GPSmap 76....charts..???

paulburton44

paulburton44

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29 Jul 2004
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681
Location
Sleaford
www.withamsailingclub.co.uk
My wife bought me a Garmin gpsmap 76 for christmas....

I now need to put some charts on it....!!!

I have a laptop....a data wire.... and the 2 do connect to each other...

I also have Maptech offshore navigator that I use on my laptop with the charts I need...
I can use the 76 with the maptech to give position, transfer routes etc.

Can I get these charts onto the gpsmap76 ???

Is there anywhere else I can get ( free or cheap) charts...

I have seen bluecharts on cd on ebay !!!!! but not that cheap.

Thanks Paul...
 
The only charts you can use with the GPSMAP 76 are the Garmin BlueChart CD. Only other option is to create your own using GpsMapper and MapEdit, and then download using the Garmin Trip and Waypoint manager, but do you really want to spend approx 500hrs producing your own charts? You could connect the 76 to a Laptop and just use it to generate long/lat in NMEA mode, and instead use one of the budget PC charting programs, but laptops and sea going boats don't really mix unless your on a barge, river boat, or a super yacht.
 
I have found the 76 to be great for waypoints and routes but a bit to small screen to be of any practical use for charts.

I use the laptop as chartplotter with Garmin Bluechart and upload points and routes to 76 for use at the helm, works for me
 
Agree. If you are navigating waypoints, seeing a chart on screen is a nice luxury but not neccessary for navigation. Used the GPSMAP76 for a few years that way fine (ie no electronic chart). Now spoilt with BlueCharts and C-MAP.
 
I use the built in "world map" which is quite adequate for most navigation into pilotage waters. I then rely on paper charts, which we are told to have anyway.
If you load a Bluechart it will overwrite the map which will then be lost.
The Map 76 is and excellent piece of kit but is probably a bit long in the tooth now.
A couple of seasons ago I bought a cheap, secondhand, black and white plotter, complete with charts, it is great for a quick check that I am not going to bump into anything; I still navigate with the 76 in the cockpit though.
 
By world map you meen a general coastal outline? Is it the sort of scale for route planing?

Im only up to the Garmin 72 which is still quite new but ive been told so many times i should have bought the 76 i may well do but why?!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have found the 76 to be great for waypoints and routes but a bit to small screen to be of any practical use for charts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I can't agree with this. I have had a 76 for 18 months now and use it regularly with Bluechart for boat use and with City Select for car navigation and yes, the screen is small, especially when compared with a larger chartplotter (I also have a 178C which has a %" screen), but is is perfectly usable and I would have no worries about using as my main chartplotter especially as you will have paper charts as well - won't you!!!

The 76 is a great device and great value for money IMO.
 
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