Garmin 396 problems

badtransam97

badtransam97

Well-Known Member
Has anyone had any trouble with the external antenna losing signal all of a sudden? Seems my unit will either not get a signal at all, or if it does it comes and goes intermittently. I have tried placing it in different locations inside the plane, and in a vehicle. Right now I'm using the foldable antenna and just trying to prop the unit up on the glareshield, but it gets aggravating when theirs turbulence..lol!
 
badtransam97 said:
Has anyone had any trouble with the external antenna losing signal all of a sudden? Seems my unit will either not get a signal at all, or if it does it comes and goes intermittently. I have tried placing it in different locations inside the plane, and in a vehicle. Right now I'm using the foldable antenna and just trying to prop the unit up on the glareshield, but it gets aggravating when theirs turbulence..lol!
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None, mine has been in my plane since August 2005 when they very 1st came out and always using the remote antenna. Never lost the signal, I fly about 140 hours a year.

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my first assumption is that there is some disconnect between the ant. and the unit; broken internal wiring or the like. The first step i would take to trouble shoot is to borrow someones ant. and see how that affects the reception operation
 
Check the antenna on other units, or check another external antenna on the unit, or compare it against the nub antenna.

If that doesn't work, update the unit software here: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/downloadsUpdates.jsp?product=010-00425-00&cID=169&pID=313

The satellite reset is done by turning the unit off, hold out, then turn the unit on, once on release power and keep out held in until the database agreement page, release out and press enter, give the unit 20 minutes and a clear view of the sky
 
moxiepilot said:
my first assumption is that there is some disconnect between the ant. and the unit; broken internal wiring or the like. The first step i would take to trouble shoot is to borrow someones ant. and see how that affects the reception operation
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That's what I was going to say. The chords and antenna that Garmin makes are junk. Mine are all taped together after years of use. I've had the same issues with it losing signal and it's always been my antenna cable that has needed to be re-taped/fixed.
 
gomntwins said:
That's what I was going to say. The chords and antenna that Garmin makes are junk. Mine are all taped together after years of use. I've had the same issues with it losing signal and it's always been my antenna cable that has needed to be re-taped/fixed.
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Unfortunately they aren't the most durable antennas ever made. Depending on age and use, you may just have a bad antenna.....
 
BrewMaster said:
Unfortunately they aren't the most durable antennas ever made. Depending on age and use, you may just have a bad antenna.....
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My company gives us 396's to use. It's great that the company issues us a 396 and pays for the subscription, but it's very apparant that the chords were designed for personal use and not for swapping airplanes daily and being thrown around in freighters. I'm not the only person that has chord issues... we all do. They just don't hold up and the fact that the unit, unless on a bean bag, has to sit on the power chord doesn't help. But, the unit itself is solid and flying with a 396 is a godsend!
 
My first suspicion is inadequate line of sight with satellites. You need line of sight with at least 4 satellites to work. The remote antenna was mentioned. I would look at that. Just be aware of the possibility of the magnet built into the antenna. Your compass will start acting strangely ;) If not, then I would check what was suggested re: continuity of wiring in antenna.

My first exposure with handhelds taught me about line of sight. I purchased a Garmin GPS Pilot III just after getting my PPC, familiarized myself with its operation on the ground and prepared a flight plan for a cross country. I was flying a 172 that day and set the GPS on the seat beside me. Try as I might I could never get it to react/activate the stored route. After about an hour of dividing my time between flying, trying to follow my flight plan and pressing every combination of buttons I finally said screw that (or some translation to that effect) and "placed" it up on the glareshield. Lo and behold, it came alive. Lesson learned. I bought a long corded antenna and I've never had a GPS problem to this day.
 
Yeah, it must be a common problem. My remote antenna went bad too. The wire started to disconnect from the plug that connects it to the GPS unit.
 
I flew around 1500 hours with a 396 and had failures of the remote antenna as well as the power cords. It's apparently a fairly common problem.
 
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