Customer Reviews

Garmin Colorado 400c Portable GPS System with Preloaded Coastal Waters Maps

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Second update: I've tried once again to get my Garmin functional. I've been unable to use this GPS on both a charter trip in the Caribbean and for a delivery from St Thomas to Mystic Connecticut. I've been unable to receive technical support on this item. Calling Garmin is a maze of voicemail prompts. Then when you do reach someone, you are passed around like a cheap whore and no one can help. The last person I spoke to would not stop talking and listen to my problem. Finally I asked to be passed back to the second person I spoke to, but put in a que with a 30 minute wait time. I called back and asked for the corporate office at 913-397-8200 and when I chose 0 for operator, one of the options, my call was disconnected. Clearly Garmin does not want to talk to anyone. I rate their customer support below ZERO. They treat you horribly. WOULD I PURCHASE THIS AGAIN? NO AVOID AVOID AVOID

UPDATE: I USED GARMIN'S FIRMWARE UPDATE UTILITY AND LOST THE SMALL SCALE (small scale=small detail) CHARTS FOR THE CARIBBEAN, WORLD, AND ALL COASTAL AREAS. ALL US CHARTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THIS UNIT. ZOOMING IN WILL RESTORE THE CHARTS, BUT IT ALSO MEANS THAT ZOOMING OUT WITH THE SCROLL WHEEL TO THUMB OVER TO A NEW LOCATION AND THEN ZOOM IN AGAIN NO LONGER WORKS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEE THE LOCATION TO PICK WHEN YOU ZOOM OUT. BASICALLY I LOST MUCH OF THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THIS UNIT BY DOING THE UPDATE. IT IS NOW AWKWARD AND UNUSABLE.

ALL OF THIS WORKED FINE BEFORE THE UPDATE. DO NOT EVER RUN ANY UPDATES ON THIS UNIT OR IT WILL RUIN IT.

IF YOU DO NOT UPDATE IT, I STILL STRONGLY ENDORSE THE PURCHASE OF THIS UNIT.
HOWEVER, MY EXPERIENCE WITH GARMIN ON OTHER PRODUCTS IS THEY SAY TOO BAD WHEN SOMETHING BREAKS LIKE THIS. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A REPLY FROM GARMIN.

I'm a US Coast Guard licensed Captain and do, among other things, delivery work. I've tried several of the other charting GPS units recently to upgrade my 1995 era technology Garmin GPS's. This is the best bang for the buck.

Pros:
1. It is WAAS capable, for extreme accuracy. More on this below.If you don't know what WAAS is, look it up. You want it in a GPS.
2. Thumb wheels is fast and easy to use. it really is a one hand device. I didn't believe that in the write-ups, but it's true. I particularly like spinning the wheel to zoom in or out. To move around the charts, zoom out to see the spot you want to find, press on the edge of the wheel to move the cursor where you want it and zoom in a bit, refine your cursor, zoom more--all in all a very impressive method of moving around a chart. far better than other methods I've seen that were slower and more tedious.
2. Carbiner clip on the back. Great for securing the device to your person or anything else. That will stay on there permanently, except to change batteries.
3. Speaking of batteries--only two AA needed. Half of what I'm used to. however, there is no external power provision. But, given the super fast acquiring of satellites, who needs to leave it on? It acquires satellites so fast, that you will routinely turn it off after checking your position. My old Garmin, was so slow to acquire positions, leaving it on was the only practical option.
4. SD Card Option. So far I have found all the charts I need built into the device. It find it reassuring I can use a common CD Card to supplement the existing charts. CARD SLOT IS IN THE BOTTOM AND VISIBLE AFTER REMOVING BATTERY COVER.
5. external Antenna option. It is there. I don't think you will need it. This thing works indoors. i can see my track made while moving around inside the house. WAAS is truly amazing.
6. I've read you can wirelessly pass waypoints to other similar units--never tried that. With a mini-USB--that might be a better method. Software available for PC but not MAC. I hope my friends who are Captains, get these so we can share waypoints. I often sail in areas with rocks. Now I can mark and update my digital charts with even more information. I love it.
7. USB connector. Works only with more current version of Windows like XP and above and MAC OS X 10.3 and above.
8. Topo maps are cool. At some point I'll try it on dry land. It has a Compass and Altimeter--which need to be calibrated--useful I suppose for trekkers.
9. Trip computer is fun to play with on longer voyages. It gives you something to do on boring watches.
10. Few buttons= bigger screen. There are two menu buttons, the tilt wheel, the spinner wheel, and the hub button. Screen size is about 3". Great for a device you can fit in your shirt pocket.

