New Garmin 396

Additional stupid questions about the 396.

The waste of a RAM mount space I'm using at the moment (the 660) is powered via the socket under the handlebars on the bike (white small socket).
Is there a ready-made cable to reuse that socket on the 396, or can I just cut the provided power cable (with that little black box...)?

Does the mount have a removable cover?
The 550 mount was very good, but a bit of a pain with corrosion/etc on the pins when keeping the bike outside.
The only good thing about that pile of crap of the 660 was the removable cover on the, otherwise, flimsy as hell mount.

There are only 2 pins and are covered with a waterproof cover when not in use.
 
Yes, just received it now (Thanks Amazon same day delivery!) and just installed the cable in the cradle.
 
So 396 owners - what have you owned / used before and what do you like / dislike by comparison?

Recommend new 396 or used 590/595?
 
Give me a couple of weeks and I'll put down a basic comparison Vs the 660. :-D

So far, it came out of the box. Connected to Garmin express > started software update > Express told me to disconnect the unit to restard > I did and it restarted > reconnected and now Garmin Express fails to "see" the unit.

Off to a good start.

I'll just update it via wifi...
 
Give me a couple of weeks and I'll put down a basic comparison Vs the 660. :-D

So far, it came out of the box. Connected to Garmin express > started software update > Express told me to disconnect the unit to restard > I did and it restarted > reconnected and now Garmin Express fails to "see" the unit.

Off to a good start.

I'll just update it via wifi...

It's things like this that make me reluctant to upgrade kit that I know works. I have a Zumo 550 with maps dating back to 2008, on my 700GS because I know it works and if I try to update install maps there's a high chance that it'll go wrong.

When I got the Nav 6 I had to ask a friend who knew about it to tell me hos to register it on Garmin Express, and download the map updates etc etc.

I dread buying a new bike with TFT and 87 Bluetooth settings now I've eventually got my Sena set up with my current bike. (And that's not perfect either - it's too loud through my Sena with in-ear monitors even with the Sena on minimum volume and there's no volume control on the bike audio.)
 
It's things like this that make me reluctant to upgrade kit that I know works.

It was a little hiccup. It works fine now.
Annoying this, have to admit, every time you update the unit – all the preferences go back to defaults.

But I totally get what you are saying.

I upgraded to the 660 because my 550's case cracked and... "pop" it went while riding under heavy rain in France.

I got the 396 because I really hated that fucking 660.
I don't see how Garmin can disappoint me more than how it did with that 660... I have very low expectations.

The only way the 396 could be worse than the experience I had with the 660 is if it sets my motorbike on fire or secretly downloads child porn on my computer.
 
I’ve just bought a 396 and the colours do seem a bit washed out but it is readable in sunlight , the screen fonts and display are smaller than the Garmin I have been using ( nuvi 2595 car sat nav ) but that was a 5” display , just have to get used to it , might need new glasses
 
How long does the 396 last if not plugged in? I understand some units can't run at all if not plugged in
 
How long does the 396 last if not plugged in?

Not much. I ran it on batteries only once before wiring it to the bike and it died within 30 mins (might be that the battery wasn't fully charged to be honest).
660 had a longer battery life.
 
I’ve just bought a 396 and the colours do seem a bit washed out but it is readable in sunlight , the screen fonts and display are smaller than the Garmin I have been using ( nuvi 2595 car sat nav ) but that was a 5” display , just have to get used to it , might need new glasses

Rather like super loud horns being perceived as better than the standard horn, I am not convinced that super bright screens are so much better in bright sunlight. For starters, nobody (at least nobody with any sense) rides along staring at the GPS screen - rather than the road ahead - for mile after mile. If you are not looking at the screen it doesn’t matter if it’s on, off, clear or as fuzzy as an ancient TV. Now mix in that it’s probably only when a very bright sun is shining in from roughly over your shoulder, that it creates what might be a problem. Now consider the sun moves across the sky, is rarely so bright that it hurts and as on average most riders will ride in any one day towards most if not all of the cardinal points on the compass, it is not so often that the sun beating down from behind you. Last but not least, if a screen is bright, adding it to bright sunlight only makes it brighter still. What you probably need is a duller or darker screen, that the bright sun cannot bleach out. Then, last of all, is it really so very hard - on those reasonably rare occasions that you actually need to stare at the screen in a day - and the sun happens to be bright and shining in over your shoulder, to shift yourself a little in the seat, to create a bit of shadow? I think not.
 
