Garmin GPS 76CSX Handheld GPS with Barometric Altimeter and Electronic Compass
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin GPS 76CSX Handheld GPS with Barometric Altimeter and Electronic Compass
Customer Review: The Next Generation...
Summary: 5 Stars
Do not let the suggestion that this device is intended for marine use deter you from considering it for highway and recreational use on land. In fact, the waterproof and floating qualities of this device simply enhance its already impressive capabitities for hikers, bikers and motorized recreationists. It uses all varieties of MapSource software, providing the ability to use highway, topographic and marine maps.
The removable memory allows the user to increase memory or to create memory cards with chosen mapsets preloaded. I installed a 2 GB card and have every available MapSource map east of the Mississippi loaded, including parts of the Canada, Mexican isthmus, and Carribean World Maps! No longer do I have to sit and select maps corresponding to my next trip, load them to the device. Nor do I have to load map segments on my long trips during my trip (which required I bring my PC). It's in there! It's nearly as good as the DVD method found on today's built in vehicle systems in terms of map storage.
It's far better than vehicle systems in terms of features, portability, flexibility, and so on. There are no in-motion restrictions; all data can be uploaded and download with a computer; if the road is on a map, this GPS will take you there - no "road not verified mumbo-jumbo).
This marks the third Garmin GPS I have purchased. It has several capabilities that take it beyond the GPS V that I own, and puts the GPS12 (though a very fine device for it's time) to shame. This unit has expandable memory, double the storage for waypoints, and over three times the track log memory. Tracks uploaded can be twice as large as the GPS V and three times as many total points.
The satellite reception is astonishing - it often receives enough satellites to give me coverage even sitting at my desk in my home office!
The addition of electronic compass and altimeter improve the usability and accuracy of an already impressive device. You will not regret owning one! If you already have a lesser Garmin mapping GPSr, take a look at this!
Customer 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.
Customer Review: Very satisfied.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a happy owner of a Garmin E-Map for a number of years before it finally went to "swim with the fishes," when I was fly fishing. So I had to replace it. The 76CSx is a major step forward and should satisfy anyone who is accustomed to using handheld GPS devices. The screen is bright and legible; a minor disadvantage is that when displaying data fields on the map page, they seem larger than necessary, using up space that would otherwise be available for a larger map; however, the fact that they are user-customizable is a big improvement. If turn-by-turn directions are important to you, you will need the add-on mapping products; however, I ignore turn-by-turn directions at least as often as I use them, so the directions approximated on the base map provide a better indication of travel time, etc., than the straight-line direction supported by the E-map--just use your brain when it tries to direct you across a field. In addition, waypoints stored on my PC and my old MapSource CDs (both 3.00 from 1999!) loaded very seamlessly on the GPSMap 76CSx, which was a pleasant surprise (again, not supporting turn-by-turn directions, but providing good, if dated, base map detail). Overall, this unit offers good performance and a much higher degree of customizability than the navigation systems built into cars; there are, of course, trade-offs, like a smaller screen and a less intuitive interface. But regular users will quickly find its strengths and adjust to its limitations. I highly recommend this unit to any relatively serious user of hand-held GPS for driving, boating, our outodoor recreation.Customer Review: Am Impressed
Summary: 5 Stars
I was sailing on the Canadian Westcoast (Vancouver - Gulf Islands, Sunshine coast) and bought a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx plus the Bluechart for the area.
I was slightly aprehensive before the purchase about the screen size and level of detail on the maps, but after a little getting used to, I was really VERY impressed.
Having been used to large paper charts (expensive) this is a great deal.
You can plan before a rough course, and have a good "large scale view) and easily zoom down to great detail, and be certain as to where you are, down to a few meters. The rocks and shallow areas are clearly marked, dropping anchor is make easy in places one have never been to before.
It's really cost effective as the paper charts to cover the area would have been easily the double the cost, and finally the ease of use makes the old charts nearly obsolete.
I still would keep some trace on paper in theory, but by the end of the 2-3 weeks sailing, I was quite happy with just the hand held GPS as sole mapping and positioning. So maybe a 2nd GPS as a back up would be wise !!
I also have the city navigator USA, and it works well in a car, complete with warnings as to the next turning etc.
The only bit I am unhappy with Garmin, is that you cant transfer the software from one GPS to another, so if you loose the GPS, tough, you loose all the software as well. Unfair in my view.
Customer Review: Excellent Feature Rich GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been using my unit since April 2006. I bought it primarily for assistance while boating, so I could find my way back to the launch site. I like the fact that it is waterproof. Later, I purchased the chip for the Northeast Coastal waters including the Penobscot & Kennebec Rivers. It is accurate, reliable and very easy to use. It shows all the navigational bouys and hazards. We like to drop anchor and read, listen to some soft music and play Scrabble, and not have to worry about drifting. I just set the drift alarm at 10-20 feet and it notifies me if the anchor is not holding. On one trip to Moosehead Lake, it was quite windy and rough. My wife's cap blew off and before I could stop we had travelled several feet. I don't think we would have located her cap if I didn't have the bread crumbs to follow on my Garmin! We traced back and spotted it right away.
I also purchased the city navigator software for my laptop and transfer major areas (several states) to a blank chip that I swap out. I use it a lot when driving in my pick-up truck and it works just fine. I suppose I'd like to have a newer unit some day, for just driving, but this one will do for now.
And, I got the lakes chip that has the hazards for Moosehead Lake. The depths are shown for Sebago Lake and some of the more populated lakes, which is very useful.