Negatives:
1. UPDATE: EXTERNAL POWER IS VIA MINI-USB. NOT A NEGATIVE--I am correcting an early review error. If you want to keep your track updated--useful if you lose someone overboard on the ocean--you can follow your track back only if you have the track stored--hence you need to leave it on all the time--this means you must have external power. A weakness it there is no large battery and cabling to keep this on 24/7. I am going to build my own and use a PWC battery. USB power connector is not suitable to wet conditions.
2. Display is a bit dark. I find it usable. I don't need super bright. It works. It is visible in daylight.
3. Do not use rechargeable batteries in this device--check the manufacturer website for details.
4. Lithium Batteries last about one day if used frequently at night. The backlight kills batteries. For daytime only use, I've gotten three 12 hour plus sessions out of one battery (no backlight used)
5. I would not use any other type of battery than lithium. Be sure to use the lithium setting to get an idea of battery life. Otherwise it shows good until it fails.
6. For trip planning I find this device hard to use. But for on the spot use, which is what I do, it works great.
7. BlueCharts are crazy expensive. Do not consider buying them. It would be better to shoot yourself than try to install one of these. Why pay to suffer? If you have tons of CD-RoM charts--none of these will work. A laptop is not a convenient, but at least you won't feel screwed over every time you need chart area outside of the US--like Bermuda $180 for one island?, or the Virgin Islands, $150.


The bottom line is this. If you are like me and always working on other peoples boats, or if you don't have a boat and want your own GPS this is the one to get. Hopping from boat to boat, I rarely take the time to learn a new yachts navigational system. First, what good is it without pre-programmed routes and way points? Second, what a pain it is to always be on the steep part of the learning curve. I'd much rather bring along an accurate pocket sized GPS and add waypoints quickly and easily, or view routes I've built up, or particular buoys I use often. Racers will appreciate being able to whip this puppy out and call out a range and bearing to a fix navigational aid/mark.

It works great, it is fast, and once you learn how to use it, you will carry it with you whenever you are on the water.

Just throw out consideration of any others, the screen redraw is as fast as any commercial unit I have seen (in fact it's better than the system on the Boston Harbour Ferry I drive). I bought it for my boat bag for the east coast, ended up in Los Angelis for a race around Catalina Island, marked the exact slip in Marina Del Rey I left from and found it on my return. Tide and current charts at your fingertips, played with it on the plane back (watched every marina in the country go by at 540kts) identified all the rivers enroute, bought the street maps for north america (~100 or so dollars) loaded all of north america onto a $10 2gig card and used it in Cali and Boston with out having to touch a thing. This 400c is the same price as the cheaper units after you buy maps for them and just blows everything else away performance wise. Just better than sliced bread. Plus its rugged as heck.

very disappointed with the brightness level and size of the screen. What genius though of REDUCING the brightness of this screen versus the previous model just to save battery juice? (that was the explanation the Garmin people gave me when I complained) I found it HARDLY READABLE under most circumstances and practically unreadable in way too many.
The interface is weird as well, the scroll wheel should work but they made access to common functions go through too many steps.
I am re-selling mine on eBay.
Just so you don't think I am some kind of Garmin hater I have their 5212 chartplotter and that is absolutely GREAT, way above the Raymarine and others, even if the jumping between menus could be simplified, ie who ever thought of putting MOB (Man OverBoard)in a secondary level of menus that would take you three menu selections to get to? When you have the need you won't have the time to go through three levels of selection!!!

Planning a vaction to the Abaco Islands of Bahamas and boating in a new area and a novice GPS user, I needed a reliable unit that would provide coastal information. I almost didn't buy this unit due to all of the poor reviews on the 400 series. While the instructions are limited, it is intuitive and easy to use with the provided Map source. The images were great and it worked flawlessly giving us information on marinas, anchorages, depths, and island information. It made our trip easy and I would highly recommend it for water use.

I had a Garmin 76CS for three years. I replaced it with this model. I kayak on the ocean. The GPS sits on my spray skirt. This model has some improvements, retains some of the hassles but it is also worse in some important ways.
The worst: the screen is too dark.It's often unreadable in sunlight. Unreadable! It is absolutely unreadable heading into the sun. This is inexcusable. The 76CS screen was dark, this is much much worse.I wish they'd make a bl;ack and white model--I'd have bought it.
The compass only works if the unit is perfectly flat. My spray skirt has a slope of less than 10 degrees- unless I'm holding the unit in my hand, the compass always reads wrong. This was true on the 76CS it's just as true on the Colorado. It renders the compass unusable for navigation while moving.
I like the rocknroller toggle selector, but it also needlessly complicates shifting between screens. The 76CS I could press (next screen) or quit and it would toggle between the two screens I use most Map and Trip Computer.
With the Colorado I have to first press Select and then toggle to the other screen symbol then hit select.
In Map mode if I move the little white arrow to say, the coast or the entrance to a harbor, I have to then select another screen to get a distance and direction. The 76CS had that information right at the bottom of the screen.
And just like the 76CS there seems to be no logical, or easy to figure out, method of moving the little white arrow to a destination, and then hitting a button to navigate there. Maybe there's a way to do this, but as I need to do this once every other month or so I can't figure it out when I'm on the water. That's not right. (If there is a way to do this, great, why is it so difficult to remember?)
All in all I regret buying the Colorado GPS. I regret supporting, with my dollars, yet another annoying electronic device that could easily have been so much better. At least it's not a cell phone.......

