Thread: Handheld GPS units

Handhelds sometimes come up in discussions of GPS options, but with all the finder/GPS combo choices, the handhelds don't seem to get much attention these days. My Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx has been a reliable companion for over 4 years (450+ trips), but a cluster of pixels in the center of the screen seems to be damaged or burned out. Everything else about the unit works like a Swiss watch, but I've already started researching replacement handhelds.

I like the idea that the GPSMAP units will float. I know mine does because it once fell into the minnow bucket. The more sophisticated touch-screen units claim to be waterproof, but they don't float & I watched a partner's handheld GPS die after being submerged by a sudden cloudburst of rain. The latest descendent of Garmin's GPSMAP 76 series is the GPSMAP 78. It has as much or more of all the goodies I want & would cost less than I paid for the 76.

What's your experience with the GPSMAP 78, Garmin's Oregon & Montana units, and other handhelds?

My first GPS was a Garmin and I didn't like it. So I gave it to my son and bought a Lowrance H20. Once I learned to use it I really liked it and decided to upgrade to the color unit. That was a mistake as it was very hard to see in bright sunlight. Back then Linda Colt worked for Lowrance and was a fantastic person to work with. She said they had a lot of complaints about viewing in bright sunlight. I wound up trading the color one and went back to the B&W. She gave me a copy of Lowrance's Map Create to make up the difference in price. I was going to sell the H20 a while back but decided to keep it for a back-up. All this goes back to when they first came out with them and it still works great. But I seriously doubt it floats. Not sure I would any more.

I bought a Lowrance H2o 7 years ago and I still love it. My wife keeps telling me I need to upgrade but with the MapCreate program I still use it in my truck. I have 2 HB898's in my boat but the old reliable H2o still goes with me.

One thing I can't do with the 1197 is carry my waypoints & tracks when I'm fishing in someone else's boat. That way, we can get on his marked spots & mine, too.