I will second the comment on poor battery contacts. I used to work for
a manufacturer of portable electronic devices, and I can tell you that
proper battery contact pressure is very important for reliable
operation. Ever had a cheap flashlight you had to shake, even with good
batteries? I talked to Garmin and they haven't been very helpful. They
did send some new contacts, but they are the same crappy construction.
Good luck.
tom

ktbr wrote:
That's an indication of weak battery, so I assume you have
replaced them with verified new/good ones.

I am not impressed with the quality of the battery contacts
in the 196. Periodically I clean the contacts and carefully
bend them a tad to insure proper pressure on the battery contacts.

Other than that, there is a circuit in there to sense battery
level, perhaps that circuit is malfunctioning.