Garmin 76s review

Here I put together some snippets of reviews and comments that users of garmin 76s have made. I hope this will help you make an informed decision when you consider buying it.

Gives some insight on usage

"Very nice unit. I bought it for use in a snowcat and it has worked great for over a year, even being subject to constant shock and vibration, and extreme temperatures. I use an external antenna and the unit locks very quickly to the satellites but it works fine with the internal antenna, too.

The screen is a little hard to read when you load topo maps into it, mostly because it's monochrome and there can be a lot of lines and data on the screen at once.

I wouldn't use it for high-speed navigation (ie: in a car), but for walking, hiking, or even snowmobiling it is perfect. The trip computer and Tracks are a must-have for those who venture off the beaten path.

All in all, I'd recommend this unit for it's price and features."

"I purchased this product primarily for use in my work. I wanted a unit with an electronic compass, altimeter capabilities, and the ability to measure area. After much research, I found that the 76S provides all of those capabilities at a very reasonable cost. Although other units have more bells and whistles, such as color display and memory cards, they are much more expensive. The 76S provides excellent capabilities for my uses at a mid-range cost. The user manual could be somewhat more user-friendly, but this is a minor problem, since the unit is fairly intuitive to use."

Comparison with other similar products

"My husband and I own several Garmin GPS units (Forerunner 201, GPSMap 76S) and Rino handheld radio+GPS units. For hiking, we prefer the Garmin GPSMap 76S -- waterproof, topographic mapping capability, good tree cover reception (if held/positioned horizontally), and great for downloading GPS tracks to the computer for trip reporting and future trip planning. The unit's built-in electronic compass is handy and easily calibrated by a couple slow turns in a circle until the unit indicates it's set. The built-in sensor allows the altimeter to be more accurate, adjusting for changes in barometric pressure."

Feedback from people who used it abroad

"I live in Israel. I ordered the unit from Amazon with some fear that it may not work properly here. However the unit is great and it works excellent. You can set up the unit to view your position in Israeli coordinates -new or old. Just look on the internet for the Israel Datum, and enter the data in the Datum screens. The car power-cable is a must, and so is the dispenser. It does not work in house, but I get a good reception in the car (without an antenna). Although this is my first GPS I can tell it is a very good one with many options. When you on the move (for example you drive from one town to another)it draws a line in the map screen, showing your trails. Then when you drive back, it draws parallel lines keeping a clearance between the lanes and showing points of intersections. The unit does not come with any map for Israel. I do not recommend to buy the MapSource as it is not accurate. I give it 4 stars just because I never rate anything as 100%..."

"I work as an archaeologist outside the united states, where WAAS technology and most of the hi-res map CD's don't apply. Even so, right out of the box, this GPS unit filled nearly all of my needs.
The antenna/receiver was clearly more than adequate. Accuracy was within 3 to 7 meters (enough to plot the locations of relatively small archaeological features, or generally map the outlines of larger features such as major structures), even under dense tree cover and without WAAS. [Use of this unit in the United States should be even more accurate than this, due to WAAS coverage]. I was occasionally surprised when it would temporarily loose satellite reception when my shirt-tails covered the unit (which I stored on my belt with an optional neoprene case w/belt clip). But the audible alarm would alert me to this, and reception was always restored within seconds after I tucked in my shirt.

Searching for archaeological sites in areas without trails, I relied upon the GPS unit to bring me back to my vehicle at the end of the day. The mapping screen was simply amazing in this respect: large, hi-res, easy to read in bright or dark conditions, the ability to "overzoom" to sub-meter scales (great if you are only five steps off your trail but can't find it in all the thorns), and with the built-in electronic compass you are always pointing in the right direction.

Some have complained about the positioning of the buttons, and I was skeptical myself. But after an entire season of use, I've found that it is actually more ergonomic than previous units I've owned. By placing the buttons on top, you grab the entire GPS unit in you palm, rather than precariously grabbing just the bottom.

The instruction manuals are almost worthless, which is fine since the keys and menus of the unit itself are so intuitive that most users will be able to setup and use the 76-S within minutes of unpacking it, with or without the manuals."

You can click here, if you want to read more reviews.