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Garmin GPSMAP 76 Waterproof Handheld GPS Review

Garmin GPSMAP 76 Waterproof Handheld GPS Feature

Marine-friendly handheld GPS with 8MB Memory floats in water and is IPX7 waterproof
Basemap of principle cities, interstates, highways, roads, and marine navigation aids
WAAS enabled Global positioning system (GPS) receiver continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites
8 MB memory for downloading data from optional Garmin MapSource CD-ROMs
Trip computer with current/average speed, timer, and trip distance

Garmin GPSMAP 76 Waterproof Handheld GPS Overview

The key to success in life is knowing where you are, where you've been, and where you're going. Garmin's full-featured GPSMAP 76 puts all of that information in the palm of your hand, mapping your movements off-road or on--and even afloat. Plus, its extensive features, PC connectivity, and extensive add-on map options make it powerful enough for practically any need.

About the size of a small paperback book and weighing less than 8 ounces, the GPSMAP 76 fits comfortable in the palm of your hand, but is a bit big to carry in a shirt pocket. Using the unit requires almost no setup. Just put in two AA batteries, turn it on, go outside, and wait. In about a minute or so it will determine your location. It's accurate to about three meters, thanks to the unit's support of WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System), which augments GPS signals for even greater accuracy.

Knowing your longitude, latitude, and altitude doesn't mean much without a little context. That's where GPSMAP 76's backlit LCD display comes in, displaying your location on detailed maps. The unit comes with a built-in basemap that includes major roads, railroads, rivers, and lakes for the U.S. and Canada, as well as a high-level worldwide map. The unit also has 8 MB memory for storing maps from optional CD-ROMS; available maps include topographical maps, BlueChart marine cartography maps, as well as city maps with detailed information on city streets and points of interest.

The eight buttons, directional rocker thumbpad, and menu-based interface made it simple to access all of the unit's features and customize the display. For instance, it's a simple matter to use the buttons to set and name waypoints and build planned routes. Extra features include information on tides, sunrise and sunset, and a trip computer for seeing how far you've traveled and your average speed.

To test the GPSMAP 76, we used the included serial cable, connected it to our PC, and loaded it up with topographical maps using the optional United States topographical map disc. We then hit the road and headed for Muir Beach north of San Francisco. It tracked our progress along Highway 1, and once we reached our destination, we found it very simple to use. It showed both the elevation of the hills as well as the paths we could take. The zoom-in and zoom-out function made it simple to plan out and automatically measure the distance of our intended route.

After walking for a while and enjoying the scenery, we used the TracBack mode to guide us back to our car. The unit automatically stores waypoints as you walk along, letting you display the way home clearly on the map. We even used the TracBack capability to guide us on the roads back to the freeway.

The GPSMAP 76 comes in handy almost anywhere, whether you're hiking, driving, boating, or wandering around a city as a tourist. Its easy-to-use interface makes it immediately useful to novices, and as you learn to exploit its programmability and features, it can become an extremely powerful navigation tool. --Ken Feinstein

Pros:

Large backlit LCD
WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) support
Automatic TracBack shows you the way back to your start location
PC connectivity with wide variety of uploadable maps available

Cons:

8 MB built-in memory can't be expanded
Too large to fit comfortably in a shirt pocket

Garmin GPSMAP 76 Waterproof Handheld GPS Specifications

The GPSMAP 76 adds an Americas basemap and 8 megabytes (MB) of map storage space to the other outstanding features of the mariner-friendly 76-series navigators.

Preloaded with a basemap of principle cities, interstates, highways, roads, and marine navigation aids.

Whether on water or land, the GPSMAP 76 can save up to 1000 of your favorite places in memory and takes you directly to your destination.

Rugged Handheld Navigation for Your Land and Sea Adventures

Ultra-Portable

About the size of a small, flat calculator, the Garmin GPSMAP 76 is a 12-parallel-channel, WAAS-enabled global positioning system GPS receiver that will go anywhere. Even with its compact style, this GPS unit boasts an extra-large display for showing more map data and the same power you've come to expect from Garmin handhelds--even while operating for up to 16 hours on two AA batteries.

Use on Land or Water

Don't worry about losing this GPS device in the drink. The GPSMAP 76 floats in water, and it's IPX7 waterproof to withstand the accidental dunk or splash in the lake. Whether on water or land, the GPSMAP 76 can save up to 1000 of your favorite places in memory and takes you directly to your destination.

The GPSMAP 76 features 500 waypoints (10 nearest, 10 proximity), 50 reversible routes with up to 50 points each, an automatic track log, and alarms for anchor drag, approach and arrival, off course, proximity waypoint, shallow water, and deep water.

Store More Data

The GPSMAP 76 is preloaded with a basemap of principle cities, interstates (including exits), highways and roads as well as marine navigation aids, including lights, buoys, sound signals and day beacons. It also has 8 MB of internal memory, so you can load detailed maps from a variety of optional MapSource products. If you're into boating, hunting or fishing, you can use the 76's built-in celestial data, which includes tide information, sunrise/sunset times and a hunting and fishing calendar.

Easy to Use

What's in the Box

GPSMAP 76, Basemap, Marine Point Database, Serial PC Interface Cable, Wrist Strap, Owner's Manual, Quick Start Guide

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Customer Reviews

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jun 02, 2011 09:05:16

Thursday, June 2, 2011