Garmin GPS 76CSX Handheld GPS with Barometric Altimeter and Electronic Compass by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin GPS 76CSX Handheld GPS with Barometric Altimeter and Electronic Compass
Digital camera Review: Big boy toy
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this for the husband and it is his new best friend.
It provides all the information he requires to do various types of fishing. He is still learning all it can do but overall it performs well when traveling and fishing. He likes the easy to read directions and the screen viewing is clear. It is accurate so far and that keeps the aggravation down when searching. When he is alone it is an added insurance for safety.
Overall recommendation - buy and enjoy.
Digital camera Review: Biologist recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
I use the Garmin 76CSX for both professional and personal purposes and think it is excellent. I have used the older version (Garmin Map76) for years (2004-2009) and recently updated to this newer version. Antennae reception is incredible; I keep it in my pocket all day and the device rarely misses a point while recording my daily tracks (hikes ranging from 15-25 km/day). The MapSource software is also fairly good, and you can download your tracks and waypoints to google earth without any trouble. I don't geocache so I cannot provide any input in that regard, but I imagine it would be well suited for it.Digital camera Review: Dependable.
Summary: 4 Stars
Good GPS. Had trouble with the registration at GARMIN because there is confusion on what numbers to type in. However, the Amazon representative was extremely helpful in trying to solve the problem. I needed it for my master's thesis. Everyone was helpful!.Digital camera Review: Doesn't follow routes created in MapSource
Summary: 3 Stars
This is my first GPS and I've used it for four months now. I bought this to use on my motorcycle to follow routes created in MapSource. If I had known before purchase that routes created in MapSource don't transfer to the unit I wouldn't have bought it. This unit only receives viapoints/waypoints from routes created in MapSource and then calculates it's own route which usually isn't what I created on my computer.
I've followed a lot of threads written on this subject which have helped a lot. To try to make this unit follow the route created on your computer you should make sure the routing preferences in MapSource and the preferences in your GPS match as close as possible. Create the route using viapoints after every turn you want to make and add viapoints on stretches of road you want to stay on so the unit hopefully won't opt to calculate a different route. This method of creating a route works most of the time. The unit will only allow one to use 50 viapoints or waypoints in a route so sometimes a route may have to be broken into segments.
Despite using the above method there are still some routes that the unit calculates that makes me want to throw or smash this thing. It will take a 29 mile route close to my home that was created in MapSource and turn it into a 49 mile route when calculated on the GPS. It takes another 11 mile route and turns it into an 18 mile route. It does this by adding additional out of the way loops to a route and/or by taking you to a viapoint and then directing you to do a U-turn and then taking another out of the way route to the next viapoint which was only a short distance from the one where it had you do the U-turn.
Why is this such a problem? Well, at the least this is frustrating when taking scenic rides on my bike in the local area because I know it is not taking me where I wanted to go. I've got an upcoming trip where I will probably plan a dozen or so scenic routes on my computer to use once at my destination. Since I'm going to a location I'm not familiar with I'll probably not know if it's going on the route I planned or a very different route that the unit calculated. It seems to me this kind of defeats the purpose of having a GPS.
I've recently contacted Garmin support about this. My main concern was that maybe my unit is defective and needs repair/replacement. So far their support hasn't helped me. The first response I received was quick and seemed helpful. It directed me to update my software and reboot the unit, then if this didn't help I could send in the routes I created and they would try them on a unit of their own to see if they experienced the same problem. When the reboot didn't help I sent in the routes I'm having the problem with. I got a response from a different tech that asked me what mapping product I'm using. I responded and then I received another reply from the same tech again asking me about the mapping software and if I tried using additional viapoints when creating my route. Duh, did they read my original complaint where I said what software I was using and stated that no matter how many viapoints I added it won't come close to following the route I created. After asking them this and what happened to checking the routes I sent they responded they would check the routes and get back to me within a day. I have yet to hear back from them. As far as I'm concerned their support sucks.
Aside from the routing issue the unit works pretty good. It's pretty easy to figure out which is good because their manuals are lacking. I've used it many times in the woods while working and have no complaints. The battery life is great and the screen is pretty easy to read most of the time. It has no problem picking up a signal.
If you're going to use this unit for anything but following a route created in MapSource I think it's great. If you want to create a specific vehicle route in MapSource on your computer and then transfer it to the unit to follow look for a different unit.
Digital camera Review: Everything the occasional boater and frequent driver needs
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the third Garmin GPSMAP 76 product I've owned. I started with the GPS Map 76 with 8MB RAM a few years ago. I found having a GPS was a great convenience but also a lot of fun. You never get lost and with downloaded details like points of interest you can easily find things like a specific restaurant or hotel in a city you've never been to. As an pleasure boater, this GPS has the Navaids preloaded so navigating from point to point on a big river is a breeze. Plus it floats so if you drop it overboard there's no issue.
However 8MB memory is not a lot so I upgraded a couple years later to the 76S to allow for more detailed maps to be loaded. With 24MB RAM there's enough memory to store details for about a 120 mile radius. When I needed to go somewhere new I'd down load that area instead. The 76S met my needs but I still thought a little more memory would be nice.
With the 76CSX you can have as much memory as you can fit into a micro SD card. I've got one with 1GB and have the detailed info for pretty much the entire East Coast and neighboring states downloaded. Adding the color screen is a plus so now Navaids are red and green, not just labeled such. And a great improvement is the autorouting capability where you just plug in your start and end points and it routes you there automatically with turn by turn directions just like on most websites. Get too far off course and it does it over again to get you where you want from where you are at that point. One attribute I really like is the screen colors automatically change when the sun goes down so during the day it's a light screened format and at night it automatically changes to a dark screen format... very cool. Plus - it still floats!
I love this new GPS and it's portability, large memory, preloaded marine Navaids, and autorouting cabilibilities make it a must-have for someone that likes to do a lot of things and where a dashboard mounted device won't work.