Hand held GPS

[Bradders]

Hi All

I`m Looking to get a hand held GPS, the Garmin 76CSx is the one I`m looking at, anyone got one, and can offer an opinion on it, or can anyone offer advice on alternates.

Cheers

Stewart

 

[purplerobbie]

sorry, i missread this post
Think i might be loosing it???
I thought it said he is looking for one?


Rob

 

[joha]

Have always found garmin easy to use and very reliable. still got a 45 bought in 93 still working no problem. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Norman_E]

I have the basic Garmin 76. Brilliant piece of kit.

I am not convinced that the extra cost is worth it for the colour version with chartplotter abilities , given that the screen size, whilst excellent for the basic model's functions, is very small compared to even the smallest dedicated plotters.

 

[benjenbav]

I've had a Garmin Map76 for about six years now. I think it's extremely good. Mine's the one with a monochrome screen and I would need convincing that a colour screen on a unit of this size was worth having.

 

[Steve_R]

All can say having tried both Garmin and Magellan that I am most definitely a Garmin Man.
More intuitive to use and better service when I'd broken it!

 

[Gwylan]

I've had a 72 since 2003. Best bit of kit I've got - been around the world. Always reliable and unbeatable with the simplest aerial. Never go on any boat without it. Easy to use, big screen, big visible numbers, robust, great to have. Great with external 12v supply

 

[i_sail]

i have abused my garmin 176c over the years and its still working great. good bit of kit. bought it in about 2000 when that model first came out (i think). highly recommended!

 

[whipper_snapper]

I have had the Garmin 76CSx for 18 months approx and used it in anger at sea and on land.

I am happy with it. I would consider the colour screen important but it depends what you are using if for. I bought it as an 'if all else fails backup plotter' , but ended up using it in the cockpit quite a lot to keep an eye on things.

On land it works well, you can download an increasingly rich set of maps for Africa and they make cross country trips a lot simpler.

I confess I have never used the built-in compass or altimeter/barometer. The compass is actually a bit irritating as the device tries to be clever and switch between compass and track when displaying course depending on speed. This is easy to change in the setup but baffled me at first.

Note that the USB connection does not come with drivers for it to be seen as a serial device (may have changed in later versions). This may or may not cause problems for you. There are ways round it and there is a conventional serial signal from the power plug.

 

[Pasarell]

I'm going to break ranks on the Garmin support. I looked at both Garmin and Magellan 2 years ago and opted for the Magellan Explorist XL. Bigger screen, colour and comes with a huge range of charts - at a higher price of course.
I found the Magellan far more intuitive to use and with the screen is a genuine mini chart plotter.
Simple interface with the PC to download waypoints and store data.
On the downside Magellan policy towards marine market is hard to fathom!

 

[geoid96]

I would also recommend the 76CSx. I think the 20 extra quid for the compass and barometer compared to the Cx are worth it. The compass at least provides heading when stationary or speed is too slow for GPS heading to be reliable.

The colour screen has good daylight visibility and is especially useful with background maps. For basic graphics and text display the monochrome 76 is probably fine however there are also several other features missing compared to the colour versions. The most important of these are probably serial not usb connection and no SD card slot....but it is half the price.

In the US there is a new model available, the Garmin Colorado 400c. I don't know when it will be available in UK, however it has a higher resolution screen and will accept BlueChart.

 

[jay]

I have the 76Cx. Nice bit of kit - screen of course is small and less than useless for route planning but it is great when your actually underway. I particularly like the battery life - compared to PDA type devices which i used before this is superb. As is the software that comes with the charts so you can do your routes/waypoints on the laptop and then upload to the GPS. Even if you dont invest in the charts its good as a plain old GPS and the base map at least gives you an rough idea where you are.

 

[whipper_snapper]

[ QUOTE ]
however it has a higher resolution screen and will accept BlueChart.

[/ QUOTE ]

I use Garmin Bluecharts on my old(ish) 76CSx

 

[geoid96]

[ QUOTE ]
I use Garmin Bluecharts on my old(ish) 76CSx

[/ QUOTE ] I didn't word that too well. What I was trying to say was that the higher resolution would make the Bluechart support far more useful. I have used the CSx with topo maps (not charts) and found the lack of pixels a bit limiting.

 

[georgeo]

Due to the regular, well tried and trusted navigator on the sigma I race on being called away for other duties during Cowes week, muggins here has been delegated these duties! The idea of sending our race tuned and honed crew off to the wrong mark, and the ensuing reaction of our normally totally balanced skipper fills me with some trepidation! hence me following this thread. The sigma has a Garmin 176 I believe, i was contemplating acquiring a hand held GPS to have on me at all times, preferably one that will communicate with the fixed station. What would be even better if they could also swap routes etc in the 10 mins we get between receiving the course, and the off. Any views?

 

[Bradders]

Many thanks for all your thoughts and advice, I think it will be the 76CSx I opt for as this one has constant good reviews, however I will take a look at the colorado 300 as this is the one available in the UK at the moment, the 400 version is for the States only, according to the chap at Garmin when I spoke with him this morning, Rosbif, not sure if this helps but according to the spec these can transfer data, between similar GPS systems.

Cheers

Stewart

 

[Troutbridge]

Better make it a water-proof hand-held. If you get it wrong you'll be swimming for it! Alternatively follow everybody else /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Seriously (well....) try a sharp pencil, tide-tables and a decent scale chart. Oh, very important this, don't forget to look out periodically. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[geoid96]

Both the 76CSx and Colorado are waterproof, However the CSx floats and the Colorado sinks !!

From the specifications, other than the various 400 models coming preloaded with charts or topo maps, it is not clear what the difference is between the 300 and 400.

 

[Bradders]

400 has maps of the US, at least thats what I was told today by Garmin, other than that no difference,

 

[oceanfroggie]

I have the Gps76, GpsMap76 (mono) with bluecharts, and the GpsMap76Cx with bluecharts. All excellent kit. The 76Cx colour screen is a huge improvement on the mono screen of the 76. If you want to spend just a little more the 276C has a fantastic 4" screen and portable if not a handheld. I've used both in anger off the coast of Ireland.