Gps Systems Reviews

• WAAS enabled world positioning system GPS receiver continuously tracks and uses up to twelve satellites
• 1 MB memory for downloading data from optional Garmin MapSource CD ROMs
• Trip computer with current/average speed, timer, and trip distance
• Up to 16 hours of use from two AA alkaline batteries

The GPS 76 is intended to offer exact GPS positioning using correction data acquired from the large Area Augmentation System WAAS. This unit features a fitted quad helix antenna for superior reception and can supply position accuracy to less than three meters when receiving WAAS corrections.The GPS 76 gives one megabyte of interior user memory to be used for storing downloaded Points of Interest data. This one megabyte of storage area is preloaded from the factory with global cities populations greater than 200,000 and nautical navigation aids like lights, buoys, sound signals and day beacons, and is perfect for downloading points of interest detail from Garmin’s line of MapSource CD ROMs.An extra large display measuring 1.6″W x 2.2″H gives users a clear view of info, when a waterproof case means the GPS 76 will keep working well if it is been submerged in water. More amazing, this unit will really float if accidentally dropped in the water.

The key to success in life is knowing where you’re, where you have been, and where you are going. Garmin’s full featured GPS 76 puts all of that info in the palm of your hand, mapping your movements off road or on and afloat. Plus, its broad features, PC connectivity, and add on map alternatives make it powerful enough for practically any need.

About the size of a small paperback book and weighing less than eight ounces, the GPS 76 fits comfy in the palm of your hand, but is a bit big to carry in a shirt pocket. Using the unit requires nearly no setup. Just put in two AA batteries, turn it on, go outside, and wait. In about a minute or so it’ll find out your place. It is correct to about three meters, thanks to the unit’s support for WAAS Wide Area Augmentation System, which augments GPS signals for greater accuracy.

Knowing your longitude, latitude, and altitude does not mean much without a little perspective. That is where the GPS 76’s backlit LCD display comes in, showing your place on in depth maps. The unit comes with a fitted basemap that will include big roads, railroads, rivers, and lakes for the U.S. And Canada, also as a high level global map. The unit also has one MB memory for storing downloaded points of interest data from optional CD ROMS, like the Roads &amp, Recreation series.

The eight buttons, directional rocker thumbpad, and menu based interface made it easy to access all of the unit’s features and customize the display. For example, it is a simple matter to use the buttons to set and name waypoints and build planned routes. Extra features are info on tides, dawn and sunset, and a trip computer for seeing how far you have traveled and your average speed.

To test the GPS 76 we hit the road headed for Muir Beach north of San Francisco. It tracked our progress along Highway 1, and once we reached our destination we found it easy to use. It showed both the elevation of the hills also as the paths we could take. The zoom in and zoom out function made it simple to prepare out and automatically measure the distance of our meant path.

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 obviously on the map. We used the TracBack capability to guide us on the roads back to the freeway.

The GPS 76 comes in useful nearly anywhere, if you are hiking, driving, boating, or wandering around a city as a tourist. Its easy to use interface makes it now useful to novices, and as you learn to use its programmability and features it can become an very 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 place
• PC connectivity with capability to download points of interest and waypoints

Cons:

• Only one MB fitted memory, which can not be extended
• Too big to fit comfortably in a shirt pocket

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

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

The GPS 76 is matched with Garmin’s line of downloadable MapSource CD ROMs and will accepts up to one MB of map detail data. Generally know just where you are going with preloaded maps of rivers, lakes, global cities, navaids, and tide data. With a in depth base map, users have the capability to look up address and telephone number info for close services and points of interest also as find map detail for cities, highways, and interstates.

Intended with all types of users in mind, this unit will take you from the car to the hiking trail and beach without missing a beat.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 12:03 pm and is filed under GPS. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.