The GPSMAP 296 builds on the tradition of Garmin aviation handhelds like the GPSMAP 196 and GPSMAP 295. New features like terrain cautions and alerts, sectional chart-like topographic data, a built-in obstacle database of the U.S., and a transparent navigation arc view for course, speed, and distance information lead the list of advances. The GPSMAP 296 also features USB data transfer, faster processing speed, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. Press a button, and you have your choice of the unit's automotive or marine modes.

An automatic logbook also calculates your flight time and automatically records departure and arrival locations. When used with Garmin's free logbook software—FlightBook—this feature makes light work of maintaining your logbook. Your flight information will be stored in the unit and can be downloaded to this exclusive Flightbook software at any time.

Garmin delivers terrain awareness in an intuitive Terrain mode on the GPSMAP 296. The unit combines GPS position, GPS altitude and topographical mapping to give pilots a vivid depiction of potential terrain hazards.

Pilots gain terrain awareness in a number of ways:

• Terrain and obstacle information
  By using visual cues and tone alerts, pilots can be aware of potentially dangerous terrain or obstacle conflicts along the current flight path. The unit also offers a configurable look-ahead warning function which gives the pilot additional time to make critical decisions.
• Configurable buffer zones
  The pilot can set the minimum limits to receive terrain cautions. The unit then presents potential hazards in yellow (to indicate ground proximity of 500-1000 feet) and red (to indicate ground proximity of 100 feet or less).
• Obstacles database
  Users can view the elevation or relative altitude of any obstacle (towers, buildings, etc.) within the unit's built-in database. (This feature is only available with the Americas version.)
• Pop-up alerts
  Terrain proximity cautions and alerts pop up as digital thumbnail images in the lower left-hand corner of any page whenever a potential hazard conflict looms ahead.

The GPSMAP 296 is designed to move seamlessly between an aircraft, vehicle, or boat:

• Automotive Mode
  Provides automatic route generation, turn-by-turn guidance, and voice prompts, plus a built-in worldwide database of borders and major cities. The optional Auto Kit includes two mounts, a cigarette-lighter adapter with speaker output, a 128-MB data card, and a MapSource(R) City Select(R) CD-ROM for detailed mapping and address lookup capabilities.
• Marine Mode
  Features a worldwide marine database and U.S. tide data. When coupled with the optional Marine Kit (64-MB data card and MapSource BlueChart(R) CD-ROM), the unit displays such information as depth contours, inter-tidal zones, spot soundings, wrecks, navaids, port plans, restricted areas, cable areas, anchorages, and much more.

GPSMAP 296 Features:

• WAAS-capable GPS receiver for enhanced lateral/vertical guidance
• Crisp, high-resolution display (480 x 320 pixel count), 256-color TFT display (3.8 inches diagonally)
• 3.8"-diagonal display; 480 x 320 pixels
• 5.7" W x 3.2" H x 1.9" D unit dimensions
• 200-MHz processor for fast redraw and routing
• Up to 15 hours battery life (typical use backlight conditions); 8 hours full backlight brightness
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack
• GA 26C remote antenna
• Automotive and marine modes for easy navigation in a vehicle or boat
• Detailed basemap includes highways, major roads, borders, rivers, lakes, and tide stations
• Accepts data from Garmin's MapSource products (City Select for driving, BlueChart for saltwater, and Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots(R) for freshwater)
• 15/11 (text/voice) languages
• Waterproof to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (submersible in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes)
• Weighs just 12 ounces
• 50 reversible routes (300 waypoints each), 15 saved tracks (700 trackpoints each), TracBack(R) technology, 3000 waypoints with graphical icon identification
• Adjustable quad-helix receiving antenna with remote antenna capability
• Voice prompt guidance when the 12-volt / speaker cable is connected
• Separate serial and USB interfaces; 2 RS-232 serial ports

Package includes:
 

• GPSMAP(R) 296 receiver
• Americas Database:
  Americas Autoroute basemap
• Adjustable yoke mount
• Automotive mount
• Cigarette-lighter adapter
• AC power adapter
• USB-PC interface cable
• Low-profile remote GPS antenna
• Carrying case
• Free Jeppesen(R) update certificate
• Trip & Waypoint Manager software
• Owner's manual
• Quick-reference guide

Garmin part number: 010-00356-00

Our Price:  $1,195.00

Other Helpful Documents:

• Garmin GPSMAP 296 Pilot's Guide
• Garmin GPSMAP 296 Quick Reference Guide

Related Shopping Areas:
GPS >  Aviation GPS Units

Lowest Price Guaranteed: If you find a better price elsewhere on this product we will match that price and beat it by 10% of the difference. Buy With Confidence!  Purchase today and you can return it in the original condition through Sunday, August 03, 2008!  Our return policy. Have a question about Garmin GPSMAP 296 (Americas)?  Ask your question and see previous Q & A about this product.

