Garmin Gpsmap 96

[chris[_1_]]

Hi all..

I am seriously considering buying a Garmin GPSMAP 96 very shortly...
I have only flown with a GPS once, and it was only the basic yellow
etrex, but it certainly made life easier..

I looked at maybe getting the mapping version of the etrex, but I am
in a position to afford a 96, and it looks good, but I can't seem to
find much info on the net about it and I was hoping someone who uses
one can fill me in..

What I really want to know is how much use it is going to be to me
here in New Zealand? Is it going to show me all the airspace and
airfields/navaids, or is that only work properly in the US?? I was
thinking about using a mapping eTrex and just putting in the waypoints
off the charts, and for half the price of the 96 it's worth
considering, but I wouldn't mind getting a proper aviation GPS,
especially considering in a few weeks I will be flying to some
inhospitable and unfamiliar territory.. And the aircraft I fly has no
gps, no dme, no adf, and so on..

Cheers for any info....

[Gilbert Smith]

"chris" > wrote:

>Hi all..
>
>I am seriously considering buying a Garmin GPSMAP 96 very shortly...
>I have only flown with a GPS once, and it was only the basic yellow
>etrex, but it certainly made life easier..
>
>I looked at maybe getting the mapping version of the etrex, but I am
>in a position to afford a 96, and it looks good, but I can't seem to
>find much info on the net about it and I was hoping someone who uses
>one can fill me in..
>
>What I really want to know is how much use it is going to be to me
>here in New Zealand? Is it going to show me all the airspace and
>airfields/navaids, or is that only work properly in the US?? I was
>thinking about using a mapping eTrex and just putting in the waypoints
>off the charts, and for half the price of the 96 it's worth
>considering, but I wouldn't mind getting a proper aviation GPS,
>especially considering in a few weeks I will be flying to some
>inhospitable and unfamiliar territory.. And the aircraft I fly has no
>gps, no dme, no adf, and so on..
>
>Cheers for any info....

The "Pacific" database for all Garmin units contains all the airspace
(SUA) info for your region.

[chris[_1_]]

On Feb 9, 9:45 am, Gilbert Smith > wrote:
> "chris" > wrote:
> >Hi all..
>
> >I am seriously considering buying a Garmin GPSMAP 96 very shortly...
> >I have only flown with a GPS once, and it was only the basic yellow
> >etrex, but it certainly made life easier..
>
> >I looked at maybe getting the mapping version of the etrex, but I am
> >in a position to afford a 96, and it looks good, but I can't seem to
> >find much info on the net about it and I was hoping someone who uses
> >one can fill me in..
>
> >What I really want to know is how much use it is going to be to me
> >here in New Zealand? Is it going to show me all the airspace and
> >airfields/navaids, or is that only work properly in the US?? I was
> >thinking about using a mapping eTrex and just putting in the waypoints
> >off the charts, and for half the price of the 96 it's worth
> >considering, but I wouldn't mind getting a proper aviation GPS,
> >especially considering in a few weeks I will be flying to some
> >inhospitable and unfamiliar territory.. And the aircraft I fly has no
> >gps, no dme, no adf, and so on..
>
> >Cheers for any info....
>
> The "Pacific" database for all Garmin units contains all the airspace
> (SUA) info for your region.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Excellent! Sounds like it is going to do the trick - I have decided
the colour version is for me, my avionics man tells me it has better
battery life than the greyscale version..

I had planned to spend no more than $300 on a GPS and now we're
looking at more like $1000... Oh well... Will be good for avoiding
busting airspace at least..

Cheers

[JGalban[_15_]]

Chris wrote :
>I have decided
>the colour version is for me, my avionics man tells me it has better
>battery life than the greyscale version..

If battery life is truly important to you, I'd check that opinion out
with Garmin. I have never seen a color screen that used less power
than a similar grayscale screen. Particularly with Garmin products.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)


--
JGalban
Posted at www.flight.org

[JGalban]

I wrote :

> If battery life is truly important to you, I'd check that opinion
out with Garmin.
> I have never seen a color screen that used less power than a
similar grayscale
> screen. Particularly with Garmin products.

Never mind.

I took a look at Garmin's specs and it appears to be true. They
list 25 hrs battery life for the 96 and 40 hrs. for the 96C. The 96C
has a slightly smaller screen (2.6" vs. 3"). It also has almost 5
times the memory on board.

Looks pretty good, but the price for the color version is
considerably steeper. $375 USD vs $600 USD. For a basic aviation GPS
with a Jepp database, the grayscale 96 is actually a very good deal.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)


--
JGalban
Posted at www.flight.org

[chris[_1_]]

On Feb 9, 1:03 pm, JGalban > wrote:
> I wrote :
>
>
>
> > If battery life is truly important to you, I'd check that opinion
> out with Garmin.
> > I have never seen a color screen that used less power than a
> similar grayscale
> > screen. Particularly with Garmin products.
>
> Never mind.
>
> I took a look at Garmin's specs and it appears to be true. They
> list 25 hrs battery life for the 96 and 40 hrs. for the 96C. The 96C
> has a slightly smaller screen (2.6" vs. 3"). It also has almost 5
> times the memory on board.
>
> Looks pretty good, but the price for the color version is
> considerably steeper. $375 USD vs $600 USD. For a basic aviation GPS
> with a Jepp database, the grayscale 96 is actually a very good deal.
>
> John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)
>
> --
> JGalban
> Posted atwww.flight.org

The prices in NZ seem to vary wildly depending on who you talk to.. I
have seen the 96 for anywhere from NZ $799 to $999 (US $550 to $685)
and I got my 96C for NZ $895 + freight from Aus ($100) which is about
US $730