Anyone using the Garmin 176???

[Flhooker]

Like to know your likes dislikes, Pros and cons. Any info. would be appreciated. Want the portability between boats. Will be used as a backup on one and a primary on the other. One is a tower boat and the other is a flats boat. Should be no antenna problems.

[cfwegman]

I have the older 175 and love it. I have 3 boats and one GPS. I see no reason to upgrade to a newer unit. Its mounted on the console, under a ttop and under a fiberglass electronics box. I see no change in its performance since before I added the ttop.

Product Engineer, SMITH Marine Products

[The Classic]

Great little unit - use it in the car, on the little boat, and the big boat.

[seb]

I have the 176C unit. I am pleased with it because I use it in the car as well as the boat. If I were using it as a marine unit only I would have purchased the 182 to get the larger screen. The 176 fits well on the car dash. Be aware that the color unit will be hard to see in certain lighting conditions, especially under a shade on a bright day. The mono version does not have this problem. Color is way cool, however.

[ReelWork]

I have the 176C and I absolutely love it.

personally, I disagree with seb about the unit being hard to see in certain lighting conditions. Maybe I just haven't had the right conditions at the right time of day but I know I have over 50 running hours on it and around 1k miles on the water and not a complaint yet. Yes, the color is WAY cool...

At night, it is the only way to go when you can see red and green channel markers on the unit along with the different shades of depths - indentical to a top spot map... Way cool and a must as far as I am concerned now that I own one..

Get a bluechart CD or the preloaded chips - they are a must to really utilize the capabilities.

I got my 176C off of E-Bay for $400 shipped with mounting bracket, manual and power cords and it had obviously never been used. It may be a refurb even though they said it wasn't, but I don't care - it works great and is under warranty.. FYI - That's cheaper than a 176 on average.. Keep your eyes open and you can get some really good deals.

[GeorgeP]

I'm going to have to chime in to seb. If you are using it in the vehicle, you should be using a power cord. If so, use the backlight. It makes the screen very easy to see in all conditions. One other thing, if you are using the unit in you vehicle, get the External antenna. Makes all the difference in the world when all the satellites behind you are not blocked.

[TickleStik]

I have the 176 mono. Great unit for the money.

[jon9]

I've used my Garmin 76 now for over a year. I can't imagine doing without a chart plotter anymore. I do find even the black and white screen a bit difficult to read when in the shade on a sunny day, and I find some of the labeling to be a bit difficult to read because of size while running in choppy waters. However, as I said, I wouldn't be without it anymore

It is often recommended that bigger is better in chart plotters, and some new units really are far brighter than my 176. But, again, for the money, and portability, the 176 has taken me places I've probably not gone, and I really do like it.

Jon