Electronics

Garmin GPSMap 478 GPS Navigator and Chartplotter 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. When you’re ready to drive home, take your 478 out of its marine mount and pop it into the automotive mount in your vehicle. Then press one button, and your 478 is ready to navigate you on the roads, with turn by turn directions and voice prompts that take you straight to your destination. The 478 is preloaded with detailed City Navigator maps for all of North America and contains over 6 million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, marinas, attractions and more. Tide tables, Hunt/Fish calendar, Sun and Moon information Position Format - Lat/Lon, UTM/UPS, Maidenhead, MGRS, Loran TDs and other grids Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads) Voice prompts Approximate Unit Dimensions - 5.7(W) x 3.2(H) x 1.9(D) Approximate Unit Weight - 13.6 oz
Customer Review: Good unit but…..
Good GPS unit but….. I move it between my boats and truck. I have the XM Ant with Weather option. Big aid in avoiding Gulf thunderstorms. Power plug difficult to insert and remove. Plug broke after 3-4 times. Garmin customer service very difficult to work with, after several phone calls, emails, they finally sent me the wrong cord as a replacement. Battery failed after 11 months….forget trying to get Garmin to replace that.
Customer Review: Garmin 478 GPSMap
The 478 is my first GPS unit. My primary use of it is for making tracks in the desert of Qatar over dunes to the Inland Sea. My secondary use is for finding new locations and checking better routes around town in Doha. Thus far the software and mapping functions have worked well, with the exception of the tracking function putting me in the Persian Gulf rather than in the desert while I was still on land. Downloading the Middle East maps and transferring my choices to the 478 was easy. I’ve moved maps, tracks and waypoints back and forth between my laptop and the 478 with ease several times. So far I’m happy with the 478 unit and the software to download onto my computer.

As per other reviews of this GPS, the auto power cord / speaker is a piece of junk. The first time I tried to remove the plug from the back of the 478 unit it came apart in my fingers. It is most disappointing for such an expensive unit to come with such poor quality connections.

I look forward to using the marine mode, and may try it with my track in the desert for better definition.

Overall it’s an excellent unit, but Garmin need to improve the quality of the plugs and cords which accompany it.

Tags: gps navigation, gps systems, gps reviews, gps, portable gps