Thread: Garmin 66i

I upgraded from the Inreach Explorer+ to the 66i as the price had dropped and the maps of the Explorer+ are not great.

I just wanted maps and satellite imagery same as my phone, without having to worry about phone running out of battery or getting broken etc


What i got was hardly worth it

Steps backwards from the Explorer+

• Battery life for my usage was 5-7 days now down to 100-120hrs
• Much more complex interface - Apps, Widgets, customer data fields - was nearly like learning a new phone OS
• Cant put your name and address on the startup screen
• No battery XX% just a battery icon (u can get a widget for this, but at $800 why couldnt they offer the same features as previous product)
• The Auto Expedition mode(battery saving mode) doesnt work, so if you want to put it into the lowest power mode you have to manual do it every time you have looked at it

The only thing i wanted was the maps and satellite images - well its only half as good as a phone app

• Satellite images are only from Garmin through Birdseye app - not google maps etc so there not up to date and no where near as clear also limited on size of area 6km by 6km
• Yes you can put NZ50Topo maps on it but limited to only a about 6 .KMZ files which means you have to delete & reload new ones every time you go to a new area
• Also you have to constantly turn on and off the map layers as it wont over lay the Satellite images

The GPS receiver chip set has been upgraded so it get locations quicker and more accurately
Ya you get a spare led touch and can set a waypoint for where the animal dropped relatively accuratly

I'm really quite disappointed, would have been better off spending the extra $$ on a cheap throw away phone and a battery bank.