I have the 76 model & have not had any problems. I have been considering the 440, what has made you disappointed in this model?
Lew -----Original Message----- From: Don Brooks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:39 am Subject: catalina27-talk: GPS My old Garmin 162 chartplotter was mounted on the binnacle guard and served me well for many years.? Lately, it started getting very slow to refresh screens.? At times, it would shut down with only a black vertical line on the screen.? On our last cruise, the screen froze at a very critical moment.? Too old to repair, I bought a new Garmin 440, which I am very disappointed with, but that's another story.? I read an article in the GoodOldBoat newsletter about the Department of Defense making changes to the WAAS satellites that have caused problems in Garmin 72 and 76.? Garmin's tech support recommended to turn the WAAS function off on affected units.? So I got out my old 162 and turned the WAAS off and it works fine.? To make sure it wasn't a fluke, I turned it off and on several times, and it always slowed down with WAAS turned on.? With it turned off, the position error or accuracy, increases 1-2ft, not a big deal.? I hooked the unit up on my truck and drove around.? Not a problem.? Further reading indicates that other brands of GPS are also having problems with the new WAAS transmissions. So if you are having problems with your GPS and it is new enough to have WAAS, try to turn in off. Don, #6293, Niceville, FL
