GPSMAP 78

MJWB

MJWB

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Has any one advice about this model of handheld GPS for use in a marine context please?
Worthwhile?
Ease of use?
Battery life and best type?
All info greatfully received please. Rather in the dark on handhelds.
 
I used its predecessor, the GPSMAP 76 for several years for dinghy sailing and still have it in the boat as an emergency spare. Can't fault it really, works every time, is waterproof (have used for speed measurements while windsurfing) and easy to interface to with the RS232 lead. I would have thought Garmin are one of the more reliable brands
 
SimonKNZ said:
I used its predecessor, the GPSMAP 76 for several years ....... and still have it in the boat as an emergency spare. ......
Click to expand...


Me too. Excellent menu system means you can configure the screens just how you want them. On a simple, smaller boat you can run the handheld from 12v and it can act as a sort of repeater giving you speed, distance to go or about 10 other parameters - whilst the plotter screen is left uncluttered.
I found the track function very good, find your way into a difficult anchorage and know you can get out easily.

With the built in world map, I used it as a simple plotter before the real thing became available. The crude, blocky coastline was no problem, all you needed to do was put in a few marks and tricky pilotage became much simpler.
 
SimonKNZ said:
I used its predecessor, the GPSMAP 76 for several years for dinghy sailing and still have it in the boat as an emergency spare. Can't fault it really, works every time, is waterproof (have used for speed measurements while windsurfing) and easy to interface to with the RS232 lead. I would have thought Garmin are one of the more reliable brands
Click to expand...
Many thanks.
 
doug748 said:
Me too. Excellent menu system means you can configure the screens just how you want them. On a simple, smaller boat you can run the handheld from 12v and it can act as a sort of repeater giving you speed, distance to go or about 10 other parameters - whilst the plotter screen is left uncluttered.
I found the track function very good, find your way into a difficult anchorage and know you can get out easily.

With the built in world map, I used it as a simple plotter before the real thing became available. The crude, blocky coastline was no problem, all you needed to do was put in a few marks and tricky pilotage became much simpler.
Click to expand...
Many thanks
 
I have been very pleased with my unit for dinghy cruising, its waterproofing having been tested on a couple of occasions. With a chart card installed, it works like a miniature plotter. Lithium AA batteries increase length of time between battery changes, and there are several power-saving settings that can be employed. The screen can be made much brighter than a phone, and can be dimmed at night. Screens can be customised to display a selection of parameters such as course to next waypoint, speed over ground, distance off course, course made good, et cetera. An audible alert can sound when entering an area of preset radius around a danger point, entering shoal water, or dragging anchor outside a set radius of swing. The only drawback I have found is that creating and entering waypoints other than your current location is a bother. I mark mine on a paper chart, read off lat. and long., and enter those into the Garmin. I suspect there is an easier way, but I have not figured it out, and the manual is silent on that question.
 
If you have a data lead for your GPS, you can probably upload and download lists of waypoints.
It's how we used to navigate about 20 years ago.
The waypoints can probably be stored on a PC as a .csv spreadsheet file.

I still use an old Magellan handheld GPS sometimes, for example setting up courses for dinghy racing.
We normally hoon about in the RIB pinging the buoys rather than editing waypoints numerically...
 
MADRIGAL said:
I have been very pleased with my unit for dinghy cruising, its waterproofing having been tested on a couple of occasions. With a chart card installed, it works like a miniature plotter. Lithium AA batteries increase length of time between battery changes, and there are several power-saving settings that can be employed. The screen can be made much brighter than a phone, and can be dimmed at night. Screens can be customised to display a selection of parameters such as course to next waypoint, speed over ground, distance off course, course made good, et cetera. An audible alert can sound when entering an area of preset radius around a danger point, entering shoal water, or dragging anchor outside a set radius of swing. The only drawback I have found is that creating and entering waypoints other than your current location is a bother. I mark mine on a paper chart, read off lat. and long., and enter those into the Garmin. I suspect there is an easier way, but I have not figured it out, and the manual is silent on that question.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that
 
MJWB said:
Has any one advice about this model of handheld GPS for use in a marine context please?
Worthwhile?
Ease of use?
Battery life and best type?
All info greatfully received please. Rather in the dark on handhelds.
Click to expand...
Thank you all for your replies. Just pondering whether to stick witj a smart phone or buy a seperate hand held.
 
lw395 said:
If you have a data lead for your GPS, you can probably upload and download lists of waypoints.
It's how we used to navigate about 20 years ago.
The waypoints can probably be stored on a PC as a .csv spreadsheet file.

I still use an old Magellan handheld GPS sometimes, for example setting up courses for dinghy racing.
We normally hoon about in the RIB pinging the buoys rather than editing waypoints numerically...
Click to expand...
I still have 2 or 3 GP72s, even earlier than the 76 and others. GPSU, a utility running on Windows, was very useful for up loading waypoints created in other places, exported from openCPN or downloaded from the ISC website for lists of Solent racing marks. The combination of OpenCPN and a GP72 served me well until fairly recently when I finally succumbed to a smart phone. Actually the ability to download a list of waypoints named as used eg Solent racing, is still useful on the few days I now need it. No idea how to do that on the smartphone :)
 
Not sure where you are based, but in the UK when I bought mine a few years ago no map is supplied with the unit. The maps are not cheap. I think in the US they come complete with a map.
Worth checking as it can work out quite an expensive deal compared to the Garmin Echomap series which come complete with preloaded bluechart marine maps.
Otherwise a good unit in my experience.
 
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coveman said:
Not sure where you are based, but in the UK when I bought mine a few years ago no map is supplied with the unit. The maps are not cheap. I think in the US they come complete with a map.
Worth checking as it can work out quite an expensive deal compared to the Garmin Echomap series which come complete with preloaded bluechart marine maps.
Otherwise a good unit in my experience.
Click to expand...


Yes, I think loading a chart into the Map 76 wipes out the built in "World Map", I would not recommend that. Don't know if it is the same on the Map 78
 
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