Info on purchasing a GPS...

Mr. Fisherman · 08-13-2000, 10:22 AM

A while back I found good information and recomendations on GPS units. I have looked back thirty days and can't seem to find it.
I would guess that there are other board members out there that would like information about GPS units so I am posting this topic.
Please post information on your recomendations, Tips on using a GPS, and any information that you might feel is aplicable to making the purchase. RT, any pearls of wisdom????

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live

Jeffhead · 08-13-2000, 02:15 PM

Mr Fisherman and all,
If ya can't find something use the search link in the upper right hand corner. It'll find anything closely related to the topic your after.

Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

Mr. Fisherman · 08-13-2000, 02:25 PM

JH,

I know how to use a search engine

, what I was hoping to compile here is a list of information from fishermen (fisherpersons) For fishermen (Fisherpersons)

.
It would be helpful to me to get first hand information from those of you who have experience actually putting these devices through their paces rather than reading a companies ads where it appears that "their" product and features are the best

.
Knowing how accurate these instruments are here in the Pacific NW is especially interesting to me

.
I am leaning towards Garmins GPS 12 MAP so far

. Anyone out there using one of these or simalar GPS, your comments are encouraged.
Thanks to all who contribute

.
And thanks for the post above Jen,

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live

[This message has been edited by Mr. Fisherman (edited 08-13-2000).]

Jennie@ifish · 08-13-2000, 02:51 PM

Hi there, Mr Fisherman, I think you are confused. The search thing on top only searches ifish. That is how I came up with the post on how the fishermen at ifish feel. It is not to find any ads. It is only for searching this discussion board.

Thanks

Jen

Mr. Fisherman · 08-13-2000, 02:56 PM

Oohh...
That search button,

I knew that

Thanks, Sorry. I still think it is a good idea to get all of this info in one place....
After all, the less time we have to search for it the more time we can use to get out and fish with it!

Tight lines,

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live

[This message has been edited by Mr. Fisherman (edited 08-13-2000).]

Hookset · 08-13-2000, 10:44 PM

The best advice I could give is to check out as many units as you can and talk with an expert. The largest difference between units is the menu, as long as the receiver in each is the same (12 parallel is the best).

I currently have a fixed GPS chart/plotter for the boat, great for the ocean and a portable with out a map for hunting. I use Lowrance products only because I started with them and used to the menu. A good friend uses Garmin and he's already on his third unit. I like Garmin too since the program is user friendly.

The latest Boaters World catalog has a new Garmin model 162 chart/plotter that I think would make a great unit for the boat. At just under $400 makes this unit the most inexpensive fixed chart/plottter available.

At last years boat show Rodgers Marine (in Portland on Marine drive) had a nice display with many different units. And the salesman really seem to know their stuff. You may want to start your shopping there.

hook

Jennie@ifish · 08-13-2000, 11:39 PM

http://www.ifish.net/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000517.html

That is a post on GPS

Jeffhead · 08-14-2000, 09:39 AM

Well in that case,
I have a Garmin 12 handheld. It is very easy to use and paid for itself on the first trip to Sekiu. On the first day after 3 hours of hot and heavy fishin my Dad and I decided it was time for breakfast, lookin' at the shoreline we both said "I think we head over there" so we dialed the GPS back in and we were 4 1/2 miles west of Sekiu. I'll never be without one. My friend has a couple year old Magellan, I think that the Garmin is easier to use.

Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

Pilar · 08-14-2000, 12:22 PM

Mr.Fisherman,
For what it's worth, I agree with Hookset. Lowrance is pretty much all I use for marine electronics. Some buddies have the handheld units (Garmin and Magellen) and they seem to have problems with battery life and the small screen. I have had a Lowrance 350A for 3 years and it's a dashboard mounted combo Sonar/GPS. They also make the same unit without sonar and with maps. Its called Global Map 2000. Only complaint is that the 350A is outdated as it does not have built in maps or uplink capability. The accuracy of GPS is about the same on all units that can take advantage of the un-jinxed time signals. A few months ago the military removed the random errors they put into the time signals from the satellites. This was called DOP or dilution of precision. The accuracy is now 30 feet or so. I think you can still get DGPS which is an enhancement provided by a third party. Its like Cellular service. You pay the provider who broadcasts a time correction signal. Your unit and a special reciever used this to overcome the jinx on the military signal your unit always receives. Accuracy was greatly improved (within 10 feet) if you were in the covered area and could recieve the DGPS station. All this is moot now that the Time signal is untampered with. Last thing is the # of satellites. Units that have only a few channels will experience dropouts. For as long as you don't have enough satellites the unit is confused about where it is. More channels is better. The standard 3 years ago was 5 channels. Lowrance upgraded me when I got the replacement to 12. I have not had a dropout since.
Take your time on your choice because expensive electronics is something you'll have trouble replacing if you don't like it. I borrowed a few units from friends before I bought the 350A. Lowrance has a killer one year warranty, free replacement. That had expired when I dropped my unit and broke it. Imagine my surprise when they replaced it for $100 and with another 6 mo. warranty. The bend is your friend!

Hookset · 08-14-2000, 10:43 PM

Mr. Fish,

You asked about my friend and why he now has 3 Garmin units. The 1st unit was only 8 channel and locking on to satelites was a hit and miss. The 2nd unit was a 12 channel with no map, a good unit for hunting but not for driving. The 3rd unit is a GPS 3 plus, has mapping built in. He said traveling to Arkansas last summer was great. He used the map to figure distance and estimated time of arrival to various destinations and keeping on the correct roads, the unit was mounted to the dash. He now uses this unit hunting too. In a nutshell, he just kept upgrading. The portables are good and you can buy a DC cigarette lighter adapter. If your only going to use/buy one unit, this may be the way to go. You could always buy a fixed unit later and start with a portable.

And as several people have already attested, the Garmin's are considered the top of the line. I know how to use a search engine to and found some very useful info on GPS units and DGPS signals. BTW, the DGPS antennas are mounted on the shore line and provide a GPS with two seperate signals to pinpoint locations. You need a DGPS receiver hooked up to your GPS and there is no extra cost besides the receiver. The DGPS system was installed by the government to aid with coastal navigation. Like Pillar said, not worth a dime now since the satelite signals have been relaxed.

hook

Mr. Fisherman · 08-14-2000, 11:16 PM

Thanks for the replies! Keepem' commin'

So far I am leaning towards a GPS 12MAP.

From what I can find it seems to be easy to use and has charting capabilities.

Comments?

Anyone using this unit?

HS, you said yer buddy was on his 3rd Garmin? Why? Are they broken or are his buddies theiven' them?

Thanks for your responses....

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live

KingBeef · 08-14-2000, 11:36 PM

Fisherman -

I used a Garmin 12 last year to use on a hunt in Montana (great tool). At that time the 12map unit had just come out and I could not justify the cost at that time. I have been save my spare change for the 12 map and hope to have it next month. By the way! The one I used belonged to my buddy in Montana - It was issued to him for search and rescue. He felt it was the best unit he had ever used. Comming from someone that depends on a GPS as much as he does means alot.

John

aye fsh · 08-14-2000, 11:46 PM

Mr. Fisherman,
I very recently purchased the garmin 12 (last week) and yesterday used it for real for the first time going out to the rockpile and back and couldn't be happier. While this unit is somewhat limited in bells and whistles compared to some of the more expensive units it performed flawlessly. It is very simple to use and as far as I can tell extremely accurate. created a few waypoints and was able to return to the exact same point, one was a small outcropping maybe 20 ft. across and found it every time. I couldn't justify the extra dough for map capability, especially when there are companies producing PC software that allows you to download routes and waypoints from your computer to the GPS. I also believe that you should never rely on one form of navigation and should always have a map/chart and compass no matter what electronics you may have. West marine has these units for $140 and the software runs about $100 including the cable. Good luck!

