag anyway. Has anyone any aircraft experience with the older, hand-held units like the GPS 12? Can I expect it to operate on the dash of a plane and get me pointed in the right direction if all else fails? I wouldn't expect to keep it there, just drag it out of the bag if I needed it. If not, I won't even bother to have it repaired as that seems to be the only use I can see for it right now. (The flat repair fee is $59.)

 

[RotaryWingBob]

I doubt it's worth fixing. You can buy new (and much better) general (as opposed to aviation specific) units pretty cheaply.

 

[fgcason]

If the $59 flat repair fee mean they'll fix it for $59 total no matter what's wrong? Or is it plus parts plus labor plus_____?

According to the garmin website that's a $231 unit...which IMO is quite spendy for a non mapping gps. There are quite a few decent units that map for under $200 nowadays and non mapping in the $100 range.

Step 1: Leave it plugged in and on for 24-48 hours to see if it will self recover from becoming stupid when it turns off. It's not likely to work but you never know until you try.

I don't know much about GPS systems however I didn't think they used volatile battery dependent memory in those things. It could be a memory failure instead of internal battery.

 

[SCCutler]

I'd look for a functional GPS90, whiuch is an aviation unit and at least has an aviation database in it (even an old one).

Here's one that is currently $56.00 on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Garm...90975QQitemZ4616973578QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

There are other deals, and I bet if you ask around the home 'drome, you are very likely to find someone who has an older, obsolete but functional unit, who would either sell it to you cheap or give it to you.


Just what I'm thinkin'...

 

[ABCandJRC]

With regard to several posts, and a bit more info:

Garmin flat fee of $59 includes complete factory rebuild to "as new" condition, including any software upgrades and 2nd day return shipping.

For comparison, I shopped a bit on e-bay. There was another GPS 12 but the ad notes that its internal battery is dead. That means the bid plus a $59 dollar trip to Garmin if you intend to ever remove power, including changing batteries, without losing all memory content. Not much of a deal.

They do use an internal battery in the 12 but it is not rechargable as in the newer units. That is a downside, but the unit lasted at least 7 years with no problems, and I would bet the year of inactivity since then with no external power is what finally killed the internal battery.

I do suspect a deeper failure anyway, since it loses memory as soon as switched off even with the external power connected and/or good batteries installed. There is a means to reset on user demand to factory defaults, with cleared user-memory, built into the software. I suspect it is being invoked each time the unit is switched off due to an internal error.

I did plug it in to 12 VDC for 4 days with no change in behavior.

I find aircraft-chart based models in the $475 range, but looking at the price of map updates, I am content to have a unit which just remembers my local airports (I can add remote ones by lat/lon) so I can find my way to one in an emergency such as sudden IMC (we are coastal) or just plain getting lost. I don't find any real advantage to highway mapping above the capabilities of the 12 for my use, particularly since I am so familiar with the operation of the 12. I am still a student so no long-distance travel is involved. Most aircraft I would use for such after licensed would probably include a moving-map GPS in the panel.

There is no provision for an external antenna on the 12, but I didn't see provision on any of the low-priced units I looked at either. That would be nice since the unit could stay in my bag but be "hot" all the time.

Does anyone have experience with whether the hand-helds will hold satellites from the top of the dash panel? I suspect they will, and that was going to be checked on my next flight, but no use even trying with a unit this sick. I think that is my make-or-break decision on repair since, as I said, the unit is functionally sufficient for what I want to do, and $59 beats any new unit out there. (Flip a coin?)

 

[Dean]

I have a handheld that I use in a yoke mount that works great. It has never dropped the signal or failed to work without a dash mounted ant.
It has a aviation data base with moving map and I picked it up off ebay for $125.00. Its a 2004 model Magellan Sport track that has had a jeppsen data base put in it.

 

[fgcason]

Garmin flat fee of $59 includes complete factory rebuild to "as new" condition, including any software upgrades and 2nd day return shipping.

I think that is my make-or-break decision on repair since, as I said, the unit is functionally sufficient for what I want to do, and $59 beats any new unit out there. (Flip a coin?)

If it were me wanting to minimize damage to the bottom $$ line and want a reliable unit that's currently getting stupid when it's turned off and I generally like the one that's hosed, I'd ship it and $59 off to the factory. They'll probably ship you a new one anyway so you effectively zero time the unit and it has a known history. (Does anyone actually repair things of this nature anymore?) More $$ will get you a better unit but if you're walking around with only $59 in your pocket for a given repair project you're not going anywhere except maybe ebay which could leave you with a good unit...or in the same boat next week with a second dead unit.
That's a simplified version of my take on rebuild or replace thought process.

Does anyone have experience with whether the hand-helds will hold satellites from the top of the dash panel? I suspect they will, and that was going to be checked on my next flight, but no use even trying with a unit this sick.

Try it. Lots of people use them in cars and I've seen them on top of aircraft panels numerous times. The motorcycle world is crazy over GPS and they mostly work there too (sometimes metal backplates are needed) and motorcycle engines are not shielded very well if at all.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Does anyone have experience with whether the hand-helds will hold satellites from the top of the dash panel?

Yes. I carry a handheld as a backup and it works fine in both the Cherokee and the helo just sitting on a seat.

When I was a fixed-wing student I threw one in the back seat of a Warrior during a lesson and got this great plot of wind correction maneuvers. patterns, etc