Garmin GPSMAP 740S GPS Chartplotter w/Sounder Review

Garmin GPSMAP 740S GPS Chartplotter w/Sounder Details

Product Description

With their wide panoramic displays these affordable new systems bring fully menu-driven touchscreen control and radar interface to a pact standalone chartplotter. They are a great value for any boat or budget. The GPSMAP 700 series features a sleek 7-inch WVGA color display and a built-in high-sensitivity GPS receiver. Full NMEA 2000 connectivity is offered for engine fuel VHF autopilot and other data monitoring. Plus a standard radar port lets users connect with any Garmin GMR series marine radar for target scanning on the chartplotter screen1. Adding the optional GXM 51 receiver gives XM Satellite Radio and XM WX Satellite Weather capability for weather forecasting and storm tracking on the chartplotter (North America only; subscription required). Both the GPSMAP 720 series and 740 series models e preloaded with a worldwide marine basemap which can easily be enhanced with optional BlueChart g2 or g2 Vision cards for expanded coverage of specific regions. In addition to its digital basemap the Garmin GPSMAP 740 model also es preloaded with detailed offshore maps for all U.S. coastal areas including Alaska and Hawaii plus Explorer Chart data for the Bahamas. And by simply plugging in an optional BlueChart g2 Vision card mariners can upgrade to premium features such as highresolution satellite imagery Auto Guidance aerial reference photos and true 3D visual map perspective with both MarinerEye and FishEye views. The 720s and 740s features a powerful digital sounder with built-in 1000-watt RMS capable sonar. This sonar can scan for fish structure or other items of interest lurking as deep as 2000 feet / 600 meters (with 1kW transducer). Note: some advanced radar features such as Map Overlay MARPA tracking and Dual Range display are not supported on the GPSMAP 700 series products.Features: Brilliant crisp 7" diagonal WVGA touchscreen display (800 x 480) 16:9 aspect ratio - over 1000 nits of brightness Add optional Garmin marine radar using the built-in radar po

000/100
Card Format SD
Cartography - Preloaded Yes
Cartography Brand Garmin
Cartography Type NONE

Where to buy Garmin GPSMAP 740S GPS Chartplotter w/Sounder

Garmin GPSMAP 740S GPS Chartplotter w/Sounder Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

There's really, really good and really, really bad..., May 9, 2012

backwoodsdog - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 740S GPS Chartplotter w/Sounder (Electronics)

Love the device. But, if you plan to try to use the built-in or puchased charts with HomePort software be prepared to be frustrated and unhappy. You'll hate Garmin's clunky software and there's a pretty good chance that you're going to damage your downloaded charts as you learn to use the HomePort interface. When it comes to software Garmin makes protection of their revenue stream a priority over usabilty. Device charts can be updated but no one-time update is available for charts. You get the chart versions available when unit was built. Potentially a safety issue. The unit is touchscreen and affordable, but next time I'll spend more time considering alternatives.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Very cute and tekky, but their maps are not very functional, November 1, 2012

steve in arkansas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 740S GPS Chartplotter w/Sounder (Electronics)

I fish the marshes of south Louisiana. I purchased their map chip for this area for detailed maps because the navigating the cuts and bayous is critical. What I discovered is that the map overlays for a given area are so DARK that they are virtually useless. Who in the world designed this feature? It is obvious that some tech dude, who's never been outdoors, developed these screens indoors with no outside light. Pull their map overlay up in the daytime and you can't see a bloody thing! For such a high price you'd think that having maps that are usable isn't too much to expect.

The unit itself is user friendly, and has lots of cute features, but give me the Lowrance maps for accuracy on the water.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful