Hands on with the Garmin GPSMAP 78s
The Garmin GPSMAP 78s brings the first major update to the GPSMAP handheld line in over four years. The reason for it taking so long is that Garmin had a huge hit with the 60/76 series, and instead of messing with a winner, they turned their attention to new interfaces, which were introduced on the Colorado series, followed by the touch screen Oregon line. These new units brought the ability to add custom maps and aerial imagery, paperless geocaching, and high-resolution screens, but the latter made them less than bright (although the latest model, the Oregon 450, has largely solved this problem).
But patience has its rewards and Garmin did well not to rush things. With the 78 (and the forthcoming 62 series, which shares the same interface), Garmin has married the best features of the 60/76 models, with many of the advantages of the Oregon line. Before we get into the details, lets look at some closely.
Garmin GPSMAP 78s display
With transflective TFT screens, the greater the pixel density, the less light that can be reflected back to the user. In order to maintain the bright screen found on the 60/76 series, Garmin left the resolution (160 x 240 pixels) alone. Screen size remains unchanged too, at 1.6 x 2.2”. The 62 and 78 series do enjoy an increased range of colors that can be displayed (65,000 vs. 256 in the 60/76 series). The result is a bright display, not quite as large or as high resolution as the Oregon series, but with much better visibility in a wide range of conditions. I definitely noticed the lower resolution, but these are the tradeoffs you make. Also of note, speaking as the owner of an Oregon 400t, I really didn’t miss the larger screen.
Garmin GPSMAP 78s interface
map and page ribbonGarmin hit a home run here. They did an excellent job taking the best aspects of the Oregon interface and making it work on a non-touchscreen unit. I think it is actually better than the Oregon except for when it comes to text-entry, where the touchscreen excels. This new interface makes it much quicker to navigate main menu items.
A Page Ribbon menu appears when you press the Page or Quit buttons (see image at right). Just like on the 60/76 series, these buttons advance through pages in forward or reverse order, respectively.
The Page Ribbon menu item that appears is the next screen in the sequence. After a second or two, that screen will automatically open. Or you can press Enter to go there right away, or continue pressing Page or Quit to advance to other pages in the sequence; stop on one and it will open. Page Ribbon items and their order can be customized. I prefer this interface to the old style, but you may not. In that case, you can set the unit to a classic style menu and get the old 60/76 series functionality and eliminate the Page Ribbon. A Classic profile comes pre-loaded, Shown below are examples of the Setup menu in classic (left) and list (right) styles.
For boaters
The 78s is lightweight (7.7 ounces with batteries), but bulky (2.6" x 6.0" x 1.2"), likely due to the desire to make it float. One other marine feature worth noting is that the Find button doubles as a Man Overboard (MOB) button – hold it down to set a waypoint and begin navigating to it. The GPSMAP 78s accepts a wide-range of Garmin’s inland and coastal charts.
Though ostensibly for boaters, the 78 series predecessor 76 line was popular with landlubbers as well. Quite a few folks like the buttons above the screen, rather than below. So don’t be scared off because it is “for boaters;” layout and form factor are more personal preference issues.
Newer features on the Garmin GPSMAP 78s
The 78 series inherited a number of features from the Colorado, Dakota and/or Oregon series. These include the ability to utilize Garmin custom maps and BirdsEye aerial imagery, a tri-axial compass, new customization options, advanced track navigation, wireless data transfer and paperless geocaching. None of these were available on the 60/76 series;
Custom maps and BirdsEye imagery
Garmin custom maps allows you to put just about any map image on the 78s. Found a PDF park trail map online? Add it to your GPS! The image at left below shows a custom map — a USGS topo (raster) image. You can read more about this feature by checking out my posts on Garmin custom maps.
Garmin also recently announced their BirdsEye aerial imagery program, a $29.99 annual subscription that will allow you to add aerial imagery to the GPSMAP 78s. Since I had a review unit without a BirdsEye subscription, I’m showing a Jefferson Memorial aerial image using Garmin custom maps, but hey, you get the idea. You can read more in my posts on Garmin BirdsEye imagery.
Tri-axial compass
Having a tri-axial compass means you don’t have to hold the unit level while navigating. The downside is that the calibration process is more complicated than that for a two-axis electronic compass. It’s the same procedure that is used on the Dakota 20 and Oregon x50 series — here’s a brief video I shot of it. The compass should be recalibrated every time you change the batteries in the unit.
Garmin GPSMAP 78 pros
* Excellent menu setup; fast access to features
* Bright screen
* It floats
* Ability to load Garmin custom maps and BirdsEye aerial imagery
* Paperless geocaching
* Tri-axial compass
* Extensive customization options
* Advanced track navigation
* Wireless data transfer with compatible units
* Lightweight
* Chipset firmware seems very mature, resulting in highly accurate tracklogs
Garmin GPSMAP 78s cons
* Small, low resolution screen
* Text entry more difficult than on a touchscreen Oregon
* Inaccurate elevation gain reports
* Does not work with standard mounts
* Bulky
* Patch antenna adversely impacts accuracy when unit is held vertically
Conclusion and recommendations
Highly recommended; probably the best marine handheld series currently made by Garmin. One reason I say this is due to the bright screen, which should outperform any touchscreen in the kind of bright conditions you’re likely to find on the water.
For landlubbers, I’d recommend waiting for the 62 series, due to be released in late July 2010. Personally I favor the 62 series form factor, with the buttons at the bottom, but you should also consider the fact that, unlike the 78 line, the 62 series uses the standard Colorado / Dakota / Oregon mount, and a wide range of mounting solutions are already available. 78 series mounting options are limited, but will expand as third-party manufacturers begin production.
Garmin has a clear winner with the 62/78 series. The interface is awesome; the Page Ribbon has some clear advantages. Add to this Garmin custom maps, BirdsEye aerial imagery, paperless caching and more. I think there’s going to be a lot of handheld GPS users getting a new toy this year.
