Garmin handheld 76 question

[jibes138]

I am still using an old garmin hand held GPS, one of the original GPS models ever released, at least 15 years old. Still works well but often tells me I am at 120 feet elevation while sailing on the ocean. I have thought about buying a Garmin 76 because they are cheap but I don't really want the chart plotter function. Does the basic unit without the 150 dollar chip still provide lat and lon and waypoint course tracking or is the chip a mandatory purchase. I greatly prefer to hand navigate on charts to stay on top of my game. I think chart plotters breed complacency and add risk. anyway who has one and what can they do?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Dave, best way to answer this is to go to the Garmin website and download the instruction manual. IIRC, my GPS Map76Cx will do that, don't know about your "plain vanilla" 76. Good luck, I love navigating that way, brings back "The Good Old Days.' Have fun.

 

[onecoolair]

I have one of those older garmins it lives under the nav...sometimes it comes out to play from time to time. Like when I am going out cruising on another friends new boat and he has not plugged in all the local way points yet. Works great as a point reference tool.

It as always showed it was at at least 120' elevation, but since I know better and I am not riding on top of some big tsunami wave. I gave up worrying about a long time ago.

 

[CalebD]

I think my 12 year old Garmin 72 also has problems with elevation.
While sailing along at sea level sometimes I am at -10' elevation and sometimes +50'. That never bothered me at all. It still gives pretty good Lat & Long so you can find yourself on a chart.
The speed over ground is fairly consistent and reflects the currents in the waters I frequent (current ~ 2 knots usually).
Why buy a new unit?

 

[Joe]

The GPS 76 is not a chartplotter........ but it does everything else. Certainly, the functions you describe. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.... The black/white display is easily visible in all light conditions... although there is no map... all nav aids are shown in display mode so you can set waypoints by putting the cursor on them.... using your paper chart to verify the navaid's identity if you need to. All gps functions.. such as vmg, time, routes, trip data, speed data, etc. are on the unit.... plus tides, sunrise/sunset....and so on...

elevation.......... never use the feature.... I sail at sea level.

The Garmin 76 is a great unit.... in the ten years I've owned it, I have never, ever had any problem with mine.... It is very frugal battery wise, waterproof and it floats.. but I normally keep the hardwired data/power plug connected to the unit and mounted on a convenient bracket.

I have no need for a hand held chartplotter.... especially since you can download Navionics for smartphone for $10.... and you can download all NOAA charts and nav softare for the laptop for FREE. For daysailing in familiar areas.... there is no need for a chartplotter.... since you normally would have your critical waypoints already loaded..but that's me. The smartphone nav apps are pretty awesome..... so why spend $150 on a bunch of Garmi Bluecharts, most of which you'll never use.

 

[tommays]

I have the newest 72H AND the 76cx

The 72H will tell you everything you could possibly need to know in terms of were you are and were your going

The 76cx has SO much NON boat stuff on it (do we really need games in place of GPS functions)it is a BIG PITA to work through the menus

 

[Sumner]

.. I have thought about buying a Garmin 76 because they are cheap ................... anyway who has one and what can they do?

We have at least 4 of them at the moment. Bought one new a few years back, but the others with more memory we have bought for about $60 off the internet and they have appeared to of been used very little if at all.

We have paper charts, but run...

...SeaClear and OpenCPN on a computer I made that is in the cabin. It is...

... connected to the 76 (all are the non-color models) that is out in the cockpit with us. The connection powers the 76 (don't use the internal batteries) and also transmits NEMA data to and from the 76 and the computer.

I plan the route on the computer and download waypoints (couple seconds) to the 76 and we use it to go waypoint to waypoint. If I need more detail I look down into the cabin..

...at the screen or if we need to change plans I drop down and change the route and send the new waypoints to the 76. Works great for us and we use the same computer and 76 on the Endeavour also.

I have made a cheap sunlight display...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor-navigation/Comp-ChartPlot-5.html

...that we will try if we ever get back out on the water.

The 76 would also be a cheap way to get GPS location to a VHF with DSC and we will use one for that.

We have one or two as spares just in case we would need them and underway once the waypoints are in the 76 if the computer went down we would still have the waypoints to use. We also have two laptops on board with the navigation software and charts on them. Some places it is easier to use charts and other places like say down in the 10,000 Islands or other places in Florida everything looks the same and you aren't close to shore due to the shallow water depths. If it is you first trip into these waters the GPS/chartplotter can save your butt.

