GPSMAP196 Software Update
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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.
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Warnings:
Be sure to backup all data like routes, waypoints and track with MapSource
before updating the software. Once the GPSMAP196 has been updated you can use
MapSource again to restore your data.
If this software is uploaded to a GPS unit other than the product for
which it is designed, you will not be able to operate that unit.
If the upload software fails, verify that you have good batteries
installed and try again. If repeated upload attempts fail, you may need
to return the unit to GARMIN for service.
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Upload Instructions:
Instructions for uploading the new software to your GPSMAP196 using Microsoft
Windows 95/98/NT:
1. Download the appropriate self-extracting archive file for your GPSMAP196
onto your hard drive.
2. Unzip the files in the archive by running the downloaded executable file.
3. Connect your GPSMAP196 to a free serial port (Com 1, 2, 3, or 4) on your PC
with a PC interface cable.
4. Turn on your GPSMAP196 and ensure the Serial Data Format is set to
"GARMIN Data Transfer". You can find this setting in the Main Menu under
"Setup".
5. Change to the directory in which you unzipped the files,
(i.e., C:\GARMIN), and run the update program, updater.exe. Select the
appropriate serial port and click "OK" to begin the software upload.
During the upload, the GPSMAP196's display will indicate "Software
Loading...." The upload process should take 3-10 minutes to complete.
When the upload is completed, the GPSMAP196 will reset itself and turn on
normally.
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!! WARNING !!
THIS SOFTWARE VERSION WILL ERASE ALL USER DATA AND RESET
ALL USER SETTINGS TO DEFAULT VALUES.
Changes Made from Version 4.00 to 4.10:
1. Corrected obstacle database upload processing.
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!! WARNING !!
THIS SOFTWARE VERSION WILL ERASE ALL USER DATA AND RESET
ALL USER SETTINGS TO DEFAULT VALUES.
Changes Made from Version 3.80 to 4.00:
1. Improved WAAS search algorithm.
2. Display automotive route calculation status while calculation is underway.
3. Added GPS status to the list of configurable data fields.
4. Improved error checking on the aircraft page to prevent duplicate aircraft entries.
5. Improved error checking for weight and balance data entry.
6. Added map setup option for the heading line on the map page to indicate your
projected position based on time or distance.
7. Changed the map information page to include aviation database information.
8. Added OBS status on the panel page if using the "OBS and Hold" option.
9. Improved the runway review page to indicate the airport traffic pattern direction.
Must use Jeppesen database cycle number 0407 or newer.
10. Changed airport symbols to indicate fuel availability.
11. Added support to select flight characteristics used for flight log entries based on
the current aircraft cruise speed. An aircraft cruise speed setting less than 80 knots
will apply the lower performance characteristic. This change is to accommodate low
performance aircraft and utlralights.
12. Increased number of proximity waypoints from 10 to 50.
13. Restored the altitude configuration field for all usage modes.
14. Fixed problem on the Timer setup page when restoring default settings to the Fuel Timer.
15. Fixed "Follow Roads" option to correctly generate an autoroute.
16. Altitude and vertical speed data is invalidated when less than a 3D fix is present.
17. Restored "Full Screen Map" shortcut to the Map option menu.
18. Corrected active route editing problem resulting in inconsistent menu behavior.
19. Implemented support for an Obstacle database.
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Changes Made from Version 3.70 to 3.80:
1. Corrected problem where setting the user defined bug
indicator on the panel page could lock up keys.
2. Improved support for handling large routes with many
waypoints.
3. Corrected problem on celestial pages which could cause
the unit to shut down during cursor movement.
4. Fixed issue where user is unable to de-activate a one
waypoint goto route in aviation mode when you have
selected an approach.
5. Increased font sizes for cardinal letters used in
direction as appropriate.
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Changes Made from Version 3.60 to 3.70:
1. Fixed map datum when using RT 90 location format.
2. Corrected problem that would sometimes cause the map page
to stop updating.
3. Added ability to mark a waypoint while reviewing an SUA.
4. Corrected behavior of Restore Defaults menu option on
the Comm Setup page.
5. Added a second Location configurable field type that
always displays Lat/Lon instead of currently selected
Location format.
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Changes Made from Version 3.40 to 3.60:
1. Added processing to detect the movement or deletion of any
aviation database waypoint and update all routes and goto
history with the new data.
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Changes Made from Version 3.30 to 3.40:
1. Corrected problem that could cause incorrect guidance
after modifying the active route.
2. Improved appearance of the approach selection list by
adding the target airport's identifier to the display.
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Changes Made from Version 3.20 to 3.30:
1. Corrected problem with manual route edit.
2. Corrected problem with European tides.
3. Corrected problem with battery timer reset.
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Changes Made from Version 3.10 to 3.20:
1. Improved non-volatile memory storage of WAAS/EGNOS ionospheric mask corrections.
2. Reduced delays in aquiring a position when using differential GPS.
3. Added Canadian tide support.
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Changes Made from Version 3.00 to 3.10:
1. Corrected problem that caused "Off road" route leg segments
to disappear from the map after a zoom in/out operation.
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Changes Made from Version 2.11 Beta to 3.00:
1. Corrected problem that caused large routes to be truncated
when loading from Mapsource.
2. Corrected problem drawing the next route leg on the map when
the route leg is sequenced.
3. Corrected problem that caused excessive delays drawing the map
when using Atlantic BlueChart version 5.
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Changes Made from Version 2.07 to 2.11 Beta:
1. Limit the number of aircraft types that can be saved on
the "Aircraft" tab page to 10.
2. Corrected intermittent aviation database read error.
3. Corrected VNAV capture option.
4. Improved takeoff detection to correct the landings count
in the automatic flight log.
