Us 5 Camp

April 16, 2002

I had meeting in Minneapolis today that afforded me the opportunity to stop by a local retailer to compare 1st hand the 76Map, GPS V & Platinum (Gold).

1st off the V is dadgum cute and a real bang for the buck, but not quite what I'm after (see above).

2nd (IMHO) the Garmin GPSMAP 76 is better built, has a more intuitive interface, is more user friendly and has a better display than the Platinum (or Gold). Again, only my opinion!!! The Meridians are a nice GPS with awesome memory capability. I simply like the Garmim 76 series more and will wait to buy a 76S for the main reason of getting at least the 24Mb of storage.

Anybody have an update on shipping for the 76S?

Now I can't wait!!!!!!!

Thanks to those who've helped me along the way and to those who've patiently listened!

April 15, 2002

I've posted a few questions lately on various units for my 1st GPS purchase.

I've narrowed it down to the 76S and the Platinum.

* What's the best price & service on each of these units?

* In regards to the 76S, what availability/ship dates have you been quoted?

* If it were you and money was not an object between the two (after adding memory to the platinum, the price is about the same), which would you buy???

My uses would included: car road trips (not so much city navigation), canoeing, biking, hiking, geocaching, snowmobiling and general fun.

Thanks!

April 14, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Jamie Z:
Fortunately, I figured that out pretty quick, but I find it mildly irritating. In reality, the power-up sequence for the Meridian is PWR-ENTER-ENTER-ENTER. That's too much, I think.

UNfortunately, the power off feature is too easy. One bump of the power switch while in your pack for example while you're not looking an the unit power's down (after a four second window, which you're likely to miss).

I haven't decided yet between the Meridian Plat and the 76S, but that's one thing I don't like about the Meridian. Hopefully a future firmware will fix it.

April 12, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by phantom4099:
The basemap on the 76 is better than the merigolds? I would have thought that the 16mb (one of the biggest) basemap on the meridian would be better.

I do not know the basemap size of the GPSMAP 76, but it had for example: More small towns and road for my area, all the interstate exit numbers, etc. Perhaps a better statement aslo is: The firmware and finer display of the GPSMAP 76 was superior to that of the MeriGold.

April 12, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by phantom4099:
The basemap on the 76 is better than the merigolds? I would have thought that the 16mb (one of the biggest) basemap on the meridian would be better.

I do not know the basemap size of the GPSMAP 76, but it had for example: More small towns and road for my area, all the interstate exit numbers, etc. Perhaps a better statement aslo is: The firmware and finer display of the GPSMAP 76 was superior to that of the MeriGold.

April 11, 2002

** Someone asked below: My main uses will be: road trips with the family (no need for metroguide), camping, canoeing, trekking, hiking/hunting, snowmobiling & geocaching. **

Tonight I drove 65 miles to the nearest store carrying the GPSMAP76 and the Meridian line to compare my top choices side by side (76(s) not released and Platinum (not in stock) so I had good substitutes in the GPSMAP76 and MeriGold.

Here's my thoughts followed by questions...and I am interested in your experiences/opinions:

**THESE OBSERVATIONS WERE FROM GPSMAP76 & MERIGOLD**

If they would not carrry forward to Platinum & 76S, let me know...

* Very Similar Units in size and function.

* Platinum would be very expandable with 128Mb SD cards available for about $90, which would also bring the price of the 76S and Platinum about on par (128Mb Platinum vs 24Mb 76S for about $380 +/-)

* Screen resolution on the 76 line is noticably better on the Garmin. The Meri. line seems crude by comparison.

* The basemap detail and functionality on the 76 is much greater in detail (as well as information) with user friendly features like small towns that highlight when the cursor is over them and when you click enter it sets you up for a goto the clicked feature.

* ??? Question on the basemap detail. No matter which unit i buy, I will have an upgraded map loaded for 90% of the use. Will the Meridian with an upgraded Topo or Cities map improve on the very bland basemap to be on par with the 76? Or will the 76 move that much further ahead when it has improved map detail?

* ??? Resolution & 24Mb vs. 128Mb and less resolution?? Which would you choose? Anybody have good side by side experience with the 76 line vs. the Meridian line????

* Data download: With the Platinum I would get a SanDisk reader to load the card through USB. What are download times for the 24Mb 76 or Vista line?

I thought this trip would answer my questions, now I'm perplexed as ever... HELP!

[This message was edited by lansink5mn on April 12, 2002 at 06:06 AM.]

[This message was edited by lansink5mn on April 12, 2002 at 06:07 AM.]

[This message was edited by lansink5mn on April 12, 2002 at 06:09 AM.]

April 11, 2002