Great GPS for the money This is the second GPSMAP 196 unit I have purchased. Garmin really did it right on this one so when I needed a second unit for my other plane I went back to dependability and what works well again. Their newer generation aviation GPS models are just too expensive and this older model is perhaps the only one that fills the gap nicely between too basic and too expensive. My only complaint is that many of these units have power management issues in that either; 1) the battery power doesn't work or 2) the cigarette adapter cord is faulty or 3) the power on button sticks or has to be pressed harder than normal to activate the unit. Usually one or the other but rarely all three issues. The other issue is that when these units were originally sold, USB ports on PC's were just coming onto the scene.

However, small, non-aviation GPS units are available from Garmin and others that weigh less. With the Garmin GPSMAP 196. Computer's USB port to.

Modern PC's don't have serial ports anymore. Hence, you need to buy the Serial-to-USB adapter in order to use the update software. I could never get the software to communicate to the GPS on my Windows 7 laptop but I could with my Windows XP desktop PC. But for the cost, you can't beat the functionality that this GPS unit offers even if it is a little dated. Sometimes older is just better.

Garmin 196 Aviation GPS Likes: Long Battery life. Nice flexible mounting braket. Two antennas for different environments. Very clear display.

Backlighting works well. Compatible with lots of map products. Good documentation. User inferface has lots of smart features for pilots. Example: Point at two locations in flight and get the distance between them. Get distance and time between your location and any selected point. Dislikes: The base map does not show most inland lakes, so you need to buy add on's if you like to use lakes as part of your VFR positional awareness.

I can't imagine why a person would need a color version of this unit. I have one for my PDA in color and I like this one much better. Okay, but expensive to fully equip Advertized for Air Land and Water. Data base is mostly for air. You must buy additional software.

Then a data card to store the data. Hospital tycoon cz torrent. And you get a serial data cable. Who has a serial port on their PC? Add on another cable ($50).

I bought the 196 with green screen to extend the battery life over color screens. No real savings compared to a friend's 396. If you want to yoke mount in an aircraft, plan on also mounting the remote antenna. Relatively easy to do - important if you rent aircraft.

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