Capable, Reliable and Handy GPS

I was researching the market for quite some time (1.5 yrs) to get a GPS that would meet all of my needs which were:
1. Compact enough to carry on treks
2. Powerful enough to catch signal in urban or actual jungle
3. Memory expansion capability to make the unit versatile
4. Cheap enough for me to afford!

As far as brand name goes, I was sold to Garmin after first few months of web surfing and reading reviews. Also, I liked the whole handheld series from Garmin as it met most of my criteria. So, there were two enhancements that I waited upon (memory expansion and price drop)...my patience was rewarded handsomely in the form of Garmin 76CSx! Bought this little powerhouse for 350 (post 100 rebate) over internet in middle of 2006. Now, you might ask why it took me so long to post a review...

Well, to be frank, didn't want to post the review just based on preliminary impression. Now, I've used the unit for almost 10 months and have taken it on-road and off-road so have a few stories to share! :)

1. Look and Feel
The 76CSx fits the palm snugly and has a bright screen. The controls are easy (especially if you are used to palm-like devices). The batteries and memory card are safely tucked under waterproof cover. You can operate this unit with one hand, but not very conveniently. The body is reasonably scratch proof..haven't had any scratches so far..
The unit is light to carry around, but is bulky as compared to average cell phone to carry in pocket.

2. Basic operations and navigation
The unit takes it's own sweet time to find all satellites...this can be little frustrating, but once done, the unit doesn't require to relocate satellites unless you are in another county or keep the unit unused for long. Once turned on, you can immediately appreciate the bright color screen. The basic map data is adequate, but you definitely need to buy memory card for topographic details. Navigation through different pages is easy and intuitive. Entering names of waypoints, cities requires some familiarity with GPS devices and frankly, I do miss the tap interface so common with Palm devices on this one...it is a pain to enter city name using phone-like key pad. The map and stats are pretty nice and accurate (including elevation graph). There are also 'games' which are cool and nice timepass when you are waiting for others on a hike or killing time on long road trips.

3. GPS capabilities
The new SiRF technology claims to be more robust in terms of signal catching and location. I did find that this unit catches signals better than other GPS units, but the accuracy was not much different (+/-10-25 ft radial).

With the extra memory card (I bought one with all west coast data), the unit comes to life of its own...went to a snow park near Sonora pass a few weeks back and the unit brought to life the snow covered landscape, showing us all the little lakes, streams and gradients...it was pretty cool! The data card also has detailed city maps, so I can zoom in to street level and navigate in Bay area..

On a long drive to Seattle, the unit didn't lose signal (of course, we were on I-5!), but when we went into some canyons of St Helens park, the unit showed weak signal and once or twice lost the signal.

I've not taken this on a boat, so can't comment on the Marine capabilities (though, for all the lakes that we've passed, this unit shows us docking points, ramps and marine landscape highlights).