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Posts Tagged ‘Garmin’

Garmin Colorado 400t Handheld GPS Unit with U S Topographic Preloaded Maps

June 25th, 2009 GPS Reviews No comments

Garmin Colorado 400t Handheld GPS Unit with U S Topographic Preloaded Maps




This rugged, advanced handheld is packed with detailed topographic maps for all your hiking adventures not to mention 3-D map view, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, SD card slot, picture viewer and color display. Exchange tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches wirelessly between similar units. Slim, lightweight and waterproof, Colorado is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.

Watch an interactive demo.

Share Wirelessly
With Colorado 300 you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other Colorado users. Now you can send your favorite hike to your buddy to enjoy or the location of a cache to find. Sharing data is easy. Just select “send” to transfer your information to other Colorado units.

Keep Your Fix
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, Colorado 300 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Colorado to help you find your way when you need it the most.


Explore More
basemap 3D Colorado’s preloaded U.S. topographic maps, 3-D map view and a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief give you all the tools for serious climbing or hiking. Map detail includes national, state and local parks and forests, along with terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest.

Just in case you’re wondering how steep that hill really is, Colorado’s 3-D map view helps you visualize your surroundings — giving you a better perspective of the elevation.



Expand Your Horizons
streets topo coastal The Colorado also accepts SD cards, so you can use Garmin preprogrammed SD cards to add maps that serve any and all of your outdoor activities on land or water. Just take your pick from a wide selection, including street maps, topographic maps, coastal charts or inland lake data. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.


Rock on. Find Fun
rocker wheel waypoints Colorado’s innovative Rock `n Roller input wheel for easy one-handed operation and intuitive screen interface make it as easy to navigate the device as the outdoors.

Customize Colorado’s interface based on your favorite activity.

Even show off photos of your excursions with its picture viewer.


Experience Paperless Geocaching
notes Colorado supports Geocaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and detail straight to your unit. You’ll have at-a-glance cache descriptions and details to aid in your search.


Get Your Bearings
compass altimeter Colorado has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you’re standing still.

Its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. View elevation data before you begin your ascent or descent. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.

Interactive Demo

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Topo map trails.
The pre loaded topo map trails are not accurate, spicifically the Pacific Crest Trail in the southern Sierra Wilderness in southern California, in the Sierra Navada Mountains. Otherwise I love the unit.

3 Stars Great unit, bad battery situation.
I have a Garmin Vista. It goes 24 hours per battery set. This thing needs a set of batteries per day in the field. As you still need a paper map, I returned it.

4 Stars What to say that hasn’t been said…
I love this unit, it’s my first GPSu I’ve taken it snowshoeing and hiking, and forest road exploring, and saved some mountain bikers from a purgatory of unmarked forestry roads (they were already about 2 miles off course when we bumped into them and they didn’t even know it) and so far I can’t find a road in the city or in the hills that it doesn’t know about, with trail heads listed, I don’t have to say “I hope this is the right road” ever again, I use the word ROAD loosely.

The GPS status display is very informative, tracking on foot with good Sat coverage accuracy tends to hang out around 5-6 yards, In the car it’s usually around 10-15 yards, one thing to note is, turn it on before you start driving or while you’re at a stop, it doesn’t like to lock on while moving, but once it’s on and locked it will track at high speed just fine.

Battery life is as advertised! I’m using recargable NiMH and as long as I limit backlight usage I can easily get 12 hours out of one set.

The preloaded topo is fantastic! So much information and so many POI’s, parks,little dam’s, and peaks I’ve been past many times before without ever knowing. The city base map however is a tease, it has the streets listed so you can use it like a map and see where you are, but it doesn’t lock onto streets, it views them as a background, so without buying the city software, when you set a destination it makes a straight line from you to it, I guess this might work if you commute in a small aircraft though!

I’m very happy with the product, but for the price I think the city nav should have been included, that’s why I knocked off a star. On the other hand I can’t blame Garmin for their business model as everyone needs to make a living.

