Also known as: Rino 755t, Garmin Rino
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The Garmin Rino 755t is the radio Garmin never replaced: a genuine 5 W GMRS transceiver fused with a full Garmin GPS navigator — 3” multi-touch screen, TOPO US maps, barometric altimeter, 8 MP camera — whose party trick, peer position reporting, puts every teammate’s position on your map with each transmission.1 Discontinued and succeeded by nothing (Garmin pivoted to inReach satellite messengers, a different category), it holds roughly $400–550 used — though that figure rests on thin forum-sale data, so verify current sold prices. The used market — eBay and hunting-forum classifieds — is where this radio lives now.
Key takeaways Our best used/classic pick — the only serious GPS-nav + radio ever made. 5 W GMRS ($35 no-test license to transmit), simplex only — no repeater support — plus IPX7, NOAA/Active Weather, and Rino-to-Rino position polling that hunting parties still organize around. Used only, ~$400–550 on thin data; firmware support has ended. The whole buying game is condition: aging batteries, touchscreens, and Garmin-era rubber. Rankings: best walkie-talkies.
Overview
Every other radio in our walkie-talkie guide is a radio first. The Rino 755t is a navigator and a radio as one instrument, and for hunting parties, SAR-adjacent volunteers, and big-property crews that combination has never been duplicated: transmit and your position rides along, so every compatible Rino plots you on its topo map; poll a partner and their position comes back. No cell coverage, no subscription, no phone.
The radio side is 5 W GMRS — so transmitting at full power takes the $35, no-test, 10-year GMRS license (family-covered) — sharing the standard FRS/GMRS channels, with NOAA and Garmin’s Active Weather on the receive side. The honest limitation: the Rino 7xx line is simplex only, with no repeater offset support, so a modern $35 Baofeng reaches repeaters this $450 classic can’t. The navigator side was flagship-grade for its era: 3” transflective multi-touch, preloaded TOPO US 100K, barometric altimeter/compass, 8 MP geotagging camera, IPX7 water resistance.
Why cover a discontinued unit? Because demand never left. Garmin ended the line without a successor, firmware updates have stopped, and used prices have held remarkably — which makes buying one a condition inspection first and a price negotiation second.
Buying used: what to check
The 755t’s aging faults are predictable; work the list:2
- Battery pack — the number-one issue. These Li-ion packs are 8–10 years old; check for swelling and weak runtime. OEM replacements are scarce, so a unit with a healthy pack or the AA-adapter accessory is worth a real premium.
- Touchscreen — verify responsiveness across the whole surface and look for delamination or bubbling at the edges.
- Rubber grips and gaskets — Garmin rubber of this era peels and turns sticky, and failed gaskets void the IPX7 seal in practice.
- Micro-USB port — wear and corrosion under the weather flap.
- Function test — a fast GPS fix outdoors, and an actual transmit check against a second radio; RF finals do fail.
- Software expectations — BaseCamp-era map transfer still works but assume no further firmware; ask what the seller last synced.
Pricing seen in the wild: ~$450 used, ~$475 “excellent with case,” ~$550 with a spare-battery kit; the sibling Rino 750 (same radio, no camera or preloaded topo) runs less and is the sensible fallback if 755t listings are thin — which they often are.
GopherTrunk alternative
The Rino’s voice channels are ordinary analog FM at 462/467 MHz — easy work for a ~$30 RTL-SDR running free GopherTrunk, which will monitor and record all local FRS/GMRS activity while your party is afield (the Rino’s position bursts log as data squawks). It’s also the cheap way to survey channel congestion around a hunting lease before season. GopherTrunk cannot transmit and has no GPS — it complements the Rinos as a base-camp ear, nothing more. Curious about the listening side? Learn RF & SDR.
Who it’s for
- Buy a used Rino 755t if radio-to-radio position mapping is the feature you actually need — no current product does it with a real navigator attached — and you can inspect before paying. Find on Amazon →
- Buy a BTECH GMRS-PRO instead for new, supported GPS position-sharing and texting at a third of the used-Rino price — minus the full mapping navigator.
- Skip it if you just need tough group comms: Rocky Talkie Expedition Radio, and a phone handles the maps. Full rankings: best walkie-talkies.
Sources
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Garmin Rino 755t product page — Garmin, listing the 755t as discontinued, with specifications: 5 W GMRS, position reporting, touchscreen, TOPO mapping, camera, and IPX7 rating. ↩
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Introducing Rino 750 & 755t — Garmin blog — Garmin’s launch overview of the Rino 7xx line: the radio/navigator hybrid design, peer position polling, and the 750/755t differences. ↩
Frequently asked questions
Is the Garmin Rino 755t discontinued?
Yes — Garmin lists it as a discontinued product with no direct successor in the Rino line; Garmin’s current backcountry push is inReach satellite messengers, which are not FRS/GMRS radios. That’s why used 755t units hold their value: nothing replaced it.
Do I need a license for the Garmin Rino 755t?
To transmit at its full 5 W on the GMRS channels, yes — the FCC’s GMRS license: $35, 10 years, no test, covering your immediate family. Listening and GPS use require nothing.
How much is a used Garmin Rino 755t worth?
Roughly $400–550 based on forum and classified sales — but the data is thin (individual forum sales, not deep eBay comps), so spot-check current sold listings before paying. A healthy battery or the AA adapter justifies the top of the range.
Can the Garmin Rino 755t use GMRS repeaters?
No — the Rino 7xx series works simplex only, with no repeater offset support. Its range multiplier is instead the peer position reporting: every transmission shares your GPS position with other Rinos on the channel.
What should I check before buying a used Rino 755t?
Battery first — the Li-ion packs are now 8–10 years old, replacements are scarce, and swollen packs are common. Then touchscreen response and edge delamination, peeling rubber grips and gaskets (which compromise the IPX7 seal), micro-USB port corrosion, a fast outdoor GPS fix, and an actual transmit test against another radio.