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Garmin Gpsmap 76cx Frustration


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I broke down a couple of months ago and bought the new Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx. Its main selling points were that it had the memory to hold all of the topo maps of the state along with some parts of the surrounding states. Also it was supposed to lock into the satelites quicker and had more waypoint storage. All this compared to my old GPS V.

 

1. First complaint. I use the display railroad feature regularly at work. Well if I zoom out farther that .3 miles they disappear. The old GPS let me choose at what zoom level it disappears, not the new one.

 

2. Second complaint. If you are in a very hilly area and zoomed out very far, the contour level lines clutter the map. Again old GPS would let me adjust this. New one doesn't.

 

3. Third complaint. The pointer arrow seems to wander aimlessly, almost to the point of being useless. The distance still counts down (or up) correctly. But the arrow may be pointing somewhere else.

 

4. Fourth complaint. I have not found a way to display the shading available on mapsource for national forest/refuge land. Old one had it, albeit in black and white.

 

5. When downloading a waypoint dot from mapsource, it changes the icon to a flag. If I wanted a flag, I would have chosen a flag. Flags don't show the correct location as accurately as a dot.

 

6. The data fields with map display have large text, which means they take up more space and reduce the amount of map being displayed. So much for having a decent map with a little data to go with it.

 

So what did I get for all the extra money this sucker costs when it seems to have less features. Oh I see, its got games, and a stopwatch, and calendar. Heck I thought I was buying a GPS, not a video game.

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I have the 76CSX and when on the map page if I hit Menu and go to setup map I get 6 pages of options

 

General - Things like Orientation / Autozoom / Detail etc

Tracks - settings for daved tracks, track log, track points etc

Points - Sets the scale at which Mappoints, Users Waypoints, Street Labels and Land Cover appears on the map page (Auto , Off or from 20 feet to 800 miles)

Text - Change text size on Map Points / user Waypoints / Street labels / Land Cover (Auto , Off or from 20 feet to 800 miles)

Info - What Mapsource maps I have loaded

Marine - sets up marine stuff

 

I found these pages very helpfull http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...4entry1570564

http://home.houston.rr.com/gpsr/

 

Hope this helps you

 

(I just upgraded from a Garmin V to the 76CSX and have to say I am very happy with the upgrade)

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I have the 76CSX and when on the map page if I hit Menu and go to setup map I get 6 pages of options

Points - Sets the scale at which Mappoints, Users Waypoints, Street Labels and Land Cover appears on the

(I just upgraded from a Garmin V to the 76CSX and have to say I am very happy with the upgrade)

 

I also just recently (like 4 days ago) got the 76CSx, and am thoroughly impressed. Just now changed the Map points Max zoom, and it indeed is the option to show or not show RR tracks on CN7.

 

When using Topo US (west), the tracks remain visible out to .5m when set to MOST.

 

With detail at LEAST, they drop off at zoom of 500ft.

 

Probably somewhere in between is where you'd want it.

 

I do believe, however, that I read elsewhere about the shading on Garmin Topo maps not displaying, but I don't remember it being unit specific.

 

The declutter and selectable type sizes for all the various displayed items works great for me. (almost TOO many options sometimes).

 

I don't know if that's helpful or not - I just hate to think you feel like you wasted money - it's an amazing piece of gear in my book, and I can't really find anything yet that ISN'T adjustable, although some things are not exactly on the menu I'd expect them to be on. I have gotten it kind of hinky by changing too many things at the same time, but a quick click on DEFAULT gets me more a less a clean slate.

 

(Then I can tweak it into uselessness again) :ph34r:

Edited by Team-H3
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Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to change the size of the data fields when the map display is on. As noted above, you can change the size of the text for map points, waypoints, street names, etc., but not the font or size of the data fields. I know older models (such as the 76S--not color) allowed for this. Color models don't appear to permit this change.

 

Also, AFAIK, no way on the 76Cx to alter display of "shading" for national parks, etc.

 

I believe that everything else you mentioned is doable, as pointed out above.