4 Stars Great performer but battery hungry
This is a great unit; very accurate and easy to use. Be prepared to spend a little while getting used to the menu layout as some items you might expect to appear under one menu appear under another menu entry. But apart from the small “learning curve” this is a very nice GPS unit. The roller-style control is very easy to use and the “tracks” feature is particularly well developed in this unit. The only real issue is that the battery life can be quite short. However, there are three tips which will help you get a good 14 to 15 hours of continuous use. First, don’t use the back-light unless absolutely necessary (fairly obvious, really). Second, select the auto record setting in the “tracks” function to “update least frequently”. This second expedient seems to double the battery life and the unit still seems to update every 5 seconds or so (how far can you walk in 5 seconds anyway??). Third, if you use nickel metal hydride batteries make sure they are REALLY fully charged. Don’t use a rapid charge cycle (charge instead over night using a standard charger) as this gets the batteries hot and the total charge is dramatically reduced. Without these measures, I could only get an hour or two of operation when I first received the unit. Not using the back light added another hour of use and minimizing the “tracks” update frequency added another 4 hours of use. Finally figuring out what was going on with my battery charger resulted in a good 14+ hours of continuous use.

5 Stars First One
This is my first handheld GPS device. I bought it to GeoCache. It works well and has many features I like. The only knock is that the learning curve (expecially how to use it with my computer) was longer that it needed to be if there was a better manual.

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Garmin GPS 76CSX Handheld GPS with Barometric Altimeter and Electronic Compass

June 25th, 2009 GPS Reviews No comments

Garmin GPS 76CSX Handheld GPS with Barometric Altimeter and Electronic Compass




Aimed squarely at boaters and marine users, the Garmin GPSMap 76CSx is packed with features that seasoned mariners crave. The 7.6-ounce 76CSx now features an insanely accurate, high-sensitivity GPS receiver by SiRF that tracks your position even in tree cover and canyons. Plus, you get a bright, sunlight-readable color TFT display and an included a 128 MB microSD card for storage of optional map detail. Add all that to the 76CSx’s integrated barometric altimeter and electronic compass, and you’ve got a highly capable unit. Simply put, the 76CSx is ready to take you anywhere on the water. Landlubbers will find much to like about this unit, too, as it packs great GPS mapping capabilities into a compact device.

The 76CSx features a removable microSD card for detailed mapping memory and a waterproof, rugged housing. View larger.

The GPSMap 76CSx features the powerful SiRF GPS navigation chip, as well as an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter.

The trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more.

You can use the 76CSx’s memory card slot with preprogrammed microSD cards from Garmin (sold separately) that provide topographic maps, city streets, and nautical charts. In fact, the unit is compatible with most Garmin MapSource products, including BlueChart, City Navigator, U.S. Topo 24K, and U.S. Topo and Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots. The unit comes preloaded with an Americas autoroute basemap that provides automatic routing capabilities including highways, exits, and tide data. There’s also a preloaded marine point database. You can even get turn-by-turn directions when you’re driving, and an integrated trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more.

The 76CSx’s 2.6-inch, 256-color TFT color display is designed to present mapping and trip information clearly and accurately in any lighting conditions. Plus, the case is lightweight, rugged, and water resistant to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes). Marine users will also like the fact that the 76CSx floats. When using two AA alkaline batteries, you’ll get up to 20 hours of battery life from the unit.

Another key feature of the 76CSx is the 10,000 point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions. Meanwhile, there’s a large numbers option for easy viewing, as well as a dual-position display mode. The unit also includes built-in celestial tables for best times to fish and hunt, plus sun and moon calculations. You also get audible alarms for anchor drag, arrival, off-course, proximity waypoint, and clock. The unit’s barometric altimeter system features automatic pressure trend recording while providing current elevation, ascent/descent rate, minimum/maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, and average and maximum ascent and descent rate. Meanwhile, the electronic compass allows you to get accurate headings while standing still.