Not much. I ran it on batteries only once before wiring it to the bike and it died within 30 mins (might be that the battery wasn't fully charged to be honest).
660 had a longer battery life.

That wouldn't be great for me. I want to fit the wiring for a unit to my 800 but be able to use it on my old XT600 for getting out of cities etc, where I have power in the wee topbox to charge things when not using them but not up front (and don't want to be wiring it up)
 
Now consider the sun moves across the sky, is rarely so bright that it hurts and as on average most riders will ride in any one day towards most if not all of the cardinal points on the compass...

Garmin's screens are not great in the sun or even slightly overcast skies.
396 is better than my previous 660 but it is still hard to read quite often when you glance down at it to see what exit you should take.
I know they use different touch-screen technology, but the TomTom screens are way better to read (not to mention, the unit is way faster at redrawing the screen). Used them both this easter while traveling along the Pyrenees as my mate had a new TomTom and we switched bikes a couple of times.

We can make up as many stories and scenarios about it as we want, but the fact is that they still need a stronger backlight and different/better materials for the screen (front to prevent glare and bottom of it).

Not sure if I posted the video here before, but, 660 vs 396:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7KHMN-74JUU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That wouldn't be great for me.

Take what I said with a pinch of salt.
I'm not 100% sure the battery was fully charged.
I used it like that a couple of times only before wiring the bike. I noticed that battery life was way shorter than the 660 (but the 660 only had a single bluetooth channel, no wifi, etc.) but, again, battery might not have been 100% charged.
 
I’ve just jumped ship from Garmin to Tom Tom for a few reasons, but mostly for said crap screen in bright sunlight. So far, I’m impressed with the TT....time will tell if it’s been a wise decision.
 
I’ve just ordered one from Amazon at £299.99 delivered tomorrow.

I’ve had my 390 for at least 5 years and the only reason I’m changing is to get live traffic updates though linking it to my Sena will be handy if I can get it to work.
 
I’m on my way home after 1k+ miles around England and Wales. Have to say, I’m happier with the TT now and glad I made the switch. It seems faster to process and accuracy is a tad better. There’s some features I miss, but overall, a happy experience. :aidan
 
I’m on my way home after 1k+ miles around England and Wales. Have to say, I’m happier with the TT now and glad I made the switch. It seems faster to process and accuracy is a tad better. There’s some features I miss, but overall, a happy experience. :aidan
 
Audiobook support?

I'm sure this will cue much eye-rolling - but can anyone tell me if the 396 supports audiobook playback?

My old Zumo 550 did; it stored the .aa files separately to the .mp3 files, so you had to select a different source on the media player, but it was very easy to use, and my pillion could hear the books easily using 'music sharing' on our Sena S20 bluetooth headsets.

I 'upgraded' to the BMW Nav 5 when I changed bikes and was put out to find I'd lost the native audiobook support. We can listen to mp3s and that's it. I haven't managed to get to hear media from my iPhone 7 reliably over bluetooth, so that's not an option.

Thanks for any advice, Steve
 
I'm sure this will cue much eye-rolling - but can anyone tell me if the 396 supports audiobook playback?

My old Zumo 550 did; it stored the .aa files separately to the .mp3 files, so you had to select a different source on the media player, but it was very easy to use, and my pillion could hear the books easily using 'music sharing' on our Sena S20 bluetooth headsets.

I 'upgraded' to the BMW Nav 5 when I changed bikes and was put out to find I'd lost the native audiobook support. We can listen to mp3s and that's it. I haven't managed to get to hear media from my iPhone 7 reliably over bluetooth, so that's not an option.

Thanks for any advice, Steve

You can convert audio books to mp3 and listen that way
 


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