Greatest Handheld Unit On Market

My workplace purchased this unit at my request about three months ago. It is a step above every other similar unit that I've ever used (I am a scientist and work with GPS, GIS, and remote sensing technologies on a daily basis). We bought this unit for use in scientific research. We paid about $400 for the unit from an online retailer.

The unit comes with a waypoint management program from Garmin. This software is useful, but somewhat basic. The average user will enjoy the ability to transfer points and tracks between the computer and the unit. Garmin finally upgraded this unit from a serial connection to a USB cable (included). This is a big plus because it increases data transfer rate and is much easier and quicker to connect (also shows a corporate desire to stay up to date with current technological standards).

Also included is a 64 MB micro SD memory card. This was enough to upload the Garmin TOPO maps (separate product, not included) for the entire state of Arkansas with 22 mb to spare!! If 64 mb is not enough to store your waypoints, tracks, and uploaded maps simply buy a bigger memory card because it is expandable!! Other extras are a belt clip and a wrist lanyard. WARNING: Last week I almost lost the unit because the screw holding the belt clip onto the back of the receiver came loose. I retraced my steps through the woods and found it (WHEW!). Make sure you use a hex wrench or some Locktight or something to tighten this screw!!

The unit has a beautiful color TFT screen. The viewing angles are good and the screen is highly visible even in direct sunlight.

The power source is 2 AA batteries. This is sufficient for several days of use. You can extend the battery life if you buy a good set of rechargeable Li-ion AA batteries from your local electronics store (the unit itself is not rechargeable).

The unit acquires satellite signal extremely quickly (approximately 1-2 minutes from a cold-start). This is partially due to an entirely new high-sensitivity antenna/receiver by SiRF that has been incorporated into this unit. The new receiver technology also provides much better reception in heavily forested areas and in areas of extreme topography (I work in the Ozark Mountains and can attest to this). There is a built in quad-helix antennae, but the unit also supports remote antennae input (not included). The receiver is also WAAS (Wide Area Averaging System) enabled, which greatly increases accuracy (better than 3 meters in most places in the U.S.). WAAS uses a network of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections, giving you even better position accuracy. NOTE: WAAS is available on nearly all new GPS units currently on the market.

Another great feature is the ease of use. The buttons are easy to push and positioned nicely. The menu system is attractive, convenient, and comprehensive. You can customize practically everything about the menus and the display. There are even games, a geocacheing mode, and a program called JumpMaster that alerts you when you should jump from an airplane in order to land at coordinates that you select, while taking into account your altitude, position, and airspeed (not useful for most, but still very cool)!!

For the outdoor enthusiast, the unit provides a wealth of information including a digital compass, a barometric altimeter, and the ability to backtrack. The unit will keep you abreast of how far you have hiked, and even tell you how much change in elevation you have covered (it will even show you a 2-D graph representing your elevation change over time).
The unit has some good functionality for use in the car, including the ability to give turn by turn directions, but frankly there are better designed units on the market if you are only interested in using it in a car. However, the feature does work and is nice to have and makes this a better-rounded, all-around unit.

Overall, I would highly recommend this unit. It is a little pricy ($350 on the web, $500 in retail store), but ultimately worth the extra. I recommend that you buy a case for it to protect the screen from being scratched. Garmin makes a nice one that is custom fit and has a plastic window for viewing the screen without removing the cover.

These are the specs from the Garmin webpage:

• New high-sensitivity WAAS-capable GPS receiver by SiRF
• Built-in quad-helix receiving antenna with remote antenna capability
• Unit dimensions: 2.4” W x 6.1” H x 1.3” D
• Display: 1.5” W x 2.2” H, 2.6”-diagonal, 256-color, transflective TFT (160 x 240 pixels)
• Supports English, Spanish, Portugese, and French languages.
• Weight: 7.5 ounces with batteries (not included)
• Sensors:
-Electronic compass displays accurate heading while standing still
-Barometric altimeter with automatic pressure trend recording
• microSD card slot allows for storage of optional MapSource detail (64 MB microSD included)
• LED backlit display and keypad
• Battery life: 18 hours (typical use) using two AA alkaline batteries
• Includes a built-in Americas autoroute basemap with automatic routing capabilities, including highways, exits, and tide data (USA only)
• Internal memory is preloaded with a marine point database
• 1,000 user waypoints with name and graphic symbol; 50 reversible routes
• Position formats include Lat/Lon, UTM, Loran TDs, Maidenhead, MGRS, user grid, and more
• Large-numbers option for easy viewing; dual-position display mode
• Trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more
• 10,000-point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions
• Elevation computer provides current elevation, ascent/descent rate, minimum/ maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, average and maximum ascent and descent rate
• Navigation instructions can be shared with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots using NMEA protocols through the dedicated serial port
• Built-in celestial tables for sun and moon calculations and the best times to fish and hunt
• Compatible with most MapSource products. See the MapSource Compatibility table (top right) for a list of software that Garmin recommends with this product.
• Water resistant: IEC 60529 IPX7 standards