Garmin Gpsmap 96

Hi all..

I am seriously considering buying a Garmin GPSMAP 96 very shortly...
I have only flown with a GPS once, and it was only the basic yellow
etrex, but it certainly made life easier..

I looked at maybe getting the mapping version of the etrex, but I am
in a position to afford a 96, and it looks good, but I can't seem to
find much info on the net about it and I was hoping someone who uses
one can fill me in..

What I really want to know is how much use it is going to be to me
here in New Zealand? Is it going to show me all the airspace and
airfields/navaids, or is that only work properly in the US?? I was
thinking about using a mapping eTrex and just putting in the waypoints
off the charts, and for half the price of the 96 it's worth
considering, but I wouldn't mind getting a proper aviation GPS,
especially considering in a few weeks I will be flying to some
inhospitable and unfamiliar territory.. And the aircraft I fly has no
gps, no dme, no adf, and so on..

Cheers for any info....

"chris" wrote:

Hi all..

I am seriously considering buying a Garmin GPSMAP 96 very shortly...
I have only flown with a GPS once, and it was only the basic yellow
etrex, but it certainly made life easier..

I looked at maybe getting the mapping version of the etrex, but I am
in a position to afford a 96, and it looks good, but I can't seem to
find much info on the net about it and I was hoping someone who uses
one can fill me in..

What I really want to know is how much use it is going to be to me
here in New Zealand? Is it going to show me all the airspace and
airfields/navaids, or is that only work properly in the US?? I was
thinking about using a mapping eTrex and just putting in the waypoints
off the charts, and for half the price of the 96 it's worth
considering, but I wouldn't mind getting a proper aviation GPS,
especially considering in a few weeks I will be flying to some
inhospitable and unfamiliar territory.. And the aircraft I fly has no
gps, no dme, no adf, and so on..

Cheers for any info....

The "Pacific" database for all Garmin units contains all the airspace
(SUA) info for your region.

On Feb 9, 9:45 am, Gilbert Smith wrote:
"chris" wrote:
Hi all..

I am seriously considering buying a Garmin GPSMAP 96 very shortly...
I have only flown with a GPS once, and it was only the basic yellow
etrex, but it certainly made life easier..

I looked at maybe getting the mapping version of the etrex, but I am
in a position to afford a 96, and it looks good, but I can't seem to
find much info on the net about it and I was hoping someone who uses
one can fill me in..

What I really want to know is how much use it is going to be to me
here in New Zealand? Is it going to show me all the airspace and
airfields/navaids, or is that only work properly in the US?? I was
thinking about using a mapping eTrex and just putting in the waypoints
off the charts, and for half the price of the 96 it's worth
considering, but I wouldn't mind getting a proper aviation GPS,
especially considering in a few weeks I will be flying to some
inhospitable and unfamiliar territory.. And the aircraft I fly has no
gps, no dme, no adf, and so on..

Cheers for any info....

The "Pacific" database for all Garmin units contains all the airspace
(SUA) info for your region.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Excellent! Sounds like it is going to do the trick - I have decided
the colour version is for me, my avionics man tells me it has better
battery life than the greyscale version..

I had planned to spend no more than $300 on a GPS and now we're
looking at more like $1000... Oh well... Will be good for avoiding
busting airspace at least..

Cheers

Chris wrote :
I have decided
the colour version is for me, my avionics man tells me it has better
battery life than the greyscale version..

If battery life is truly important to you, I'd check that opinion out
with Garmin. I have never seen a color screen that used less power
than a similar grayscale screen. Particularly with Garmin products.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)


--
JGalban
Posted at www.flight.org

I wrote :

If battery life is truly important to you, I'd check that opinion
out with Garmin.
I have never seen a color screen that used less power than a
similar grayscale
screen. Particularly with Garmin products.

Never mind.

I took a look at Garmin's specs and it appears to be true. They
list 25 hrs battery life for the 96 and 40 hrs. for the 96C. The 96C
has a slightly smaller screen (2.6" vs. 3"). It also has almost 5
times the memory on board.

Looks pretty good, but the price for the color version is
considerably steeper. $375 USD vs $600 USD. For a basic aviation GPS
with a Jepp database, the grayscale 96 is actually a very good deal.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)


--
JGalban
Posted at www.flight.org

On Feb 9, 1:03 pm, JGalban wrote:
I wrote :



If battery life is truly important to you, I'd check that opinion
out with Garmin.
I have never seen a color screen that used less power than a
similar grayscale
screen. Particularly with Garmin products.

Never mind.

I took a look at Garmin's specs and it appears to be true. They
list 25 hrs battery life for the 96 and 40 hrs. for the 96C. The 96C
has a slightly smaller screen (2.6" vs. 3"). It also has almost 5
times the memory on board.

Looks pretty good, but the price for the color version is
considerably steeper. $375 USD vs $600 USD. For a basic aviation GPS
with a Jepp database, the grayscale 96 is actually a very good deal.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

--
JGalban
Posted atwww.flight.org

The prices in NZ seem to vary wildly depending on who you talk to.. I
have seen the 96 for anywhere from NZ $799 to $999 (US $550 to $685)
and I got my 96C for NZ $895 + freight from Aus ($100) which is about
US $730