Barry wrote:
Anyone out there using the Garmin 96c handheld GPS? I have discovered a
glitch that may be a significant firmware problem on the 96c (and maybe the
96). When projecting a waypoint on a bearing from between 165 to 181
degrees FROM any existing waypoint in the 96c's internal aviation datatbase
on the West coast (such as the SAC VOR or airport), the data field blanks
out when the bearing is entered and ENTER is pressed.

Likewise, for bearings projected other than from 165 to 181 degrees from an
existing internal aviation database waypoint (such as any West coast VOR),
the 96c appears to add the local variation to the entered number, even
though the 96c is set to "auto mag var" which assumes everything is already
in degrees magnetic.

You might try to get the guy at http://www.cockpitgps.com involved. Sorry, I
don't remember his name. Very nice fellow, knows a lot about Garmin GPSs, has
the resources to reproduce problems and document them in a way that Garmin
customer service understands.

I had a problem with my Garmin 196 and couldn't get Garmin's attention. This guy
reproduced the problem and convinced Garmin they needed to fix it, and they had
updated firmware on the web within a couple of weeks.

My sincere apologies, Mr. Cockpitgps, for not remembering your name. I hope this
post doesn't cause you to be overwhelmed with requests for help.

Dave