Who has bought a new Garmin 396?

In article . com,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:

You're exaggerating. The resolution is 2km, and it's due to the NEXRAD's
limits, not Garmins.

Well, that's even more disappointing, since it's a flaw that can't be
fixed by moving the service to a better platform than the 396.

The point is that the "flqw" exists everywhe on the radar pictures
from television, the Internet, and the WxWorx XM feed. The XM feed is
no worse than the data that is displayed anywhere else, but on the
television or Internet you are typically zoomed out on much larger
area, so the weather appears less pixelated than when you zoom in close
on the portable weather devices.



Bigger screen? That would be nice if I don't have to strap the damned thing
to my leg. It's got to fit on the yoke without blocking the HI or I don't
want it.

Both the AvMap and the Airmap 2000c are yoke-mounted. Either platform
would allow a better depiction than the little 396.

The screen on the AvMap is very nice, and I believe that the AvMap does
have better resolution. However, the 2000c does not unless Lowrance has
changed it recently. In any case, neither one of them would change the
pixelation of the weather unless they attempted to fill in the gaps in
the data on their own, and I'm not sure that would be of any practical
importance.

For a VFR pilot, I think that weather uplink is probably not such a big
deal. It would probably help you because you seem to do a lot of long
trips, but the bottom line is that you're always able to look out the
window. For folks flying IFR, weather uplink is a more important tool.




JKG

In article ,
"Dan Luke" wrote:
It would probably help you because you seem to do a lot of long
trips, but the bottom line is that you're always able to look out the
window. For folks flying IFR, weather uplink is a more important tool.

Well, the METARs, TAFs, etc. are very useful, but when t'storms are abundant,
I avoid flying IFR if possible. In most light aircraft, it's better to be
below the bases where you can see what's coming, NEXRAD or no NEXRAD. Being
in IMC with a bunch of imbedded boomers around is not my idea of fun.

I think for the VFR pilot in particular, a Stormscope/StrikeFinder is a
much better tool than weather uplink. The lightning data that XM
delivers is no where close to accurate many times when compared with my
StrikeFinder. Usually, the StrikeFinder paints large areas of lightning
where the XM feed shows a much smaller area, or sometimes the XM feed
doesn't show lightning at all for some areas, while showing lightning
for others. I would not fly with the XM feed as a reliable source of
lightning information for thunderstorm avoidance.


JKG

My experience in the SE US with good' ol CB (don't ask if you don't
know) suggests otherwise - i.e. downlinked Nexrad is a great tool VFR or
IFR.

For my operations, the key to flying in thunderstorm conditions is to
remain visual. But looking out the window just gives you a detailed but
heavily attenuated view of storms. You can't look in them and you
can't look thru them. Nexrad gives you high energy radar eyes.

I like to stay high among the tops - 7 to 10 thousand is about optimal
for the Maule and I. I file IFR but stay VMC. I look at the storms and
calibrate what I saw with Nexrad. That allows me to turn the right
corners, choose the right gaps and generally plot the best route. The
IFR clearance let's me penetrate the the cloud crotches where I can see
blue on the other side but where getting over the crotch may require a
climb that would take too long to make.

Combining Nexrad with ATC vectors is great too. Instead of just
following their suggestions, you can assess what they say, with what
you see out the window and what you see on your Nexrad display. That's
about as good as it gets.

Flying VFR/VMC around thunderstorms is a necessary evil in the SE US if
you want to use your a/c for travel. Penetrating storms is insane. And
flying in IMC with embedded storms will drive you insane - Nexrad or no
Nexrad. Just not recommended.

Jay's comments notwithstanding, Nexrad on the 396 will be fantastic! I
can say this with confidence after using CB where Nexrad images were in
B&W, displayed on a Palm IV, 30 to 45 mins old, and not integrated with
any GPS. That's technology from the last century!! And it worked
great. This will be super. No need to wait. Mine is scheduled for
delivery on 8/16. We'll see.

Jonathan Goodish wrote:

For a VFR pilot, I think that weather uplink is probably not such a big
deal. It would probably help you because you seem to do a lot of long
trips, but the bottom line is that you're always able to look out the
window. For folks flying IFR, weather uplink is a more important tool.

