Want To Buy Garmin Aera 660

P51P28

P51P28

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Sep 9, 2019
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May be a longshot but ya never know. The 396 is getting a little tired. Thanks everyone!
 
I have a Garmin 496 and AREA 660. I still like the 496 better. There are certain things I can do with the 496 that I cannot do with the aera 660. I have talked to Garmin about it, and some of the things that I asked for are going to be put on the wish list for future upgrades. No guarantee that they'll give it to me. So I wouldn't get rid of that 396 just yet. IMHO
 
William Pete Hodges said:
I have a Garmin 496 and AREA 660. I still like the 496 better. There are certain things I can do with the 496 that I cannot do with the aera 660. I have talked to Garmin about it, and some of the things that I asked for are going to be put on the wish list for future upgrades. No guarantee that they'll give it to me. So I wouldn't get rid of that 396 just yet. IMHO
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I appreciate that. Curious to know what databases you get each year on your 496?
 
I sold my old 696 three years ago, because it was way too bulky strapped to my yoke, and setting waypoints by twisting knobs was driving me bats**t crazy.

TheAera 660 has neither of those problems, so I'm tempted, but for now a cheap old Android 7" tablet running Garmin Pilot is doing fine, and gives me more display area for approach plates. If the Aera 660 were half the price, I'd probably go for it.
 
The x96 series have more options of the data fields. I like to have "cross track error" and "steer R/L degrees" in two boxes side by side on the bottom of the data fields screen, that way I don't have to calculate what to do to stay on course. I just glance and instantly know which way to steer, how much, and how far off course I am. I put "steer R/L degrees" also on the bottom of the map page for the same instant non-thinking quick input into the M1A1 brain of mine. If that makes me a lazy pilot then you are right! I try to lighten my work load as much as possible so I can concentrate on the bigger stuff when needed.

The "steer R/L degrees" data field is not available on the AREA 660. To me that makes it a piece of junk in the cockpit. It does have other features but still not as good as I'd like. The traffic doesn't show up on the moving map, only on the traffic page, so you can't look for traffic and see your on-course error at the same time. Junk again.

Comparatively the 396 and the 496 are both VERY VERY good. I love my 496, but I used a 196 for over 10 years in my old bird. Never ever thought it was lacking in any way. IMHO The AREA 660 has a long way to go to catch up. Now Garmin could fix this by simply applying the same high quality programming standards to the AREA 660 that were applied to the x96 series. Have they done that? NO! And until they do I don't feel comfortable using it as my primary navigation device.

I have a AERA 660 in my bird, and I use it, but I navigate with my 496. Until Garmin steps up to the plate, that is not going to change for me. If you think that makes me a hard a**, then I guess I am.
 
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William Pete Hodges said:
The x96 series have more options of the data fields. I like to have "cross track error" and "steer R/L degrees" in two boxes side by side on the bottom of the data fields screen, that way I don't have to calculate what to do to stay on course. I just glance and instantly know which way to steer, how much, and how far off course I am. I put "steer R/L degrees" also on the bottom of the map page for the same instant non-thinking quick input into the M1A1 brain of mine. If that makes me a lazy pilot then you are right! I try to lighten my work load as much as possible so I can concentrate on the bigger stuff when needed.

The "steer R/L degrees" data field is not available on the AREA 660. To me that makes it a piece of junk in the cockpit. It does have other features but still not as good as I'd like. The traffic doesn't show up on the moving map, only on the traffic page, so you can't look for traffic and see your on-course error at the same time. Junk again.

Comparatively the 396 and the 496 are both VERY VERY good. I love my 496, but I used a 196 for over 10 years in my old bird. Never ever thought it was lacking in any way. IMHO The AREA 660 has a long way to go to catch up. Now Garmin could fix this by simply applying the same high quality programming standards to the AREA 660 that were applied to the x96 series. Have they done that? NO! And until they do I don't feel comfortable using it as my primary navigation device.

I have a AERA 660 in my bird, and I use it, but I navigate with my 496. Until Garmin steps up to the plate, that is not going to change for me. If you think that makes me a hard a**, then I guess I am.
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Nothing wrong with telling us how you feel. :) Thanks a lot for the info.
 
I like having my system voltage displayed - maybe an edge case but the analog gauge in my plane reads high. I like to monitor the output of my John Deere voltage regulator, just in case. Anyway, I have a data field set to display that on my 496 and the Aera 660 doesn’t list that as an option.
 
I still like the 196!
It has the pointer :)
I just follow the pointer arrow to the airport. And it goes 16 hours on AA batteries! Great in the Cub and Stearman
 
Does anybody have problems with screen glare on the 660?
 
asicer said:
CTS ("Course to Steer") doesn't do what you want?
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That is a good question! CTS displays a compass number like 120. So which way do you turn? You have to look at your current heading and subtract the difference, then determine steer right or steer left based on which number is higher or lower. There are some shortcuts you can use but you are still doing the math in your head as you fly.

By contrast Steer R/L displays L-010 or R-005 or whatever it is. The math is already done for you, you simply ease the airplane in the displayed direction until the display reads zero. Much better. When Steer R/L is displayed next to Cross Track Error you also know the side distance you are away from your intended course line and it tells you which way to to get there.

When I upgrade to something new, I don't think I should end up with less functions then I started with.

One Miracle at a time.
 
Interesting discussion. After more than a decade now of mainly Light Sport VFR flying, I’ve truly morphed into a Child of the Magenta Line. For better or worse.

Mentioning that because, with all this discussion of courses and headings to steer, I realize that I am rarely even aware of my exact heading or course. I mean, on the rare occasion I get vectors I have to pay attention. And then there’s awareness of the hemispheric rule, so I need to know my magnetic course. Most times using my 496 I just point in the general direction of my destination, and then just maneuver so as to stay on the magenta line. It may be “sloppy”, but it works. IFR would be different, of course, but I think those days are mostly behind me.

As an aside, a few months ago, in the middle of a short flight, my 496 lost its ability to find satellites. That got me investigating moving to something newer like an Aera, which is when I downloaded the manual and found voltage could no longer be displayed. In the end, a hard reset got my unit up and running again, at least for now. The UI and display seem pretty primitive compared to WingXPro on my phone or iPad, but it still gets the job done.
 
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With a 496 you can put it in your boat any use "marine" mode. Mine has a "bluechip" that has 2500 marine charts from Olympia to Skagway, Alaska.
 
William Pete Hodges said:
That is a good question! CTS displays a compass number like 120. So which way do you turn? You have to look at your current heading and subtract the difference, then determine steer right or steer left based on which number is higher or lower. There are some shortcuts you can use but you are still doing the math in your head as you fly.

By contrast Steer R/L displays L-010 or R-005 or whatever it is. The math is already done for you, you simply ease the airplane in the displayed direction until the display reads zero. Much better. When Steer R/L is displayed next to Cross Track Error you also know the side distance you are away from your intended course line and it tells you which way to to get there.

When I upgrade to something new, I don't think I should end up with less functions then I started with.

One Miracle at a time.
Click to expand...
Why not just turn towards the CDI in the Aera's virtual HSI? That's how most pilots deal with course deviations (and been doing so since the first VORs were introduced in 1946). No need to do any arithmetic in your head.
010-01518-2.jpg
 
baboss said:
Maybe you're missing a software update but you definitely can view traffic on the Aera 660 map.
Check out page 11 of the quickstart guide here: https://static.garmin.com/pumac/190-02017-10_g.pdf
While on the map tap Menu and select Traffic
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I know the brochure says it has traffic, and it does in the traffic window. I have yet to see traffic on the map even when traffic is selected in the map menu. I also have not seen a video review showing traffic displayed on the map.
If you have one and it shows traffic on the moving map I'd like to see that, but so far no joy for me on that feature.
 
David Megginson said:
Why not just turn towards the CDI in the Aera's virtual HSI? That's how most pilots deal with course deviations (and been doing so since the first VORs were introduced in 1946). No need to do any arithmetic in your head.
010-01518-2.jpg
Click to expand...
Well, you have me there. I have not used that feature. Maybe I'll try it next time I fly.
 
My preferred 496 view with “faux HSI”:

15421910260_8b4b5597be_w.jpg


As an aside, that display also shows a faux glide slope if you've programmed in a vertical descent profile. Mine is set to descend @ 500fpm so as to arrive 1,500' above airport elevation 3 miles out. That way I'm set up to overfly 500' above pattern altitude before entering the pattern. Works great.
 
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William Pete Hodges said:
That is a good question! CTS displays a compass number like 120. So which way do you turn? You have to look at your current heading and subtract the difference, then determine steer right or steer left based on which number is higher or lower. There are some shortcuts you can use but you are still doing the math in your head as you fly.
Click to expand...
I guess you only have a horizontal whiskey compass? On a DG, HSI or vertical card compass I look for 120, see that it's left (or right) and then turn towards it.
William Pete Hodges said:
I know the brochure says it has traffic, and it does in the traffic window. I have yet to see traffic on the map even when traffic is selected in the map menu. I also have not seen a video review showing traffic displayed on the map.
If you have one and it shows traffic on the moving map I'd like to see that, but so far no joy for me on that feature.
Click to expand...
Mine shows traffic on the moving map. I'll try to get a screenshot for you next time I'm up.
 
A buddy of mine has a 660 hard wired into his panel. Very capable little unit. It also shows traffic, attached to a GDL 50.
 
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Traffic on 660 while bluetoothed to gdl 39
 

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I love my Aera 660. It’s hardwired to the GDL51 for XM wx and radio, and the 350C audio panel. It’s also BT to the GTX345 for traffic and ADSB. You can zoom in on the pics and see the traffic. That little thing does a lot and works better in the sun than the iPad.

It’s also a great backup should I lose all electrical. The 660, GDL51 and G5’s all have battery backups.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The problem with 660s is the slow database downloading. iPad is more than 100X faster. The navigation database will take hours if you select ALL states.


Tom
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
The problem with 660s is the slow database downloading. iPad is more than 100X faster. The navigation database will take hours if you select ALL states.


Tom
Click to expand...

You’re right. It’s ridiculously slow using the wireless update. I connect mine to the laptop to update it via the wired method and it’s much faster. Not super fast but much faster than the wireless method.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Fracpilot said:
I love my Aera 660. It’s hardwired to the GDL51 for XM wx and radio, and the 350C audio panel. It’s also BT to the GTX345 for traffic and ADSB. You can zoom in on the pics and see the traffic. That little thing does a lot and works better in the sun than the iPad.

It’s also a great backup should I lose all electrical. The 660, GDL51 and G5’s all have battery backups.
Click to expand...
Your panel has a whole lot of attitude. I like.

(G5 AI + G5 HSI in reversionary mode + vacuum AI + 660 in 3D mode)

You should consider installing an AV20S and increase the number of attitude indicators to 5 :)

MooneyDriver78 said:
The problem with 660s is the slow database downloading. iPad is more than 100X faster. The navigation database will take hours if you select ALL states.
Click to expand...
Sadly, yes. If only Garmin allowed database updates over microSD card. If only... :(
 
asicer said:
Your panel has a whole lot of attitude. I like.

(G5 AI + G5 HSI in reversionary mode + vacuum AI + 660 in 3D mode)

You should consider installing an AV20S and increase the number of attitude indicators to 5 :)


Sadly, yes. If only Garmin allowed database updates over microSD card. If only... :(
Click to expand...

I hear ya. That would be funny to see. I wish I could get rid of the vacuum driven attitude but it runs my autopilot. Had to replace both vacuum pumps in the last 15 months. AP works great though and is much cheaper to keep her.


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