Garfieldus
Guest
Hi Shay, I can't pm or email you but would like to talk. Can you change your profile so I can send you a pm please?
PanEuropean
Registered user
Bill:
I think you have summed things up very well in your post at the bottom of page 1. Richie also hit the nail on the head when he said "horses for courses". I kind of understand what Burnie is getting at when he says "if you don't have a navigation background, then the 2610 might be more [suitable]...", though I might phrase Burnie's comment differently, I would probably put it this way: "If you don't need a whole raft of specialized navigation functions, then the 2610 is probably the best choice." I like to think I have a navigation background (I'm an aircraft pilot by profession), but after having used the 296 with all it's amazing navigation functions on my moto for a month, I'm darn glad to have my 2650 back - it's simpler and faster to use on the moto, and gives me more moto navigation power, without confusing me with a ton of features I don't want or need on my moto.
A critical issue that motorcycle users have to keep topmost in their mind when purchasing a GPSR is: "What do I actually want the thing to do for me?" I bet that if you ask that question to 5 different riders, you will get 5 different responses, which might mean that one rider might be happiest with a GPSMAP 60, another happiest with a SP 2610, and another happiest with a 276C.
This decision making process is easiest for those of us who have some years experience using GPSR's on motos, and have had the time to become thoroughly familiar with the capabilities of different units. It can be a very difficult decision making process - not unlike deciding what laptop or home computer system to buy - for someone buying their first GPSR.
At the risk of over-simplifying things, I suggest that riders who intend to do long distance touring - or mostly road riding - stick with the "pure automotive" units (SP III, SP 26xx), riders who plan to spend a lot of time off-road consider the less expensive "outdoor handhelds" that have the capability to store street maps and handle work with paper topo maps better (GPSMAP 60 or one of the higher end eTrex models), and only riders who have a significant need for marine or aviation functions consider getting a "primarily marine" (e.g. 276) or "primarily aviation" (296) GPSR.
There are, of course, lots of choices from manufacturers other than Garmin, but I am not familiar with these products, so I cannot reference them with any competence.
PanEuropean
I think you have summed things up very well in your post at the bottom of page 1. Richie also hit the nail on the head when he said "horses for courses". I kind of understand what Burnie is getting at when he says "if you don't have a navigation background, then the 2610 might be more [suitable]...", though I might phrase Burnie's comment differently, I would probably put it this way: "If you don't need a whole raft of specialized navigation functions, then the 2610 is probably the best choice." I like to think I have a navigation background (I'm an aircraft pilot by profession), but after having used the 296 with all it's amazing navigation functions on my moto for a month, I'm darn glad to have my 2650 back - it's simpler and faster to use on the moto, and gives me more moto navigation power, without confusing me with a ton of features I don't want or need on my moto.
A critical issue that motorcycle users have to keep topmost in their mind when purchasing a GPSR is: "What do I actually want the thing to do for me?" I bet that if you ask that question to 5 different riders, you will get 5 different responses, which might mean that one rider might be happiest with a GPSMAP 60, another happiest with a SP 2610, and another happiest with a 276C.
This decision making process is easiest for those of us who have some years experience using GPSR's on motos, and have had the time to become thoroughly familiar with the capabilities of different units. It can be a very difficult decision making process - not unlike deciding what laptop or home computer system to buy - for someone buying their first GPSR.
At the risk of over-simplifying things, I suggest that riders who intend to do long distance touring - or mostly road riding - stick with the "pure automotive" units (SP III, SP 26xx), riders who plan to spend a lot of time off-road consider the less expensive "outdoor handhelds" that have the capability to store street maps and handle work with paper topo maps better (GPSMAP 60 or one of the higher end eTrex models), and only riders who have a significant need for marine or aviation functions consider getting a "primarily marine" (e.g. 276) or "primarily aviation" (296) GPSR.
There are, of course, lots of choices from manufacturers other than Garmin, but I am not familiar with these products, so I cannot reference them with any competence.
PanEuropean
PanEuropean
Registered user
Reply to Will
Will asked:
Could you elaborate more on the following please? <snip>
...I've currently got a GPS V on my GS. That, I assume would come into the dual use category? So would the 276 be equally as good as that in the automotive 'department' (in your opinion)?
Will:
You have posed two different questions. Yes, the GPS V is a dual use GPSR. It was, in fact, Garmin's first attempt at producing a "jack of all trades" GPSR, one that met the needs of the automotive, marine, and outdoor (camper-hiker-trekker) markets. It was quite an amazing little gadget for its time, and its popularity over the years speaks to the usefulness of it.
I think the closest thing Garmin has come up with to follow on to the GPS V would be either the GPSMAP 60 series, or the higher end eTrex models, though I stand to be corrected on this - I don't have much knowledge outside of the automotive and aviation segments.
Your second question - "would the 276C be as good as a GPS V for automotive use?" is kind of a loaded question. Yes, for sure it would be "as good" as the GPS V - in fact, it would be significantly better, because of the additional memory capacity, faster processer, colour screen, etc. - but it would NOT be as good at automotive navigation as a "pure automotive" GPSR such as the SP 26xx series. The 276C is designed primarily for marine use, and it has secondary capabilities for automotive navigation.
PanEuropean
Will asked:
Could you elaborate more on the following please? <snip>
...I've currently got a GPS V on my GS. That, I assume would come into the dual use category? So would the 276 be equally as good as that in the automotive 'department' (in your opinion)?
Will:
You have posed two different questions. Yes, the GPS V is a dual use GPSR. It was, in fact, Garmin's first attempt at producing a "jack of all trades" GPSR, one that met the needs of the automotive, marine, and outdoor (camper-hiker-trekker) markets. It was quite an amazing little gadget for its time, and its popularity over the years speaks to the usefulness of it.
I think the closest thing Garmin has come up with to follow on to the GPS V would be either the GPSMAP 60 series, or the higher end eTrex models, though I stand to be corrected on this - I don't have much knowledge outside of the automotive and aviation segments.
Your second question - "would the 276C be as good as a GPS V for automotive use?" is kind of a loaded question. Yes, for sure it would be "as good" as the GPS V - in fact, it would be significantly better, because of the additional memory capacity, faster processer, colour screen, etc. - but it would NOT be as good at automotive navigation as a "pure automotive" GPSR such as the SP 26xx series. The 276C is designed primarily for marine use, and it has secondary capabilities for automotive navigation.
PanEuropean
Gecko
Registered user
Having owned and used a GPS V for a couple of years I have just upgraded to the 60c. The extra memory , colour screen and faster USB connection make it a natural succssor to the GPS V in my opinion. Having previously vowed to never buy another Garmin product because of their rip-off upgrade policy which saw me , an established customer, getting charged for upgrades whilst new users were getting them free, I couldn't find anything else on the market that came close to improving on the GPS V except the 60 range....so I went for it.
PanEuropean
Registered user
I finally found a description of the "ideal" 276C owner, someone fully able to take advantage of all the features of this GPSR, in fact, I am sure Garmin had exactly this vehicle in mind when they designed the 276C: click here
PanEuropean
PanEuropean
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