Need Advice On Choosing Gps 60vs176

[zpx606]

Ok, I joined the forum a couple days ago because I have been very interested in GPS machines. Here are my desires, requirements. WOuld like a machine that would work reasonably well for the following:

 

1. Navigation in a small boat using Bluecharts.

2. Use in car to find addresses while on the road.

3. Use on ATV for not getting lost in backcountry.

4. Handheld use is not of prime duty but should be capable.

 

My take so far

 

176c advantages--Bigger screen, data cards

disadvantages--no autorouting, kinda bulky

 

60c advantages--much more portable, autorouting, more colors, longer battery life

disadvantages--no tide tables, smaller screen.

 

What would you guys do. I guess the feature that really is the big difference for me is the autorouting. Do you think the 176 is still a decent machine for navigating in a city? I have bought a 176c land and sea package and the final price was 650 which includes the bluechart and metroguide as well as various mounts, cables, and a blank data card. I still have time to return it though if the 60c would make a better machine.

Edited January 24, 2004 by zpx606

[+Ish-n-Isha]

I dont know the 176 well enough to comment but I do have a 60CS on order.

[zpx606]

Thanks, I think

[Vlad]

you have to weigh your anticipated use more exactly. if you're going to be using it primarily on the water then the 176 is definitely the preferred choice. it is a marine-oriented gps and the big screen allows you to zoom in to see the detail while still being able to see "ahead".

 

since the 176 doesn't have autorouting it's no better or worse than any other map-enabled gps in this regard except again it has a bigger screen. that said, navigating in city traffic trying to read a small gps screen (and here i'm saying the 176 screen is small) so you can see street names is a recipe for disaster. an autorouting gps is critical for this application because it allows you to concentrate on driving and only requires your attention when advising you of an upcoming turn. score a win for the 60 here.

 

for atv use there's really no big difference. either would work well although i would say that the lighter the gps the less stress you place on the mounting system. score a win for the 60 here?

 

from a handheld perspective the 60 is definitely preferable. smaller, lighter and longer battery life. i haven't yet seen the 60's screen but the 176c screen is very sensitive to orientation in bright light (which is what i think the 60 will be like also).

 

and keep in mind that the 176 advantage of memory cards is also a disadvantage. the price of those cards is ridiculous. using compact flash or sd i can get twice the amount of memory for 1/3 the price. when the 2610 and ique came out i thought finally they were moving away from the proprietary stuff and going to industry standard. now i see the new fishfinder/sounders are again using the proprietary card. come on garmin, quit trying to make money on memory and stick to making great gps's.

 

consider your primary application and give it the appropriate weight in your decision-making process. consider picking up a second gps (perhaps a real low-end model) for those other less important uses.

Edited January 24, 2004 by Vlad

[+ZingerHead]

It's a tough call, because tide charts and autorouting don't come together in too many models. The GPSMAP76S has the Tide Charts, a nice big (for a handheld) screen, it's not too big, and I believe it floats. But no autorouting, no color screen. Do you do a lot of spontaneous type of driving, where you're not sure of your destination when you head out? If most of your trips are pre-planned you could get by without autorouting and plot your routes at home on your PC and download them to the GPS. Just a thought from a long-time Vista owner.

The 60C doesn't have the tide tables, but it does have autorouting. Plus it has that sexy color screen.

 

Not much help, but something to think about....

[zpx606]

OK Zinger and Vlad, you have both raised some good points!! I appreciate your help.

 

Some clarification. I estimate that I will be doing little handheld use so battery life and actual size are not the greatest concerns--i.e. I am not put off by the bulk of the 176c and it does still allow for handheld when necessary.

 

I guess that the real question boils down to autorouting. It does seem like a nice feature and is by far the biggest reason I am looking at the 60c. For example, say I travel to another city and decide that I want to eat at a particular restaurant across town. Well, I know that I can pinpoint the address with the 176c and would have to do the navigating myself. The 60c can figure out the route, but the screen is half the size of the 176 and I am not certain that it will be very readable in the car or on the boat.

 

As far as the ATV goes, I think a Ram mount would keep it fairly securely. I suppose the other option is to buy an inexpensive GPS for the ATV only such as an etrex or the like (I suppose mapping is not a total necessity for the ATV and it also seems that the Topo Mapsource CD is of limited usefulness, particulary for ATV'ing).

 

So here is the question. For 50% Car and 50% Boat use which would you figure is more valuable bigger screen or auto routing?

[Neo_Geo]

I guess that the real question boils down to autorouting. It does seem like a nice feature and is by far the biggest reason I am looking at the 60c. For example, say I travel to another city and decide that I want to eat at a particular restaurant across town. Well, I know that I can pinpoint the address with the 176c and would have to do the navigating myself. The 60c can figure out the route, but the screen is half the size of the 176 and I am not certain that it will be very readable in the car or on the boat.

 

So here is the question. For 50% Car and 50% Boat use which would you figure is more valuable bigger screen or auto routing?

AUTOROUTING

 

The 60C/CS provides audible cues - you won't need to look at the screen (much) while driving. I don't have one of these things (yet - it's on a UPS truck somewhere), but imagine something like a "ding-ding" indicating a left turn, and a "ding-dong" indicating a right turn.