Customers who bought this were also interested in:   Garmin Deluxe Carrying Case (196, 295, 296, 396) $32.00 VFlite Garmin GPSMap 296 Interactive Guide $39.95 Garmin GPSMAP 296 Lithium Ion Battery Pack $54.95 ASA CX-2 Pathfinder Flight Computer $74.50 AirGizmos Garmin GPS Panel Dock - GPSMAP 196, 296, 396 and 496 $99.95 Garmin GPSMAP 396 (Americas) $1,795.00

 

Customer Reviews For Garmin GPSMAP 296 (Americas): Write a review

Thursday, June 26, 2008 GARMIN GPSMAP296 (AMERICAS) by JAMES from ARLINGTON TX USA  Pros: Great color screen for outside viewing in sunlight. Nice program for flightlog tracking. Cons: Must purchase mapping program for small street usage. Review: This is the second unit purchased. We are using them on powered parachutes. The colored screen is great with the outside light conditions. The tracking of flying time and distance with the flightlog ability is great. This makes logging of flight times very easy to keep up with. Many screens to choose from for your charting/flying needs. Only drawback is the detail of small streets not loaded. You must purchase street mapping program for the use of detailing of the everday routing of streets or locations. Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Big Name, Poor Customer Service by A Customer from Ocala, Florida  Pros: Nice display. Good battery life. Cons: Poor customer service. Prohibitively expensive to maintain. Review: I bought the 296 when they first came out. Have had to replace the power cable four times. The power plug is of extremely poor design. The ends break off after 20 or 30 cycles. After buying the first three replacements at their inflated price, I called customer service to complain. After a lengthy discussion, the lady grudgingly agreed to send a replacement cable. On the invoice was a note stating that "this customer is not to receive any more free parts". The unit died last week and has been sent to the GPS graveyard. I will not be buying Garmin products in the future. Friday, April 11, 2008 by Gustavo from Santiago . Chile  Review: Excellent product. Wednesday, March 19, 2008 An amazing instrument. by A Customer from Indiana  Pros: Lots of features and screens, aviation, automobile, and marine modes. Cons: On the expensive side but you get what you pay for. Review: I bought this GPS for a VFR cross country flight in my Aeronca Champ that included crossing the eastern mountain range. I have smaller hand held GPS models that may have served the purpose but the extraordinary features of the 296 made it invaluable. Twice I used the "nearest" airport feature... once when visibility was deteriorating and then again when a strong headwind caused us to simply run out of daylight. Packed with features... I recommend it highly. Monday, February 25, 2008 Don't leave home without it if you don't have a modern GPS by bruce from Snellville GA USA  Pros: great navigation and postion, plus frequencies avoid fumbling for the AFD Cons: Mounting has alot to be desired and cost is still high Review: This is a super GPS. It's not quite the 530 or the G1000's system but it sure beats trying to rely on old radio systems in rental planes and then let's not forget about the VOR or NDB's themselves periodically being out of service. The cost is still a bit high and the mounting systems need improvement. I've found that the mounts often do not work in rental aircraft that have approach plates or similar devices installed. Clearly, a better mounting system could be developed that could be more configurable for many aircraft. Thursday, October 11, 2007 by gordon from west palm beach FL USA  Review: IT performs as advertized. I would buy 296 again. Wednesday, October 03, 2007 by William from La Canada CA USA  Pros: Does the job very well Cons: Need MAC SW. Review: This would have been a 5 star rating if there were some way for me to usefully use my older MAC. I will have further comments after I buy a new MAC that can run PC SW so I can update and/or install Maps. William Kirhofer Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Didn't Work First Time by Bob Dillard from Refugio, Texas  Pros: Battery last as long as most of my flights Cons: If I could aford it, I would get a spare battery to have on hand Review: First 296 I received went out in two weeks. I returned it to Mypilotstore, they sent me another. There was no auto charger in the next box which had been opened several times.The one exchanged however works very good. I can't do without it now. I am very pleased with the service and the product(Garmin 296) Tuesday, January 09, 2007 by A Customer from Burnsville, NC  Pros: Cost has come down a lot. Maps, both ground and air, are excellent as long as you buy the automotive kit. Cons: Garmin's horrible customer service and support. They just don't want to talk or email you. Review: Does an excellent job on land and in the air. Easy to read in sunlight, has a lot of airport info and is an excellent backup for a panel mount unit Quick switching back between air and automotive modes.

 

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Previous Customer Questions For Garmin GPSMAP 296 (Americas): Ask Your Own Question

On Sunday, May 04, 2008 a customer asked: Q: Does the 296 show restricted areas and when did garman start producing the 296. A: Yes, the Garmin GPSMAP 296 will show restricted areas.  Garmin announced the GPSMAP 296 on March 24, 2004 and shipments began in April 2004. On Wednesday, November 28, 2007 a customer asked: Q: Does "Americas" coverage include South America? A: Yes, Americas includes North, South and Central America (includes Hawaii). On Monday, October 01, 2007 a customer asked: Q: Can this be used in other countries e.g. South Africa or Europe? A: We only offer the Garmin GPSMap 296 for the Americas. On Tuesday, September 04, 2007 a customer asked: Q: I underdstand that the updates are quite expensive yearly with the 396-what do they run with the 296 yearly? thanks barb A: The Jeppesen database updates are the same for the Garmin 296 and the Garmin 396. A single update is $35.00 and an Annual Service is $295 for 13 consecutive cycles (one update per 28 day cycle). The database updates are purchased directly through Garmin at http://shop.garmin.com/aviation/databases/ On Friday, December 29, 2006 a customer asked: Q: Does the Garmin 296 database include Restricted Landing Areas? (private strips) A: Yes, the database does include both private and public fields. There is an option to either display or hide the private strips on the map.