Touch and Go

[Electronics Guru]

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Who would have thought that a GPS the size of a cell phone could handle the needs of hikers, boaters and highway travelers? We discovered that the new Garmin Oregon 400c could do all of the above, and it does it with the slick touch-screen simplicity that has made personal electronics like the iPhone so popular.

For quick position fixes, the 400c boasts a feature Garmin calls HotFix, which predicts overhead satellite positions, making it easy for the 400c receiver to lock onto signals and hold them in adverse conditions. Our test unit locked onto a signal while we held it indoors five feet from a window, and it has even held a satellite lock for hours while stuffed in a boat glove box. Also aiding accuracy, the 400c receives satellite correction signals from one of 25 U.S. ground-based transmitters that increase position accuracy by five times.

The Oregon is preloaded with Garmin Blue Chart maps for navigable rivers and coastal waterways.