Easy to Use
Like previous Garmin products we have used the 478 GPS receiver is easy to use. Keep the directions handy to switch between "street and marine" use. Bought the unit for a marine chartplotter backup but now use it for street navigation as well.
Not great
I bought and used this plotter over the summer of 2008 in Maine. While better than nothing the screen is really too small to be useful. If you zoom out to get a range of a few miles, you lose chart detail. The screen keys on the cursor, and it can then be difficult to find the arrow indicating the boat position again. I would have returned it, but Amazon has only a 30 day return policy on unused items. So you buy it and try it, you own it. Unless you have a very small craft, buy a plotter with a larger screen.
Garmin GPSMAP 478
Fantastic. Easy to use both on and off the water. The auto-zoom is wonderful when driving. Worth every penny.
Just what the doctor ordered
I had been looking for a new GPS device. As I have a car and a boat, the Garmin 478 was the answer. I just had to search for the right price. I found it, and bought the device I wanted.
The swiss army knife of GPS's
I purchased this device because I wanted a gps that does well both on the water and on the road. I have been very impressed with it so far. The preloaded water charts have nearly as much depth detail as a paper chart. The display is also very bright and easy to read. Even though I purchased it as more of a backup, I find myself looking at it more than the older built in one on the boat, since the maps and display are so nice.
On the road it works just as well as a decent Automotive model. In my car the beanbag mount sits pretty securely on the dash and has been better for me than the usual suction cup mount. It does not have a touch screen, so it does take a little longer to enter in an address, but that is really the only ... Read More
