A real looker
When the word got out in late July that Garmin would debut its latest handheld GPS, the GPSMap 496, we editors at AOPA Pilot already knew — because we had one of the brand-new units in our hands. Replete with loads of updated features, including AOPA's Airport Directory data for more than 5,300 public-use airports, the 496 was ready to go for our annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh.
We set up the unit in the front office of Editor in Chief Tom Haines' Beechcraft A36 Bonanza after takeoff on the flight from AOPA's headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, to a fuel stop at Fulton County Airport in northwestern Ohio (there's no way you can be too fat on fuel going into the big show), and on into Appleton's Outagamie County Regional Airport, in Wisconsin.
The setup was straightforward — only four cords: the remote GPS antenna (the 496 has an integrated antenna as well, like previous models in the series); the new GXM 30A "smart antenna" for XM WX satellite weather and radio; the power cable to plug the unit into the airplane's power (and recharge the new lithium ion battery); and the (very important) cord that connected the 496 to the airplane's intercom system, delivering XM radio straight to our headsets. Accustomed as I am to the spaghetti nightmare of numerous well-intentioned cockpit toys, this amount of cordage seemed pretty minor. Maybe wireless will come next, Garmin?
Soon, I had our pre-loaded flight plan up and displayed on the Map page; we had been in the air just five minutes when the magenta line was up and overlaid with echo tops and Nexrad radar images, assuring us that our flight would escape most of the clouds and all of the nasty stuff. It was a beautiful day to fly halfway across the country. METARs (aviation routine weather reports) displayed graphically on the screen, and by moving the arrow over an airport's METAR flag, I could see the standard abbreviated version of the METAR right on the map. To get the full text, and TAFs (terminal aerodrome forecasts) for those airports so equipped, you push Enter to bring up the airport information page and go to the METAR or TAF tab.
Also by moving the arrow over the airport itself, I brought up a block of quick info on that airport, including icons courtesy of data from AOPA's Airport Directory. These icons tell if the airport has self-serve fuel, a restaurant within striking range, or a courtesy car. Hitting Enter with the airport highlighted gives you the airport information page, where you can cycle through the tabs to the AOPA tab for complete FBO, transportation, lodging, and attraction information.
The screen is the same one that's on the GPSMap 396 (the predecessor to the 496 and still in production), but the data displayed have been upgraded. Both terrain and topographical information are in 9-arc-second chunks rather than in 30-arc-second chunks, making the detail much finer. It just doesn't look blocky anymore, whether you're looking at the background map of greens and browns, or the red and yellow terrain awareness data.
The faster processor showed its stuff on the Panel page, Garmin's demonstration of what GPS data could do when specially purposed. The Panel page displays a groundspeed readout, a turn indicator, a horizontal situation indicator, a vertical speed indicator, and an altimeter derived from GPS data, plus distance and estimated time en route readouts. The action on these faux instruments with the 496's new 5-Hz processor is amazingly smooth.
We quickly sorted out that our fuel stop would remain a great option, weatherwise and windswise (the optional XM weather subscription gives winds aloft, depending on the XM package chosen by the user), so it was on to the entertainment portion of the flight. Signal strength for the XM satellite radio signal is given in a bar readout similar to the one you see on your cell phone. We never had less than two bars during the flight; reception was clear. I'm not sure my fellow pilots appreciated my taste in music, but there was a lot to choose from. The interface is pretty good, though when you change stations, if you hold the Enter button down for more than a half-second, you engage a different function on the XM menu, which I did a few times before I wised up to what was happening.
The music pipes into your intercom system or headset via a cord (noted previously) into an MP3 or other auxiliary audio jack. A soft mute feature in the Bonanza's audio panel kept us from mixing up music and radio calls, though we did unplug the music once we started our descent.
With the unit on the aircraft power, the rechargeable battery in the 496 is automatically recharged. If power is interrupted, the unit gives you 30 seconds to stop it before it automatically shuts down. If you push any button during that time, the 496 will stay on and run off the battery. I noted that a fully charged battery showed me more than 10 hours of running time on the 496's battery life indicator.
Upon landing at any of 668 airports currently in the 496's SmartTaxi database, the little airplane icon on the unit's moving map appears on an airport diagram, showing your position on taxiways — or runways — for better situational awareness. This function had its foundation in the FAA's SafeFlight 21 program that mapped the layout of 80 airports; Garmin put its own resources into the effort and mapped the rest that are in the database today. More airport diagrams are on the way and can be added automatically with a database update on a 56-day cycle. These downloads can be found on Garmin's Web site.
Once we were tied down at Appleton, all we had to do was follow the traffic to get to the show. However, we used the 496's automotive functions around Oshkosh to look up restaurants, retail stores, and local attractions. The unit comes pre-loaded with City Navigator NT software for either North America or Europe. The on-screen directions to each location were timely; a 12V automotive adapter cable has an integral speaker for directional voice prompts when you're on the road.
All in all, the 496 packs a lot of functionality into a familiar box. There's an amazing amount of new information jammed into a faster machine.
The 496 package includes a USB cable for downloads, as well as a 12-volt adapter for use in flight, and a power cord/charger for use on the ground and to recharge the battery. A beanbag "friction" mount, an automotive mount, and a yoke mount also come with the 496, along with a carrying case.
Price: $2,795 suggested retail
Contact: www.garmin.com/aviation
E-mail the author at [email protected].
AOPA Pilot 's Handheld GPS Buyer's Guide may be found on AOPA Online, along with other reviews on GPS units.
