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Hunt # 2 with 330 and the 76........


Guest Big-Bird

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Guest Big-Bird

Well the other day the 330 map did not lock and the 76 map didn't either under the really heavy cover. The ext. antenna on the 76 did make it work. I think.....

Today on a cache the 76 was way off in low to medium cover while the 330 got me to within 2 feet of the cache. I let the 76 settle down and it still did poor. Put on the ext. antenna and not really any difference in accuracy. The 330 got me to within 2-5 ft. every time. Tried turning it off and on.......no difference. I would not have found it without the 330. I'm begining to think there must be a problem with it. Except that on the road in a vehicle it tracks just as well as the 330 does.

And I tried WAAS off and on an a firmware update has been done. Didn't seem to matter. I am really digusted with the 76. I've read the reviews on it and they all say different but for me the 76 is not all its supposed to be. At least mine isn't today.

Next......Customer service with Garmin or the GPS Store where it came from.

And what really gets me is I bought the 330 at a consignment store, new with c/d, cable and mount for $119. Never used but no box. I had planned on it as a back-up.

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Guest gstrong1

Big-Bird.-Does not surprise me at all. I've been posting this for weeks on these threads.Although probably 80% of the folks that responded disagree with me. I've done extensive comparison testing with the MAP76,the Vista & the III Plus. Under heavy tree cover, the Vista & the MAP cannot touch the III Plus.That thing sticking up out of the back of the Plus is the antenna. That thing sticking out of the top of the Mag. 330 is the antenna. I don't care about waas, electronic compass, altimeter,24 mb. of memory or any of those other bells & whistles when I'm in the deep woods. I want satellite lock. The antenna is going to give me that. I have gone into the woods 20 times with all 3 units, & I'm not making it up. Go to the Garmin web site & you'll find the MAP76 listed under MARINE hand held GPS.I've had mine on the boat out on the lake & it's great. I've run routes & track-backs while in the car & it's great.In some light vegetation it's OK.In deep heavy cover, with or without the external antenna connected,it just doesn't hold the sats. like the III Plus.It's that thing sticking up.I love the MAP76 & the Vista. They each have fantastic features & I am in no way cutting them down. But there are certain situations where there's something better. Lets face it, if there was any one unit that could do it all, we'd all have one & we wouldn't be having this discussion. I have no experience with the MAGs, but if their antenna does the job of that on the III Plus, they can't be beat under heavy tree cover. If I had it to do again, I would still buy the MAP & the Vista but when I go after a cache in very nasty tree cover, the only thing in my hand is the III Plus.---(why do I feel like I've just painted a bulls-eye on my back). icon_biggrin.gif.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

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Guest gstrong1

Big-Bird.-Does not surprise me at all. I've been posting this for weeks on these threads.Although probably 80% of the folks that responded disagree with me. I've done extensive comparison testing with the MAP76,the Vista & the III Plus. Under heavy tree cover, the Vista & the MAP cannot touch the III Plus.That thing sticking up out of the back of the Plus is the antenna. That thing sticking out of the top of the Mag. 330 is the antenna. I don't care about waas, electronic compass, altimeter,24 mb. of memory or any of those other bells & whistles when I'm in the deep woods. I want satellite lock. The antenna is going to give me that. I have gone into the woods 20 times with all 3 units, & I'm not making it up. Go to the Garmin web site & you'll find the MAP76 listed under MARINE hand held GPS.I've had mine on the boat out on the lake & it's great. I've run routes & track-backs while in the car & it's great.In some light vegetation it's OK.In deep heavy cover, with or without the external antenna connected,it just doesn't hold the sats. like the III Plus.It's that thing sticking up.I love the MAP76 & the Vista. They each have fantastic features & I am in no way cutting them down. But there are certain situations where there's something better. Lets face it, if there was any one unit that could do it all, we'd all have one & we wouldn't be having this discussion. I have no experience with the MAGs, but if their antenna does the job of that on the III Plus, they can't be beat under heavy tree cover. If I had it to do again, I would still buy the MAP & the Vista but when I go after a cache in very nasty tree cover, the only thing in my hand is the III Plus.---(why do I feel like I've just painted a bulls-eye on my back). icon_biggrin.gif.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

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Guest Geoffrey

I Had the Magellan 4000 XL, and that unit lost satellite lock in light tree cover.

