Updates & Downloads

GPSMAP 196 software version 4.60

as of May 5, 2011

Download (1.61 MB)

View installation instructions and system requirements

Notes:

WARNING: If you are updating from a previous software version, this software will clear user memory.
Please back up important data (routes, tracks, and waypoints) to MapSource prior to updating.

Change History

Changes made from version 4.50 to 4.60:

Corrected problem displaying the airport city and facility name on the Direct-to page.

Changes made from version 4.40 to 4.50:

Corrected leg data display on route page.

Changes made from version 4.20 to 4.40:

Corrected shutdown problem in aviation mode.

Changes made from version 4.10 to 4.20:

Added ability to display ADIZ airspace.
Added ability to hilight multiple SUAs with the map cursor.
Changed calculation of ETE and ETA in Aviation mode to match that used by Garmin panel-mount avionics.
Improved appearance of Class D, Restricted, and Prohibited airspace.
Corrected behavior of vertical navigation when VNAV target is beyond the selected waypoint.
Corrected unit shutdown when navigating a road route.

Changes made from version 4.00 to 4.10:

Corrected obstacle database upload processing.

Changes made from version 3.80 to 4.00:

Improved WAAS search algorithm.
Automotive route calculation status is now displayed while calculation is underway.
Added GPS status to the list of configurable data fields.
Improved error checking on the aircraft page to prevent duplicate aircraft entries.
Improved error checking for weight and balance data entry.
Added map setup option for the heading line on the Map page to indicate your projected position based on time or distance.
Changed the Map Information page to include aviation database information.
Added OBS status on the Panel page if using the 'OBS and Hold' option.
Improved the Runway Review page to indicate the airport traffic pattern direction. The users must use Jeppesen database cycle number 0407 or newer.
Changed airport symbols to indicate fuel availability.
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.
Increased number of proximity waypoints from 10 to 50.
Restored the altitude configuration field for all usage modes.
Fixed problem that was exhibited on the Timer Setup page when restoring default settings to the Fuel Timer.
Fixed 'Follow Roads' option to correctly generate an autoroute.
Altitude and vertical speed data is invalidated when less than a 3D fix is present.
Restored 'Full Screen Map' shortcut to the map option menu.
Corrected active route editing problem resulting in inconsistent menu behavior.
Added support for Obstacle database.

Changes made from version 3.70 to 3.80:

Corrected problem where setting the user-defined bug indicator on the Panel page could lock up keys.
Improved support for handling large routes with many waypoints.
Corrected problem on celestial pages which could cause the unit to shut down during cursor movement.
Fixed issue where user is unable to de-activate a one-waypoint route in aviation mode when you have selected an approach.
Increased font sizes for cardinal letters used in direction as appropriate.

Changes made from version 3.60 to 3.70:

Fixed map datum when using RT 90 location format.
Corrected problem that would sometimes cause the map page to stop updating.
Added ability to mark a waypoint while reviewing an SUA.
Corrected behavior of Restore Defaults menu option on the Comm Setup page.
Added a second location-configurable field type that always displays Lat/Lon instead of currently selected Location format.

Changes made from version 3.40 to 3.60:

Added processing to detect the movement or deletion of any aviation database waypoint and update all routes and goto history with the new data.

Changes made from version 3.30 to 3.40:

Corrected problem that could cause incorrect guidance after modifying the active route.
Improved appearance of the approach selection list by adding the target airport's identifier to the display.

Changes made from version 3.20 to 3.30:

Corrected problem with manual route edit.
Corrected problem with European tides.
Corrected problem with battery timer reset.

Changes made from version 3.10 to 3.20:

Improved non-volatile memory storage of WAAS/EGNOS ionospheric mask corrections.
Reduced delays in acquiring a position when using differential GPS.
Added Canadian tide support.

Changes made from version 3.00 to 3.10:

Corrected problem that caused 'Off road' route leg segments to disappear from the map after a zoom in/out operation.

Changes made from version 2.07 to 3.00:

Limited the number of aircraft types that can be saved on the 'Aircraft' tab page to ten.
Corrected intermittent aviation database read error.
Corrected VNAV capture option.
Improved takeoff detection to correct the landings count in the automatic flight log.
Added tide support for European and Australian tides version 5.0.
Changed vertical speed display for better resolution when using meters/second.
Added the ability to display the next turn on the 'Turn Review' page by using the UP and DOWN cursor keys during autoroute navigation.
Added duplicate interstate name support for interstate exit searches.
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.
Improved WAAS/EGNOS satellite selection algorithm to select the satellite with the most beneficial corrections given the unit's current position. Units will not use a WAAS/EGNOS satellite if the unit's current position is outside of a given WAAS/EGNOS satellite's service volume.
Corrected problem that caused large routes to be truncated when loading from MapSource.
Corrected problem drawing the next route leg on the map when the route leg is sequenced.
Corrected problem that caused excessive delays drawing the map when using Atlantic BlueChart version 5.

Changes made from version 2.06 to 2.07:

Corrected problem displaying topo map elevation lines.
Added EOV Hungarian grid position format.
Added diacritics support for map text.
Corrected problem for properly displaying CTAF frequencies on the Airport and Comm review pages.
Added South African grid position format.

Changes made from version 2.05 to 2.06:

Previous route waypoint on Active Route page is kept in view so that current route leg data can be displayed.
Corrected problems related to spelling user waypoint names on Goto and Find pages.
Corrected display of airspace names on Nearest Airspace page.

Changes made from version 2.04 to 2.05:

Improved appearance of soft-field airport symbols.
Increased precision of calculations on Weight & Balance page.
Changed Tide page cursor to display station time instead of local time.
User-entered route names are no longer changed unexpectedly.
Corrected lockups when deleting user waypoints which had previously been used in a road route.

