Customer Reviews

Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx Handheld GPS

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having used a huge number of GPS units over many years, I must say that the 76CX is very good.

Pro's
Removable memory (now up to 1GB)
Can be powered from 2 AA cells for a long time.
Nice Color Screen, no back light needed daytime
Water resistant
No easy to break off parts
Can be powered from USB connection!
Memory Cards(Micro SD) can be written to outside of unit
Does a good job routing for automobile use
Has marine and geocaching functions as well as hiking stuff like track logs etc.
fair pricing
Lots of optionally available maps
Garmin support is good including firmware updates that add functionality.

Cons:
Screen could be larger
Requires purchase of maps for street level(but this keeps price down, for people who aren't driving with it)
Even with car kit unit doesn't talk at all("turn right next" or more recent auto units that pronounce street names)like the NUVI units do.

That said this and the 60 series are the only GPS units that you can drive with as well as use for hiking/boating/geocaching that work really well. The Magellan units that support both Meridian and Explorist are not nearlly as nice from a hardware, software and firmware point of view.

I will keep this unit until Garmin comes out with one that talks and pronounces street names as well as all the other functions that the 76 has. Would have also cosidered the 60CX but the price of the 76CX was better with the rebate offered this month.

the majority of the negative reviews are form people that want a GPS for their car, (rookies). I use mine exclusively for fishing and hunting, and its one of the best I've seen. I bought the topo map chip for the mid-west, and was blown away. it had all of the lakes I didn't expect, as well as the ones I did, with contour lines far better (3 ft in some cases) than any DNR map I've ever seen. the topo map chip was [...] bucks, but was well worth the price. The map chip included all boat landings, nav. hazzards, POI's, major and forest roads, and lake contours as accurate as my new depth finder. If your lonely and want a GPS that talks, go get a tom tom, but if you want a serious GPS for a serious outdoors man, you won't be disappointed.

...but there are two things that annoy me:
The color display is significantly smaller than the one on the older monochrome gpsmap 76.
The screws on the back of the unit quickly get rusty when exposed to saltwater.

If you don't need a device that floats, I'd recommend buying its prettier sister, the 60csx for the following reasons: it is smaller (but its display is the same size), it looks nicer and it has the keys in the right place (below the display).

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.

This is a great step from my 12XL. I got this along with City Select North America 7. The standard 128M hold all of the states in my area (New England), but I still upgraded to the 512M memory and plan to upgrade to the 2G when it is readily available (has been released at this time, just cannot find one to buy). The maps are shown easily and the variety of controls is sufficient. I bought mine with a Garmin bike mount to put on my handlebar. Good so far. Glad I got it.

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.

I wanted a hand held device that would work well in a car and this does both very well. No external antennae needed in the car either. However, an external power cable is needed because batteries do not last long. Accuracy is excellent.

I sail on the ocean and this is my secret weapon. Some of it's many features are that it initializes very quickly (VERY quickly if it was on recently) so you can turn it off to save batteries when not immediately needed and still get answers within seconds of powering up. The batteries last much longer than on earlier units. It is rugged enough to withstand the abuse I give it.

My favorite feature is how you can program the display to show you what is most useful for you. I like being able to see bearing and heading right next to each other along with VMG and ETA. Love the built in timer.

I've read complaints about the buttons being in the wrong place but for one-handed operation with a secure grip on the unit, above-the-screen buttons are best.

I wish detailed map data was free, too, but I have no problem getting what I need off paper charts, downloadable NOAA charts, Google Earth, etc.

If I were to lose or break my 76Cx I would buy another one, no hesitation.

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!

Very good satellite reception, even in car or in fairly thick canopy... Takes a little playing with the functionality to get the hang of it... hoping will be great attribute in field work. Currently training in GIS Internet mapping with this product and it has thus far worked well.