5. Added tide support for European and Australian tides version 5.0.
6. Changed vertical speed display for better resolution when using meters/second.
7. Added the ability to display the next turn on the "Turn Review"
page by using the UP and DOWN cursor keys during autoroute navigation.
8. Added duplicate interstate name support for interstate exit searches.
9. Added the ability for the user to change the style of a saved track
on the screen. Saved tracks may be displayed in one of 16 different line styles.
10. Improved WAAS and EGNOS satellite support.
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Changes Made from Version 2.06 to 2.07:
1. Corrected problem displaying topo map elevation lines.
2. Added EOV Hungarian grid position format.
3. Added diacritics support for map text.
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Changes Made from Version 2.05 to 2.06:
1. Previous route waypoint on Active Route page is kept in
view so that current route leg data can be displayed.
2. Corrected problems related to spelling user waypoint names
on Goto and Find pages.
3. Corrected display of airspace names on Nearest Airspace page.
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Changes Made from Version 2.04 to 2.05:
1. Improved appearance of soft-field airport symbols.
2. Increased precision of calculations on Weight & Balance page.
3. Changed Tide page cursor to display station time instead of
local time.
4. User-entered route names are no longer changed unexpectedly.
5. Corrected lockups when deleting user waypoints which had
previously been used in a road route.
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Changes Made from Version 2.03 to 2.04:
1. Increased number of decimal places allowed for weight & balance
moment arm values.
2. "Follow Roads" menu item is enabled on the Active Goto page when in
land mode.
3. Rearranged Nearest ARTCC and Nearest FSS pages so frequencies
can be seen while selecting a station from the list.
4. Corrected lockups when recalculating a road route while
on the Current Route page.
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Changes Made from Version 2.02 to 2.03:
1. Added recording of takeoffs and landings to the automatic logbook.
2. Changed logbook behavior to always use the airport name in the case
where a user waypoint is within 2 nm of a published airport.
3. Improved display of long airport/waypoint identifiers on Flights
menu page.
4. Corrected problem that would inadvertently set map setup text sizes
back to default values when changing usage mode.
5. Corrected problem that would sometimes cause the alphabetically-first
airport identifier to not be filled in on the Goto page.
6. Corrected problem that would sometimes cause "Go To MAP Point" to
display on the Goto page when not appropriate.
7. Corrected behavior of "From" field on user waypoint review page.
8. Corrected display of certain service symbols when using City Select
or City Navigator 4.01 map data.
9. Corrected display of comm frequency on Airport review page for
certain European airports which have only one published frequency.
10. Corrected display of New Location page when Map page is decluttered.
11. Corrected lockups when editing the Tracback route.
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Changes Made from Version 2.01 to 2.02:
1. Added the ability to turn a point-to-point route into a road route with
via points when in land mode.
2. When recalculating a road route, previous via points are retained.
3. Improved drawing of next-turn arrows in a road route with via points.
4. Added anchor drag alarm.
5. Added progress bar to show status of map loading when the device is
powering on.
6. Adjusted auto zoom behavior when driving on highway on-ramps.
7. Nearest FSS and ARTCC pages are refreshed when the list selection changes.
8. Added display of approach name to Active Approach page.
9. Changed goto line behavior in Water mode to retain the starting position
instead of following the vehicle icon.
10. Improved logbook algorithm so a short power interruption or loss of
satellite fix during flight will not cause new a new flight to be
recorded.
11. Increased size of Pointer configurable data field type for better
readability.
12. Corrected naming of saved road routes when two routes with the same
name exist.
13. Corrected lockup when initiating forced leg activation with the Direct To
key in aviation mode.
14. Corrected intermittent lockup on panel page when setting OBS or user
bug angle.
15. Corrected intermittent problem that would cause data fields on the Map,
HSI, or Position pages to disappear.
16. Corrected map hilight behavior when the cursor is on an SUA which overlies
a body of water or similar map area.
17. General improvements to the operating system to fix lockups and shutdowns.
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Changes Made from Version 2.00 to 2.01:
1. Improved display of Goto page buttons when doing an off-route goto.
2. Distance and bearing fields on Goto page are more reliably updated.
3. Approaches are removed from active route when switching from aviation to
land or marine modes.
4. Current date and time are automatically entered in Comment field when
creating a new user waypoint.
5. Improved display of marine light sectors.
6. Improved selection of alphabetically first airport identifier in
European countries.
7. Improved detection of new batteries for resetting the battery timer.
8. Improved performance of next cross street detection.
9. Improved performance of road lock feature on mountain switchbacks.
10. Improved handling of roundabouts.
11. Improved the accuracy of the estimated accuracy value.
12. Added menu options to restore configurable data fields on Map, HSI,
Position, and Route pages to their default settings.
13. Added an "Auto" setting for arrival and approach alarms.
14. Added progress indicator to Interface page.
15. Added an "Activate Route" menu option to the route list menu page.
16. Added support for lowercase automatically-generated route names.
17. Added support for user-selectable marine symbol sets.
18. Added north arrow to turn review popup page.
19. Corrected driving directions on map page when using goto navigation.
20. Corrected possible lockup on Flights menu page.
21. Corrected possible lockup when D key is pushed when Find menu is
visible.
22. Corrected possible lockup when reviewing airport communications
frequency list.
23. Corrected updating of battery indicator on position page when no
satellite fix is available, and made the battery icon change
appearance in response to changing battery level.
24. Corrected problem that would prevent all route waypoints from
being drawn on the map.
25. Corrected display of CDI scale and 45-degree tick marks on HSI page.
26. Removed Hungarian datum type.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.