Garmin announced today that they are giving $300 back via mail-in rebate for Garmin 696 and Garmin 695 units purchased between October 7th, 2009 and December 31, 2009.  All rebates must be postmarked by January 31, 2010.  Prices after mail-in rebate are (click unit for more info, download rebate form or to purchase):

• Garmin 696 – $2,995
• Garmin 695 – $2,395

At the time of this writing (October 7, 2009), Banyan Pilot Shop is offering $1 overnight shipping on both the Garmin 696 and 695 units and no sales tax on all orders shipped outside the State of Florida.  Click Here to visit BanyanPilotShop.net.

Just in time for the Holiday shopping season, Garmin has announced that it has reduced the price on their Garmin 496 and Garmin 495 GPSMAP units.  The new prices are:

• Garmin 496 – $1,999
• Garmin 495 – $1,299

At the time of this writing (October 7, 2009), Tropic Aero is offering $1 overnight shipping and no sales tax for all orders shipped outside the State of Florida.  Click Here to visit BanyanPilotShop.net

If you…

1. Own a Garmin 696 or G600
2. Are considering purchasing a Garmin 696 or G600
3. Live in or are going to be in South Florida on February 25, 2009

…then you’re not going to want to miss a seminar put on by Garmin that focuses on these two units.
The seminar is hosted by Banyan Air Service at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) and includes:

• No cost attend
• Refreshments provided
• Seminar Bucks – discounts for attendees
• Drawing for a Garmin Nuvi Automotive GPS

To attend, fill out the registration form at www.banyanair.com/garmin.htm

Garmin International introduced today (10/30/2008) their newest portable aviation navigator: Garmin GPSMAP 696.

The Garmin 696 has many new features, but most noticeably is its new look and size. The 696 is a tablet-style unit with a large 7-inch portrait display that is 3 times larger than its predecessor, the Garmin 496. The high-resolution screen can be read in sunlight and is large enough to fit an entire approach plate.

Garmin 696 Features

• 7-inch High Resolution Display
• Airways
• Electronic Charts
• Expanded Weather
• IFR Map Mode
• Garmin FliteCharts
• XM Weather – Now has PIREPs and icing forecast information

The Garmin 696 IFR map mode displays a map similar to a standard enroute chart that has important features like victor airways, jet routes, minimum enroute altitude (MEA) and leg distance. The 696′s IFR map mode also offers more situational awareness than traditional charts because it subtlety displays major visual reference points like rivers, state boundaries, highways and railroad tracks from Garmin’s built-in basemap.

The GPSMAP 696 also includes Garmin FliteCharts, an electronic version of the National Aeronautical Chart Office (NACO) U.S. Terminal Procedures Publication. With FliteCharts, pilots can quickly find and view all NACO departure procedures (DP), standard terminal arrival routes (STARs), approach charts and airport diagrams. If the current approach is known, the Garmin GPSMAP 696 automatically selects the correct chart based on the flight plan. FliteCharts are available every 28-days and will not be available on the Garmin 696 if they are not updated regularly. The Garmin GPSMAP 696 may be used in lieu of paper approach charts when used in accordance with AC 90-78.

The Garmin 696, like the 496 and 396 units, includes an XM radio and XM WX Satellite Weather (United States customers only) that gives next generation radar (NEXRAD), aviation routine weather reports (METARs), terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), lightning, winds aloft, turbulence forecasts, and several other important weather products. The Garmin 696 is also Garmin’s first portable device with PIREPs and icing forecast information. The weather data may be laid directly over the unit’s navigation and topographic map databases

Garmin 696 Additional Features

• Smart Airspace – automatically highlights airspace close to the pilot’s current altitude and de-emphasizes airspace away from the current altitude
• Safe Taxi – geo-referenced diagrams of over 850 U.S. airports that identify runways, taxiways and hangars, as well as the aircraft’s exact location on the field
• AOPA Airport Directory – electronic version of AOPA’s popular U.S. pilot guide that includes information for over 5,300 public-use airports and more than 7,000 FBOs, such as pilot services, ground transportation, lodging, restaurants, and local attractions.

Garmin 696 – What’s in the box?

