GPSMap196 owners please read

[Mike Cross]

If you have a Garmin GPSMap196 please read this.

Current firmware release for the 196 is 4.20, released in March 2006. However there is a problem with it that can cause the unit to switch off at random. What follows is ONLY relevant if you have 4.20 firmware.

How do you know if you have 4.20?
To view the software version, complete the following steps:

1.Press the Menu key twice to access the Main Menu.
2.Select the Setup tab, and press Menu.
3.Select the System Information option and press Enter.
4.The software version will be displayed on screen.

Garmin UK have apparantly been telling Garmin US for a couple of months about this problem but the US are only now starting to take notice and 4.20 is still on offer as a download. The solution is to roll back to 4.10 but 4.10 is not available from the Garmin website and while Garmin UK have it, their procedures prevent them from distributing it. However Garmin UK have pointed me at this page (http://www.gpsinformation.org/perry/misc_aviation/) from which you can download 4.1.

The behaviour seems to be random and is probably affected by hardware differences due to production changes. For my trip to the US I swapped my 196 with a friend's because his has the US Basemap. Being a conscientous chap I checked for updates and updated the firmware in both. Got back for the weekend and flew to Leicester on Sunday with the route already uploaded into Robin's unit. As soon as I started the unit it shut down, tried it several times with the same result. Mine was in the a/c so I fired that up, set up the route and set off. Flew to Monocock's strip at Hungerford, all OK, continued to Leics, still all OK until field in sight when it shut down and did it again when I restarted it. Departed for the return journey and it still wouldn't stay on. Eventually got it to stay on until I got to Didcot when it started shutting down again.

This is an entirely different problem to the other shutdown issue which is caused by the batteries vibrating on their contacts. That one is cured by fitting some foam inside the battery door to hold them firmly in place.

Hope this helps if you get the problem.

Mike

[skydriller]

Mike,

Thanks for the info, I didnt know there was a problem with this software version. I have personally only had the unit shut down once or twice on a long trip, or even not at all. First noticed over the summer when visiting the UK, thought it was the battery issue coming back because have not had contant failures.

Have any idea when are Garmin coming out with a fix? Or newer software version without the problem? Do they really know what is causing the current problem, you mentioned hardware, so does it actually effect all units as my unit is several years old now?

Incidentally, when you first power up a Garmin 196, the software version is written in the bottom right hand corner of the page with the aeroplane piccy!!!

Regards, SD..

[egbt]

Mike,

Thanks, it's happened to me twice, once when 2 or 3 NM from a grass strip I have never been to before and rather off putting! At least I now know its a "real" problem and hopefully will get fixed!

[Longbow55]

If you have a Garmin GPSMap196 please read this.

Current firmware release for the 196 is 4.20, released in March 2006. However there is a problem with it that can cause the unit to switch off at random. What follows is ONLY relevant if you have 4.20 firmware.

How do you know if you have 4.20?
To view the software version, complete the following steps:

1.Press the Menu key twice to access the Main Menu.
2.Select the Setup tab, and press Menu.
3.Select the System Information option and press Enter.
4.The software version will be displayed on screen.

Garmin UK have apparantly been telling Garmin US for a couple of months about this problem but the US are only now starting to take notice and 4.20 is still on offer as a download. The solution is to roll back to 4.10 but 4.10 is not available from the Garmin website and while Garmin UK have it, their procedures prevent them from distributing it. However Garmin UK have pointed me at this page (http://www.gpsinformation.org/perry/misc_aviation/) from which you can download 4.1.

The behaviour seems to be random and is probably affected by hardware differences due to production changes. For my trip to the US I swapped my 196 with a friend's because his has the US Basemap. Being a conscientous chap I checked for updates and updated the firmware in both. Got back for the weekend and flew to Leicester on Sunday with the route already uploaded into Robin's unit. As soon as I started the unit it shut down, tried it several times with the same result. Mine was in the a/c so I fired that up, set up the route and set off. Flew to Monocock's strip at Hungerford, all OK, continued to Leics, still all OK until field in sight when it shut down and did it again when I restarted it. Departed for the return journey and it still wouldn't stay on. Eventually got it to stay on until I got to Didcot when it started shutting down again.

This is an entirely different problem to the other shutdown issue which is caused by the batteries vibrating on their contacts. That one is cured by fitting some foam inside the battery door to hold them firmly in place.

Hope this helps if you get the problem.

Mike

Darn, Thanks for this info. now that explains why my unit just started turning off all by itself. does it once a flight. I will check out that link.

[Flyinganaes]

Hi. I've sent my gps back to Garmin (via one of their distributors) because of this very problem. It was switching off at random times almost every flight! They've had it 2 weeks now. Surely they know that the problem is caused by the software update. I managed to get the unit to consistently switch itself off by doing the following: Start gps in simulator mode. Head to panel page and increase the speed of the plane to maximum. It switched itself off every time. When I get the unit back I'll install version 4.1 on it. Thanks for the info.

[Mike Cross]

There's unfortunately a time lag between an engineer knowing there is a problem and the manufacturer officially announcing it to the distibution channel. They usually want to analyse it, confirm that it definitely is a design rather than a user issue and come up with a fix before an announcement is made. That's not a pop at Garmin, it's a comment on manufacturers in general.

My experience of Garmin's UK operation has always been positive.

Mike

[Zulu Alpha]

My new 196 has version 4.20 already on it.

I have not had any shutdowns, is there some combination of setup parameters that causes it or am I just lucky?

Is there anyone else with 4.20 who is OK?

I did hear that the problem with version 4.20 is when it is used with older hardware versions.

[Longbow55]

Here is the reply I got from Garmin concerning this. I have went back to 4.10 and will try it out this weekend or next and see.

Thank you for contacting Garmin.

If the unit shuts down, it is probably not from a bug in the software but
from some type of corruption of the system parameters. Please use the
following resets to erase any corruption from the unit.

***********
Satellite Reset - With the unit off, press and hold the PAGE button while
turning the unit on. This will reset the satellite data.

***********
(Before doing any of the procedures listed below, you may want to backup
your user data - waypoints, routes, tracks - as it is usually erased during
the following procedures. This is easily done if you have one of our
computer Mapsource software products. It can then be reloaded later.)

Master Reset - With the unit off and any datacard removed, press and hold
the OUT+QUIT+NRST buttons. Tap the POWER button once for about .5 - 1
second. (The unit will beep, but the screen will stay blank.) Continue
holding the OUT+QUIT+NRST buttons for about 10 seconds and then release.
The unit should now function properly. After this is done, enable the WAAS
function and take it outside to let it acquire the satellite signals for
about 10 minutes.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Best Regards

Quentin D.
Product Support Specialist
Garmin International
1-800-800-1020

[Zulu Alpha]

Having just said I did not have a problem, my unit started shutting down today. It was particularly bad when I was upside down doing aeros (it could not see the satellites) when I flew back the correct way up it was OK.

Will try the Garmin fix

[Mike Cross]

Worth a try but Quentin D's 1-800 number indicates he's in the US of A.

The impression I got speaking to Garmin UK was that they've been telling the US that there is a problem for a couple of months but the US didn't accept there was an issue until recently.

Fact remains that the two I upgraded did not shut down prior to the upgrade but did afterwards. Unfortunately I'm groundbound at the moment until we complete the Permit renewal so I won't be able to confirm whether the rollback to 4.1 fixed it.

I'd be interested to hear if this reset works, i.e. someone has the problem, cures it by the reset and it doesn't come back.

Mike