Buyers' Guide to Garmin 276C Chartplotter
Some GPS units are so powerful and versatile they can be used just as well on a land or water vehicle. The Garmin 276C is one of those, with a full 256-color display and built-in dynamic base map that can guide you anywhere you want to go on land and water. Here is everything you need to know about the Garmin 276C unit before making your next GPS chartplotter purchase on eBay.
Does the Garmin GPS 276C tell you about being off-course?The Garmin 276C has a CDI feature unique to its class. This Course Deviation Indicator will tell you when your boat has strayed off-course and guides you back to your optimal path. The NMEA unit built-in works with a transducer to also indicate the depth, temperature, and current speed of the water dynamically with visual interfaces. This innovative application of CDI breaks the mold of land and sea GPS units by introducing what is normally an avionics instrument to a commercial-grade GPS chartplotter navigator. This is one of the many features that makes the Garmin 276C a full-function, versatile navigation unit.
Does it work like a regular GPS for the car?The Garmin GPS 276C has full functionality on both land and water. Dynamic routing will guide you on freeways, highways, and interstates, and the City Navigator maps will give you detailed street maps as well as turn-by-turn directions just like any automotive vehicle GPS unit. Out of the box, the Garmin 276C comes with a marine mount, and automotive mounts of different kinds are available as well. The Garmin GPSMAP 276C is 5.7 by 3.2 by 2 inches, so it will mount conveniently in any size vehicle. You can easily find this model on eBay.
Can you install multiple non-U.S. coast maps?Yes, one of the primary features of the Garmin 276C is its compatibility with BlueChart g2 maps, which allows you to install any of the hundreds of detailed mappings of U.S. and non-U.S. sea maps. You can also use MapSource map data, so there are virtually no limitations to where you can go. Load these extra maps onto the Garmin 276C by connecting it to a computer via USB cable.
How much built-in memory does the Garmin 276C have?The Garmin 276C has a data card slot and comes with one data card. This Garmin data card can hold:
- Waypoints - 3,000
- Routes - 50
- Track log - 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks