I've had some experience with the older GPS 76 and found it very hard to see in bright sunlight out on the water.
So, I was a bit nervous in ordering the GPS 78sc without being able to kick the tires. It arrived yesterday and I've spent about 6 hours total getting used to it. There were several concerns that I, at first, felt like I had bought a pig in a poke -- BUT, after a couple of phone calls talking to the Garmin technical people, all my issues were resolved.
This device is simply incredible with its accuracy and features for such a small package. I rely heavily on the MOB (man overboard) screen for use in setting upwind marks at specific bearings and distances from the committee boat in Race Committee work for Offshore classes. The color screen is very easily seen in the brightest conditions. The track log and reciprocal bearing back to the committee boat are highlighted in different colors and make for a superb display.
One of the reasons the color screen is so good (and they don't mention it anywhere) is that the lense window is polarized. I stumbled onto that by accident today on a hike while wearing my polarized sunglasses. I noticed that when turning the device at a right angle the image suddenly disappeared. That only happens when you are viewing a polarized lense from another polarized lense.
Now that I am familiar with the 78sc, my ONLY complaint is that the on-line Operation Manual is woefully inadequate for anything other than a basic introduction. However, all of your technical questions (and I am sure you will have some0 will be answered by their Customer Service department. Unlike many other companies, you won't have to wait more than a minute or so before getting through to a tech specialist. Pretty impressive.
Let me give you an example of how the Operation Manual suffers. Nothing in the on-line literature advertising the 78sc explains the setup capabilities of the compass feature. It is factory set to show a compass rose instead of degrees. I have a real need for this to be in degrees, and yet after playing with the device for over an hour, I could not locate any menu item that would allow me to change the display. I was quite disappointed in my purchase at this stage -- however, my first call to their tech people got me oriented in how to use the menu drop-down sub categories to find where I could make the setup change.
My next issue was that I consistently found the compass bearing was always 10 degrees off from measurements made with my hand-bearing compass. I must have performed the compass calibration in the 78sc a dozen times -- all to know avail. Unbeknownst to me, the factory default for the compass feature is for TRUE north instead of Magnetic north. In my region of the country, eastern Virginia, the angular difference between true north and magnetic north (known as the declination) is ---- Ding ding --- 10 degrees. I stumbled on this by again calling the tech support and was led to the menu item where I could switch from True North to Magnetic North. The devices is now dead on with my hand-bearing compass.
I also will be using this for my hiking adventures and purchased the Topo 24 -- Mid-Atlantic sw to provide topographic detail. This along with the built-in altimeter make this a powerful tool to have in your backpack.
Having owned this for only two days, I obviously cannot speak to the reliability of the device over long term exposure to saltwater, etc. I had read a few negative reviews from purchasers on this issue on several other websites. But, I intend to keep such exposure to a minimum (i.e., not leave the device on-board), so I do not think this will be a problem for me.
UPDATE
I spent most of the day yesterday out in the bay doing mark boat duties for our Race Committee. The 78sc performed flawlessly and the accuracy of the MOB feature (pinging on the committee boat) was amazing. As the committee boat stayed put the whole day, I only had to ping it once and from then on I had accurate bearings and distances for setting and moving the upwind marks and the pin end of the starting line.
I set the device on the top of the dash in the center console and it never budged, even in choppy waters, thanks to the rubber backing on the GPS.
The coastal chart info is also detailed and accurate.
I honestly cannot think of anything I would do to improve this device. If you have a need for it -- don't hesitate, buy it.
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This Item  Garmin GPSMAP 78 2.6-Inch Marine GPS Navigator and Worldwide Chartplotter |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | -11% $266.02 List: $299.99 | $611.99 | $149.99 | $574.95 | -9% $145.89 List: $159.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 10 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| User interface | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Accuracy | ||||||
| Touch Screen | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | 6ave | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| resolution | 160 x 240 | — | — | 480 x 272 | — | 128 x 160 |
| mounting type | Wrist Mount | Wrist Mount | — | Wrist Mount | Wrist Mount | found in image, Wrist Mount |
| batteries included | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| battery average life | — | 19 hours | 165 hours | 168 hours | 165 hours | 18 hours |
Reviews with images
Learning to like it...
First, this is a pretty good instrument, and the fact it doesn't have the latest and greatest techno-gadgetry incorporated doesn't bother me one wit. My biggest grumble is that the instructions are abysmal and seem to presume that most folks buying the 78sc will be stepping down from a full-feature chart platter rather than buying it as their primary instrument. The online/YouTube instructions aren't any better and seem to assume that folks are spending time in hiking boots rather than deck-shoes -- other than noting the included nautical charts, the writers seem largely ignorant of marine principles. Fortunately I've used a no-frills Garmin 72h with paper charts for sailing for over a decade (and trust it implicitly) and the conventions were similar if not identical. Where the 78sc won me over was running a shallow and twisting inlet on a cold, dark night (where I've previously run aground in a similar situation) and being able to confirm the various buoy lights off the included backlit chart -- for the solo, budget sailor that is pure gold. It picks up satellite signals very quickly and I haven't tested its waterproof abilities, but it seems almost as solidly built as my venerable 72h (which I ran alongside this one, since my initial confidence wasn't high). The trap door for the batteries feels rather clunky compared to the "lesser" 72h which has a solid screw down latch, but overall this is a comparatively sturdy mechanism -- I haven't thrown my paper charts away, however.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2011
Color: BlackStyle: Maps, Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2015
Color: BlackStyle: Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2013
Color: BlackStyle: Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2013
Color: BlackStyle: Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
MARCIONE SOUZA BRAGA
Entrega rápida
Reviewed in Brazil on July 28, 2022Color: BlackStyle: Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
pedronei cézar de souza
Marca
Reviewed in Brazil on March 1, 2023Color: BlackStyle: Maps, Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
Jose Damaricio Gomes Jr
For Marine use: display is very small, only will be usefull if you buy a sd card with the charts.
Reviewed in Canada on October 1, 2021Color: WhiteStyle: Base ModelVerified Purchase
Vijay Kumar
Very good proudcts
Reviewed in India on January 29, 2024Color: BlackStyle: Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
andre
bon gps, précis mais un peu lent
Reviewed in France on May 5, 2022Color: BlackStyle: Compass, Barometric AltimeterVerified Purchase
