376C / 378 and 478

[davidr]

Hi There,

376C is a nice unit. I think we're not allowed to use those in Europe due to some called the RoHS which doesn't allow certain practices in the construction of electronic devices (a bit strange, as apparently the 276C is allowed )

What is the XM WX Weather & Radio feature like? Is it useful?

David

[Jeff@TireBalls]

Originally Posted by davidr

Hi There,

376C is a nice unit. I think we're not allowed to use those in Europe due to some called the RoHS which doesn't allow certain practices in the construction of electronic devices (a bit strange, as apparently the 276C is allowed )

What is the XM WX Weather & Radio feature like? Is it useful?

David

Wow, thats strange.

The XM/WX works great! I rode the TransAmerica Trail last summer and both came in very handy. I could listen to music, weather, news and whatever else I needed at anytime. The weather radar was especially handy, as I could see the weather fronts moving in. Also if there is a weather alert, the alert will pop up on the screen no matter what mode your in. Then the information is played through my ear buds.

The only other GPS that I would get if I lost this one would be the 478 because it has City Navagator loaded in to the unit which would free up a lot of space on the memory card.

[davidr]

Yes, it is a bit strange.

I had a look and found a bit more info on it and apparently it's got to do with hazardous metals, like lead and mercury being used in manufacturing but also some other substances.

However it is a bit strange as apparently batteries do not have to conform to this (most of which contain such things)

More here if you're interested:
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You mention the 478 as a possible replacement, is there a reason why you didn't mention the 378? It seems to be almost the same as far as I can see (in fact the Garmin compare thingy shows no differences at all)
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare....areProduct=402

In any case it sounds like you have a great unit, the weather news and so forth are also nice to haves which we can't get here

David

[Jeff@TireBalls]

The only difference is that they come with different map sets that are loaded into the memory.

Ready for action right out of the box, the GPSMAP 378 comes preloaded with detailed U.S. Inland Lakes data, which boasts 10-meter resolution for more than 3200 lakes, many with depth contours. In addition, these built-in freshwater maps provide shoreline detail, river and creek channels, islands, boat ramps, campgrounds and more for tens of thousands of lakes across the continental U.S. — giving you the freedom to boat and fish anywhere in the states. The maps also show streams and rivers, tide stations and predictions, a wrecks and obstructions database and U.S. Coast Guard aids to navigation.

Ready for action right out of the box, the GPSMAP 478 comes preloaded with US marine detailed maps for the entire US coast, including Alaska and Hawaii. These maps are based on BlueChart g2 technology, so they layer smoothly and are integrated for easy panning, scrolling and zooming.

[MrR1150GS]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TireBalls

Ready for action right out of the box, the GPSMAP 478 comes preloaded with US marine detailed maps for the entire US coast, including Alaska and Hawaii. These maps are based on BlueChart g2 technology, so they layer smoothly and are integrated for easy panning, scrolling and zooming.

Ok, I have a 478. I really like the display and am getting used to the User Interface. I have a question though.

People on the different motorcycle forums trade route files online.
How can I go about loading one of these files into my 478?

The only software it came with was some kind of waypoint manager that does not have any detail on it at all.

I opened Mapsource up that I had loaded for my GPS III Plus and it recognizes the unit, but says I cannot load maps to this unit because I don't have a memory card loaded. Do I need to buy a blank BlueChart card to allow the storage of route files?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Chris

[davidr]

Hi there,

To answer your question, yes it can be done.

In order to load maps onto your unit, you will require a memory card, however, you can load the routes and waypoints onto the unit without a memory card (and therefore without a map)

Presuming the files that are being shared between your friends are of either .gpx or .gdb extension, the easiest way is to simply open these files in MapSource and the use the 'send to device' button and select 'routes' and 'waypoints' from the available selections as necessary.

If when you open you open the file you receive an error message about the version of the gdb file, this probably means that you need to load a newer version of MapSource.

If you select to send maps, you will need to have a memory card in the unit. It's very useful to have this (256mb or 512mb are available)

HTH, PM me if you need a memory card.

David