• Garmin GPSMAP 696 Unit
• Yoke Mount
• GXM 40 Smart Antenna
• Cigarette-lighter Adapter
• AC Adapter Cable
• USB-to-PC Interface Cable
• Low Profile Remote GPS Antenna
• Garmin 696 Unit Cover
• Free Jeppesen Update Certificate
• Garmin 696 Owners Manual and Quick Reference Guide

Garmin 696 Pricing and Availablity

Garmin plans to begin shipping Garmin GPSMAP 696 units on November 5th, 2008 at a price of $3,296.
Initial quantities will be limited so we strongly recommend pre-ordering.
Click Here to order yours today.

Garmin 695 Pricing and Availablity

Please Note: The Garmin 695 has the same features as the 696 with the exception of XM Weather.
Garmin plans to begin shipping Garmin GPSMAP 695 units on November 5th, 2008 at a price of $2,695.
Initial quantities will be limited so we strongly recommend pre-ordering.
Click Here to order yours today.

The Garmin Aviation Experts at Tropic Aero/Banyan Pilot Shop have put together a few instructional videos on Garmin’s Portable GPSmap units (the Garmin 196 – Garmin 496). These videos are short and to the point and were created to give people hands-on answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

To view the videos, visit www.TropicAero.com, go to the page for the Garmin unit you’re interested in, and click the “Free Videos” tab to view a list of available videos. Our you can click these links directly:

Garmin 496
Garmin 396
Garmin 495
Garmin 296
Garmin 196

Got a question that you’d like to see answered in a video format? Click the comments link below and let us know.

We recently received an email with a question from a customer regarding the Weather Age Report on the 496.  Since they were unable to find a published answer, we thought it was worth sharing.

CUSTOMERS EMAIL
"I have a question about the 496 I purchased from you for which I have not been able to find an answer either in the manual or on Garmin’s support pages.  On the map page, the symbol next to the weather age report changes sometimes from Wx to what looks like a pause symbol and then sometimes what appears to be a play symbol .  Can you explain this or refer me to the answer?  Thanks.  Floyd."

ANSWER
Hello Floyd, the "Play" symbol is shown when the Weather is in "Animate" mode. This is from the XM downloads.  Since the unit updates the NEXRAD radar every 5 minutes, it then creates a "movie" of the weather. The weather movie is shown from 30 minutes to the present time. With the 6 frames of NEXRAD, you have a movie. The other symbol is the "pause" or stop animate weather. To get to these options, on the MAP page press MENU once to get a pop up screen.  From there you can select ANIMATE WEATHER to play all the time. You can also stop the weather animation in the same MENU.

I hope this explains some of the symbols and their meanings. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks.
Pete, Tropic Aero

Whether you own a Garmin 496, Garmin 495, or any of the other Garmin Portable Aviation Units, it’s very important to keep the unit’s software up-to-date.  Doing so will ensure that your unit will continue to function at peak performance and in most cases it will also fix any performance issue your unit may be having.  Software updates are free and Garmin recommends using their WebUpdater application.

WebUpdater

WebUpdater is a free application that Garmin created to make updating your Garmin GPS software a breeze.  Once you’ve downloaded WebUpdater to your computer, all you need to do is connect your GPS to your computer, run the WebUpdater application (You will find it on your computer at:  START >> PROGRAMS >> GARMIN >> WEBUPDATER), and follow the screen prompts.  WebUpdater will first check to verify that you have the most current WebUpdater software and update it if necessary.  It will then download and install the most current software update into your Garmin GPS unit.  That’s it!  Plus, unlike previous versions, once you’ve downloaded the WebUpdater software you will never have to do it again.

>> Download WebUpdater Now

Have you ever tried to run your Garmin Aviation GPSMAP unit on battery power only to find out the battery had no juice?  The problem with the Li-Ion batteries on the Garmin units may not be the battery at all, but how the unit’s charging preferences are set up.  Most Garmin users power their units by plugging directly into the aircraft, thus using the aircraft’s power to run the unit.  If an aircraft has a power failure, the GPS will display “External Power Loss.”  It will then say that you can continue running the unit on battery power by pressing the “ENTER” key.  This is where the confusion occurs because the “ENTER” key will be pressed but the unit will go dead.  Did a battery failure occur?  Most likely not.  In reality, the battery probably wasn’t fully charged.

Garmin 496 Battery

By default, Garmin units will charge the battery in the “OFF” condition until charging is complete.  However, they’re also preset NOT to charge while the unit is running or in the “ON” condition.  Fortunately it’s easy to change this setting so that it will charge while “ON.”

