The Garmin 496 Portable GPS

Should you buy this?

• If spending $2,800 isn't a problem for you, YES.  This is the best of the best of the best of the best.
• Should I buy the GPSMap 396 instead of this one to save money:  No.  The small amount of cost difference between the 396 and 496 makes the 496 much more attractive.
• If spending this much isn't a possibility, and weather isn't required, take a look at the GPSMap 296.

Why should you buy it?

• A beautiful color screen
• Terrain built-in
• Airport maps built-in
• XM-Weather
• Auto/Marine capabilities built-in
• Rechargeable battery pack
• Great User Interface
• Instrument approach capabilities
• FAST Screen Drawing/processing
• A Faster CPU (central processing unit) allows for fast response time

The Details

The Display

The display is really very nice with vivid colors and good contrast.  I have been able to use this screen in all lighting conditions.

Processing/Drawing Speed

The system is extremely fast and draws some of the most complicated screens in just a second or two.  The 496 is even faster than the 296 model - Extremely fast.

GPS Satellite Acquisition

Satellite acquisition is fast both on the ground and in the air.  The external antenna makes the unit acquire faster and more accurate especially during aviation operations.

XM-Weather

The unit comes with an XM-Weather satellite receiver - wired via a USB cable to the 496, it is smaller than any other XM satellite weather antenna on the market today and very stylish. 

A subscription is necessary to receive satellite weather.  A useful subscription will cost around $50.00/month with XM radio channels available for an extra $14.00/month.  Setup charges are about $75.00 - one time charge.

The weather downloads over time - in other words, when you plug in the antenna, not all of the weather is downloaded right away.  Certain weather charts are downloaded every 2 minutes or every 30 minutes.  I recommended powering up the unit 30 minutes before departure.

Example Weather Images: Note: 

I captured these images myself on the 496 I evaluated using Garmin's xImage software.

Winds Aloft

Freezing Levels

NexRad Radar

METAR's

Airmet

Airmet Details

TFR's

XM Radio

For an additional $14.00/month (at the time of writing this article), you can get all XM Satellite radio stations to listen to in the aircraft or in the car.  A stereo mini-jack is provided allowing you to connect Cassette adapter or FM transmitter inside your car.  You can also hook it up to your headset (if so equipped) or your aircraft if it comes with a stereo jack.

XM Channel List

Airport Maps

Maps of certain airports are included in the GPSMap 496 showing taxi-ways, buildings, hangers, etc.  The old maps showed just runways and their designators (as shown below):

Old Map

The new airport maps show taxi-ways and even let you request a goto to a specific location, where it gives you taxi-way by taxi-way turns (this zoomed-out version is missing the taxi-way identifiers).

New Map

I had an interesting experience when first using this feature.  On final, the unit zoomed automatically from its normal land colors to this black/white map.  I was distracted and found myself looking at the display of the GPS right before landing.  I have a cover for the 496 that I plan on putting over the display after getting in the pattern.

The User Interface/Menu

Garmin has done its homework with all of their larger portable GPS units.  Easy buttons, easy UI, easy everything.  There are a lot of menus on this unit, but they are well thought out and easy to understand.  You really don't need training on this UI, but it is available.

Portable Power

A rechargeable battery pack comes with the unit and additional ones can be purchased.  I would recommend purchasing one or two replacement battery packs and cycle through all of them (use each battery pack equally) to provide the maximum life for each battery pack.

External Power

Garmin provides a cigarette adapter with speaker for turn by turn instructions when used as well as an AC adapter.

Mounts

A number of different mounts are included with this unit including a yoke mount and a mount that can be 'stuck' to the dash of either a car or an aircraft.  It is easily adjustable on 2 axis's for easy viewing.  The yoke mount can be a little less versitile on some aircraft, but it can be angled enough to make it usable on just about every aircraft with a yoke mount.

Garmin has also fixed the deficit in the 296 and 396 by including the a Bean-Bag mount that allows you to place your unit on the dash of your car for easy movement and storage when you leave your automobile.  This can even be used in the plane.

GPS Antenna

An external GPS antenna is not required to operate the unit but really makes the unit perform better.  The antenna is provided with a suction-cup mounting option with a very long cable - perfect! 

Cost

List is $2,795.  Expensive, but worth every penny if you fly a lot.

GPS-Map Comparison

^{*1:  XM Weather subscription required - $75.00 setup and $29.00 or $49.00 per month depending on data transmitted to the GPS unit
*2:  XM Radio subscription required - $14.95/month
*3: Garmin Mode-S transponder required to be installed in the aircraft being flown
*4: Additional software must be purchased to enable this feature}

Garmin Comparison chart

Negatives

• The Cost is pretty high $$$$
• There is no screen cover for the unit.  Garmin could have included this $14.00 item with no problem

More Information

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap496/

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This page was last modified on 12/03/2006