In article ,
Maule Driver wrote:
Flying VFR/VMC around thunderstorms is a necessary evil in the SE US if
you want to use your a/c for travel. Penetrating storms is insane. And
flying in IMC with embedded storms will drive you insane - Nexrad or no
Nexrad. Just not recommended.


I have found the StrikeFinder to be a much better thunderstorm avoidance
tool, and have flown quite a bit in the SE US with just the
StrikeFinder. NEXRAD is nice and is helpful, but no where near as
helpful as a sferics device for avoidance, in my opinion.


JKG

"Jonathan Goodish" wrote:

I have found the StrikeFinder to be a much better thunderstorm
avoidance
tool, and have flown quite a bit in the SE US with just the
StrikeFinder. NEXRAD is nice and is helpful, but no where near as
helpful as a sferics device for avoidance, in my opinion.


I'm just the opposite: no way I'd take a spark detector over WxWorx.
The last 2 years it has been so good that I abandoned the idea of
getting a Stormscope--just don't have any need for one.

--

Dan
C172RG at BFM

Color moving map, terrain/obstacle data, and now (near) realtime
weather. Only thing left to add is realtime traffic info.

"Bob Fry" wrote:

Color moving map, terrain/obstacle data, and now (near) realtime
weather. Only thing left to add is realtime traffic info.

From Garmin's site:

"[The 396] continues to reduce pilot workload by displaying Traffic
Information Service (TIS) data when interfaced to the GTX 330, and can
channel frequencies with the touch of a button when interfaced to the
SL30 nav/comm radio."

Well, I don't have any experience with sferics but I have a hard time
buying that it is superior to Nexrad. Just doesn't compute. But maybe
one day someone will give me a ride and a demo.

OTOH, I'll bet the market will speak clearly over the next 3 years.
Nexrad will rule and sferics will be gone.

However, my bias may be based more on style of flight than operational
ignorance. In my little flivver, we rarely have a hard time avoiding
TStorms. We can see them, assess them from a distance and not go there.
We never feel a need to go up, give them a bump, take their
temperature, or determine their sex. We no longer like to fly under
them either. What I do long for is the best route around them. A
strategy to follow as I turn along the valley of Cu. That's what we got
from our limited experience with Nexrad.

I feel like a kid on Christmas eve! I'm going NC to FL for labor day
and should have the new toy by then. And I just tossed by Palm IV which
must be the most obsolete communicating device in my archive of the
arcane (do acoustic couplers still work?).

Jonathan Goodish wrote:
Flying VFR/VMC around thunderstorms is a necessary evil in the SE US if
you want to use your a/c for travel. Penetrating storms is insane. And
flying in IMC with embedded storms will drive you insane - Nexrad or no
Nexrad. Just not recommended.

I have found the StrikeFinder to be a much better thunderstorm avoidance
tool, and have flown quite a bit in the SE US with just the
StrikeFinder. NEXRAD is nice and is helpful, but no where near as
helpful as a sferics device for avoidance, in my opinion.

Yeah man, that's there too! Just need to upgrade that funky Narco.

Dan Luke wrote:
"Bob Fry" wrote:
Color moving map, terrain/obstacle data, and now (near) realtime
weather. Only thing left to add is realtime traffic info.
From Garmin's site:
"[The 396] continues to reduce pilot workload by displaying Traffic
Information Service (TIS) data when interfaced to the GTX 330, and can
channel frequencies with the touch of a button when interfaced to the
SL30 nav/comm radio."

"Maule Driver" wrote:

Just need to upgrade that funky Narco.

I highly recommend Garmin's 327 xponder--I have one and love it.

However, the TIS data model, the 330, has become an iffy deal because the FAA
forgot to include TIS service in its upgrade spec's for some radar sites.
Since it wasn't in the spec's, Raytheon didn't price it and is not including
it. As a result, TIS won't work in my neighboring airspace of Pensacola,
among other places. If this hadn't happened, I would definitely upgrade to a
330, because I frequently fly that airspace and it is a buzzing hive of
military and civilian traffic.

The Garmin rep. at OSH said that the avionics manuf'rs have been screaming
about this oversight to the FAA, but it doesn't sound like their complaints
are getting anywhere.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM