At 24 ounces, the Garmin GPSMAP 196 isn't the lightest GPS receiver, but it's one of the most versatile. Although it's designed with the pilot in mind, it's portability and overall navigation power makes it suitable for land or water use too.

The Garmin 196 GPS receiver has specific features for flyers, such as a detailed Jeppesen database with air route traffic control centers (ARTCC), flight service station (FSS) frequencies, and final approach waypoints. The display has split-screen capability, so the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) and the moving navigation map can be shown simultaneously. And for the best position accuracy, the unit is both WAAS and DGPS enabled. The 2.27" x 3.02" (3.8" diagonal) LCD screen has a 12-level grayscale for high resolution and contrast. The basemap has basic orientation landmarks from cities and roads to rivers and lakes. And its powerful processor makes for fast scrolling and map refreshes.

The graphic HSI and vertical navigation (VNAV) of the Garmin 196 provides continual flight guidance and when you're ready to land, there are extended runway centerlines. Even paperwork chores are reduced as this device has an automatic logbook. It records departure and arrival airports as well as your flight time. The information is stored and available for downloading at your convenience with the included PC interface cable.

Because the Garmin GPSMAP 196 is portable, you can also use it when traveling by car or boat. Finding a new restaurant or returning to your favorite fishing spot is easy since this unit can store a variety of land and water maps along with the built-in basemap. The device is switchable between air, land, and water modes so the display shows the appropriate information. And with its autorouting capability, it's easy to calculate the path to any destination when you're in a city.