If you get a 76 on the internet (e-bay) get the "S" model as it has more features and more memory vs. the plain 76 and you can find them for the same price,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I have the Garmin 76 Cx. Brought the boat from Deltaville Va, around to Texas using it. Works well without the add on chip. I like the color better than the older 76 I also have.

Plus you can download waypoints and routes to it from your laptop.

All I need

 

[Gunni]

Does the basic unit without the 150 dollar chip still provide lat and lon and waypoint course tracking or is the chip a mandatory purchase.

Yes, the Map76 works without charting chip and you can load waypoints to it via the serial bus cable on the back of the unit.

 

[jibes138]

Thanks all. The Garmin 45 I have takes a really long time to gather up the satellites and give a good reading compared to the newer versions, it still works but any battery powered device 15 years old subject to humidity is a concern relative to corrosion. These units aren't waterproof so life has to be finite. I was just thinking of upgrading to the 76Cx I guess that is always seemingly on sale for about 160 bucks, but if the additional 150 dollar chip is required to use the map function I really don't need it. The 45 was about 250 bucks when new so a new unit that does the same functions for 160 bucks seems like a bargain. I keep mine mounted at the helm so I can navigate while steering and keep track of speed and distance to waypoints. I do have another unit at my nav station but it goes pretty much unused unless out at sea on a long distance cruise, very rare. Having the unit at the helm is ideal. That said my 45 has been subjected to rain and spray so I know it won't last forever. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

76Cx was on sale for $149, from West Marine just recently. That's what I paid for mIne last year

 

[Stu Jackson]

Dave, since the Map76Cx is so low priced and can do all that without the charts, I'd get it. I have one and love it. Easy to use, intuitive menus, much better than my friend's old 72. The screens are literally infinitely user adjustable for a lot of information.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

Over the winter I bought the 76cx from West Marine and paid $150 (it seems to be constantly on sale for $150). The 76 replaced an old Etrex Legeng that died.

Anyway, the basemap that is built into the unit contains the navaids for the entire US. The G2 chip will get you additional detail like the charted depth. For my use I do not need the chip.

The 76cx can be real easy to use or real powerful depending on what you want from it. If all you want is lat / long, speed, and heading you can display that. Or you can display a color chart of your location, including tide tables, navaids, distance to a waypoint, VMG to that waypoint, etc.

IMHO for $150 it's a steal.

Barry

 

[tommays]

my basemap is from 2001 and

Includes a built-in Americas autoroute basemap with automatic routing capabilities, including highways, exits, and tide data (USA only)

Unless i still cant find it its only tide stations ?

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Some of the older units are no longer being updated with tide information.

 

[Joe]

Thanks all. The Garmin 45 I have .......

Jibes........ get rid of the 45.... that's what I had long ago .... even though the 76 series has been out for a long time..it is a massive.... did I say "massive" .... improvement over the 45... which was a modified GPS12 (a first generation handheld back in the days of Loran.)

First of all... it's lighter, it floats, is waterproof, only uses 2 AAA batteries, ergonomically superior to Magellan or Lowrance, and can be connected to data/power cable for any purpose you might have in mind.

 

[jibes138]

OK you guys are talking me into it. Speaking of LORAN I still have my handheld LORAN, I think it was the first handheld ever produced. It was still on the boat and I just took it home last week to throw it out. I tried to give it away but the intended recipient was apparently no fool. I guess I was hoping the government would change its' mind about deactivation. This unit still works, the accuracy was very close to the GPS, but it would take about 20 to 30 minutes to acquire the signals and calculate position, then any time you asked it something like distance to a waypoint it would take maybe 10 minutes to answer, back in those days memory was very expensive.
I was perfectly happy with both that unit and my GPS45 prior to which I used dead reckoning and a depth sounder (and of course a compass) to navigate along the New England coast including in dense fog that was the norm for the region. Getting the LORAN and GPS was an amazing upgrade, but like most electronics they are stuffed with all kinds of capability I don't care about and will never use or bother myself to even look at. Even those old units had more capability then I cared to ever use.
I see the new version of the 76 is now called a 78 and about 400 bucks, probably the exact same thing in a new plastic case with a couple more features I'll never use. Looks like the low prices for the 76Cx are to dump the obsolete inventory. The Garmin website refers to it as a discontinued model. Can't even find any reference to the GPS45. They do have the GPS48 listed for an owners manual.
Thanks again.

 

[Winkfish]

The 78 has more internal memory, it comes with several maps included, and it has the capacity to integrate other charts, like google maps, into the gps.

I have the 76cx with the Bluechart g2 card (NOT the Vision). Has everything I need. The unit came with the g2 card for $250.00 total at West Marine.