I just bought the Colorado 400c for use in marine navigation. The chart information and graphics are great but the device operates in a bizarre fashion. Unless I hold it absolutely horizontal and pointed in the direction of my movement the entire map rotates on the screen to the direction that the device is pointed not the direction that my boat is moving. This makes it almost unusable for a marine GPS device. I have never seen a marine GPS behave this way. I am returning it immediately and will find another, more sensible GPS for marine use.

I was disappointed when I read the reviews and they said it couldn't use an external power supply, but I attached the power plug from my Garmin Nuvi (mini-usb to car lighter) and it works fine off external power supply. Even removed the batteries to make sure it was only drawing from the external.
So that was some people's biggest complaint, but they were mistaken I believe. Other than that, been pretty pleased with it. Not a chartplotter, but a handy GPS nonetheless. Haven't had it on the water yet, but hopefully it will go well.

Just throw out consideration of any others, the screen redraw is as fast as any commercial unit I have seen (in fact it's better than the system on the Boston Harbour Ferry I drive). I bought it for my boat bag for the east coast, ended up in Los Angelis for a race around Catalina Island, marked the exact slip in Marina Del Rey I left from and found it on my return. Tide and current charts at your fingertips, played with it on the plane back (watched every marina in the country go by at 540kts) identified all the rivers enroute, bought the street maps for north america (~100 or so dollars) loaded all of north america onto a $10 2gig card and used it in Cali and Boston with out having to touch a thing. This 400c is the same price as the cheaper units after you buy maps for them and just blows everything else away performance wise. Just better than sliced bread. Plus its rugged as heck.

I couldn't have asked for anything better for the price. I have used this over the past 4+ months without a hitch. My first experience was a trip via our speedboat from Bonita Springs, FL to the Keys (Hawk's Cay to be exact). I used free map software available online (Maptech Chart Navigator) and free up-to-date chart downloads through NOAA to plot my trip. I set waypoints using the software and then used a converter program to put these in the format so that I could upload them to the GPS via the Garmin software. If you find computers comfortable, it is a breeze.

To put to bed one complaint, I used this unit in an unprotected boat in the middle of August in the middle of Florida Bay while en route to the Keys. To be honest, I have never been to a place where the sun was more bright (never mind the fact that even with sunscreen we were seared). Not once, and I mean not once, did I have a problem reading the display. I had it pointed right at me and/or face up, with no roof/canopy/shade/anything to block the sun and I had no problem looking down at 60+ MPH to see where I was and how close I was following my preprogrammed path. This GPS got me through the shallows by the Keys, into Channel 5, the Hawk Channel, and finally Hawk's Cay w/o a hitch. I was able to navigate through the Keys all weekend (full-sun) without any issue. The points of interest (i.e. gas stations, restaurants, CG stations, etc.) were handy to have too. Therefore, for me, this unit was absolutely the right choice.

When I came back from my trip, I was able to upload my exact path for the whole week to my computer and save it for future reference. I have used this GPS everywhere from Marco Island to Captiva and Cabbage Key and it has not given me a single issue. I do about 200-300 hours of boating per year and find this GPS to be a great tool to have aboard, especially if you break down at sea and need a tow (as we did recently - GPS coordinates got the tow boat to us much quicker then the old "I'm between X and Y inlet."

Final Verdict: Recommended! I was hesitant reading some of the reviews but in the end am glad with the purchase.

Update: Used the unit on the weekend. Worked great and it is what I expected. Beware that the screen is very dim unless you have direct sunlight hitting it at the correct angle. I still recommend the unit if you are willing to put up with this issue. Again, I haven't been able to find an option. The Oregon 400c is the only one I can think of but I wonder if the screen brightness is really better.

I am giving the unit three starts but with the intent to update this review in the future once I really play with it for a while.

I just wanted to confirm what a previous reviewer wrote (Conrad). DON'T UPDATE THE FIRMWARE ON THIS UNIT. Hey, I even wrote it in annoying caps because I did read the review and did not followed the advice.

I got the unit yesterday played with it a little. I was quite happy with it but then I decided to register it with Garmin and update the firmware. I updated to software 3.3 (from 2.5) and from that point on the unit was broken (from a software standpoint). I really mean broken. The maps will loose detail as you zoom in (no more aids to navigation). If you zoom out, you loose the pretty satellite view (in fact, nothing but blue would show on my unit). The menu became erratic (if you tried to change some settings the unit would not keep the setting).

Fortunately, after spending 3 hours on the phone with Garmin (and three different people), I got a file to revert the software back to version 2.9. This is the version (or earlier) that Garmin recommends for now.

What I don't get is that version 2.9 is a bunch of versions prior to 3.3 and still Garmin had absolutely no information on their web site stating that this was a problem. When I talked to costumer support they immediately recognized the problem and told me what to do so, Garmin, why do you keep this update in your site?

Regarding the dim screen it is true, it is dim. But I wonder if the new Oregon is better. I heard similar complaints. What I can report is that the screen is fine in direct sunlight (it's transreflective) and of course indoors. If you are in a shade with bright sunlight outside then it can be a problem (like in a car).

I still will give this unit a chance. The Oregon unit is a bit more money than what I was willing to put down right now.

Regards,
Chris