Old Handheld Aviation Garmin Question

kimberlyanne546

kimberlyanne546

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Kimberly
According to Wiki sites, the Hollister airport in CA is at least 20 years old (sorry, can't figure out when it was built).

I know for SURE that the yoke mounted, small, portable GPS unit in my little rental 150 is not that old.

Yet, when I took it out of the plane on my vacation, determined to figure out how to use the darned thing for my flight back, or at least program it with my five airport way points / route / flight plan - it did NOT have Hollister.

The owner told me before I left the database had not been updated in a while or maybe not ever (unsure).

After much fiddling, I figured out how to plug in the long / lat that AOPA had on my printed flight plan. Even then I had to do so in another screen / menu by creating a user defined way point.

So my question is - Hollister is a large, two runway, untowered (but well known) airport. How could it not be in my Garmin?

Is there a work around I could have used?

And before you ask, no, I did not RTFM (didn't have one).
 
Has the airport identifier changed? If so, you could find the airport in the GPS if you knew the old identifier (or update the GPS data).

Wells
 
Yes, I fully expect that the identifier has changed. If it has a K in the beginning, try leaving it off.

Also, if you have trouble learning to use the unit, you can google up the model number of any Garmin unit and find the operator's manual as a .pdf file.

Hope this helps,
 
You should be able to mouse over that area and click on the airport icon. Then the GPS will give you all the airport info including the identifier.
 
And Garmin keeps a database of downloadable (pdf) manuals on line
 
Thanks everyone! My Garmin doesn't have a mouse though and now I wonder what the model number is. I never knew airports change identifiers. Next time I'll look that up.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Thanks everyone! My Garmin doesn't have a mouse though and now I wonder what the model number is. I never knew airports change identifiers. Next time I'll look that up.
Click to expand...
Many Garmin handhelds have a rocker switch that can be used to move a cursor.
 
And I know it is older than 20 years as it was there when I was building an EMC lab north of town in 1989. And it was well established then. :D
 
I also know Hollister is at least 30 years old. I flew there in the late 80's when I was working on my license at Reid Hillview. I had friends who had learned to fly at Hollister in the 70's so its been there a while. My home (at the time) airport at Tracy has changed its designator since then as well. It is currently TCY or KTCY and was O36 in 1989.
I've run into the same problem with the Garmin 196 that was in my plane when I bought it. The last software update seems to have been in 2005 with the last data update being sometime before that. Not sure when the US finally adopted or signed on to the ICAO system but a number of codes changed then....I think.
I've had a number of issues with my Garmin 196 and it costs a bit to update. Its not really worth doing. I've got an Ifly 700 that is so much easier to use that the 196 is only used for groundspeed or logging time. I hate to pull the dock off the panel as it will leave a hole....

Frank
 
I have a Garmin 196 that I have had for awhile. The last time I updated the database, it was $25. I have had the same issue as Kimberly has had, only with a different airport. Not sure why. I figured the software writers had just missed it somehow and went on.
 
somorris said:
I have a Garmin 196 that I have had for awhile. The last time I updated the database, it was $25. I have had the same issue as Kimberly has had, only with a different airport. Not sure why. I figured the software writers had just missed it somehow and went on.
Click to expand...

Then you probably haven't updated the DB lately - Garmin/Jepp is charging $45 these days.
 
Garmin's website provides pdf manuals for obsolete models.

For example, to find the pdf manual for my 15-year-old handheld "GPS III" that I bought 15 years ago, I can type the following phrase into google:

gps III site:garmin.com

The first hit in this search is a product description page, and on its right side there is a link "manual" that leads to the PDF manual in a jiffy.
 
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gprellwitz said:
Unless you do it at AirVenture!
Click to expand...

Yah, and when I left my GPS at [whatever] for the database update, they confused the units and gave mine (serial number proof!) to someone else. Barely an apology and someone else's GPS (same model, and I bet the one which belonged to that other person).

I had to reload all the routes & waypoints by hand, since I didn't have the computer with me. Not fun.

I'll spend the $45 because it'll be done right.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Quite a few California airports changed identifiers in the last 10 years.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Not only CA - and not just recently. A dozen or so years ago I borrowed a Garmin
handheld for a lengthy trip. Coming across AZ I noticed that some of the airport identifiers on the GPS didn't match the chart. That caused some consternation flying over unfamiliar terrain. Fortunately, most of the I D's were as expected. Turned out that the database was years out of date.

Dave
 
NoHeat said:
Garmin's website provides pdf manuals for obsolete models.

For example, to find the pdf manual for my 15-year-old handheld "GPS III" that I bought 15 years ago, I can type the following phrase into google:

gps III site:garmin.com

The first hit in this search is a product description page, and on its right side there is a link "manual" that leads to the PDF manual in a jiffy.
Click to expand...


Thanks, just found out it is a Garmin 296 GPS. Used your method and found all this:


GPSMAP 296:

Declaration of Conformity (190-00337-09) Rev. A, Feb, 2004

FlightBook Quick Start Guide (190-00292-00) Rev. B, Apr, 2004

GA 26C Installation Instructions Rev. C, Feb, 2000

Pilot's Guide (190-00337-00) Rev. D, Sep, 2005

Quick Reference Guide Rev. B, Sep, 2005

Yoke Mount Instructions Rev. B, May, 2005

Now that I have a trusty iPad and my foreflight lets me add documents (once I figure out how), I will put some of these on there.
 
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ateamer said:
Kimberly, you'll also find that South County, currently E16, is probably in your GPS as Q99.
Click to expand...

Actually, that was one of my waypoints, and it was correct.

But I've learned from this thread that next time I should look up (online I guess? How?) the old ID's.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Actually, that was one of my waypoints, and it was correct.

But I've learned from this thread that next time I should look up (online I guess? How?) the old ID's.
Click to expand...
Or you could look them up by airport or city name instead of by ID, IIRC. Maybe I'm confusing a panel mount with the handheld, though. I'll need to check at home on the 496. Plus, the 296 has the rocker switch I talked about, so you can scroll the map to the location and click on the airport.
 
gprellwitz said:
Or you could look them up by airport or city name instead of by ID, IIRC. Maybe I'm confusing a panel mount with the handheld, though. I'll need to check at home on the 496. Plus, the 296 has the rocker switch I talked about, so you can scroll the map to the location and click on the airport.
Click to expand...

I didn't see that option, but then again, I was just messing around with the unit and did not know what the heck I was doing.
 
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