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Introduction
Cautions and Warnings
CAUTION: The Global Positioning System (GPS) is operated by the government of the United
States, which is solely responsible for its accuracy and maintenance. The system is subject to
changes which could affect the accuracy and performance of all GPS equipment. Although the
GPSMAP 196 is a precision electronic navigation aid (NAVAID), any NAVAID can be misused or
misinterpreted and, therefore, become unsafe.
WARNING: The altitude calculated by the GPSMAP 196 is the geometric height above mean
sea level and could vary significantly from altitude displayed by pressure altimeters in aircraft.
GPS accuracy may be degraded by the U.S. Department of Defense-imposed Selective Availability
(SA) program. With “SA” on, GPS altitude may be in error by several hundred feet. Never use GPS
altitude for vertical navigation.
WARNING: For vehicular applications, it is the sole responsibility of the owner/operator of the
GPSMAP 196 to secure the GPS unit so that it will not cause damage or personal injury in the event
of an accident. For automotive use, do not mount the GPSMAP 196 over airbag panels or in a place
where the driver or passengers are likely to have an impact with it in an accident or collision. The
mounting hardware provided by Garmin is not warranted against collision damage or the conse-
quences therof.
WARNING: For vehicular operations, it is the sole responsibility of the operator of the vehicle to
operate his or her vehicle in a safe manner, maintain full surveillance of all conditions at all times,
and never become distracted by the GPSMAP 196 to the exclusion of safe operating practices. It
is unsafe to operate the GPSMAP 196 while driving. Failure by the operator of a vehicle equipped
with a GPSMAP 196 to pay full attention to operating the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion
could result in an accident.
CAUTION: GPS receivers operate by receiving and decoding very low power radio signals
broadcast by satellites. It is possible that in some situations other radio equipment or electronic
equipment used in close proximity to a GPS receiver may create electromagnetic interference (EMI)
which may affect the ability of the GPS receiver to receive and decode the satellite signals. In such
event, the interference may be reduced or eliminated by switching off the source of interference or
moving the GPS receiver away from it.
CAUTION: Use the GPSMAP 196 at your own risk. To
reduce the risk of unsafe operation, carefully review and under-
stand all aspects of this Owner’s Manual—and thoroughly practice
operation using the simulator mode prior to actual use. When in
actual use, carefully compare indications from the GPSMAP 196
to all available navigation sources, including the information from
other NAVAIDs, visual sightings, charts, etc. For safety, always
resolve any discrepancies before continuing navigation.
NOTE: The electronic chart is an aid to navigation and is
designed to facilitate the use of authorized government charts,
not replace them. Only offi cial government charts and notices to
mariners contain all information needed for safe navigation – and,
as always, the user is responsible for their prudent use.
MAP DATA INFORMATION: One of the goals of Garmin
is to provide customers with the most complete and accurate
cartography that is available to us at a reasonable cost. We use a
combination of governmental and private data sources, which we
identify as required in product literature and copyright messages
displayed to the consumer. Virtually all data sources contain inac-
curate or incomplete data to some degree. This is particularly true
outside the United States, where complete and accurate digital
data is either not available or prohibitively expensive.
,
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