Osprey · 08-15-2000, 06:51 AM

I was under the impression the Garmin 12 was not able to download maps and such,you have upgrade to the 12XL or 12 map? correct me if I'm wrong

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Row quietly and fish a Cataraft !!-------<'))>><

Salmonator · 08-15-2000, 08:21 AM

I've had a Garmin XL45 for nearly 5 years and I love it. I started with a magellen2000 (w/out external antenna) and literally couldn't find a point in a wheat field. The 45 only tracks 8 satellites but I have tha unit mounted on the dash and the antenna is on the hard top and I never have a problem keeping a lock. Yea, I wish the screen was a little bigger but it is very easy to use and I like having a seperate unit from the fish finder for malfunction reasons and I can also take the hand held in the house and give friends coordinates over the puter/phone... Sal

Pete · 08-15-2000, 04:48 PM

If you plan to use your GPS in the rain or where it could be dropped in the water, you might consider the Garmin GPS III plus. It's a mapping GPS, DGPS ready and waterproof. The warrentee says it can will work normally after being under 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. The base maps show all roads and shorelines and many navaids. Additional topo or batho maps can be loaded in from a PC.

aye fsh · 08-15-2000, 08:02 PM

Osprey,
Since I have a macintosh computer and there is a company ( http://www.GPSy.com/faq/gps-units.html) providing software to interface with GPS units via the mac platform I assumed it would be available for the PC as well, may be wrong on that. There does seem to be something about the Garmin software that is more compatible than the other brands, not sure what NMEA-0183 compatibility is all about.??

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ayefsh,there4iyam

Mr. Fisherman · 08-15-2000, 11:55 PM

Osprey,

Here is a great web site that allows comparisons. The 12 map can link to the computer to download 1.2mb of additional info. I am leaning towards this for my first purchase.
http://www.garmin.com/products/gps12map/

Tight lines,

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live

Pilar · 08-16-2000, 08:35 AM

Aye Fish! I think you are asking about NMEA 0183. This is a four wire standard interface for marine electronics. It is for linking navigation equipment to plotters, engine controls, autopilots and other devices. The wiring is standardized as well as the format of the data such as speed, bearing and position sent over the wire. This standard allows different brand names of equipment to work together as a system. Pretty similar to RS-232/RS-485 and the ASCII codes for computer gear. If you have this capability you can get an autopilot for your boat and have the GPS drive you around. Pretty cool, huh? The bend is your friend!

aye fsh · 08-16-2000, 05:44 PM

Yo Pilar! That sounds spensive! Think I'll keep it simple, thanks

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ayefsh,there4iyam

Pilar · 08-17-2000, 07:17 AM

I figure that if your boat 'Needs' an autopilot due to large size, you probably are unconcerned about the cost! The bend is your friend!

Pete · 08-17-2000, 09:02 AM

A good discussion of GPS features is available at: http://www.westmarine.com/cgi-bin/nc...sor?fn=gps.htm

It's a commercial site, but since they carry most brands of GPS, they don't promote one brand over another.

My own research in cartographic hand held GPS units showed that some units have much better refresh rates than others. The Garmin GPSs have lower screen resolution than the Magellens, but because the screen is small and the detail is fairly general, the lower resolution means the refresh is more than twice as fast on the Garmin. Before you buy, go to a store and try them out side by side.

Mr. Fisherman · 08-27-2000, 02:03 PM

Thanks for all of the posts! Great info!

I was considering getting a GPS/Fish finder combo but have changed my way of thinking. I don't want to loose one instrument and be "dead in the water" so to speak.

I agree that you should always have a map/chart and compass just in case.

The 12 map has most of the functions that the III plus does but the 12 map has alarms. I think this would be benificial in the fog etc.

What are your thoughts?....

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live