Here are the steps:

1. Turn on the GPS
2. Press “ENTER” to get to MAIN MENU where it shows the satellites on the screen
3. Press the “UP” arrow once on the GPS to get the “SETUP” screen
4. Press the “RIGHT” arrow once to highlight the “SYSTEM” tab
5. Once there, press the “DOWN” arrow four times until you highlight “TURN OFF” which is an “INTERNAL POWER OFF” window
6. Press the “RIGHT” arrow once to highlight “TURN ON” and press “ENTER” once to change the option to “CHARGE BATTERY.”
7. Press “ENTER” to confirm the selection

This will do two things for you:

1. Your battery will now charge while the GPS is on.
2. Your battery will now cycle which will increase its life.

Batteries that are not cycled will have a shorter life span than batteries that are cycled.   This pertains to Li-ion batteries in general, not just Garmin batteries.

Have you ever had a problem figuring out the functionality or usability of your aviation electronics? Lets face it, the majority of Garmin GPS
owners probably use 40% of what their unit can actually do for them – and at 40% I’m probably being generous. But it’s hard to blame the pilot
for this because if they were actually lucky enough to get a printed owners manual (more often manufacturers are turning to electronic manuals
that can be downloaded from their websites), it’s not a given that it will even help them. Some products have DVD’s that can be purchased, but
in most cases you probably won’t be in front of a TV/DVD player with the product’s DVD in hand at the moment you need it.

Wouldn’t it be great be great if there was a website where you could go and watch a short video of a product’s different functionalities and
usability…for free? Tropic Aero thinks so. They’ve launched video production on their portable
aviation product line starting with “open box videos.” An open box video is simply a video of a product and its accessories which are briefly
explained as they’re taken out of the manufacturers box or packaging. Currently they have 12 open box videos in English – href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00578-00″>Garmin 496, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00425-00″>Garmin 396, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00573-00″>Garmin 495, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00356-00″>Garmin 296, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00301-00″>Garmin 196, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00384-00″>Garmin 96c, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=BOS-X”>Bose Aviation Headset X, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=zulu”>Lightspeed Zulu, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=ic-a14_ic-a14s”>ICOM IC-A14, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=ICA24-001″>ICOM IC-A24, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=112-99″>Lowrance 600c, and the href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=air2000c-001″>Lowrance 2000c. They also have 4 open box videos in Spanish – href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00573-00″>Garmin 495, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=010-00356-00″>Garmin 296, href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=BOS-X”>Bose Aviation Headset X, and href=”http://www.tropicaero.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=zulu”>Lightspeed Zulu.

Future videos will have a “how to” format and range between 1 and 3 minutes long. The idea is to have multiple “how to” videos so that people
can learn only what they need rather than sitting through one long video waiting for the information they seek. As always, Tropic Aero welcomes
viewer’s ideas and suggestions and encourages feedback.

OK, I can no longer make it through the day without getting asked at least 10 times when the Garmin 596 is going to be released and what’s it going to do differently or better than the Garmin 496.  So I guess it’s time to have a post about it.  Here’s what I know for sure:  The general public has a lot better connections than I do because they know a lot more than I do.  I find myself listening more about the  596 than actually talking about it.  Heck, I don’t even know for sure that’s it’s even going to be called a Garmin 596.  One person told me that it was going to be called a Garmin 696.

So I’d like to open up this post to all those people “in the know” and find out what’s up with the Garmin 596, 696, or whatever else somebody might of heard.  Please post a comment below.

Disclaimer:  The information posted about the Garmin 596 is not in any way endorsed or substantiated by us or Garmin as factual.  It’s my strong opinion that any information out there in the Internet World about the 596 prior to its release is a rumor or guess at best.

That being said, we really want to know what you’re hearing as well as what you think the GPS 596 will be able to do…or maybe not do.  At the very least, it should make for some interesting postings.  Once Garmin releases their new unit I will try to do a side-by-side comparison of what everyone thought it was going to have or do compared to what it will have or do.

One thing is for sure: when Garmin releases information on their new GPSmap, nobody will know before I do.  And I will have an email sent to everyone on our email list about the new Garmin 596 within minutes from hearing it myself.  So if you’re someone who has to be the first to learn about something new, sign up to receive our aviation product email.