The 76CSx’s trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more. Meanwhile, a fast processor allows the 60Cx to provide quick auto-routing, turn-by-turn directions, and audio alerts when you use the optional MapSource software, which can be stored on the unit’s included 128 MB microSD card. Downloading information is quick with the USB or serial port interfaces. Using the dedicated serial port, the 76CSx can share navigation instructions with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots.

If you like the features of the 76CSx but don’t need an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter, check out the Garmin GPSMap 76Cx.

What’s in the Box
GPSMAP 76CSx, Americas Recreational Basemap, 128 MB microSD card, USB cable, MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager, Wrist strap, Owner’s manual, Quick reference guide

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx
This GPS is being used for hiking as well as mounted on a motorcycle. It is rugged, waterproof and has numerous features for people with various outdoor interests.

I had a GPSMAP 76 for several years and gave it to my son which he uses daily as a speedometer on his motorcycle.

4 Stars GPS 76 CSX by Garmin
Excellent product delivered quickly… the price was very good too!! Very satisfied customer.. maybe a compatable case with a plastic see-thru panel would be the only improvement I could think of making..

4 Stars Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx Handheld GPS
Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX Handheld GPS with Barometric Altimeter and Electronic CompassThis jewel can do everything but make the coffee, but it is difficult to remember which of the 8 buttons and 4 rocker switch positions to push in what order and for how long when the wind is blowing big time and the boat wants to broach.

3 Stars Has not gotten better
I bought a Garmin S76 a number of years ago, and recently bought another for my girlfriend’s birthday. The new one is a lot more complicated to operate, even considering the increase in features. We use our GPSs to geocache, so being able to make changes to the display and the data presented there on the fly is important. I can do the required changes with my older model with one or two keystrokes, while hers requires 3-4 times as many (no exaggeration).

5 Stars Solid, Adaptable and Multifunctional
I have lived in Alaska more than 30 years and I am an avid boater, hunter, snowmobiler that travels in very remote parts of the state. I also participate in two search and rescue organizations. I purchased the 76CSx July 2007. Since that time I have used it when flying in rural Alaska, boating in Southcentral Alaska’s Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay as well as the Yukon River, and when motoring the Midwest and Southeastern US.

The 76CSx GPS came with MapSource Trip and Waypoint Manager and a 128Mbt micro SD memory chip. I purchased two 2Gig microSD chips later. I also purchased TOPO US 2008 and loaded ALL of the topo maps for all of Alaska on it. I also purchased BlueChart Americas v9 and loaded all of the marine charts for the area from Juneau north to and including Kodiak and Anchorage area waters (more than 100 specific charts). Both of these were loaded on a single 2 Gig chip. On the second chip, I loaded City Navigator North America 2009.

Depending weather I am boating, flying, hunting or driving I easily swap chips as needed so that I have the charts or maps I need. I have found that the detail on the BlueChart marine charts are more detailed than those that came with the more expensive electronic charts used with the chartplotter onboard many of the boats here.

The sensitivity of the GPS receiver in the 76CSx is incredible. I can turn it on and set it on the living room floor 5 feet from a window and it will lock onto three or more satellites and give me a fix. When snowmachining or hunting, I can leave the GPS in the Garmin case, inside the top pocket of my daypack and it will stay locked on to the satellites and create track as I travel without having to worry about it. In a vehicle and aircraft, the built-in receiver has always worked fine. I have not needed a remote antenna.

I have found the City Navigator to be a real assett when driving through areas of the midwest and southeast last fall. Especially helpful were the features that let one select various options, such as Food, Lodging, etc close to where you are or anywhere you want to look, and then provide you the address and phone numbers so you can call ahead if need be. One can also type in a specific address anywhere in the US and much of Canada and show the precise location on the map screen and a Go To option for specific turn by turn instructions.

I get about 16 hrs from a set of AAs. For use in a rental car, I purchased an auxiliary power cord that plugs into the car’s 12V power supply (”cigarette lighter”).

