Garmin 276C

TINTIN · Post by **TINTIN** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 4:16 pm

Does anybody know the going rate for a Garmin 276C locally? Or even better does anybody know if there is one for sale within the club? Thanks guys.

Tony.

MooD · Post by **MooD** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:55 pm

1950 dhs Without Map.....................

Tintin Just wait few Days,,,,,,,,,,,

TINTIN · Post by **TINTIN** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 5:26 pm

Why, is Mr. Mood having a Garmin sale?

CarbonHunter · Post by **CarbonHunter** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:36 pm

Why are you looking for a 276 in particular?

Have you contacted AMIT in the Mina?

TINTIN · Post by **TINTIN** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:38 am

I just like the 276C it seems easy to use and looks very strong, plus with most of the club using them its a safe bet I think. I haven't tried Amit yet, I will some time soon though.
I need to know one thing though, if I was to buy one from the states with USA maps on it would I be able to delete these maps and download UAE maps without buying new data cards and whatever else?

Mulgara · Post by **Mulgara** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:14 am

Hi Tony,

I visited AMIT recently for a quick look and he had the 276C for AED 2,000 plus an optional AED 750 for the Middle East road maps. I want to go back tomorrow evening though and see what else is on offer as something like the Garmin Oregon hand-held might be better if I get a bike or quad later as it will transfer from one to the other easier. Need to do more research though as I don't know much about this and other available models. I can't even find the 276C on Garmin's site, so perhaps it's discontinued? I also want to ask if AMIT will install them properly / neatly.

One of the guys on a recent trip had a Garmin Nuvi (several models of this available), but he said it's useless off-road as you can't enter waypoints or routes. It's certainly a lot neater than the 276C though, so if there's one suitable for off-roading, I'd prefer that. Their motorcycle GPS is temping too - Zumo I think it's called.

I'm also checking the UK price as I'll be back for a visit in April and electronic stuff is generally cheaper there, especially with the current exchange rate!

Hope you find what you're after.

Steve a.k.a. Mulgara

TINTIN · Post by **TINTIN** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:32 am

Cheers Steve. The 276C seems the best as its a chart plotter and gives you the hight and depth of oncoming obstacles, but like you I aint that savvy when it comes to GPS, I know that GPS and SAT NAV are different things but when it get sto technical I just switch off.

I am currently looking around the internet to see what is available there but it isn't that easy to find somewhere I trust that isn't within touching distance.

Plus I think that is a bit expensive, I have seen them in carrefour for less than that and i've been told the maps sell for 500 from the official site. I don't know how true that is though.

Good luck with the hunt mate.

Tony.

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:45 am

Tintin, I was in DG Sharaf yesterday in Times Square Mall, they have 276c in stock at AED 2090, they are out of stock of the maps but he tells me they sell for AED860 with them (That seemed pricey to me though..).

Andy

Mulgara · Post by **Mulgara** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:19 am

Tony,

That's interesting about the "height and depth of oncoming obstacles" - yet another feature to look out for. I find Garmins site pretty unhelpful when it comes to off-roading. They have a section for Sat-nav (cars on roads) and then a section for handhelds (hikers off road), but nothing that seems to point you to the right models for a car off road (i.e. good for both off road and road).

Will be interested to hear if you do find the 276C cheaper elsewhere, especially as Andy's example is slightly more expensive again.

Good luck!

Steve

Brummie · Post by **Brummie** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:41 am

Hi Chaps,

The Garmin site is not that user friendly, but "Chartplotters" (276c) appear in the Marine > All Water Products section where 276C and 278 hang out. UK price on the site is 475 pounds for the 276 and and 638 pounds for the 278. The only difference between the two is 278 has voice prompts (presumably advising you that you are lost in the desert!!)

Good luck with the search.

Cheers

:cheers1:

Brummie

Mulgara · Post by **Mulgara** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:47 am

Thanks Brummie - that's really helpful and explains why I couldn't find them where I expected on the Garmin site. Perhaps I'll add an outboard motor to my Jeep as my second modification after the marine GPS!

Steve

TINTIN · Post by **TINTIN** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:53 am

Mulgara wrote:Thanks Brummie - that's really helpful and explains why I couldn't find them where I expected on the Garmin site. Perhaps I'll add an outboard motor to my Jeep as my second modification after the marine GPS!

Steve

While your at it why not a fish finder and some rod rests

CarbonHunter · Post by **CarbonHunter** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 10:20 am

I did a bit of shopping around - AMIT are definitely the cheapest for Garmin (you may get a better deal on a one off special at Carrefour????).

Look at the nuvi 550 - also seems fairly good. Rugged - waterproof - and big touchscreen

The nuvi range can take waypoints - and also shows elevation.

Think of offroadign as hiking or cycling at speed - so any of the handhelds like the Oregon or colorado will do.

I have a Quest 2 (discontinued now I believe) - but does me good.

As far as map sets go - you can get the latest Middle East map set (unfortunately no topo details - and I am not sure how good they are at off road features) for around AED 700. Some of the units have it preinstalled - others not.
So being able to install a Middle East meapset - yes it is possible - and you may not even need to delete the US mapset - depends a lot on the amount of memory available on the unit you have.

Hope this helps - shout if you need extra info

Xof · Post by **Xof** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:17 am

guys, just a reminder , when you buy a GPS be sure you will be able to use it.

The garmin 276c is the best as it offers many possibilities... but, you MUST learn how to use it and read the manual, which can be sometime quite uneasy for GPS newbi.

After a while and some practice, it is the most complete GPS i could have used so far (and i have been working with them for a long time)... My only regret is that you cannot upload Satellite Picture in it (i could do that with my previous one : PDA + GPS). Then, you can even choose which dune you want to ride! If somenone has found the way to upload sat. pic... help!

Other tip

: i have built a library with Abu Dhabi emirate radar as waypoints... no comment!

and useless in Dubai (just drive slowly there!)

Reminder, in addition to the GPS, you MUST LEARN HOW TO USE THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE!

Now, if you will only come "sometime" for off road trip, get a Nuvi... it's good enough (Wasabi is selling one btw).

hope this will help.

Mulgara · Post by **Mulgara** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:34 am

Thanks guys for the additional info. In fact, I just came across the Nuvi 550 on the Garmin site and it looks very good, but still need to compare with the 276C and Oregon hand-held to see what suits my needs best. It's mainly the bulk of the 276C that has me looking at others, given I might use it on a bike or for hiking too. I've had satnav on my last two BMW motorcycles, but haven't used them off-road yet, so will heed the advice about reading the manual and learning the software properly.

By the way, I just realised my jeep has a fishing rod attached too - nice marine theme developing perhaps!

Steve

EDIT / UPDATE: Just read a number of reviews on Amazon and the 276C sounds like the one for me. Given the exchange rate, it seems slightly cheaper at AMIT than it is on Amazon UK, so will just go ahead and get it I think...