GPS

[stalmonator]

What is the best brand to purchase? Are the hand helds any good?

[TheRogue]

Since the "spoofing" (intentional degradation) of the signal has been lifted, it has made a huge difference in the accuracy and precision of the $100 handheld machines. You can reliably expect to get readings of +/- 20 meters(and better). This can usually get you back to the mouth of the jetties with little problem.

Most of my experience has been with the Garmin 12XL (http://www.garmin.com/products/gps12xl/), would definitely reccomend it. A friend just bought a 12CX (http://www.garmin.com/products/gps12cx/), the color screen is nice, and the extended battery life is nifty as well.

Lots of different brands out there.

Good luck.

TR

[Bait O' Eggs]

Mine is a garmin 12 also. I would recommend it to others. You can get the base model for about $140 +/-. It is fairly easy to operate.

[Pete]

I have a Garmin plus III, which includes base maps for North America and is highly waterproof. I really like the map rather than just the bread crumb trail since it provides a better sense of landmarks and orientation. It costs more, but on a recent road trip I was able to rely on the GPS to guide me through the wilds of Minnesota without any other map. The other mapping GPS hand held unit in the same price range is the Magellan 410. It's larger, less waterproof and due to a higher pixel density takes much longer for the screen to refresh. If you can afford a mapping GPS, you won't be sorry. For a good discussion of GPS features, check out:
http://www.westmarine.com/cgi-bin/nc...sor?fn=gps.htm