Garmin GPSMap 76CS Review

UPDATE: The 76CS has been discontinued. We recommend its successor, the 76CSx, as an appropriate alternative.

The Garmin GPSMap 76CS, while billed as a marine GPS unit, is very popular with landlubbers as well, due to its 115 MB of memory (enough to load highway maps for almost the entire state of California). An ideal unit for boaters, the 76CS floats and is waterproof, and comes with an Americas marine database that includes navigational aids.

Confused about the 76 series? Here's the low-down on the differences. The 76 and 76S have black and white screens, while the 76C and 76CS are color. The 76 has 8 MB of memory, the 76S has 24 MB, while the 76C and 76CS both have 115 MB of memory. Units with an S have an electronic compass and barometric altimeter, while the C units, in addition to color screens, have turn-by-turn routing capability. Finally, the 76CS has recently been updated with the new 76CSx.

14 readers at Amazon gave the GPS Map 76CS an average 4-1/2 out of 5 star rating. Here's what the editors at Amazon had to say:

"...The compact unit also boasts a 13 MB Americas marine basemap that includes tide data. In addition, an impressive 115 MB of internal memory lets you load optional MapSource BlueChart or Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots marine cartography. (The award-winning BlueChart features depth contours, inter-tidal zones, wrecks, and navaids, while Recreational Lakes includes fishing areas, boat ramps, marinas, and hazards for more than 1,000 popular U.S. and Canadian lakes.)

You can rely on the 76CS when you're navigating the highways and byways in your rudderless vehicle, too, thanks to a built-in, auto-routing basemap of major interstates and highways. When loaded with optional MapSource City Select detailed street cartography, the GPS provides automatic route calculation to millions of addresses or points of interest, complete with turn-by-turn directions and tone alerts. The unit is also compatible with MapSource U.S. Topo and 24K Topo for off-road excursions..."

Here are some other resources on the 76CS...

• Surprisingly, there aren't many reviews out there on the 76CS. Fortunately for you, GPS Information.net offers their usual complete treatment with this review of the Garmin 76CS.
• Here is the official Garmin GPS Map 76CS web page.
• And link to a PDF version of the 76CS owners manual.
• Want to see how the 76CS stacks up against other units? Use this handy Garmin GPS comparison tool.
• Finally, here is a link to an active Yahoo 76C / 76CS discussion group.

Related posts:

• Handheld GPS buyers guide
• GPS for hikers
• GPS for geocachers
• GPS for cyclists