Are we going to see GLONASS Support in the future?

I was rather surprised when I discovered that the 66i didn't have GLONASS support. The 64st has support for it. The 66i does have Galileo support, which isn't as mature of a network as GLONASS, unfortunately.

Is this something that can be updated via firmware or is the hardware incapable of supporting it?

  • I don't need no steenkin' GLONASS gadjet!

  • Glonass is awesome as a help of GPS signal.

    In deep forest and canyons makes the diference.

    Galileo is starting to work good ,but not like Glonass (yet)

    GPSMAP 66i will never have Glonass , because chipset is not designed for that.

    This is why a bought a 64sx unit + Inreach Mini .

    Best of both worlds.

  • I'm sorry, maybe predjudiced here.  I worked with neither Galileo nor Glonass; consequently, I know very little about either.  However, I was on the USA GPS Block II Launch Team.

  • Don´t be sorry .Tomorrow I will test my 64sx setted up with GPS+GLONASS and also will carry the Inreach Mini just to test if any interference or signal jam happens.Will keep you posted,because I can assure that (in deep canyons and dense forest) GPS+GLONASS makes a huge performance than GPS alone.

    Will se if it jams or not.

  • No matter how closely you space the two devices, this is not the equivalent of attempting to use both on the same antenna. 

  • Yes of course it is not .However if the antenna (only ) was the problem , Garmin have made it with two antennas like Rino series. Will test and see what happens

  • Dear partners of forum: I made the test of having my GPSMAP 64SX + Inreach Mini , togheter , the gps with gps+glonass on and the mini with gps (only of course) and I tryed to send an email to myself .

    It worked , however I must say that the mini took too long to get a fix

    (I turned off two blocks far away ..from where I turned on to test )

    So tomorrow will repeat the same but only with Mini to se if being close to glonas jamms or not the signal.

    Keep you posted

  • That is not going to demonstrate anything. You are not anywhere near close enough to running both signals concurrently through the same internal PCB and components and none of us have the schematics to make any meaningful assessment otherwise. Garmin do know a thing or two about engineering great GNSS devices...

  •  A lot of overreaction here. The difference Glonass adds is not huge, the time to first fix is more of a benefit. I map in rugged bush here in Australia and most time leave Glonass off in my other units to save battery. My 66i right now is seeing 11 GPS &  still getting 3 Galileo filling in the constellation to the north. The geometry is good. If you really need better accuracy or are just anal on detail then get a real GNSS receiver with a geodetic antenna that will give you bad signal rejection and multipath mitigation and consider differential correction. The reality is that less signal - limiting to only the good ones - helps with better accuracy. My Trimble gear corrects sub-metre and 1 cm on carrier. For bushwalking and general navigation and safety I use the integrated 66i and it is a great unit.