Joe Marler
TN
Prior to 2008
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The GPSMap 276C is a great GPS for motorcycles.
Main advantages over the Garmin 2610: battery power and a 3x higher resolution screen that's transreflective and viewable in direct sunlight with no backlight. Battery is proprietary removable lithium ion, which gives about 15-20 hrs use with no backlight, and about 5-6 hr with backlight.
Main disadvantages: requires proprietary Garmin memory card and software is extra cost item, not bundled. For automotive/motorcycle, most people use Garmin City Select North America mapping software.
The 2610 uses a touch screen, whereas the 276C uses buttons; there are pros/cons to each approach.
The included 128MB memory card will hold several medium-size states. In a planned cross country tour, a 256MB card can easily hold the entire path, including many miles on either side.
Garmin classifies the 276C as a marine unit but it's really dual-use. Due to the marine heritage, the 276C overall design and manual are more technical -- they assume you understand navigation basics.
The 276C has some configurable features missing from the 2610, such as a configurable tracklog: you can define how fast it drops "breadcrumbs" by either time or distance.
From the picture it looks big, but it's about the size of an older StreetPilot or 2610. It fits fine between my Honda ST1300 handlebars. If anybody's thinking about the Garmin Quest because it's cheaper, battery powered, and looks similar, note the Quest's physical screen size is much smaller and might be harder to read (depending on your eyesight).
For automotive use I just velcro the 276C to my steering column. With no power cords it's quick and easy to swap between car and bike.
Note: Garmin just announced the StreetPilot 2720 and Quest2. The 2720 has a higher resolution transreflective screen like the 276C, but like the 2610 requires hard wired power.
276C pros:
+ Transreflective screen visible in direct sunlight with no backlight
+ High res screen has about 3x the pixels of the 2610
+ Huge 10000 point tracklog, plus can save user-defined tracklog segments to memory
+ Battery powered; can use in motel/restaurant
+ Buttons, not touch screen
276C Cons:
- Buttons, not touch screen
- Proprietary memory card, 256MB max (but sufficient for cross-country planned trip)
- Software is extra cost (about $110), unlike 2610 which includes it
- 276C comes with a 128MB memory card; if you want a 256MB card it's approx $110
- No internal speaker for voice prompts; external speaker required
Recommend? YES
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