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Garmin 496

M

mhcflyer

Well Known Member
Well, we all knew it was coming. :D Tropic Aero just sent me an email with Garmin GPSMAP 496 information...

http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=496-001

Here are the details:

Building on the success of its GPSMAP 396 - the first aviation portable to combine satellite datalink weather with color moving map and terrain alerting - Garmin now adds even more "high-end" software and features to the new GPSMAP 496. These upgrades include:

* Preloaded City Navigator NT automotive street mapping, with turn-by-turn voice prompts, for North America (U.S. and Canada), or Europe: Go from skyways to highways with no map software loading required.
* Garmin SafeTaxi data provides detailed taxiway diagrams and position information for over 650 U.S. airports.
* AOPA Airport Directory offers detailed information on over 7,400 U.S. airports, along with airports of entry for Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Includes names and phone numbers of FBOs and fuel/service facilities, plus ground transportation, local attractions, and more.
* Enhanced terrain and aviation databases will supply even more visual reference to the pilot. The addition of private airports and heliports to the database provides more navigation and emergency "nearest" options.
* Faster 5 Hz GPS updating of map data and "Panel" display gives a smoother, near "real-time" presentation of turn coordinator and HSI for added realism and safety.

With integrated BXM 30A Smart Antenna, the GPSMAP 496 lets pilots access everything from NEXRAD radaor imaging to over 170 channels of XM Satellite Radio infotainment. And with a Garmin Mode S transponder, the unit will also display TIS traffic alerts.
Weather. Terrain. Traffic. Navigation. Entertainment. And more. That's Garmin's GPSMAP 496: The world's most highly evolved aviation portable.
 
Wonder if there will be a break or upgrade path for those of us that just bought the 396 earlier this year :(
 
Smart Airspace Feature

I'm excited about this...note how it turns the airspace red if you are at an altitude to enter it. Neat.

image courtesy Garmin.com
screen8.gif
 
So I've been waiting for this. Anyone know of an RV friendly supplier that is going to stock this (Steinair etc?).

Unless something better shows up this OSH I'm going to be buying one.
 
Garmin part number: 010-00578-00

GPSMAP 496 Suggested Retail Price:
$2995.00 U.S.D. (for domestic US market only)

Garmin part number: 010-00578-01

GPSMAP 496 (Atlantic Version) Suggested Retail Price:
$2395.00 U.S.D. (for domestic US market only)


What's this Atlantic version thing?
 
From Garmin's announcement, regarding the "Atlantic" version:

"For customers in Europe, Garmin also offers a GPSMAP 496 Atlantic version that will be available shortly after the GPSMAP 496 North America model is available. The GPSMAP 496 Atlantic will include pre-loaded City Navigator Europe street maps, as well as VFR Reporting Points (VRPs), private airports, and obstacles. The GPSMAP 496 Atlantic does not include XM support, AOPA?s Airport Directory, or SafeTaxi diagrams"
 
How disappointing! :(

It's basically a 396 with a lot more memory for the taxi charts and AOPA stuff, plus the City Navigator (which I have installed in my 296 on the additional flash chip, so no new news there...).

The most notable little thinghies of use are a faster GPS chipset (have they switched to SiRF also on the GPSMAP series like they've done on the Nuvi?), higher resolution terrain (not to encourage scud running, huh? :eek: ), better POI support (nice for the speed cameras, yet to be installed on the airways... :D ).

The two cool things are the Smart Airspace and the addition of private airports to the Jepp database. But both should technically be doable on the 296, depending on eventual memory size restrictions for the private airport DB.

The real bad baaaaad thing.... the *same* tiny tiny little screen!!! :mad:

Me, I'm in Europe so I would not benefit from any of the cool things that both the 396 and 496 have, but I would definitely think about getting a new Garmin with a bigger screen... but not this year!

Thanks Garmin for making me save some money! :)

Ciao, Luca
 
"Wonder if there will be a break or upgrade path for those of us that just bought the 396 earlier this year "

I called Garmin about this today and the lady I talked to said no upgrades/trade-ins. I told her I have a 396 and want the 496. I don't know if she even knows what she's talking about because initially she said she'd never heard of the 496 and that there was no such thing. She then looked it up on her computer and then reiterated the no trade-in thing.

This link that sonex293 listed:http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand....uctCode=496-001 says the following under a "trade in your GPS" button:

with the hottest new models shipping there's never been a better time to trade in your old GPS. We are currently accepting all new production models

but when you click on "trade in requirements" they only list the following:

PARTS REQUIRED WITH TRADE-IN UNIT
GPSMAP 296/196/295/195
I need to do some more research. I can't believe Garmin would not have made allowances for the 396 to be upgraded to the 496.
 
Last edited:
DeltaRomeo said:
I'm excited about this...note how it turns the airspace red if you are at an altitude to enter it. Neat.
Click to expand...
Sorta, but not exactly. You're just seeing Class C as opposed to Class B. The "Smart Airspace" gets lighter and darker depending on whether you're prone to enter it.
 
396 already do that?

dan, does your 396 already to that ? (color of airspace you are on path to enter darker/brighter than other "rings" you are flying over or under.
 
Isu-rv,

I have a 396 and the answer to your question is no. The only thing that happens if you have the alerts turned on is alert you that you are about to enter a particular airspace. It does this regardless of your altitude which is where the 396 and 496 differ. Even though the 396 knows your altitude, it doesn't apply it to whether or not you are going to penatrate airspace from a vertical perspetive, only from a lateral perspective. In that sense, the 396 is just like the GPS III Pilot, 196, 296, etc.
 
tobinbasford said:
I have a 396 and the answer to your question is no. The only thing that happens if you have the alerts turned on is alert you that you are about to enter a particular airspace. It does this regardless of your altitude which is where the 396 and 496 differ. Even though the 396 knows your altitude, it doesn't apply it to whether or not you are going to penatrate airspace from a vertical perspetive, only from a lateral perspective. In that sense, the 396 is just like the GPS III Pilot, 196, 296, etc.
Click to expand...

Welllll... I don't know about that. I'm fairly sure that the previous Garmin handhelds do consider your altitude versus the altitude of airspace ahead of you when generating alerts...

mcb
 
Matt,
You may be right, maybe I have my settings wrong or something, seems like it alerts me regardless of altitude, however the answer to Isu-rv's question is still no. The colors definitely don't change on the 396 as you fly through different airspaces.
 
Matt,
mburch said:
Welllll... I don't know about that. I'm fairly sure that the previous Garmin handhelds do consider your altitude versus the altitude of airspace ahead of you when generating alerts...
Click to expand...
my 296 alerts me with pesky beeps when I am flying under a supersonic military training area between FL370 and FL420 in the middle of Italy all the time... I would assume they have fixed this in the 496 firmware (and would thus be able to backport the featurette to the 296 and 396).

All this unless the 496 has a different Jepp DB compared to the 296/396... :confused:

Ciao, Luca
 
WTB - used 396

lsu-rv said:
dan, does your 396 already to that ? (color of airspace you are on path to enter darker/brighter than other "rings" you are flying over or under.
Click to expand...

If it doesn't, it sure seems like a simple software patch would upgrade the 396, but I doubt if Garmin will take that path. They've gotten too big and too dominant in the market to need to be legacy-customer friendly, much like Bendix-King before them.

Personally, the best feature of the 496 for me is that it will prompt more than a few people to sell their 396. That's how I got my 295 so cheap!
 
Dgamble said:
If it doesn't, it sure seems like a simple software patch would upgrade the 396, but I doubt if Garmin will take that path. They've gotten too big and too dominant in the market to need to be legacy-customer friendly, much like Bendix-King before them.
Click to expand...
you're being a tad unfair to Garmin, IMHO.

With the 4.0 firmware upgrade on the 296, we've earned a bunch of features that were coming straight from the 396, the most notable being the support of the SL30 protocol on the serial port, but I am sure there were other features that were backported straight from the 396 code.

If only the 496 would have a bigger screen, *that* would really be a good reason to upgrade to the newer model... :)

Ciao, Luca
 
tobinbasford said:
I need to do some more research. I can't believe Garmin would not have made allowances for the 396 to be upgraded to the 496.
Click to expand...

Go get-em Tobin. Bob and I both have 396's now, and had feared they would come out with something new so we'd be obsolete immediately. They're both just old enough that we missed the price drop as well. Arrrrgh!

At least I don't see anything I can't live with on the 496 when compared to the 396. As someone else mentioned, the one thing Garmin really needs to do is make this thing bigger. As you know, I also think the landscape mode screen is stupid, and should be portrait mode like the older Garmin units were.

Let me know when you have my upgrade details worked out :D

Rusty (panel and wiring)
 
you're being a tad unfair to Garmin, IMHO.
Click to expand...
I freely admit that my opinion of Garmin has been irrevocably damaged by previous issues with their tech support, and their blatant price fixing practices. 800 lb gorilla and all that.
 
Dgamble said:
I freely admit that my opinion of Garmin has been irrevocably damaged by previous issues with their tech support, and their blatant price fixing practices. 800 lb gorilla and all that.
Click to expand...
Price fixing occurs between two or more companies. Garmin just controls the asking price of their product. Which I believe is excellent. I'm very pleased with Garmin. Have been since I bought my first Pilot III some 10 yrs ago. Just had the std refurb on my 196 (damaged display!). Very pleased with the price, workmanship and speed.

