Garmin GPSMAP 76S Handheld Electronic Map with Sensors

Garmin's 12 channel GPS receiver gives you a position fix in as little as 15 seconds, and stays locked on to satellites in the toughest of conditions; even under heavy foliage or tree canopy. WAAS is an acronym that stands for Wide Area Augmentation System, which means about as much to most folks as "WAAS". Basically WAAS is a system of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections, giving you even better position accuracy (up to five times better). WAAS corrects for GPS signal errors caused by ionospheric disturbances, timing and satellite orbit errors. With WAAS capability, this receiver can give you a position accuracy of better than three meters, 95 percent of the time. This is a much better record than you can expect from a GPS receiver that is not WAAS capable. With Garmin GPS technology working for you, you know you can rely on fast and accurate positioning when you need it.

Altitude & Heading

Just how high are you? This GPS receiver can let you know thanks to its built-in barometric sensor. This highly accurate sensor uses automatic pressure trend recording to calculate your altitude. In addition to current elevation, the elevation computer can also calculate rate of ascent or descent, minimum and maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, average and maximum ascent and descent rate. Most GPS units with a built-in compass require movement to calculate your heading, but the electronic compass built into this navigational wonder is sophisticated enough to be able to figure your heading while you are standing still.

Tough Enough

Garmin engineers understand the rigors of the wild and since Garmin builds GPS units for military use, they have a great deal of experience designing units that have the ease-of-use required for on the move navigation and the toughness needed to survive your outdoor adventures. This GPS unit is water resistant to IEC-529, IPX7 standards which means it can survive a dunking in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. You would have to hold it under though since this resilient receiver also floats. The high-resolution, 4 level display is very easy on the eyes with screens that can be read at a glance. For low light situations the screen and buttons are backlit and there is also a large numbers option for even easier viewing. No squinting or slowing down, just easy, on-the-go navigation.

Basemap & Internal Memory

This GPS receiver comes ready to travel with a built-in basemap for North and South America that shows you cities, interstates coastlines and more. In addition, the internal memory is preloaded with worldwide cities, navaids and tide data (USA only). With 24MB of internal memory on board, this navigational wonder has loads of room for downloading additional map data from MapSource CD-ROMS. This GPS receiver is compatible with most MapSource products including BlueChart, Fishing Hot Spots, Topo and MetroGuide. You also have memory available to store up to 500 waypoints with name and graphic symbol and up to 50 reversible routes. The automatic track log saves up to 5,000 points and 10 saved tracks that let you retrace your steps in both directions. It also uses a permanent user data storage system that keeps your settings and data safely stored with no memory battery required.

Alarming Extras

Among the thoughtful extras designed into this trusty traveling companion are audible alarms that can be set to alert you to things like anchor drag, arrival, off-course and proximity waypoint. You can also set a standard clock alarm to help you get up or remind you of an important event like break time. Course and speed filtering are also on the lengthy list of navigational extras; as are the many advantages provided by the built-in trip computer that gives you odometer readings, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, maximum speed and other useful info for tracking your progress. With all that, Garmin still found room to include celestial tables to help you determine the best time to fish, plus sun and moon calculations that are always good to know when you're traveling, especially in wilderness areas.