Recommendations for portable GPS

There are others out there. King's Aviator series, the Flight Chetah, Anywhere Map. At this point, I'd probably stick with Garmin. I've had a Lowerance (which may be defunct now in this field) and since ownerd a 296 and traded it for a 495 (decided to go sans XM - which I wouldn't do in NY). Other than proven reliability and feature set, a stong plus to me is that much of the same logic of the system's user interface is consistent throughout the Garmin line, from portable to panel mounts - even to the nanigation pieces of the 430/530 and G1000 (I'm working on tranitioning to the G1000 now and, "oh that's familiar - works like that on the 430 and my handheld" is something I hear myself saying often.

The only thing I really would suggest is looking at the area - Garmin's new touchscreen versions. I'm sure not everyone is into touchsecrres, but if it were around when I bought the 495, I would have bought the area.
 
NewCFI said:
Looking at getting a Garmin 496 with XM weather. Anyone recommend anything else?
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This comes up every month, doesn't it?

http://forums.jetcareers.com/general-topics/98156-portable-gps-opinions-please.html

http://forums.jetcareers.com/general-topics/96006-handheld-gps-recommendation.html

Anyway, I recommend saving your money. For what it is worth, I don't find the XM weather to be terribly useful. There is a lag of a few minutes, and around here, that's a long time. The WX you worry about here comes and goes in 10 minutes. It is useful for looking 100 miles ahead to get an idea if you'll get through, but then again, you can just ask ATC or flightwatch if anyone else is getting through...

For what it is worth, mine comes out of my bag about once every three months to check the batteries. I can't remember the last time I actually used it.
 
Personally I use a 396 with XM for my freight flying and have found it to be a godsend. Granted the weather is 6-10 minutes old but for thunderstorms you can really use it to get a big picture idea then use the airplane radar to pick your way through stuff (it used to be I'd pick my way through something just to find my radar wasn't painting what was on the back side and then have a 'well this sucks' moment). Also, if you plan on flying a lot in IFR it's nice to have all the metars for other airports at the touch of a button when you get the 'grey triangle of death' (that's the color the weather triangle goes when the airport goes well below mins for shooting a 135 approach).

I don't think it's a substitute for an airplane radar and should not be used as such. I don't think I'd own one if all I was doing was tooling aroung for fun (I'd just cancel on a lot of those bad days if I was flying for fun). But, if you're in a position where you're trying to get the job done then it's a great tool to have at your disposal.
 
The 496 supposedly updates 10 times more frequently than the 396, but the Doppler delay will be the same, I think.
The Garmin site offers a 196 non color for about $600 and ebay has people turning down $700 almost for 296 Garmins.
I laughed when somebody here offered me $600 for my 396.
 
LOVE my 496! Been flyin with it for almost 2 years and would do it all over again. Well, ok, I'd definitely be scopin' out the new Aera's. Haha :D
 
texas_pilot said:
The 496 supposedly updates 10 times more frequently than the 396, but the Doppler delay will be the same, I think.
The Garmin site offers a 196 non color for about $600 and ebay has people turning down $700 almost for 296 Garmins.
I laughed when somebody here offered me $600 for my 396.
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The 496 refreshes the screen much faster, but the delay on the weather is still the same.
 
No personal experience, but I've heard from others that the wx delay is a dealbreaker for penetration purposes, although I've also heard what mn said about a "strategic picture". For my part, I get the strategic picture on the ground before I leave and use the radar to make the tactical decisions, but I'm well known to be a cheap "illegitimate child".
 
Boris Badenov said:
No personal experience, but I've heard from others that the wx delay is a dealbreaker for penetration purposes, although I've also heard what mn said about a "strategic picture". For my part, I get the strategic picture on the ground before I leave and use the radar to make the tactical decisions, but I'm well known to be a cheap "illegitimate child".
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Other than agreeing with Boris, I actually have a small amount of actual experience with the XM weather. It is great if you are VMC looking to see what's ahead. It is not a substitute for actual radar.

I like to get the "strategic picture" on the ground, where I have some time to think about it. Not a good option if you are flying 7 hour legs. Begs the question, how long are the average routes you are flying?
 
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