The Official Garmin 62 and 78 Thread

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by Countdown

Did it pop out of RAM mount?

78 is just 76 with a vew new features. Many of us have been using them for years with no major problems. Great blow out deals on both old 60/76Cx units.

Some of us happen to think that the "new features" are worth switching for. I've had many 60s and 76s but I want better, now.

And there's no shortage of 60 and 76 topics, so can we keep this a 62/78 forum?

[Emmbeedee]

As mentioned in the Oregon/Dakota/Colorado forums already, the new Garmins allow you to have mapsets on the units with different names, and they can be enabled or disabled as needed.

Just an example of when this might be useful - my 62 has 1.7 gig of storage built in so I can load maps to that, and the Micro SD as well.

I have a Garmin MicroSD card with North America City Navigator on it, and there are times when I want to use this, but the card is only 2 gig and practically full with only the Garmin map, so I can't add anything substantial to that card.

Now my normal MicroSD card is 8 gig and includes all of a number of other Garmin products like Topo Canada V4 and Metroguide Canada, as well as others.

So what I've done is load a smaller set of my standard Topo V4 to the onboard memory of the 62, and named it Topo V4 (GPS - Small) and the large Topo map on the MicroSD card Topo V4 (SD - Full).

This way I can leave both in the gps and choose the one I want based on what kind of search I'm doing, and if I need to switch the MicroSD card for the City Navigator, I still have some Topos to use as well.

It may be that choosing to enable the smaller Topo mapset might make the unit search faster too. Maybe I'll do some tests on that later.

[AltRoute]

Originally Posted by Countdown

Did it pop out of RAM mount?

78 is just 76 with a vew new features. Many of us have been using them for years with no major problems. Great blow out deals on both old 60/76Cx units.

yeah - kinda - last time I saw it, it was mounted in my son's 7 year old hands


I might just get another 60csx if the price is right.

[qxp]

The 78 and 62 have identical menu and features. Only difference is form factor and the round powerplug is on 78 (ok.. and patch vs quad antenna).

I'm happy with my 78 for bike use. Others may prefer the 62 formfactor.. or price of an older model.

[Albie]

Originally Posted by qxp

The 78 and 62 have identical menu and features. Only difference is form factor and the round powerplug is on 78 (ok.. and patch vs quad antenna).

I'm happy with my 78 for bike use. Others may prefer the 62 formfactor.. or price of an older model.

The real BIG difference is that the 62 has a quad helix antenna while the 78 only has a patch antenna.

[qxp]

Sorry. Helix vs patch.

Still think that the form factor vs powerplug will be the deciding factors for most people.

ps. nice review of both here: http://gpsinformation.info/penrod/62S/62-78.html

[SnowMule]

Originally Posted by qxp

ps. nice review of both here: http://gpsinformation.info/penrod/62S/62-78.html

Excellent link.

Yea; the lack of the 4-pin on the 62 disappoints me. Glad the 78's still have it.... serial/NMEA output makes connecting the GPS to a radio or datalogger miuch easier.

[Countdown]

Originally Posted by Albie

The real BIG difference is that the 62 has a quad helix antenna while the 78 only has a patch antenna.

That would be way beyond the last reason I would use to select a GPS.

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Countdown

That would be way beyond the last reason I would use to select a GPS.

As would the type of power cable would be mine. Signal strength is much more critical to me. Just ask Todd how much a problem it can be when your GPS has piss poor signal.

[Countdown]

Originally Posted by Albie

As would the type of power cable would be mine. Signal strength is much more critical to me. Just ask Todd how much a problem it can be when your GPS has piss poor signal.

That was a slight (not big) problem with my old 76C but I don't think my new "x" has ever lost signal.

[Emmbeedee]

More information on how maps work in the 62/78 units:

http://garmin.blogs.com/.m/softwareu...rovements.html


Map Selection Improvements

In the 62 and 78 series we have improved the way maps are enabled/disabled. Multiple supplemental map files can now be loaded to a device and to fully take advantage of that we have changed map selection to allow the greatest amount of configurability.

This may result in some people needing to change how they configure and load maps. In the past, only a single map file with multiple map sets was possible and accommodating different combinations on the unit was more difficult. Now, desired map set combinations can be built into multiple files prior to loading on the device and each of those files can then be independently enabled/disabled on the device. This allows a maximum amount of configurability while simplifying the setup needed on the device.

Our free utility, BaseCamp, supports multiple map files on a device. Build up any desired map sets that you would want to enable/disable independently and then transfer as before. Now, change the name of the new map file on the device from “gmapsupp.img” to a name that makes sense for the usage (e.g. “topo and roads for hiking trip.img”). This custom file name will show up in the map selection list on the device (Setup > Map > Map Information). If more configurability is desired on the device, split previously combined map sets into multiple map files (e.g. “topo for hiking trip.img” and “roads for hiking trip.img”). Utilizing profiles further enhances this option as multiple files can be enabled/disabled at the same time with a simple profile change.

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Countdown

That was a slight (not big) problem with my old 76C but I don't think my new "x" has ever lost signal.

Your X has a QUAD HELIX antenna and a better receiver chipset then the old 76.

I understand the reasoning behind Garmin putting a patch antenna in the 78. After all, it is a marine unit and lets face it, when you're sitting out on a lake or ocean, there isn't much that's going to block reception. Now riding around on a motorcycle in dense wooded area's and along the side of mountains is a different story.

Like I said, the more sensitive antenna is more important to me especially since I just use battery power. I'm betting I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[AltRoute]

Originally Posted by qxp

Sorry. Helix vs patch.

Still think that the form factor vs powerplug will be the deciding factors for most people.

ps. nice review of both here: http://gpsinformation.info/penrod/62S/62-78.html

I 3rd or 4th that observation - having power is a must - then comes everything else - big oversight on the 62 - I would like to see how long a small USB plug will power and stay in place after 2 weeks of riding the GDT or TAT in the rain ?????

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by AltRoute

I 3rd or 4th that observation - having power is a must - then comes everything else - big oversight on the 62 - I would like to see how long a small USB plug will power and stay in place after 2 weeks of riding the GDT or TAT in the rain ?????

I'm using my 62 on batteries these days and get almost 2 full riding days out of a set of rechargeable NiMh. And I'm not having any trouble seeing the display without the backlight.

[AltRoute]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

I'm using my 62 on batteries these days and get almost 2 full riding days out of a set of rechargeable NiMh. And I'm not having any trouble seeing the display without the backlight.

Just have to bring one box on my next trip