Just got an email from GCA.

They have factory refurb 196's for $350 US with a 1 year warranty. Not bad.

http://www. gca .aero/detail/6022/GP...y_Overhauled)/

(remove spaces from web link)

The trouble is that if there were any warranty issues, the unit would have to be returned to the U.S.

True. With the price comes a risk.

It would be 5 days freight each way plus repair time and $100 in postage, but at $350 you'd almost call it a consumable item.

Does any one know if Maptrax will resume digitising the Airservices Charts?
I see they stopped making them on May 10.

The 296 has trouble in direct sunlight compared to the 196. The much heralded terrain warning is just a gimmick and wastes 1/4 of the screen, turn it off, the terrain database is nowhere good enough. The 396 and 496 might be slightly quicker updating but how quick do you want? I have both 196 and 296 and use the 196 most of the time, it's more practicle for alround use for me. For those inclined feel free to criticise spelling and grammar or has prune improved? :8

The best thing about the 296 is that it can take 3000 user Wpts.
I am very happy with it, but will probably upgrade to a 495 soon.

Skywagon said "The best thing about the 296 is that it can take 3000 user Wpts. I am very happy with it, but will probably upgrade to a 495 soon. "

With that many waypoints loaded what do you do if it's a short strip, download some? :}

Don't have that many in there, so it leaves room for adding ones in my travels.
Also add survey points as a backup to the agnav for some jobs.
Means I can put lots of stuff in without deleting any.
I am running an old RFDS Dbase with up to 2800 strips. Some of those are unusable these days, however.

Clacker, I rarely run more than 20 or 30 innum these days. I just download the relevant points and routes for the next day from mapsource or oziexplorer, for a survey work might leave a few more on.

Super,
I do range over a fair bit of the land, hence the need for a reasonable Dbase, which is always being updated or modified. Could probably lose most of the eastern seaboard though.
By the way, you have one letter wrong in my nickname, but I guess you know that.

296-good.

185.

Clacker/Cracker it's close enough :8
I cover a bit of ground these days too, I still just download the relevant points for the next day off the laptop. Saves scrawling through katrillions of waypoints. The Agnav is not good for general nav stuff, just for work on a block. How you going for backup with yours these days, giving any trouble? Do you have the 296 on the dash or is it panel mounted? If it's on the dash do you have trouble with sun on the face?

Mapource
 

Can any of you blokes tell me how to remove marine nav aids from Mapsource? Everytime I zoom in a get nothing but these marine navaids? Can't seem to disable them.

Mapsource.
try Edit/preferences/display.

super,
I have the 296 in a panel dock at the top of the avionics stack in the centre.
with the glare shield, it stays out of the sun most times.

Agnav still prone to losing data for no apparent reason.

Are you using one?
I can put your wpts into shapefile for upload as xwaypoints in the agnav if you haven't done that already.

you can also associate wpts with a work area and get them to display with the work grid if required.

I have the small navbar now. very good.