Loading the charts/maps from the DVDs to the 76CSx was easy to do after I got familiar with the process. One thing I noted is that in areas where the marine chart data overlaps the topo map data, the marine chart info takes priority and does not allow the specific topo date in that specific area to show. That was easily fixed by simply unselecting or “turning off” the specific chart from showing on the GPS. Once charts and maps are loaded onto the micro SD chip and the chip in the 76CSx, one can choose which of the charts or maps to show on the screen.

As with most GPS Units, the manual covers the basics but there is a much more capability in this unit than the manual could possibly cover without the manual getting too large.

I would recommend this unit without hesitation. It has saved me from possible disaster when boating, has provided additional confidence when out on the water and back country and has been equally helpful when driving through large cities and across the country in a rental car. No more bickering with my wife for driving directions! Sure made our 10 day road trip much more pleasant! When we missed a turn because we were not paying attention to the GPS, it quickly rerouted us and got us to where we needed to go every time.

One closing comment here: Don’t get too dependent on ANY GPS when traveling in the backcountry or when boating in marine waters and large lakes. Take a compass with you and know how to use it. Electronics do fail sometimes and when they do, you need to have basic map/chart reading and navigation when skills ready.

I give this unit 5 stars.

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Gilsson MCX1M09B090 AWMG High Performance GPS MCX Antenna for Garmin TomTom and Navman GPS Receivers Black

June 25th, 2009 GPS Reviews No comments

Gilsson MCX1M09B090 AWMG High Performance GPS MCX Antenna for Garmin TomTom and Navman GPS Receivers Black




Gilsson (MCX1M09B090-AWMG) High Performance Antenna

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great antenna – fixed my Nuvi 350 reception problem
My Garmin nuvi 350 received satellite signals fine at first, then later (months after) started have trouble acquiring satellites and sometimes lost them for long periods of time. I did a little research and it seems possible that there is a problem that can occur where the GPS thinks an external antenna is attached when it isn’t (due to a defective or failed part). Plugging this antenna into my Garmin has so far completely resolved the reception problem. This antenna seems well built and designed and the reception seems excellent too.

5 Stars Perfect for me
I needed an external antenna because the best place to mount my Garmin C330 is in the ash-tray space under the radio in the center console. I never got great reception with the GPS largely shielded by the dash. This antenna immediately and dramatically improved the strength of my GPS signal – from 1 bar in my driveway to 5. I no longer loose a signal in heavy woods or in cities. Best of all, this product came with the suction-cup mounting bracket, though the strong magnetic base on the Gilsson sticks to parts of my dash without the bracket. Best of all, I can now keep the GPS out of sight, and the antenna removes in 1 second when parked and can also be kept out of view.

I have no experience with the similar Garmin antenna, but this one provides me with a full 5-bar signal strength everywhere I’ve tried it.

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3 Pack Premium Ultra Clear Reusable 4 3 4 Inch GPS LCD Screen Protector with Lint Cleaning Cloth for Garmin Nuvi 200W 205W 250W 260W 600 610 650 660 670 680 710 750 760 770 780 850 860 880 TomTom ONE XL XL S TomTom Go 720 TomTom XL 330S TomTom GO 730T

June 25th, 2009 GPS Reviews No comments

3 Pack Premium Ultra Clear Reusable 4 3 4 Inch GPS LCD Screen Protector with Lint Cleaning Cloth for Garmin Nuvi 200W 205W 250W 260W 600 610 650 660 670 680 710 750 760 770 780 850 860 880 TomTom ONE XL XL S TomTom Go 720 TomTom XL 330S TomTom GO 730T



User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Fits My Nuvi 255W Perfectly
Just got this installed and it does look nice. I think there is a little more glare as one reviewer has also noted. Will check it out tonight in the vehicle. I got these from SF Planet and on the envelope there was a web address given. Went to the web page and there were very detailed instructions as well as a picture on how to install. Glad I read it because I overlooked the numbers on the blue and red tags (#1 and #2). My eyesight isn’t what it used to be! Peel off #1 blue tag – apply to device – smooth out with credit card – peel off #2 red tag – Done! It was real easy. Time will tell as to how long they will last, but I sure can’t complain about the price. Took about 4 days from time of order to receive. No complaints with SF Planet. SF Planet instructional web page URL is below.