Notice to all you recent 396 purchasers - I'll buy your used 396!! How about $750? $1,000 if it's in really good condition. Any takers??? ;) ;)
 
Used 396

I got a 396 bought new last year at OshKosh....any takers? Make a reasonable offer. I don't know what to ask for it. Yeah I got a 496 on the way...gets rid of of the AOPA book that I use frequently in the airplane.
 
dan said:
...The "Smart Airspace" gets lighter and darker depending on whether you're prone to enter it.
Click to expand...

You can see this in the picture above. There's some light rings around KORD that probably represent the other layers of the airspace that are above the current altitude. The thicker lines are all at current altitude.

I agree with the others that this would be a simple software change to add to the 396.
 
Trade 396 for 496

Just got off the phone with Tropic Aero Inc and they will give you $1500 for your old 396 towards a 496, leaving a balance of $1295. The guy also told me to keep your XM antenna otherwise you'll have to open another account($75 fee) with XM. The only difference between the old and new XM antennae is that they left the magnets out of the new one. I already pulled my magnets a while back.

He also said the increased processor speed is very noticable.

I paid $2500 for my 396 ten months ago so adding the $1295, gives me an overall cost of almost $3800. Uhhm, not sure it's worth that.
 
tobinbasford said:
Just got off the phone with Tropic Aero Inc and they will give you $1500 for your old 396 towards a 496, leaving a balance of $1295. The guy also told me to keep your XM antenna otherwise you'll have to open another account($75 fee) with XM. The only difference between the old and new XM antennae is that they left the magnets out of the new one. I already pulled my magnets a while back.

He also said the increased processor speed is very noticable.

I paid $2500 for my 396 ten months ago so adding the $1295, gives me an overall cost of almost $3800. Uhhm, not sure it's worth that.
Click to expand...
Tobin, eBay the 396, you'll get close to the current retail amount. I did that for my 296 just prior to OSH last year. No troubles.
 
tobinbasford said:
Negative, the XM is definitely tied to the antennae, not the unit, I know this for a fact.
Click to expand...
true, the XM Antenna is not "just" an antenna, as the XM receiver and relative electronic "glue" (thus including serial number) is fitted within the hockey puck thingy, and the XM data is fed into the 396 via a serial port... ever wondered why the 296 has two serial ports available, while the 396 only has one? ;)

Ciao, Luca
 
tobinbasford said:
Negative, the XM is definitely tied to the antennae, not the unit, I know this for a fact.
Click to expand...

This really makes no sense, but I'm sure it's somehow tied to their encryption of the signal so nobody gets a free ride. So if I have a built-in antenna in my RV, two cars, and one at home, am I going to get dinged for 4 separate XM music subscriptions?
 
Davepar said:
This really makes no sense, but I'm sure it's somehow tied to their encryption of the signal so nobody gets a free ride. So if I have a built-in antenna in my RV, two cars, and one at home, am I going to get dinged for 4 separate XM music subscriptions?
Click to expand...

Yes. The XM receiver is integral with the antenna. There would be advantages to having it in the 396/496.

The way it is now, I remove the 396 and the antenna after just about every flight, so I can use it as a weather spotter tool in my car.
 
Dave,
Yes, you are correct with your premise, but you would never have four antennas...these things are big and expensive (looks like a big hockey puck), unlike the little GPS antenna. Not sure why it's not built into the unit. There are electronics inside the antenna and maybe they thought it was better that way. When you call XM to activate your service you only give them the serial off the antenna.
 
Perhaps the entire XM receiver is in the antenna? My RoadyII would be about the size of a hockey puck or a bit smaller if it were round while the antenna is only a bit bigger than a quarter. If the receiver were in the antenna, that would explain the serial number being tied to it.

As far as an open account, it's easy to open, close or swap accounts with XM. I've done it several times with several receivers over the past few years. XM is pretty easy to deal with and most can be done online.
 
RatMan said:
As far as an open account, it's easy to open, close or swap accounts with XM. I've done it several times with several receivers over the past few years. XM is pretty easy to deal with and most can be done online.
Click to expand...

One tip: Never give them your real phone number. I had 'free' XM with my new car for 90 days, but decided I didn't like the selection so I never purchased the full service. They called my cell two times a week for two months - each time I was more and more angry with them about how I WANT OFF THEIR LIST. But sure enough, another call would come eventually.

I'm buying a 496 now, and I'm going to 'accidentally' swap two digits on my phone number.
 
That's only if you use your 396 or 496 for music. On their music only radios, the subscripton is tied to the ID of the radio. I have one Roady XT and 3 mounts w/antenna for plane, car and home. I just pop the radio between mounts.
 
Aviator said:
So, did anyone get it yet? Reports?
Click to expand...

Mine should be here on Tuesday :D. I'll report once I've flown a bit, based on the features though it seems like a "slightly faster 396, with built in AOPA guide and higher res terrain" - so I wouldn't expect many changes compared to the 396.

I sold my old anywhere map system a couple of months ago - figured I'd buy once I'd read about this year's OSH.
 
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