Best GPS for Africa

[Pace152]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of getting a Garmin 96C to use flying around the Zambia region.

Does anybody have any experience of this model or can recommend a better one (in the region of £300).

Appreciate any help or advice.

[B Sousa]

If you have one fine, but if your shopping I have taken a few Garmin 295's over to South Africa. Its a discontinued item, but you can get them on EBAY used for an OK price. Then just add the African Database and its as good as any.
Other than that your wallet is your guide as to what you want for toys.

[Carrier]

Take a look at the Lowrance Airmap 600C AirMap 600C | Lowrance

[172driver]

I have flown with the Garmin 96 (same model, but b&w screen) around Namibia, no problems, the Atlantic database covers all of Africa. Only advice would be to buy an external antenna (about 20 quid at Maplin's), as the satellite coverage is a lot poorer than on the northern hemisphere. Losing the GPS somewhere over featureless terrain does wake you up !

[Siguarda al fine]

I fly with the 296 its great when you know how to use it to its full potential.

[V1... Ooops]

I recommend the 496. It has 9 arc-second terrain for some areas (not all of Africa), as opposed to 21 arc-second terrain - or no terrain at all - on some of the less expensive units. The 496 also has a 5 Hz screen refresh rate, which is noticeably better than the 1 Hz refresh rate of the 296.

I realize that the price is higher than the budget you quoted, but there are some things that are best not selected on price alone - like parachutes, motorcycle helmets, GPS navigators, etc.

[Captain_djaffar]

have one with an anti-theft system...

[NG Driver]

Our operation in West Africa has 10 Garmin 296's - and we love em' However, this unit is still far beyond your price range. Suggest you just buy something used online as with the economic crisis, there are a lot of them for sale.

One other idea.. if you can get a 296 that doesn't work, Garmin will overhaul the unit and put in the latest firmware, and the map or database of your choice (Atlantic / International) for $250 US... I just sent in two of them and was well pleased with the results and the cost.

[B Sousa]

NG Driver has a point. www.garmin.com I have called their tech support a few times for issues and they have always been helpful. I have three of their units. One in my survival kit and one each in my vehicles. How did we get along without them. All our Helicopters have the 530.
Anyway as said you can get them used over EBAY, have them updated or just but a new one. Here in the states I get them a bit cheaper from websites like www.pricegrabber.com or others. Most of the discount sites are pretty reliable.
Dont leave home without one.

[Carrier]

As always it depends on what you want and how much you are willing or able to pay.

You might also want to take into account product quality, support and customer service. Five years ago I was seeking information on the various handheld GPS products and wrote to Lowrance and Garmin. I received prompt replies from Dave Steensland and Larry Toering at Lowrance. They answered my queries and unasked even sent two follow up emails with attachments showing the airspace and ground map details for the part of Africa where I was based. By contrast Garmin has never responded to my letter of 6 November 2003 addressed to Ted Gartner, despite it being sent three times! I also mentioned in that letter that my previous employer early the previous year had a Garmin GPS in which the memory battery had failed in less than four years. Surely this alone should have attracted a response. I have to conclude that Garmin has both quality control and customer service problems. Lowrance seems to be right on the ball.

[Pace152]

Thanks all for your replies,

Both Garmin and Lowrance seem to make good models in the price bracket I can afford, I'll check out ebay and see what I can find.

The reception is a big factor, I can imagine the sickening feeling of flying over nowhere and watching your satellite coverage drop out one by one!!

[B Sousa]

The reception is a big factor, I can imagine the sickening feeling of flying over nowhere and watching your satellite coverage drop out one by one!!

If thats a problem for you, you wont be alone. But it wont be because the unit did not have the proper power etc. Coverage should be good. Just remember some folks are still using the old garmin 1100?? At the time I didnt think they could get better.....What a difference a few years makes.
Spend a few hundred and relax knowing all will work good.