Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I would buy this product again
by Javier from San Juan PR USA
Pros: all
Cons: the price
Review: Very good
Monday, November 09, 2009
Garmin GPS Don't take off without one!
by A Customer from Rochester, NY
Pros: multiple features at a reasonable price
Cons: little tricky to set up
Review: I have found the Garmin 96C be an excellent entry GPS. I am very satisfied with the purchase.I added an available external antenna (suction cups attach to wind screen)and it improved its reception immesurably.I had a little difficulty with all the features at first but the Garmin Techs were extremely helpful. As a new pilot it also gave me a greater sense of confidence in my navigation ability.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
don't let the small size fool you
by A Customer from north of EMT
Pros: nice battery life
Cons: small screen, but is still good.
Review: I bought this for my cross-country solos as a backup unit. The re-fresh rate is slow, but still can be used effectively flying small (slow) craft during VFR approaches to new airports. The extended centerlines are a HUGE help. The unit does not have terrain warnings, but it does have obstacles, which can be more meaningful flying in the SoCal area with its numerous antenna farms and things that generally stick out of the ground. It will warn you of vertical airspace incursions, which means you may still be above or below a particular airspace, but the unit says are you in the space. The vertical airspace limits are available with a keystroke. I feel this unit would work great either as a primary navigation or secondary to your human skills as a pilot.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Better than a Second Alternator
by Careful Diamond Pilot from Austin TX USA
Pros: Easy to use and full of features
Cons: It's small
Review: The GPSMAP 96C is part of a "safety pack" that sits on the passenger seat in the event of a total electrical failure. It lives in a big rubber band with a battery powered nav/com, a spare pair of eye glasses and the quick start manuals for the two pieces of gear. If both panel gps and vor's go down, it is designed to help get us to the nearest appropriate field and for that purpose it is perfect. Easy to use and priced fairly reasonably for what you get--a small format but otherwise full service Garmin GPS. Any pilot who has worked Garmin navigators should consider finding the dough to buy this product for this purpose. With this little thing in the plane, the electrical system can fail, the essential bus can run out of juice and you are still not blind in the clag. Reasonably priced piece of mind.
Monday, May 18, 2009
camparatively speaking, a good buy for the money
by David from Halifax MA USA
Pros: Long Battry life - compact, easy to hold -
Cons: I wish to screen was a tad larger - looses satilites @ times
Review: Seems very acutate. Has many features that fulfill the average pilot's needs. I am certainly not sorry I bought it. I have used it on commercial flights too. Fun to see where you are, heading, air speed, altitude, etc.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
by javier suarez from Pachuca hidalgo mexico
Review: It needs beter mexican maps.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
by Dan from Heathsville VA USA
Review: I was looking for a good basic gps for airplane and boat. Works fine and is user-friendly. This GPS keeps track of battery time and uses alkaline AAs. Only 6 hrs of use so far but going strong. The unit may be submersed in water for up to 1/2 an hour but I won't try that test.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Excellent Product
by CAF Pilot from Smyrna GA USA
Pros: Small, light, easy to use, cheap.
Cons: None
Review: Great GPS, I love it's price first off, and the color display and excellent features (too many to list), make it great for improved situational awareness. It almost has too many functions, it is hard to remember them all. I fly an MD-11 for a living, and this has better functions than the technology on the 11.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Pretty good little gizmo
by Ben from Sugar Land TX USA
Pros: great interface and easily to used
Cons: battery life seems not to be as advertised
Review: I really like my Garmin 96C. It has all the functions that I need as a pilot. The interface is really user friendly and easy to understand, as I have come to expect with Garmin, they do things right. One thing that I was disappointed with was there is no way to plan flights with the software that is included with your unit, it only for use in the automotive mode which I found to be lacking but that is not what I bought it for. And it takes a while to do that with the unit itself. It may also be that I have not used the software enough to like it. Also if you use Ni-Mh rechargeable batteries, the battery life seems to be about 18-20 while standard alkaline batteries seems to last 22-28 hours. I use the rechargeable ones and always have a spare set and never seem to have a problem. But for just under $500 USD you just can't ask for a better little gizmo to have in the cockpit to aid in your situational awareness at those busy airports
Sunday, July 27, 2008
As Advertised
by John from Arnold MD USA
Pros: Slow battery discharge. Easy to read.
