Garmin 696 or 796

[aerobat95]

I am getting stuff for my panel upgrade and was wondering which I should get?  I like the novelty of the 3-d vision but not sure if it's really necessary.  How do the two displays compare?  Would the panel footprint be the same?  Anything else I should consider?  Also if you get the charts can you still see them once they expire?

-Ray

[PTK]

One thing I'd consider is the airgizmo panel dock. Also if you mount it in the right stack, I'd consider the angle adapter. It tilts the panel dock 15 degrees toward the pilot. It makes it easier to see and manipulate the unit.

Just my opinion as I like a very clean cockpit and uncluttered panel. 

[Gone]

Ray:

No option for my choice. 

Neither.

[Piloto]

I would go for the 796 without doubt. The touch screen is much easier and intuitive to use than the buttons on the 696. The entries on the 796 can be done much quicker too. The 796 has the route rubber band feature that allows you to edit the flight plan right on the map. The display can be either vertical or horizontal format giving you more installation options. Best place to have it is on the yoke for better visibility and access.

José

[aerobat95]

Quote: edgargravel

Ray:

No option for my choice. 

Neither.

[aerobat95]

Quote: Piloto

I would go for the 796 without doubt. The touch screen is much easier and intuitive to use than the buttons on the 696. The entries on the 796 can be done much quicker too. The 796 has the route rubber band feature that allows you to edit the flight plan right on the map. The display can be either vertical or horizontal format giving you more installation options. Best place to have it is on the yoke for better visibility and access.

José

[carusoam]

Garmin has a history of not supporting older handhelds...196 continued on when 296 or 396...were defunct.  I don't know if the 496 is still supported

Is there a reason you did not include the Garmin/iPad option?

I tested the Garmin iPad app.  It wasn't ready for prime time yet...

Ipad and WingX would probably keep me from purchasing another Garmin handheld.

I have a 196 still active on my yoke. It does a good job actively logging my flights. I usually upgrade the map once a year or so.  But with WingX, the Garmin data might not get updated?

Nobody, I am aware of, blocks out outdated chart info. That would be hazardous to the business following the first crash.

The 196 was probably $2k near 10 years ago.  I can buy many iPads for that kind of cash.  

The weather and chart subscriptions are expensive too.

Garmin makes great products. Competitors keep showing up with good products too.

Best regards,

-a-

[Gone]

Ray:

[M20F]

Quote: aerobat95

I am getting stuff for my panel upgrade and was wondering which I should get? 

[aviatoreb]

Quote: M20F

What advantage does either give over an iPad?

[stevesm20b]

I don't think there are very many things the 796 does that the Ipad doesn't do. The only thing I can think of is, that it fits better between the yoke and is easier to see in sunlight.

[Steve Dawson]

"Crossfill from a 430/530.  I have an aera 510 in the panel as my backup gps and it is nice not to have to put plans into it as it takes crossfills from my 430.  And I use my ipad on the knee for charts, plates, etc."

I have the 510 cross filled from the 750 also and use it to add information such as ETE or Time to next waypoint that the 750 doesn't have room for, however I like that idea of having the Zoan XRX as well as XM weather and the psuedo SV all fit on the one screen of the 796.  The other advantage I see in the 796 is the bluetooth capability in adding other possiblities such as ADSB and who knows what in the future.

I've had the ipad freeze as well as black out on me so I'd like something thats consistently dependable.  

It's a matter of time, scope and budget. I have the time and it fits in my scope however the budget is a little tight right now for a 796.

 

Hey Ned, Did you get some formation flying in when you went to Oshkosh?

[DaV8or]

Quote: M20F

What advantage does either give over an iPad?

[Bennett]

I'm back from testing out the Dynon D1 - newest pirep on another thread. Yes, I've had both a 696 and and 796 mounted in the same area on my new panel. The 796 is a far superior unit in my opinion. The touch creen is the wave of the future, and if you have any of the new in panel touch screen moving maps such as the GTN 750 or GTN 650, you will soon wonder why anyone would want to twist knobs any more than they have to. I find that I have become acustomed to using touch screens in turbulence, and if you can anchor your thumb and little finger on the sides of the case, it is easy to touch just what you want.  The interface of the 796 is much more user friendly than the 696 - especially trying to use the joy stick of the 696 for multiple functions. The 796 menu system is actually quite shallow, but you can do anything you need with just a couple of touches. Others have mentioned cross-fill: Wonderful!  I enter my flight plans on the GTN 750 and they instantly appear on the 796.  Then while enroute I choose "numbers" on the 796 and get alll the nummerical information I really want - ETAs for next waypoint, and destination, and all sorts of other data that is useful. The 796 display in brighter and "crisper" than the 696.  I have chosen to have XM weather and the ZAON traffic display on 796, rather than the GTN 750, ans I prefer to have the moving map unclutterd.  The home screens of the GTN 750 and 796 are similar, and therefore it is really easy to enter and read data in the same format.  I tend to use these two units in Map mode most of the time, but with different ranges.  All in all, the 796 is a terrific unit with more features ("synthetic vision is cute, but without pitch data, can be misleading) than you would probably want to learn.  Don Kaye has reported literally hot screens to the touch. I have not had this problem, but after talking to him several times, I elected to add an avionics blower behind my 796 installation. The AirGizmos mount is already set up with screw holes to accomplish this.

[Piloto]

 On the 796 if you get the charts can you still see them if they are expired??  Say for instance the VFR charts??  What about the Safetaxi and the AOPA Airports??

I actually have the 560 on the yoke but have played with the 796 at the local pilot store. I can see all the charts on the 796 even though the database is about 1 year old. I opted for the 560 due to price and better fit on the yoke. I made a small bracket to attach it behind the yoke (see picture) and ran all the wires inside the yoke shaft. I also added a sun visor for it and it works great. Having it on the yoke gives me bette visibility and access.

José