Garmin 400c "preloaded coastal charts"

[colinml]

Anyone have this unit who could answer this?

I've been investigating handheld GPS units, and the Garmin Colorado 400c literature says it comes "Preloaded with BlueChart® g2 coastal charts." This certainly sounds like they are including the Americas bluecharts at no additional cost, but that seems unlikely. Is this just marketing speak, and it really means that they simply preloaded the locked data, and you would have to pay thousands of dollars to unlock it all?

thanks.

[Ex-Calif]

Colin - I am looking at the same unit. I think the coastal waters are all unlocked - I cut and pasted the info from the Garmin website below.

It is limited when using G2 and G2Vision charts but the guideline at Garmin says that it is stuff like "find nearest Marina" that doesn't work. The topography should work.

It would be nice if someone who has this unit would pipe in...

The lowest price I found was Camera addict for $405 but I am am worried about the non-name brand company and online purchasing.

CameraAddict.com - Garmin*Colorado 400c Handheld GPS Navigation System

It looks like "thenerds.net" has it at $456 but I have never heard of these guys for an online purchase - have you?

What accessories are you considering? Here's my wish list

South China Sea Bluechart G2 module
Vehicle power cable
Marine Mount
Hard Case
Vehicle Mount (not decided which one yet)


The following is from the Garmin website - https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=&pID=11024



"Whether you’re sailing the high seas or hiking the backcountry, Colorado 400c is your all-in-one adventure guide. Preloaded with BlueChart® g2 coastal charts, Colorado is made with the saltwater mariner in mind. Packed with features, it includes a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, SD™ card slot, color display, picture viewer and more. Even exchange tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches wirelessly between similar units. When the going gets tough, Colorado leads the way.
Explore Coastal Waters

Colorado comes with built-in BlueChart® g2 coastal charts and a worldwide basemap with imagery — perfect for all your outdoor pursuits. Map detail includes includes shorelines, depth contours, navaids, harbors, marinas, port plans coastal roads for the U.S. and Bahamas."

[colinml]

Hi Dan,
I emailed Garmin a couple days ago. If I get a response, I'll post the info. In the meantime, I googled "camera addict reviews" and I don't think they're a good place to order from. Here's a link to the epinion site:

Camera Addict Reviews. Buying guides & consumer product reviews at Epinions.com

[Ex-Calif]

Wow - Thanks for that - They are definitely off the list...

[colinml]

Just heard back from Garmin. Here's what they said:

Thank you for contacting Garmin Cartography. The Colorado 400c does
come preloaded with marine detail for the entire US Coastline. This
means that all US NOAA charts will be included. As long as an area is
covered by a US chart you will have full access to it without having to
purchase anything else. You would only need to purchase a card if you
end up needing coverage for Canadian waters or other waters outside of
the US.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and thank you for
your interest in Garmin.

[jzk]

We have the 5212. It has all of the US charts including great lakes and mississippi river, etc. and the Bahamas down to a certain point south. These are the same charts as they would be in the Bluechart Americas 2008 CD including an error I found near the entrance to the grand lucayan waterway that was not on version 9. It has all the marinas, and other info as well.

[JohnWms]

The data is preloaded, is not locked, and you don't have to do anything extra to see NOAA charts. It's all there. You are paying for it in the initial cost of the unit. I have one and have seen the charts (PNW) with my own eyes.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by JohnWms

The data is preloaded, is not locked, and you don't have to do anything extra to see NOAA charts. It's all there. You are paying for it in the initial cost of the unit. I have one and have seen the charts (PNW) with my own eyes.

Where did you purchse (online?) and would you recommend?

Colinml - Did you order yet?

I need to pull the trigger this week if I am going to carry back.

[JohnWms]

It was a gift from my wife and she got it at Amazon. Not cheap but very reliable.

[jzk]

I have seen good deals on Amazon, but they change, so research is in order. Also Sailnet.com. Always check ebay, as it is an excellent indicator of the market.

[bfharris]

I have one and it is awesome. Easy to update firmware, etc. Purchased it for about $505 with shipping from GPSdiscount.com. It is preloaded with the charts and is fast and accurate.

[colinml]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

Colinml - Did you order yet?

While I was still researching, my wife mentioned that she had a Dell pocket computer she wasn't using anymore. I ended up purchasing a bluetooth capable GPS receiver for about $100, a waterproof "dry pak" case, and I'm all set.

If I didn't already have this, though, I would have purchased this garmin unit. As for where to purchase, I tend to not like taking much risk, so I usually just purchase from Amazon. The current price seems fair, and the seller has pretty good feedback.

[speedoo]

For good eals on chartplotters, check out getfeetwet.com. A few of us get a great deal on a nice garmin unit a few months ago:

Garmin GPSMAP 540 chartplotter deal...

I don't think that deal is still available, but they might have something else. I think the factory refurb units are the best deals.

[Liberty28]

I bought a factory refurbished 540 from getfeetwet.com. Less than $400 and perfect. They don't have all of the refurbished models all of the time, however.