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I broke down a couple of months ago and bought the new Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx. Its main selling points were that it had the memory to hold all of the topo maps of the state along with some parts of the surrounding states. Also it was supposed to lock into the satelites quicker and had more waypoint storage. All this compared to my old GPS V.

 

So what did I get for all the extra money this sucker costs when it seems to have less features. Oh I see, its got games, and a stopwatch, and calendar. Heck I thought I was buying a GPS, not a video game.

Complaints 1-6-What this shows is that you haven't tried to use your GPSr very much since purchasing it.

At least 5 of the 6 complaints are "User selectable" items....you just haven't "selected".

 

Read,re-read and re-read your manual....(it ain't real clear or very descriptive sometimes) and take your GPSr out and "Play" with it. It's got more features and options(menu pages and menu pages of them) than you will ever possibly use. Between the manual, this forum and lots of "play" time, you'll get there.....and a little "hitting the menu buttion at the right time"

 

This is not intended to be a put down, more like a "Been there done that" tale. I just recently discovered (with help through this forum) an option on my 76CS that I was complaining about being "Missing". .....This was after ONLY using my unit DAILY in both work and "play" for several YEARS!

And to think that I thought I knew which end was up!

 

The first option I changed on mine was the "dreaded blue flag" to a City small "dot".

Display any saved waypoint, toggle up to the waypoint symbol, enter,voila!, you can "picks the one you likes"

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really, I thought this was the opposite??? I need to get rid of my blue flags too....I havne't tried yet. Is it in the manual or is it just on the way point page?

 

Can it be set up so the default waypoint marker is something diffeerent than the blue flag?

 

On the arrow thing, you most likely have is set to "Course pointer" instead of "Bearing Pointer". Course pointer point to the "Course" and not the destination. Make sure it is set to "Bearing".

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3. Third complaint. The pointer arrow seems to wander aimlessly, almost to the point of being useless. The distance still counts down (or up) correctly. But the arrow may be pointing somewhere else.

 

Are you calibrating your compass? This sounds like an uncalibrated compass. You should calibrate it after every battery change and again if it starts acting fluky.

 

. The data fields with map display have large text, which means they take up more space and reduce the amount of map being displayed. So much for having a decent map with a little data to go with it.

 

I just turn the data fields off on my map display. There are plenty of other places where they can be displayd and it only takes a press or two of a button to get there.

Edited by briansnat
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Your default marker is whatever marker you used last., so whenever you change a marker, just leave that symbol selected, "quit" or "page " out and the next and subsequent wpts will use the "New" selection. (until you change it to another) For just individual wpts with a different symbol, change the symbol on a new wpt then change it back(leave the desired one selected) to whatever you want as default

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Well max zoom on MY GPS still drops the railroads off the screen if you zoom further out than .3 miles.

 

I know how to change the flags to dots. But when I download something from mapsource to the GPS, I would like the icons chosen while using Mapsource to stay the same. It would with my old GPS. With the new one it doesn't and it is time consuming if I have 40 or 50 waypoints to have to go back and manually change each one.

 

On the 76CX the parks are NOT shaded. I would like them to be as on the other GPS.

 

The CX does not have the calibrated compass. That is on the CSX.

 

I have the correct course pointer selected.

 

Declutter does not effect the contours.

 

So if I haven't selected the proper settings, and I have read and reread the book, someone tell me what sequence of buttons from which screen I need to go to get this solved.

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Be sure Mapsource is set to your correct model of GPSr. Mapsource should then show the same symbol choices as your unit. If the Mapsource file is an old one that was made using a different choice list then you would need to change the incompatible ones. (in Mapsource, before transfer). However, once that is done they should transfer back and forth between GPSr and Mapsource and retain the same unique symbols.

 

On the Map page.... Menu>setup map> toggle over to the "blue flag" at the top....

On that page you should see 4 user selectable choices....

Changing the top two from "Auto" to whatever distance you want controls when(at what zoom level) certain features appear.

 

Also on the Map setup page ....go over to the first icon on the left side....on that page there should be 4 choices....change Detail from Normal...... toward More or toward Less and see if tone of those does what you want.

 

There are enough user selectable choices on your unit that you should be able to get it just like you want it.

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