Garmin just released Beta software for the 60C and 76C mapping gps units. If your model shares the same processor check the Garmin Website for updates. A Beta version is software in the testing process and may contain errors. My GPSMap 76C has done everything thing I have asked of it, so I will wait until the production version is released. The Beta version is v3.61. There is no cost to download the updates from the Garmin website.
Apparently there have been a number of lock-up problems with the older software. One being in the tracbac mode.
Last weekend I made a six hundred mile trip with my GPSMap 76C working the full route without losing satellite contact. I had the unit setting in a cupholder on my dash. I had it plugged into a 12v. outlet. It was set to sound an audible tone if satellite contact was lost.
While on the trip I pre-programed in four Lat/Longs for geocaches. I found all four locations. I believe that geocaching is a great activity for learning to use a gps. It gives you a fixed location to search for a cache. It increases your gps skills and observation skills. There are now caches in over 200 countries. The folks that put out these caches did a good job and their coordinates were accurate. That is not always the case, and in heavy cover it is very difficult. The 76C performed very good at the locations with very limited sky.
The reason that my 76C was riding in the cupholder was that it would not fit in the holder that I use for the cellphone or my Garmin Legend gps when plug into a power source. The female plug is in the back of the unit. When the power source is plugged into it, the unit is pushed out of the holder. Between the 12v. power source and the extended battery life software I only used one set of rechargeables in three days. I like it.
I just took an another look at the 76C and the female power inlet. The front of the unit is busy with the antenna, buttons and screen. There is no room for the power inlet on the front. I like the external power and pc connector on the Legend and other Etrex models which is located on top of the unit.
I visited with a friend of many years on this trip. He shook his head and said everything is electronics now days and people do not no how to use or try and use a compass. I reminded him that I still recommend that people carry a compass.
There have been compliants with the 60C that there has been lockups when using the TracBac feature. I have not played with this so I cannot respond to it. There are thirteen fixs in the update so that problem maybe resolved.
I have been playing with the auto-routing function within the limits of my software. I have not loaded the City Select software on my unit because I am cheap. But it seems to do a good job for highway travel. By default it appears to favor Interstates over rural state highways. I took a number of back roads so that I could view wildlife on my trip. A number of times the unit wanted to route me to the Interstate. When I passed the recommended route to the Interstate by a mile it would automatically re-calculate the route using the road system of my choice.
In the pass I have been happy with the Garmin Legend when running around the West. But the 76C does more when driving and appears to have slightly better reception. A couple of weeks ago a granddaughter and I were out in the field using the Legend and the 76C. Both of them are good units. They both had topo maps for the area which I pre-loaded. The difference is that I have topo's for most of the State loaded in the 76C.
At this point I have read mixed reviews by those installing the updates. It appears that a few users are having problems, the problem maybe the user and not the software. A couple of folks have gone back and successfully loaded the software on a second try. Normally I download the updates to my hard drive and then load the update to the gps.