Cons: Complex setup due to availability of so many options. Does NOT include carrying case.
Review: Everything that I read, including a review from AOPA, said that the Garmin 96C was a great GPS navigator. They were right. The battery drain is very slow. The screen, although small, is easy to read. Setup is a little difficult, but only because there are so many options. The carrying case does not come with it, so you might want to get that, too. Get the Sanyo Eneloop Battery Charging Kit, for sure.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Love it
by Robert from Houston TX USA
Review: I like everything about it including the excellent yoke mount. I was concerned about the small screen but have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to see. The graphics are clear and sharp. There's no need to use the back light during the day as the screen is bright and sharp. I've changed batteries for every flight but am probably wasting money. the meter has always indicated full charge.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Excellent Product
by Mike from St. Louis, MO
Pros: Light Weight, Small, Great Battery Life, WAAS enabled, Once it has the satelites its locked on
Cons: Must manually enter every waypoint except for FAF and MAP on approaches
Review: I am a FAR Part 135 cargo pilot and used to fly without GPS on a regular basis. I have experience with the G1000 and extensive use of the GNS430 and I would not trade in my 96C for just about anything. It's small light weight and doesn't kill my two AA batteries. Very happy and would recommend this unit to anyone who is looking for something small but useful.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Good value
by A Customer from Milton WV USA
Pros: Alot of info from such a small unit
Cons: Locked up a couple of times and had to remove batteries to restore
Review: Product works good I am a low hours pilot have flown three time with the unit about a total of 3 hours. Every time I have lost signal for a few minutes. This is no problem as I use the unit as a back up to the panel unit. I have used it in a high wing plane only with the yoke mount. A couple of time the unit locked up and had to remove batteries to get the unit to operate again. Bought the software for auto used and am very happy with the auto mode. The display is ok in sunlight could be brighter.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Good aircraft GPS
by Redge from Durango CO USA
Pros: Easy to use with a lot of power in a small package
Cons: Small screen
Review: This is a backup GPS for my panel unit. I found the 96C easy to use & update, and I like the convenience of programming a flight plan at home. Airport, com, and airspace data are easy to access. The screen is small, but the color and good resolution make it readable. The included yoke mount was useless in my Van's RV8, but I canibalized the mounting to install the 96C on my kneeboard.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Great Value!!
by Michael from Iowa City, Iowa
Pros: Small, light weight, many functions
Cons: none as of yet
Review: More than what I thought I would get from a lower priced GPS unit. It will take me weeks to learn all of the functions. The airplane/ automobile/ marine modes make this handy no matter how you travel. My flight instructor was also very impressed.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Great GPS
by John from Georgia
Pros: easy to see, great features
Review: I got more than I expected with this unit. It is easy to use, very afordable and has many features similar to the installed units such as the 430. Great product.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
by A Customer from SanJuaquin Valley, CA
Pros: Battery life
Cons: Controls could be more user friendly
Review: This thing is great right out of the box. I took it flying on the yolk mount and it was a nobrainer. I mulled over all the handheld gps units for a long time. I am glad I choose this one. It's great for the money.
Friday, January 19, 2007
by Citation Ultra - Diver Driver from Santa Barbara, CA
Pros: Versatile, Logical User Interface, Powerful
Cons: Small Screen, Not the Fastest Processor
Review: After investing in the Garmin City Navigator Software so I wouldn't get lost in the Car anymore I was very satisfied by how the unit adapts in Automotive mode. Storage memory is enough to contain almost the Entire State of California in City Navigator (automotive)
In aviation mode it is also very good for situational awareness and backup GPS when flying cross country. I also use the unit for dropping skydivers and I would say that the best feature about that is the long battery life.
Haven't used the Marine feature yet but it is probably just as useful if not more.
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