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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Looks Like a Winner
By GaryS
I was in the market for a new GPS and came all over this model while doing a great deal of exploration on the web. Although the Garmin GPSMAP 76 was available at very good prices, I decisive to opt for the newer GPSMAP 78 model. I this will be only the third GPS I have owned in the past 15 years, so I wanted the very latest generation. The GPSMAP 78 has a very good feature set. It acquires a emplacement very quickly after powering up. I was capable to transfer waypoints to the unit when connected to my PC by using Google Earth. Very slick and easy! The only downside so far it the unit has a large total of choices and set up features. I'm still attempting to do not forget them, but it's getting easier. I did contact Garmin and they confirmed that the unit does NOT charge the batteries when connected to a PC by way of the USB cable, nor will it operate on USB power. The unit is merely a mass storage device when connected.
10 of 22 humans found the following review helpful.
Garmin GPSMAP 78S
By Thomas L. Ballard
If you are reading this, then you are doing what I did, attempting to determine it this is the GPS for you, right? I will tell you up front, this one of the greatest pieces of junk I have ever owned in my life. It is crap... This is my fifth Garmin and it is the worst, by far.
So, why did I buy it and why do I still have it?
My basi Garmin was a GPS 40, then I moved up to the GPS 12, then I moved up to the Vista HCx. The firstborn two were pretty impressive and still work, but became out of date as things bettered in the GPS world. The Vista worked fine, until I started taking it canoeing. I purchased the introductory one at REI, and was told it would be outstanding for canoeing because I could leave it laying on the deck area and watch it as I traveled.. Note, this was a solo, two week, 140 mile canoe trip. After with regards to five days of the GPS laying on the deck, and being dripped on by my double ended paddle, moisture spots started showing up on the inside of the disply. I managed to get home with it, but then took it back to REI. They said this ought to not happen, and they substituted it. Then this year, I went on another solo, two week canoe trip, another 130 miles, and again, after regarding 8 days, moisture showed up in this one. I opened this one and found water in the battery area and the posts of my batteries were starting to show rust damage. I dried everything out, as best I could and in the sun, then continued my trip. Back at REI I told my story. They again said this must not happen, but they did not have anything better to replace it with. So, they gave me my cash back. One man working in the store told me that a new model was coming out that was designed for marine use, but they did not have any yet. He showed the thing to me on the web, so I got the model number, etc. and went looking. I necessitated a new GPS as I was headed for Alaska in a few days. Amazon had one of these GPS models, the 78S. I ordered it, got it, went online and printed out the manual, because there not one provided. With new GPS and a self-printed manual, I left for Alaska. Note, I also, put a 4 GB microSD card in it. And, I had uploaded the map coverage I wanted fo4 the trip I was taking. As I travel, by car, I tried to learn how to use this thing. The more I learned regarding it, the less I liked it.. By the time I got home with it, 99 days, and 17,000 miles later, I hated this thing. It actually is a piece of junk. The manual is near useless, none of the functions are easy or intuative. And when I would call the company for help, whatsoever I got did not make me happy. I wish I had time to tell you all the crap I have learned regarding this piece of junk but I have to get going here soon. But get started with this, the little microSD card has a actually bad habbit of popping out when you alter the batteries, because some design nut put the card slot underneath the batteries.. Once the card pops out, and into the gras and rocks around you, you may kiss it goodbye. You will seldom ever find it.. I had this occur various times, but was in the car each time and was competent to find the card. Second, am a real biggie with me, is that Garmin took the function out of the program where the computer could do simple navigation using the roads in it is built in database.. That function was in the Vista HCx, and was GREAT to have for simple navigation. GONE. Garmin got rid of it from this unit. When I asked them with regards to it, they said they sold another program to install and do this!! And the tech person said this was for fishing and boating, not following roads. Then I had to ask him why the damn thing had an elevation profile program in it, then? How a good deal of fisherman see a lot of elevation alter as they paddle throughout a lake?????????? He did not know, he thought the fishermen would want to see the elevation chart as they drove to the fishing area!!!!!!!!!! Are we talking mute here or what!!!!!!!!!! The menus in this piece of junk are just the worse.. I have run out of time, but I am warning you to stay away from this thing, it is worse than bad!!!!!!!!!!! Here is another note, from what I may tell, Garmin ought to be in disturb as they are not focalized on quality of product at all anymore, just mass sales of all kinds of stuff.. I suppose that if they do not change their attitude soon, they will be in the same boat as General Motors and Chrysler, who were ripping people off by selling as much junk as fast as they could.. I advise you to find a dissimilar company to buy your GPS from. I am still traveling, but when I have time to shop for a new GPS, I will and I will replace this piece of junk.... I have had it with GARMIN. I did buy a car GPS the other day, and I fended off the GARMIN product there, just because the bad experiences I have had with Garmin. I purchased a TomTom, It does fine. Also, you will have to recognise that when while I was gone to Alaska, I collected a lot of waypoints as I did my trip. When I got back, I could not download my waypoints and save them. I had to call Garmin. I think I at last got them saved, but not sure. However, the 78S was a real mess. It took the Garmin tech over 1.5 hours to get the points off the unit and get the unit working again. In the process, I lost everything on the 78S. I hope I have my waypoints saved on my computer, but I am not sure.. Will find out in a month or so when I get back to that portion of my life!!!!! PS, I do not know if this thing is waterproof or not, or if it floats as suggestted that it will, I have never gotten it wet!!!
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