Thanks for the tip!

What is the process to overwrite the terrain data bases? Can this cause any
problems with other date including user data on the 396? ... Aaron

wrote in message news:XN3mf.101$z21.82@fed1read04...
When you buy a Garmin 296 or 396 in this country the unit comes with
TAWS-like terrain for North and South America.

There are two other terrain databases available, which are standard for
units sold in those coverage areas, ATL (Atlantic, Europe, and Africa) and
PAC for Asia and the west Pacific.

These three coverage areas are sold for $295, each, so for someone to have
the world, they would normally have to shell out $885. Yes, you would
have to buy the Americas, too, because once you overwrite it with ATL or
PAC, it is gone unless you have the data file to load it back in. You
don't get the data file when you buy the unit, you just get the preloaded
terrain data.

Well, guess what! Garmin just updated the terrain 2004 data files to 2005
and, for a time (probably a very short time) all three coverage areas can
be downloaded FREE from the Garmin site.

I just downloaded all three and switched between the three with no
problem. I overwrote my included Americas (AMR) with ATL, then overwrote
ATL, with PAC, and finally overwrote PAC with AMR.

Unlike Jeppesen navdata or U.S. manmade obstacle periodic updates, these
terrain files are not keyed to the unit's ID number.

Because terrain changes very slowly, I suspect these three terrain files
would be good enough for a very, very long time.