Garmin GPSMAP 79sc, Marine GPS Handheld Preloaded With BlueChart g3 Coastal Charts, Rugged Design and Floats in Water

I could have or should have bought a cheaper version with all the same features. It didn’t come with the BlueChart maps loaded as advertised.

Unit had the latest software loads including system software and BlueChart loads. Very quick delivery. Nice! This was purchased as a backup unit for one bought a year ago. Still learning how to use the routing and recording features. It has not been completely intuitive but the manual full download helps. Accuracy & startup time are excellent. Predicted battery life of 19 hours seems accurate but wish it was 24 hours…. A very solid unit.

This product is awso.e and does everything I need it to

Lo que esperaba

Garmin has never been good at describing features or how to use them on their GPS systems. It is certainly the case for this very capable handheld GPS device. One must learn by scrolling through the menus and getting your device to do what you want it to. I got this Garmin GPSMAP 79sc to replace my 76Cx which, after years of using, had a simple battery compartment issue I was unable to fix. I had set up and used my old Garmin to, among other things, communicate NMEA streams of data to my autopilot on my sailboat. I shopped online, even at the official Garmin site, and looked for this feature among GPS handhelds with no luck. I even went into a retail store to talk with knowledgeable salespeople as to what product would do this. No luck. But while having the 79sc in my hand, I noticed it had the Garmin round plug port for power and I/O which wasn’t even mentioned or shown in online descriptions. The Quick Start booklet which came in the box said nothing about the port, and the owner’s manual, which I had to download, had little. I took a chance and bought it. Turns out I could get this working like my old device by exploring the menus. Not much help from any written direction provided by Garmin. It must be a legacy feature not used by many today. The 79sc has many features, some useful to me and some not, but it is very capable. It determines position faster than my old, almost instantaneously. The compass feature is handy and works by some technology alien to me. Probably magic. And the unit I got, being preloaded with coastal charts, is nice. Display is nice. The scrolling buttons are a bit touchy. I’ll wait to test out its waterproof and floating capabilities until I accidentally drop it overboard. So, if you want a very capable handheld GPS, try the Garmin GPSMAP 79sc. Just be patient, explore the device, and get to know each other together.

Excelente GPS marino, debes dedicarle tiempo para manejarlo bien Muy recomendable