[...]

5 Stars You Need This:
I was at first skeptical of this item because of the reviews saying it was hard to install and that they needed all 3 before they finally got it right. What are they talking about????? 30 seconds after opening the package, my Garmin GPS was screen protected and looking like it had just come out the box. Buy this item and be at ease at how easy it is to put on your screen. NO cutting or modifying, just peel the back off, and stick on the screen.

5 Stars Fits perfect, doesn’t inhibit touch controls
Fits perfect on my Garmin Nuvi 760 and doesn’t inhibit touch controls. Definitely will protect the screen against minor abrasions. Just keep the kitchen knives away. :)

5 Stars PERFECT PRODUCT !
Previously had tried the universal fit screen protector from another source and it was a bother to cut and fit and apply….

This was perfect and installed in 30 seconds without reading the instructions… and allows the gps touch screen to function perfectly !

A + !

(Those of you that had issues – are you sure you used the screen protector or one of the TWO protectors that protected the screen protector ???)

Could see where that could happen – the real screen protector is sandwiched between two THIN tabbed films…. just an fyi….. :)

4 Stars Good protection for your screen
The screen protectors are easy to install if you read the directions. I find that they do not interfere with the sensitivity of the screen. The only drawback is a little glare.

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Garmin Dashboard Mount for StreetPilot c310 c320 c330 and c340 010 10613 00

June 24th, 2009 GPS Reviews No comments

Garmin Dashboard Mount for StreetPilot c310 c320 c330 and c340 010 10613 00




Secure your Garmin StreetPilot c-series GPS navigator to your vehicle’s dash with this distinctive and sleek dashboard mount. Compatible with the StreetPilot c320, c330, and c340 models, the easy-to-install mount keeps your GPS firmly in place, so you don’t need to worry about bad viewing angles or unfortunate tumbles. It also positions your GPS in an easy-to-access location, so you can make navigation changes on the fly or quickly call up new addresses. Plus, the mount is hardware-free. Appropriate for any vehicle, the Garmin dash mount is a must for StreetPilot owners.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Very Stable Garmin Mount
Bought the mount to use with my old c320 StreetPilot on a Pontiac Sunfire and a BMW X5 and it works great in both cars…very stable even on starts/stops and hard turns.

Seems like it would accommodate a lot of different dashboard designs.

Highly recommended.

5 Stars Love this Item
I would recommend this item to everyone. You can take your Garmin from one car to another and no worries if this will fall off the dashboard. Holds it’s place where you put it.

5 Stars So easy to hide. Great item.
My wife uses the Garmin c330 in the car and this little (and I mean little) dashboard helper makes it easy for her to position the c330 on the dashboard and when she gets to where she is going, it is a mere seconds to take it off the dashboard and hide it on the floor or even to stick it in the glove compartment. It really is that little.

This is a very handy item that really helps out a lot. Glad I came across it.

You can’t go wrong.

5 Stars Garmin Dashboard Mount
What a convenient, portable, usable item. No sticky pads on my dash or screw holes that I don’t want. Now I don’t have to put up with my GPS having to be permamently mounted where I really can’t see it. When we bought a new car we found that the Garmin mount from the old car wouldn’t stick again, we thought we would have to drill a hole or something to make the old mount work in the new car. My brother came to my rescue by showing us his dashboard Garmin mount and letting us try it for a weekend. We were totally sold and ordered one of our own right away. Wonderful for the ease of use in other vehicles, too. Now it is just grab and go!!

5 Stars Garmin Dashboard Mount Rocks!!!
We just got our Garmin Dashboard Mount. It’s great for CA residents who can’t mount the Streetpilot on the windshield. We just took a road trip to Sedona and our Streetpilot stayed in place on top of the dash without a problem. This mount keeps the GPS unit safe and secure and well within a comfortable reach. We liked it so much better than the mount it came with originally. Highly recommend!!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007LJHVK/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

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