Garmin Rino 110 GPS Review

The Garmin Rino 110 GPS is the entry-level unit in this Garmin GPS radio series and combines a handheld GPS receiver with communications capability on FRS and GMRS channels.

Garmin has a patent for the “peer-to-peer position reporting” feature built into each Garmin Rino product. This feature allows position reporting from one Rino unit to another over the FRS channels. This should be a handy feature for keeping track of a friend.

Garmin Rino 110 Handheld GPS Navigator and 2-Way Radio

Garmin claims the 110 is capable of transmitting and receiving voice communications at ranges up to 2 miles on FRS (Family Radio Service) channels and up to 5 miles on GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) channels.

Do not count on getting full range in real world conditions.

We found the Rino 110 GPS capable of communicating with another Garmin Rino GPS at a maximum distance of about a half mile on FRS channels and just shy of a mile on GMRS.

Garmin’s Senior Media Relations Specialist, Ted Gartner, advised us that “Interference from other electronic devices may have also degraded the signal.”

We did our range testing in the open. We don’t think anything interfered with the signal as we had the other user in visual contact at all times.

Low antenna heights certainly can contribute to the less than advertised range, but in our opinion, the range claim is a bit optimistic.

The Garmin Rino 110 GPS is rated waterproof to IPX7 standards which means it can keep water out for 30 minutes when submerged to a depth of 1 meter. The Rino 100 passed our dunk test.

Operation of all features and access to various menus is accomplished via seven pushbuttons. In typical Garmin fashion the controls and menus are easy to operate and very intuitive. The unit uses a 2-inch 4-level grayscale LCD screen with 160 x 160 pixel resolution. It weighs in at 8 ounces and carries a one-year warranty.

This Garmin handheld GPS has basic navigation and communications features including a WAAS enabled GPS receiver, a total of 22 radio channels, 38 special codes that allow the unit to block unwanted communications, storage space for 500 waypoints and 20 routes—and a trip computer with speed, time, distance tracking plus sun and fishing tables.

Garmin claims a battery life of 15 hours on 3 AA cells. We did not test the full life of the batteries but did use each unit for several hours both talking and navigating with no problems.

The Garmin Rino 110 GPS case measures 4.5-inches high, 2.3-inches wide, and 1.6-inches deep. The pair of molded in antennas adds another 2.5-inches to the overall height. We found the unit fit nicely in hand.

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