 

I had the original Garmin GPS 3, and that one would scatter the breadcrumb trail all over the screen if the satellite lock was poor.

 

I have the GPS 3plus now, and that one is great, except at some cache sites where it ran me around in circles for an hour.

 

I have the Etrex Vista, and use it for boating, Jogging, and running. I have not used it yet in the woods. Does not get a lock in my front yard, because of big trees.

 

I am thinking of the Garmin MAP 76 as my next purchase.

 

I would like to get an amplified antenna for the 3plus, but also like to see motion sensor technology to be intergrated with the GPS.

 

Without the motion sensor, but with the GPS receiver's Positioning computations, that puts the GPS in a simulated world pretty much(With all the errors that effect your true position).

 

A GPS with motion sensors would continuosly compare the actual movements of itself with the positional computations derived from the received signal. Would improve everthing, but might be pricey at first.

 

Our consumer GPS's would not be capable of landing a 747 without motion sensors and expensive equipment.

 

Our consumer GPS's make it the all more challenging to Geocache.

 

For now you can bring a sighting compass and binoculars in the woods, would help with finding the cache container.

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Guest Big-Bird

Its going to go back. And I'll get the III+ or wait till the V comes out. That is if the V is a III+ with more memory. It does have that thing sticking out of it.

Thanks Rick.

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Guest Big-Bird

Garmin says.......... "The map76 should equal or exceed the III+. It has the same antenna design, just enclosed. You possibly have a weak receiver."

They said 15 ft accuracy should be the normal performance in cover.

So it goes back. They even pay shipping and said send in the ext. antenna as well and they will replace it.

I hope they are correct. I remember seeing a post where someone returned a 76 back and it came back and performed in the same class as the III+.

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Guest Growley

Big-Bird, it sounds like in your e-mail that you actually talked with a real-live breathing person who works for Garmin! Can this be true or is it just wishful thinking on my part. I too have a MAP 76 and I guess I have decided to keep mine however, I have spent a total of 1 hour 37 minutes on hold with Garmin (a total of 3 calls) and have never talked with anyone. I did receive an e-mail answer for a question about my Legend...which I sold a week ago. My hats off to you. Sorry, about your 76, I KNOW JUST HOW YOU FEEL. By the way, what time of day and day of the week did you call Garmin?

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Guest WaylandersMA

It took me several calls to get a human on the phone at Garmin. I just kept calling at different times of the day, Finally hit I think late morming EST. Well worth it. My yellow Etrex had failed to start after 14 months. The Garmin person said that was close enough to put it under warranty. 10 days later I had another working Etrex. The email response was slow and and just told me to call. I think they might be selling a lot of these things to first time buyers lately so the phone support is going to be stretched for awhile.

 

Paul

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Guest Big-Bird

I got through on the first call. Time on hold less than 10 min. In fact I had another call come in for me on another line and put them on hold(thinking it would be a long time as I've heard talk of) and when I came back HE was waiting for me. They were very nice and did not hesitate to say send it in. They also said send in the ext. ant. And gave me their FED-EX shippers #.

I called 8:00 am their time on Tuesday.

And another trick I use when its hard to get through is............

When it says press 1 for???? Don't press any key. This way it sends you through right away like someone with a rotary dial. Try it it works most times.

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Guest gstrong1

Good Luck Big-Bird. I hope this resolves your problem. I'll be watching this thread too see how it works out. If you get better results with a new one, I'll be on the phone with Garmin also.But up here in Rochester, NY, there are two others aside from myself that have the MAP76 & the III Plus, & the results are the same.When I first noticed the problem with the MAP under heavy cover, I talked to a service rep at Garmin named Jeff, & he told me that the III Plus would get a better signal under tree cover because the antenna on the Plus is a wound design. Different than the MAP.He's the one that told me the MAP was designed as a marine unit.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

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