GARMIN 010-00270-02 Rino Series 120 GPS with 2-Way Radio

They lock up continually for no reason, whether using only the GPS or only the radio or both.

Our serial numbers indicate they are fairly new models and we have a series of them starting with 39914168, but I have talked with other owners of this unit here in country and they attest to the same problem.

Imagine you are on a combat patrol and you are using the Garmin as a commo device between the men of your team. You keep calling for the lead vehicle but he doesn't respond because his radio has locked up once again. He doesn't know this of course because the screen is still on (sometimes).

I'm more than disappointed, I'm kind of angry because we had the opportunity to buy Motorolas and the reliable Etrex Garmins which would have saved us nearly $100 per soldier and given us something reliable.


Excellent GPS, Below Average Radio   December 2, 2003
 47 out of 47 found this review helpful

I bought this device to cut down by one the number of electronic gizmos that I carry around while traveling with my family, not for its position transmission feature. After using the Rino I think that the combination of radio and GPS in one device is an excellent idea in theory, but the execution of the idea in the Rino is flawed because of the poor performance of the radio.

The GPS in the Rino 120 is very similar if not identical to the Garmin etrex Legend and even the included basemap is useful for rough navigation. I found the GPS user interface to be quite intuitive. Further, the satellite reception was considerably better than I expected; surprisingly, I could get a 2d lock from inside my house. More memory would be nice for downloading MapSource maps, but really I don't have any substantive criticism of the GPS - this is what Garmin does, and does well, in the rest of its product line.

However, I was so disappointed in the performance of the Rino as a radio that I returned the unit. I'm an amateur radio operator and I well understand the limitations of FRS / GMRS in simplex (no repeater) operation. (If you didn't already know, those "2" and "5" mile maximum range claims that all radio manufacturers seem to make are obtainable only under the most favorable conditions and in the real world you will do well to get, at best, half of those distances.) Even within these limitations, the radio in the Rino is poor by comparison to good standalone FRS radios (We use Icom 4008A's).

When I was testing the Rino, I set it side by side in my house with my Icom and used both to scan the FRS channels for traffic. The Icom repeatedly picked up clearly audible conversations (by people using unknown types of FRS radios) that the Rino never heard. When I turned off the squelch on the Rino ("monitor mode") and set it to the channel the Icom stopped on, I could hear only the faintest echoes of transmissions that were clearly audible on the Icom. On a recent trip, I was using the Rino and was standing right next to my wife who was wearing an Icom. Another in our party called us from perhaps 1/2 mile away using his Icom. I could hear him clearly on my wife's radio while the Rino barely broke squelch and was unintelligible.

If your use for this device is heavy on the GPS side and light on the radio side, then I would consider it. If you are looking for a radio that incidentally contains a GPS, I would pass on the Rino for now, go for the Batman look and buy standalone GPS and FRS / GMRS devices. No, you won't have the position reporting feature this way, and that is one of the strongest points of the Rino. However, given that this feature is tied to the Rino's FRS performance, don't expect too much.

All in all, kudos to Garmin for this truly excellent idea, and I will certainly buy another release of the Rino in the future if Garmin will give us radio performance equivalent to their excellent GPS. Frankly, I would be willing to pay more for the unit if it had that kind of performance.


Amazing Power in a Small Package   October 28, 2003
 20 out of 21 found this review helpful

When I ordered this product, I read many reviews and tried to get a good background of the Rino 120 to see if the product was worth purchasing. I have had 2 other GPS units, and still have an older GPS III from Garmin and really like the capabilities of that unit. The changes that have happened since purchasing the GPS III are truly amazing. The 120 is packed with so much stuff that I find out new things about it frequently. The greatest benefits (in my opinion) are having a gps and radio incorperated into one unit (less to carry). The Position Reporting is also a HUGE new deal. One can see all sorts of potential uses for Position Reporting - from military operations , to seach and rescue, to rounding up the kids on a camping trip. Other features include the moving map, an alarm clock, calender, and other little trinkets
After the initial position fix, satellite aquisition is much quicker than the old GPS III. Between SA being switched off and the new WAAS system, I have achieved accuracy (based on what the unit says, of course) of 7 feet.
Light and compact, battery usage is not as bad as I had figured, still on first set and my existing headset (motorola frs radios) works fine with this unit.
The only downsides to this unit are you have to watch Garmin's software update page for changes, I have owned the unit a month or two and have already done two updates, mind you the updates are free and the 120 comes with the data cable, while I think the 110 does not. The other thing I noticed is that the factory loaded basemap is somewhat crude - roads have been "straightened out" to make the map simplier - not really a surprise though from what I have seen with gps's and maping software.
Overall I think that the 120 is a fantastic new tool, with great new features. While pricey for a frs radio, it is fairly cheap for a maping GPS and (in my opinion again) a great price for a unit with both a radio and gps.


Great product   October 14, 2003
 20 out of 22 found this review helpful

Since purchasing this I have been using quite extensively, but never with someone who also has a Rino so I cannot comment on the ability to beam locations. I have several Motorolas that I use for various reasons and have had no real issues with communicating with them. When I use the radio in conjuction with the GPS, you can almost feel the batteries draining though.

The GPS is quick to acquire and is fairly decent at keeping a signal. I have used this from Detroit to Biloxi St. Louis and over to South Korea with excellent results. The ability to find an exit on a highway and tell what is there is a really nice feature, and so far as I can tell is pretty accurate too. I have also purchased the Topographic Maps for the US as well which are really nice. I do wish there was a way to get downloadable maps from Garmin for other parts of the world though. One downside is that it is not USB and my laptop is, so I have to do all of my downloading/uploading on my desktop pc at home which is not always convenient.

It is an easy unit to become familiar with and the display is not too small or too big, considering that it doubles as a radio. The menus are set up so that navigating within the different menus is easy and intuitive. The screen clarity is quite good and the thumb button used for navigating feels just right to me. The unit comes with a quick start guide and a more detailed manual which I have referred to several times to ensure I am doing things right. This thing even has a calculator, games and hunting/fishing tables. No real complaints other than it does not support USB and battery consumption (which you can control somewhat with how often it updates, etc.).