Garmin 696

Green Hornet · Post by **Green Hornet** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:52 am

All I want for Christmas in a recession

http://www.avshop.com/product/5430/130?r=newgarmin

210TC · Post by **210TC** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:48 pm

Mauleaviator,
Check this out before you buy:

http://www.aviationsafety.com/

a64pilot · Post by **a64pilot** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:37 pm

Or this is what I fly with http://www.flightprep.com/rootpage.php?page=HomeEFBSW

210TC · Post by **210TC** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:20 pm

A64,
Looks like the software is identical to Flight Cheetah. I wounder who developed the software or is it copied?
The only problem I have had using lap tops is SUN LITE interference. The nits are just not high enough.

a64pilot · Post by **a64pilot** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:53 am

David,
I don't know what flight cheetah is, so I can't answer that. I've been flying with flight prep for four or five years, and they are the Duats people, so I assume they were copied, you know the "look and feel". I was going to post a photo of my setup, but gave up. I agree about the laptop, most are useless outside, plus they are heavy and cumbersome too. I use a tablet PC, specifically a Motion with the "view anywhere" display that is almost as bright as a Garmin. It's plenty bright enough, it's the opposite really that I would like improved. It won't get dark enough for a dark night for me.
It communicates with a tiny self contained bluetooth GPS and a blue tooth WX reciever and is mounted on the right side of my instrument panel.

210TC · Post by **210TC** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 5:44 pm

Never had the issue about night lite come up before. That could drive one crazy.

Pat · Post by **Pat** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:34 pm

Does anyone have feedback on the Garmin 696?

I wonder about mounting it. Does the yoke mount work well in the Maule or has anyone found a better mount?

Pat

Green Hornet · Post by **Green Hornet** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:30 pm

Pat wrote:Does anyone have feedback on the Garmin 696?

I wonder about mounting it. Does the yoke mount work well in the Maule or has anyone found a better mount?

Pat

I personally don't care to have anything on my yoke especially a tail dragger.

Ram has not specifically made one for the 696 but this AVMAP is close enough I think.
I have used a suction mount for my 396 and it works well. Occasionally it will fall off if I forget to redo the suction every so often. I place it on the left wind screen so the display is a head level positioned on the door frame. I would prefer a more permanent screw in version but the floor mount I believe would get in the way. Ram sells a lot of different type of mounts and I think you can mix and match possibly attaching it permanently some place. I am thinking of redoing the entire communications rack. Move some things over and place the 696 in the console rack in time so in the mean time using the suction mount works.

http://www.ram-mount.com/mount/ram_avmap_mount.htm

kakkenmc · Post by **kakkenmc** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:02 pm

Hey Pat,

I used a yoke mount for my garmin 396 for a few flights a felt it got it the way of my fairly violent short field landing yokework. I agree with Green Hornet that taildragging makes a difference, as the yoke moves through all extremes. You'd be slinging that 696 all over the place and there might not even be room for it when the yoke is full back and fully turned. Control motion in turbulence made button pushing hard also.

I ended up just setting it in a box on my dash until my Air Gizmo came.

I really like the Air Gizmo setup. I assume they'll be making a 696 mount soon.

Green Hornet · Post by **Green Hornet** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:22 pm

kakkenmc wrote:Hey Pat,

I used a yoke mount for my garmin 396 for a few flights a felt it got it the way of my fairly violent short field landing yokework. I agree with Green Hornet that taildragging makes a difference, as the yoke moves through all extremes. You'd be slinging that 696 all over the place and there might not even be room for it when the yoke is full back and fully turned. Control motion in turbulence made button pushing hard also.

I ended up just setting it in a box on my dash until my Air Gizmo came.

I really like the Air Gizmo setup. I assume they'll be making a 696 mount soon.

Thanks K
Air Gizmo was what I was trying to describe for the final solution. Although then I'll need to upgrade to a 330 S Xponder. I am currently using the Zoan XRX for TCAS. Garmin is making an interconnect between the 696 and the Zoan XRX for TCAS.

belandd · Post by **belandd** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:02 pm

There is a Flight Cheetah on ebay right now. I am tempted but concerned that it might be outdated.

Any imput on a early Cheetah unit?

John-M7 · Post by **John-M7** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:02 pm

I'm new here but have surfed your forum and earlier MauleMods for help in operating my M7-235.

I purchased a 696 at AOPA's gathering in San Jose, CA so I have had about six weeks of experience with it. I used the provided yoke mount for a while but was concerned that the clamp screw would interfere with knobs in the panel effectively jamming the controls. I have now attached a modified RAM Mount Strap Rail Base with 1 inch Ball (Model: RAM-B-108BU) which uses a hose clamp, providing a much more compact and safer installation.

I have experience with EFB's in other aircraft which were based on a tablet computer running Jeppesens FlightDeck. The 696 is not an adaptation of a personal tablet computer for cockpit use. The unit is smaller than the EFB I have, such that it fits between the horns of the yoke. So far I have not noticed any issue when working the controls.

Capabilities of the 696 are well reviewed from other sources. Negatives I have found are significant whine in the audio coupling of the 696 to the aircraft sound system. I have not worked on the problem yet. If it persists it would make XM music and Audio Terrain alerts unusable. The second negative compared to FlightDeck is loss of georeferenced position on an approach plate. The 696 provides position on an IFR or VFR enroute chart so position awareness is still available. In the small print of capabilities the 696 only provides instrument waypoints from the final approach point to airport, all others must be manually entered.

If anyone has input on how to fix the audio whine I'd like the feedback.

aero101 · Post by **aero101** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:07 am

Not sure what audio supply wiring is using, but sheilded wire may help or if it's already sheilded, you might try a noise filter, which is nothing more than a capacitor between alternator B+ and ground. I think radio shack sells these and they're very inexpensive? You might be able to run this filter on the audio wire only, but you'd have to talk to an avionics guy to verify?

Green Hornet · Post by **Green Hornet** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:59 pm

Here is a new mount for the Garmin 696

http://www.gforcemount.com/
Complaints by user is it is big and blocks windscreen if windscreen used, No room on his panel to place it! but it remained in place even in turbulence.

Garmin 696

Garmin 696

GPS

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