Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx Handheld GPS by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $189.99 You Save: $346.00 (65%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: GPS or Navigation System See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx Handheld GPS
Digital camera Review: Garmin GPS 76Cx from Amazon
Summary: 5 Stars
Love this GPS. It allows you to upload free USGS maps from the internet if you are so inclined. I haven't tried it to see if it floats!! I will be buying Lake depth maps for this unit as well. A larger sceen would be nice, but then you have that to carry around. I got the best price through Amazon.Digital camera Review: Good choice for me
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the 76CSX from Amazon in July 2007. Since then I have used it on the boat (I am on the water here in Kachemak Bay-Cook Inlet Alaska almost every weekend from late April through September), while flying in small aircraft throughout Alaska, and while driving both in Alaska and the "Lower 48."
The unit does not come with detailed maps; those have to be purchased. I purchased Bluechart Americas v9, Topo US- 2008, and City Navigator - North America. These were all purchased on CD/DVD media. My unit came with a 128mbt micro-SD chip in it. I replaced that with a 2 gig chip. Changing out the SD chip is very easy.
Like anything new, it takes a while to get to know how to use it. The online Garmin Knowledgebase for this model was very helpful to me. Customer support, when I had questions, was better than average via email and when talking to a "live" person.
Once purchased, folks should set up their "MyGarmin" account .... makes it much easier to download software updates for the unit and also update map products that they have purchased.
The unit has an excellent GPS receiver. It locks on to satellites and hangs onto them in the house, in the cabin of the boat, in small aircraft and in the car without any external antenna connected. I might also mention that I have carried this unit inside of a daypack while riding snowmobiles and it has not dropped the satellites. Battery life is about 15 hours and when they go dead, you can change them out without losing your real time nav data.
I also purchased the 12-volt power outlet cord and a RAM windshield mount.
Garmin Mapsource, included with the unit, has been a valuable tool that I use frequently to download travel routes/tracks from the GPS to the PC. There it can be saved, emailed and printed as a PDF and also layered over Google Earth.
One thing that I have found is that it is best to download the track from the GPS to the PC before "saving" it on the GPS. The data will then show a very detailed track with speed, elevation, lat/lon position, direction and bearing for every point shown on the track. If the track is saved on the GPS before it is downloaded, the resulting track will not be as detailed, as the Saved Track mode on the GPS strips out 5 of every 6 points saved. This is common with many other Garmin units too.
When navigating in the car to a specific address, it does reroute you if you miss a turn. We have found the City Navigator maps to be quite useful not only for the map data, but also because you can easily find locations and a text listing of names, addresses and phone numbers for thousands of hotels, motels, gas stations, shopping centers, restaraunts, and points of interes. It is almost like haveing a phone book with you. This feature makes finding a place to stay or eat very easy when making those long road trips in the Lower 48. This data is only as current as the date you purchased the maps and may not be as easily updated as auto-specific GPS units.
The screen is what you would expect in a hand-held multi function GPS. If you are looking for GPS for your auto that has maps preloaded so it is ready for a road trip upon its arrivel, this is probably not your best choice. If you need a single portable GPS unit that can serve in many environments: marine, hiking and auto road trips, this is a good choice provided you also buy the maps you will need and take the time to learn how to use it. GPS Photo-link also works well with this unit.
Digital camera Review: Good little GPS handheld
Summary: 4 Stars
The 76cx is a great little GPS. I can't believe how well it stays locked on even when in the car below the dash panel. I use it between boat and car and did understand before purchasing that two software packages were needed before it would guide me either street by street or navigate the waterways.
The screen is quite small, but readable. The rubber cover that goes over the USB port on the back came off. It is held in place with a tiny phillips head screw. When I took out the screw to reattach the cover, it fell on the floor and was impossible to find again. That is my only complaint so far.
Digital camera Review: Great Fishing Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
This unit was an upgrade from my old Garmin 72. Bought at a great price from Amazon. It picks up signals much better than the 72, even indoors. Purchased this unit for the mapping capability and I was well aware the sd chips need to be purchased seperatly. I have used the unit with the 2009 Lakemaster chip for Wisconsin lakes and have been very pleased. I fish a flowage with alot of dangers that lie beneath. This would be a must for someone never on that body of water. Much cheaper than a new outboard lower unit.Digital camera Review: Great GPS!
Summary: 5 Stars
I use this GPS for search and rescue. It is rugged, full of features and easy to use. It will run for a full day on one set of AA batteries. The only complaint I have is with the rocker switch, sometimes it doesn't do what I think I'm asking it to do. I have downloaded second party maps onto a 2G sd card. The maps are 100% better than garmin's and were free too!