Changes made from version 2.03 to 2.04:

Increased number of decimal places allowed for weight & balance moment arm values.
'Follow Roads' menu item is enabled on the Active Goto page when in land mode.
Rearranged Nearest ARTCC and Nearest FSS pages so frequencies can be seen while selecting a station from the list.
Corrected lockups when recalculating a road route while on the Current Route page.

Changes made from version 2.02 to 2.03:

Added recording of takeoffs and landings to the automatic logbook.
Changed logbook behavior to always use the airport name in the case where a user waypoint is within 2 nm of a published airport.
Improved display of long airport/waypoint identifiers on Flights menu page.
Corrected problem that would inadvertently set map setup text sizes back to default values when changing usage mode.
Corrected problem that would sometimes cause the alphabetically-first airport identifier to not be filled in on the Goto page.
Corrected problem that would sometimes cause 'Go To MAP Point' to display on the Goto page when not appropriate.
Corrected behavior of 'From' field on user waypoint review page.
Corrected display of certain service symbols when using City Select or City Navigator 4.01 map data.
Corrected display of comm frequency on Airport review page for certain European airports which have only one published frequency.
Corrected display of New Location page when Map page is decluttered.
Corrected lockups when editing the Tracback route.

Changes made from version 2.01 to 2.02:

Added the ability to turn a point-to-point route into a road route with via points when in land mode.
When recalculating a road route, previous via points are retained.
Improved drawing of next-turn arrows in a road route with via points.
Added anchor drag alarm.
Added progress bar to show status of map loading when the device is powering on.
Adjusted auto zoom behavior when driving on highway on-ramps.
Nearest FSS and ARTCC pages are refreshed when the list selection changes.
Added display of approach name to Active Approach page.
Changed goto line behavior in Water mode to retain the starting position instead of following the vehicle icon.
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.
Increased size of Pointer configurable data field type for better readability.
Corrected naming of saved road routes when two routes with the same name exist.
Corrected lockup when initiating forced leg activation with the Direct To key in aviation mode.
Corrected intermittent lockup on panel page when setting OBS or user bug angle.
Corrected intermittent problem that would cause data fields on the Map, HSI, or Position pages to disappear.
Corrected map hilight behavior when the cursor is on an SUA which overlies a body of water or similar map area.
General improvements to the operating system to fix lockups and shutdowns.

Changes made from version 2.00 to 2.01:

Improved display of Goto page buttons when doing an off-route goto.
Distance and bearing fields on Goto page are more reliably updated.
Approaches are removed from active route when switching from aviation to land or marine modes.
Current date and time are automatically entered in Comment field when creating a new user waypoint.
Improved display of marine light sectors.
Improved selection of alphabetically first airport identifier in European countries.
Improved detection of new batteries for resetting the battery timer.
Improved performance of next cross street detection.
Improved performance of road lock feature on mountain switchbacks.
Improved handling of roundabouts.
Improved the accuracy of the estimated accuracy value.
Added menu options to restore configurable data fields on Map, HSI, Position, and Route pages to their default settings.
Added an 'Auto' setting for arrival and approach alarms.
Added progress indicator to Interface page.
Added an 'Activate Route' menu option to the route list menu page.
Added support for lowercase automatically-generated route names.
Added support for user-selectable marine symbol sets.
Added north arrow to turn review popup page.
Corrected driving directions on map page when using goto navigation.
Corrected possible lockup on Flights menu page.
Corrected possible lockup when D key is pushed when Find menu is visible.
Corrected possible lockup when reviewing airport communications frequency list.
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.
Corrected problem that would prevent all route waypoints from being drawn on the map.
Corrected display of CDI scale and 45-degree tick marks on HSI page.
Removed Hungarian datum type.

Installation Instructions

It is recommended that you disable screen savers or other programs running on your PC while you go through the update process. Disruptions to the update process may render your GPS inoperable. If the transfer is interrupted, turn off the GPS and then turn it back on. Reboot your PC, go to step #9 and attempt the download again. GARMIN is not responsible for failed downloads of operating software to the GPS and factory resetting the GPS unit will fall under our Flat Rate Repair Policy.
Click on "Download" and choose to save the file to your computer.
Choose a location where you can easily locate the file by saving it to a location such as the "My Documents" folder or to "C:\".
Once the download is complete, go to the location where you saved the file.
Locate the downloaded file and double-click on it. This will launch the Win-Zip Self Extractor. This program compresses the data to allow for a faster download of the needed files.
A program window will appear asking you where to "Un-zip" the files. This is by default C:\Garmin. You can change this location if you like. Be sure to note where the un-zipped files are going to allow you to find them!
Click on the button labeled "Un-zip".
Once the un-zip process is complete, click on the "Close" button to exit the Win-Zip Self Extractor.
Open the C:\Garmin (or other folder where you un-zipped the files), locate the file named "Updater" and double click on it.
Connect your GPS to your computer using a GARMIN PC Interface cable to an open serial port. Turn the GPS on, place it in Simulator mode (refer to your owner's manual for instructions) and verify that the Interface Mode (found under the Main Menu page, refer to your owner's manual for instructions) is set to GARMIN, GRMN, GRMN/GRMN, or Data Transfer/Host mode.
Click on the "OK" button on the Updater program window to start the data transfer.

System requirements

IBM-compatible PC running Windows 2000 or later operating system and an available Com 1, 2, 3, or 4 port.
PC Interface Cable for your GPS unit. The PC Interface Cable may be purchased through your local Garmin distributor or ordered direct from our Online Store.