Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx review

UPDATE: The GPSMAP 76CSx has been discontinued. For current recommendations, check out our handheld GPS buyers guide or our Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart.

The Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx updates the Garmin GPSMAP 76CS with two major improvements. First, the 76CSx includes the  SiRFSTAR III chipset, which has been getting rave reviews for its fast acquisition time and awesome coverage under canopy, in urban canyons and even indoors!

UPDATE: In early 2009, it appears that Garmin stopped using the SiRFstar III chipet due to a patent dispute, substituting a MediaTek (MTK) chipset. While both are high-sensitivity chipsets, Garmin is still fine-tuning the MTK firmware. The switch to this chipset has reduced one of the advantages the 60/76 C(S)x series has enjoyed over newer Garmin models.

UPDATE 2: Here’s my 2010 take on SiRFstar III and the newer chipsets.

Second, the 76CSx no longer utilizes its built in memory for MapSource
maps, but loads them to a microSD card instead (the unit comes with a
128 MB card). This means you have unlimited map storage capability,
plus you can use some of the newer MapSource software like City Select Mexico.

Compare prices on the Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx

One other point before we go on to other reviews — the 76CSx is identical to the 76Cx, except that this unit, the 76CSx, adds an electronic compass and barometric altimeter. To see how the 76CSx stands up against other Garmin models, check out my Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart.

More Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx reviews

• Consumer-written Garmin 76CSx reviews are being posted at GPS Now.
• Garmin 76CSx reviews have also been posted by consumers at Amazon.
• Here’s a Garmin 76CSx review that calls it “My hands-down favorite GPS device for outdoor and marine use.”
• One reader was so happy that he wrote into the official Garmin blog with a brief GPSMAP 76CSx review, recounting his geocaching exploits with it.
• A reader at TrailSpace.com has posted their own Garmin 76CSx review.
• Piaw’s blog reviews the Garmin GPSMap 76CSx.

Of all the new Garmin receivers being released in the first half of 2006, this one was the slowest to see reviews show up online. I suspect that it is not as popular as the 76CS, which offered a nice memory advantage over the 60CS. With the expandable memory in this and other x-series units, that advantage is gone, relegating this unit’s popularity to the mariner crowd (it floats!). Anyway, I’ll be posting more hands on reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some other…

Garmin GPSMap 76CSx resources

• A PDF version of the Garmin GPSMAP 76 CSx owners manual.
• There is even a Yahoo message forum devoted to the 76CSx, 76CS and 76C.
• Want to see how the 76CSx stacks up against other handhelds? Use this Garmin handheld GPS comparison tool.
• Here is a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx FAQ page.
• The official Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx web page.
• Hey, it really floats:

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• Find the low price on a Garmin 76CSx at GPSNow.com, where shipping is free on orders over $99 (and the upgrade to overnight shipping is dirt cheap!); order by 5 p.m. Central Time for same day shipment.
• Check the current Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx price at Amazon.com.
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• Find the Garmin GPSMap 76CSx at amazing prices at eBay.
• Check out our GPS deals site for current specials and rebates on a wide range of GPS receivers.
• Scroll down for more live price comparisons.