Garmin 376c

[Alex Fisher]

I have been thinking about purchasing a Garmin 376c but am somewhat skeptical (due to my experience with the C340) on its functionality as a WxWorx replacement.
I was wondering if anyone has any chase experience with the device and would be willing to answer a couple detailed questions either via posting or through PM.

Thanks,

Alex Fisher

 

[Brian Emfinger]

Its wonderfull. Its a backup system for me when we dont have alltel phone data but I am always using it for its gps which I have the travel pkg that has the detailed maps. Its really nice having it right in front of you not having to open windows etc to see exactly what road your on and what road you need to get on. Anyone who has seen it in action would probably want it. 20$ a month is also nice for the radar and a little bit more while for like 50$ you get radar, lightning, satellite, storm cell attributes, warnings, forecasts. Its also neat to have xm radio as well which I didnt have until I bought this.

 

[Alex Fisher]

Thanks for replying Brian,

Got a few questions:

1. One of the major problems with my current Garmin GPS (C340) is that it is impossible to change the area at which one is looking without zooming out, which then decreases the level of road detail. This may be because of the touchscreen interface. How is the 376c at scanning the map at a single zoom level. Does it have a directional pad that allows this?

2. Is the resolution/size acceptable for chasing? (i.e. is there ever any problem making out the roads while the radar is turned on?)

3. Is it a reasonable alternative to WxWorx (considering that I have a mac and would have to buy Windows and then WxWorx)?

4. Does the radar update quickly enough for chasing or is it slower than WxWorx?


Thanks,
Alex

 

[Brian Emfinger]

Yes it does have a direction pad to move your viewpoint from centered on your gps location to wherever you want to move it to...all you do is press one of the directional arrows and off you go.

We have never had any problems with seeing the roads.

I have a laptop so I could have gotten wxworx for about the same price and I would do it again the same way (although again I am using this as backup to having the alltel high speed and using grlevel w/allisonhouse)

The radar is updated pretty good but when you have grlevel running right behind it you will notice that it seems to be 5-10 minutes behind that.

 

[Alex Fisher]

Thanks man!
You've been really helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I'm leaning strongly toward getting one, just wanted to make sure it could actually work for chasing.

-Alex

 

[Brian Emfinger]

Well I think its great. I probably wouldnt have got it if not for seeing George Flickinger's when he got his and being in awe. Its definately worth it...especially if you would have to get a computer too.

 

[Matthew Crowther]

Thanks for replying Brian,

Got a few questions:

1. One of the major problems with my current Garmin GPS (C340) is that it is impossible to change the area at which one is looking without zooming out, which then decreases the level of road detail. This may be because of the touchscreen interface. How is the 376c at scanning the map at a single zoom level. Does it have a directional pad that allows this?

2. Is the resolution/size acceptable for chasing? (i.e. is there ever any problem making out the roads while the radar is turned on?)

3. Is it a reasonable alternative to WxWorx (considering that I have a mac and would have to buy Windows and then WxWorx)?

4. Does the radar update quickly enough for chasing or is it slower than WxWorx?


Thanks,
Alex

I also have a Mac- I chased with Brian and I must say I was VERY impressed with the garmin. The only thing it has that the "regular" Wx Worx has that this does not are the "whirlies" that indicate shear.

I do have one question though for Brian that I just thought of- the files that are needed to get the really high detail level
at close range- are those downloaded to a PC, and then into the Garmin? How many states can you do at a time, and how would that work using a Mac?

 

[George Flickinger]

Garmin pic

From another thread....Here's an "action" shot of a Tornado Warned storm in Osage Co. Oklahoma.

I have mine set up to display the nearest metar data. The time stamp at the bottom (-00.06) shows how old the data is.

 

[George Flickinger]

For street level mapping, you'll need to purchase the extra map data kit. You transfer the maps from PC to the Garmin via included USB cable.

I give the product an "A" rating. I usually leave the scanner and laptop in the trunk now on most chases.

 

[Alex Fisher]

I may actually end up not getting it. I dont like the idea of paying an extra 250+ dollars for a memory card and the same maps that came with my 200 dollar gps. I also see that the biggest memory card available for it is 512mb and even the leanest set of maps takes over 1gb to cover the US. Thusly there is actually no way for me to put the entire US on it. I drive around the entire country and I also live in NYC, which may be the largest map in entire set (further limiting the amount of maps I can put on it). Simply put, I feel they are bilking the consumer by making it physically impossible to place the entire U.S. on there. Furthermore, it seems to require a PC and my boot camp windows xp is pretty cranky right now, so I dont want to rely on it. I just cant get over the fact that my cheap-ass GPS comes with better maps built in and this 700 dollar machine does not.

 

[Alex Fisher]

Anyone think that it might actually be cheaper to buy the 378c that comes already loaded with the entire US?

 

[Al Leese]

Post #1
Greetings! As a new member, I thought I would add my opinions on the merits and problems of using the Garmin 376/378/478.

We have a lot of new members here and I'm sure that selecting their equipment is a high priority. Last year I bought the 376C (and XM WX Mariner subscription) to start my storm chasing career. In summary, I found that it did not give me enough information to locate the area of initialization or to help me make the decision to change targets when several cells are active in the area.

In conjunction with the Garmin 376C, I used a wifi-enabled laptop and internet web sources. I stopped for data at 10am, 1pm, and 4pm if possible. What a pain as I scurried about looking for WIFI sources in the fields of Kansas and Texas!

For the May4-5, 2007 chase, I bought the Verizon EVDO 595 Aircard to give me constant bandwidth to my laptop and the GRlevel3 software. Even though I have yet to see my first tornado, the GRlevel 3 gives me more information and helps me make better decisions. The "National Access" worked continuously throughout my chase in Kansas.

After getting yourself inside the convective outlook area, you need to find the area where convection will occur. I found the placefile overlay function of GRlevel3 very helpful getting me in the right area. The 376C is very good at showing Base Reflectivity, but if you don't happen to be close by, you waste valuable time getting to it.

When you're in the heat of the battle, your main target may fizzle out or a cell nearby may start rotating. The 376C isn't much help. On the GRlevel3, I get boxes showing which cells are tornado warned, which cells are rotating and which cells have already produced a tornado (storm report). The 376C at most shows the counties that have become tornado warned, but they don't show you which cell caused the warning.

On a positive note, the 376C is great at mapping you a route to a new destination. Push a few buttons and in an instant you can see how long it will take you to get to that cell in a neighboring county. It also shows you cell strengths and heights, surface level pressure contours, wind direction and limits you to main roads (keeping you out of the mud) since it's internal memory contains only the main roads.

Good Luck with whatever equipment combination you use!