GPS

Terry

Terry

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Apr 3, 2005
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738
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LaCrosse
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Display name:
Terry
Hi All:

I am thinking about buying me a GPS. The 172 I fly has one in it so I use this one to sit on the dash, check other stuff, and also use it when driving on auto trips. I also fly other 172's that are VFR and I like to use my handheld GPS to aide me when I am flying to unfamilar airports.

I don't want to spend a lot of money so don't consider the GPS 396 & 496.

I was looking at GPSMAP 196 or GPSMAP 96C.

Any comments? What about other brands?

Thanks;
Terry
ASEL, IR, HP, and all around Safe Pilot. :)
 
I have a 96 (not a C).

Does all I need. Flew with it VFR for 3 years before getting a 430. I still use the 96 mounted on a suction cup to log flights. I leave it in the HSI display mode most of the time. It's handy to load an alternate route for in-flight planning without disturbing the 430 until I'm ready to make a course change.
 
You can buy Airmap 500's off ebay for a couple hundred dollars, and they are a very good GPS. I have seen some Airmap 600's for less than $300 which is a very good deal. If you are just using it for the moving map, some of the Ifinders have airports in them which will get you from point A - point B and you can buy them for less than $100. They don't have the airspaces in them or other airport info, but they do give your GS, tracking, bearing and altitude.
 
Terry said:
I don't want to spend a lot of money so don't consider the GPS 396 & 496.
Click to expand...
Consider the 296. It has the color and many of the same features as the 396 without the XM weather. Color may not sound like a big deal, but it really does make a difference. And, with Garmin recently introducing the 495 (a 496 without weather), you should be able to get a decent used 296 at a pretty good price from one of the vendors that sell them reconditions like JA Air, Pacific Coast Avionics and Gulf Coast Avionics.

With respect to Lowrance, I am a former Airmap 500 owner. It was adequate and, unlike the Garmin 196, 296 and 396, the Airmaps have taxi diagrams, which are great at larger airports. But other than that, and even aside from the problems I had with my Airmap (which I guess makes me a bit biased), my switch from Lowrance to Garmin was like switching from a toy to a serious tool.
 
I have a lowrance 2000c with the color moving map, terrain awareness. It also contains all the info for airport frequencys and aproachs. Not approved for ifr, but it has it all. check out the Pilot shop for some sales from time to time. Mine cost $999. and comes with differant mounts and download upgrades etc. I built mine into the panel of my tripacer, right in front of the pilot and it turned out to look like a poor man's glass panel
 
I'm extremely happy with my $370 Lowrance 500 handheld as a backup for my panel-mount and something to carry when flying with trainees.
 
I've been flying with my 196 for several (3?) years now and enjoy it very much. The best feature, IMHO, is the HSI display.
 
I bought a Lowrance 600c a year ago on eBay for $400. It's a nice unit for the price, and it even has terrain. I've replaced it with a 396, mostly for the XM weather.

The 600c has a decent display - fairly readable in sunlight. Since it's got a color display, it also does a good job displaying airspace. If you just need a GPS and don't care about weather, the 600c is a good choice.

-Felix
 
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