Garmin GPSmap 496 False Terrain Alert

Thomas Borchert wrote:
Ron,


This is very disconcerting to the passengers, and
if I was really flying the approach in IMC, you can be assured that this
would be extremely disconcerting to me!



I wish you the best for resolving the problem, but as an aside, you're
putting way more trust in a non-certified handheld device than I ever
would. What you pay for is what you get. The ILS you're following down
there IS certified, as is your receiver. I don't think the 496 nor its
terrain database were ever designed to do close range avoidance. Trust it
when avoind terrain by miles, not tens of feet.

Very well stated.

Garmin has two divisions in its product line:

1. IFR avionics

2. Consumer products.

The 496 is made by the latter division. It is no different than an
automobile navigator; i.e., a nice aid, a toy of sorts, but seriously
not a certified IFR tool.