HeloJunkie Posted February 17, 2009 Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 Hey Everyone - The 696 mount that I had made for my R44 has been completed and works great. I have posted all of the pictures of the mount both before and after installation) on m Flickr account (link below). I cannot say enough good things about the 696 and how well the layout works for me specifically. The 696 itself is a fantastic unit and where I have it placed works great for me with the panel that I have in my R44. It mounts to the PSC bar normally used for the Garmin 530 in the R44. The person that designed and created the mount is Doug Hughbanks with Pabas Radio (jet-@cox.net) (760) 443-2424. I have had a lot of requests for his contact info about this mount and he said if there is enough interest he could get a mold made for it. If you have any questions about the 696 let me know. I have only about 10 hours behind it now but will be happy to answer any questions that I can! Garmin 696 Mount Pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 ok, so i have to ask this... at 2200 hrs or 12 yrs. you have to send this thing back to Robinson, there is alot of time/money that has went into that thing that is going to have to be pulled out, then totally re-installed. or will Robinson do your overhaul with all that extra stuff on the helicopter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 ok, so i have to ask this... at 2200 hrs or 12 yrs. you have to send this thing back to Robinson, there is alot of time/money that has went into that thing that is going to have to be pulled out, then totally re-installed. or will Robinson do your overhaul with all that extra stuff on the helicopter? Plenty of good overhaul shops out there besides Frank's. Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloJunkie Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 ok, so i have to ask this... at 2200 hrs or 12 yrs. you have to send this thing back to Robinson, there is alot of time/money that has went into that thing that is going to have to be pulled out, then totally re-installed. or will Robinson do your overhaul with all that extra stuff on the helicopter? Clay - Ah yes...I actually had this very conversation with Frank Robinson himself when I was up at the factory and the bottom line is that their method of overhaul does not fit well with all of my add ons. In the end, I would most likely have Civic Helicopters in Carlsbad overhaul it. My intent is to transition into an R66, so I am not really sure how long I will have 42G. That all depends on when it becomes available since I think I would wait a year or two for them to work out all of the bugs and ADs before getting into one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerock Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 So do u know about the R66 hover demo Tuesday night at TOA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloJunkie Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 So do u know about the R66 hover demo Tuesday night at TOA? I heard about it but did not get to see it. I have, however, gotten video which I posted on YouTube of it hovering, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerock Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 yeah, I saw that a long time ago. I meant it's this Tuesday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choppedair Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Richard,Now that you have had this for a while, are you still happy with the 696 mount? Would you do it differently if you had to do it again?My boss showed up today with a new 696 to put in the 44 and I'm trying to figure out where to put it. I may call Doug and see what he charges to make another mount...Thanks,Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloJunkie Posted March 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Richard,Now that you have had this for a while, are you still happy with the 696 mount? Would you do it differently if you had to do it again?My boss showed up today with a new 696 to put in the 44 and I'm trying to figure out where to put it. I may call Doug and see what he charges to make another mount...Thanks,Brian Brian - I absolutely LOVE the 696 and the mount. For the size of the 696, its in a perfect location for me, does not block any visibility out the front or down towards the ground for landing and hovering operations. If I had to do it over again, I would pick the exact same place and mount. I worked with Doug on several mockups for location, positioning, tilt, etc until I had it exactly where I thought it would work best. Not sure where you are located but if you are close to San Diego, you are welcome to stop by and take a look at it in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choppedair Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 I appreciate the offer, but I'm on the other side of the country I'm going to have my local shop order up one of the horizontal support bars for the helicopter asap, and see how the yoke mount works for now. I have a feeling it's going to vibrate a lot but my boss wants his new toy in there for now until I get a better solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerock Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 (edited) there's no doubt that it's a great toy. I've had one for a few months and love it. a few friends have picked it up since and love it. there's a great lap-mount too and it's comfortable to use. Edited March 20, 2009 by deerock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloJunkie Posted March 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 I appreciate the offer, but I'm on the other side of the country I'm going to have my local shop order up one of the horizontal support bars for the helicopter asap, and see how the yoke mount works for now. I have a feeling it's going to vibrate a lot but my boss wants his new toy in there for now until I get a better solution. Ah - yea, long way to go to see it in person!! I can tell you that when I first got the 696, I used the RAM mount that came with it and attached it to the head's up bar. It was horrible. The vibration transmitted through the arm made it very difficult to use easily. However, I will tell you that I had it all the way out since I had it next to an MX20 I had installed in the R44 at the time. Hopefully your luck will be better! I will shoot you a copy of the 337 via your email! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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