[zpx606]

Thank you for that info. Again, very useful. I am a GPS noob so I appreciate your comments.

 

After reading how quick it will change autoroutes en-route the 60C seems impressive.

 

Maybe this would be a better question.

 

Do many of you use handhelds for car navigation?

[+Renegade Knight]

I use my GPS V for navigation.

[Vlad]

based on:

 

For 50% Car and 50% Boat use which would you figure is more valuable bigger screen or auto routing?

 

for this mix of usage i would say that the 60 will meet your OVERALL needs better than the 176.

 

but i say again - focus on determining what your primary application will be (ie when will the gps be used most?) and go from there. don't rush your decision - think about it for a couple of weeks.

[+SBPhishy]

Don't laugh at me. No one has mentioned this yet so I will. I use my Meridian Gold with Direct Route for autorouting and it works great. Maybe a Meridian Marine? The 60's rock though, I think.

[+GOT GPS?]

I am surpised that nobody has made clip-on magnifiers for the small GPS units.

 

I would like a good magnifier for a GPS V or a Map60C.

 

I would go with the idea of a Map60C

[+Cherokeecacher]

I am with SBPhishy. Check this out Meridian Marine

 

Also readmapsend BlueNav Charts and Mapsend Direct Route

 

Edited to change urls

Edited January 24, 2004 by Cherokeecacher

[zpx606]

I kind of like color though, and I imagine that if I were to buy the 60 that I would end up getting a second GPS for a boat and would like to have software that would work with both. Garmin is the standard for Marine fixed mount GPS systems hands down.

 

Is there a compelling reason to look at a Meridian Marine or is this personal preference? iN other words does the Meridian offer something the Garmin does not have (other than maybe tide tables).

[BurnieM]

It really depends what you want and what you need (not usually the same!).

If this is your first unit then stick with the GPSmap 176C and try out the features.

 

I have just purchased a GPSmap 176 (monochrome) with 64MB card and RAM mount.

My first GPS was a GPS V (which I still have).

 

My primary uses are Motorcycle road riding and 4WDing.

 

I selected Metroguide Australa as it has much better rural mapping than City Navigator Australia.

Altho I do not have 'turn by turn' auto-routing I still find the address find function very useful in the city with a straight line goto.

 

I decided to upgrade (yes, it definitely is an upgrade for my use) to the GPSmap 176 because;

it has a bigger screen (the GPS V has slightly sharper resolution but more of the map can fit on the GPSmap 176 screen).

the map re-draw on the GPSmap 176 is much faster than the GPS V

the GPSmap 176 has expandable memory cards (slight negative is the excessive cost of Garmin cards)

 

Negatives on the GPSmap 60 (and Meridans and Sportraks too) the vertical mounting position is not the best for visibility (blocks road view) in the car.

 

On any unit that you will read both in bright sunlight and at night; make sure that it has a very wide brightness range; very high for sunlight and very low for night use. This ability is far from standard on many units altho the Garmins seem to be better than most.

I deliberately picked the monochrome model as the screen is more readable in bright sunshine (mainly on the motorcycle).

Edited January 25, 2004 by BurnieM

[zpx606]

Well this is tough, the price is kind of a hitch.

 

The 176C with bluechart unlock and metroguide as well as various mounts, and cables as well as 32mb card is approx 690 total (Land and Sea package)

 

My calculation on the 60c is that with CS software, bluechart, and a couple mounts would come to 660

 

I guess I just need to see if there is a 60 locally that I can play with. If the screen sizes were a bit closer there would be no contest--60c all the way.....BUT....the 176's screen is almost twice a big.

Edited January 25, 2004 by zpx606

[+SBPhishy]

Another thing about the meridian, even though I doubt you care, is that the firmware of the Meridian Gold can be changed to the Marine firmware, showing waterways and marine marks and such things.

 

Also, you realize that the 176 is not really a handheld right? I thought you wanted handheld capability also.

Edited January 25, 2004 by SBPhishy

[zpx606]

I do appreciate your input SBPhishy.

 

I just had an epiphany though.

 

I think I am going to keep the 176 for the boat and 4 wheeler and for my limited outdoor hiking use.

 

Now for the epiphany, I may just buy a Garmin iQue. I already use a palm in my day to day functions and I am due for an upgrade (currently have m505). The iQue has a screen that is even larger that the 176 and it has voice autorouting and comes with software. I already have SD cards and a variety of other palm accessories. Finally, the good part, I can take this as a tax deduction since I would use the palm for work. The reason I didnt consider it previously was that it was not waterproof but if I limit its use to the car that is not a problem.

 

What do you think?

[+SBPhishy]

Anything that is going to be a tax deduction cant be bad...

[zpx606]

Of course, now that I have researched the Garmin, it is nice but it isnt perfect.

 

1) Short battery life even when the GPS is off.

2) Subject to static electricity shocks.

 

Still not bad though. I think I will go out and take a good look at the units today and see what I think.

 

Fact is you can get the Garmin iQue and it included 130 software with it. Considering that it can be had for 450 from gpscity that make the price of the unit around 320 if you take off the software. Hmmmm.

[+bob393]

How about a Map76 or 76s.

I'm thinking that way to replace my beloved eTrex Vista.