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I recommend buying now with the equipment 1 memory card that can be burned to the maps. This is the best handheld GPS that I know. The battery which is great because it has a safe load for a long time depending on their size. The size of the display is very good, very large can show many details. I did the crossing of Angra dos Reis to Rio de Janeiro at night and feel much confidence and traffic in the middle of many islands with the orientation of the maps that I loaded in the GPS.
Nice unit, does everything well. After third use, the voice disappeared, unit back to Garmin for replacement. Second week and waiting.
This claims to be "perfect for land or water" in its description, but that is not the case at all. I took this deep-sea diving (I was hunting for monsters), and as soon as I got underwater the unit completely stopped working. I called the customer service, and they said it was "user error". Me and my new monster pets are very upset.
Garmin has to be the best GPS available. I would like to have the option to increase the size of the font, but that is not available to the extent I need for motorcycle use. It is the only one I buy, and this is my fifth unit. It is fast to aquire satellite data, and will position you within feet of where you are. Rugged and reliable, if just a little over price; but then you are paying for the Garmin name. Software was easy to install on my GPS.
For starters, the marine base map is garbage for those who boat offshore or cruise the coast. another $20.One of the more powerful feature I plan to utilize in the near future is the sonar function. However, in order to take advantage of the 276C's many IMPORTANT features you should plan on spending (quite) a few more $$$. Overall, I am very pleased - setup was a breeze, never a problem with position refresh, battery life is good, data is accurate, signal strength is fantastic in my boating area, and I really like the fact that nearly every screen is customizable. I use my 276C exclusively for boating, and it performs admirably. From there you can analyze your trip - it even interfaces with google maps to provide a real-life view of your excursion. If you plan on using this GPS for boating I would recommend the display cover. So, plan on spending another $25 for that.
One other feature I enjoy is the mapsource software that came with the unit. Also, the absence of a 12v adaptor is a real miss. Once you figure out how to navigate the menu screens, you can take advantage of some very powerful options which you would only expect to see on higher end GPS models. To enable this feature, you'll need Garmins analog scanner (GSD-21) and a suitable transponder. I wasn't expecting much in the marine base map department going into the purchase, but for those that are expecting this, plan to pony up an additional $150 for a (proprietary) data card which gives you the detail you'll need to navigate the waters safely. Given the unit is marketed as "portable", why Garmin opted to not include one is a mystery to me. From this, you are able to upload your trips to the computer. Pretty cool stuff.
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