Handheld GPS?

[kayakfisher]

I have found that if you are not in a hurry you can usually get good prices when this are on sale in Porltand.

I have two handhelds, one newer with mapping capability, and one older without mapping. I usually take them both on the boat, because in my experience, the only time a gps will fail is when you really with it wouldn't.

For the boat...If I had more room on the boat I also wish I had a bigger, color gps permanently mounted...so it is also there, always easy to see. The handheld gps's for me are hard to look at when you are pounding over rough water trying to get back under bad conditions.

Let us know what you end up with...

M.

[bigtrout]

I bought mine online for a lot less than other retailers. Be sure to get a good mount that locks the gps in. The ocean can be pretty rough. I have two mounted side by side running off the boat battery. Once you have routes in the gps you can back the up to your pc.

[8knots]

I have purchased GPS units and accessories from Boating Stores in Portland and online. I have been pleased with the pricing I got online. It is worth the comparison pricing once you have identified the unit you like.

[Myles]

http://www1.shopping.com/xPP-GPS_devices
They list a product and compare prices on the web.
I just bought a Garmin Mapping 76s last week. I got it at gpscity.com, there was a couple of stores a bit cheaper but they didn't have the video or case I wanted. So I figured it to be a wash with shipping to get it all at one place.

Myles

[love2fish]

Thanks for the replies guys. I thought I knew what I wanted, but the more I look, the more confused I get. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] I think I'll just close my eyes and pick one. Maybe I'll get one for my birthday next month and I won't have to decide.

Thanks,
love2fish

[love2fish]

Just wondering if anyone knows anything about the GPS Store online? Is there a better place to buy a gps? They seem to have pretty good prices.

Thanks,
love2fish

[goodkarma]

I just bought my magellen on E-bay, I paid less than 1/2 price and you'd never know it wasn't new, even had the original packaging and manuals. There are alot of them on e-bay, do your research first and see what you can get on e-bay.

[Freakwater]

Try mall24-7.com
I think it is based in Salem.
great prices

[whalerpaul]

I have been using my handheld Garmin III GPS for 4+ years on my 19ft Whaler Outrage and I added a Garmin Etrex Summit GPS last year as a backup. Some important features come to mind:

-in typical boating conditions you have about one second or less of viewing of the display to get the info you want before you have to look back at the next wave...not unlike driving a car. Graphical info (eg. arrow showing suggested direction or digitized map) are usually way better than having to try to read digits or text.'Test drive' your intended GPS in the showroom by looking quickly at the display and then away... did it tell you what you needed?

-simple controls
If you've had to try to use your unlighted TV remote control in the dark, you'll know what I mean. The text is so small on the GPS buttons that you will you will have to know them by feel (eg. 'first button in from the right edge is the "Man Overboard" button '). Even more important is the general user interface. Common/important actions should be accomplished with one or two presses on the same button (eg. to save a new GPS position ...where you just hooked up on some tuna. Forget about scrolling going through a 'friendly' menu when you are underway, it's just too difficult, and that is not just on Whalers :smile: After researching a lot of units, I have settled on Garmin as having the best user interface. Probably others have improved over time, so check out word of mouth endorsements from folks on this site and, if at all possible, try it yourself.

- Features:
I have found that the mapping function (bit map display with at least the coastline stored in the unit) is invaluable. In my search, I tried the top of the line Magellan color Nautical unit with lots of navigation info for a few weeks and was totally disappointed with it. Far too much info on it for the handheld display, confusing operation, etc. (hopefully they have improved). I then went to the Garmin GPS III which has coastline and most roads stored in it. Having the rough coastline is the next best thing to radar when the fog rolls in. Caution: dont trust its accuracy with your life... add specific GPS points for bouys, channels, harbor openings, etc rather than relying on the digitized map of the coastline. I usually use the 'North is always up' orientation of the map to keep me calibrated with where I am.
Of course the mapping versions are pricier, but worth more IMHO.

-typical usage
I usually store several GPS points in the unit before launching out (yesterday's Tuna numbers for example) and then have only to press the 'GO TO' button and see the list of choices (last entered is the default) to tell the GPS where I want to go. Then the Garmin-III gives me a simulated roadway picture with an arrow pointing in the correct direction. This works well for quick looks while underway.
I often store a new point when I get a strike trolling. Actually the Man Overboard function is best here as the unit records the position and then starts displaying how to get back to that exact point...press the button for a couple of seconds to activate the function. I think most GPS's have such a function now.

The function I have not seen an ideal solution for yet is to enter a new GPS position manually when you get a lat/lon number from a fellow fisherman over the vhf. The problem is that you have to enter up to 10 or more characters ( eg.N 45 36.5
W 124° 16.5) by scrolling to each correct digit and pressing enter for each character. The Garmin (and others I’ve seen) are not convenient to use in this mode. Maybe when they designed this gps unit fishermen were not yet sharing realtime positions over the vhf J
I try to minimize the pain by doing the following:
1.with a handy grease pencil jot down the number you are getting over the vhf (prevents having to ask for it again and again).
2.Store your current position by pressing the proper button(s).
3.Modify the coordinates of this newly saved point to agree with the ‘grease pencil’ numbers. Since you are usually less than 20 miles from the new point, many of the digits are correct already and don’t need to be changed …enabling you to skip over them. So now you only need to enter several new numbers instead of 10 or more.
4.Save the newly modified position and ‘GO TO’ it.


The latest thing I have seen that may solve this problem is a combined vhf/gps that will allow you to seen GPS coordinates to another boater who has the same vhf/gps combo unit. I have not tried one yet, but it sounds like an improvement in the right direction.


Another thing I do is to prepare a vellum or paper map version of the area I will be going to… roughly 20 miles by 30 miles or so. Lat/ lon lines and numbers are entered, plots of tuna numbers from the previous day and key notes (eg. # caught). Then when someone reports ‘fish on’ and the numbers, I can quickly plot it and add a note. Then I can decide if I want to take the time to enter that in the GPS ( or GO TO a point that is close to that one). As the day goes on, it also notes areas that no one has checked out yet . Pretty quickly you are as familiar with that patch of ocean as your back yard. I use stiff vellum (overheads for you corporate types) or paper because this info will change in a few days and I’ll need to make a new map of a new area.

Lastly, assuming you eventually will have two GPS’s , I would suggest at least getting them from the same vendor. My second gps was not meant specifically for marine use, but the fact it was made by Garmin makes it a lot easier to use, the interface is similar.
My second GPS has an electronic Compass that is a much better compass than the GPS based one… especially at 0 mph. The GPS compass gives totally misleading readings at rest and requires forward motion for multiple seconds to get back on track.

Check with your buddies that you most often will be going out with … if they have standardized on something you may want to follow their lead so that you will all know how to operate each others GPS’s…trying to learn a new GPS interface while pounding through the swells to the fishing grounds is not workable.


I would expect that there have been previous salty dog threads on GPS suggestions; maybe some of the other members can dig those up. Also, the TA get togethers may be a time to share insights and demo units… I’ll be happy to bring my units later this week to the TA meeting if you want.

I’ll apologize in advance for other important GPS considerations I didn’t think to mention… hopefully others will respond too. With some homework and word of mouth recommendations will get you focused on a subset of models that will work well for you.

Paul

[love2fish]

Thanks for all the good info. At first I was thinking about getting the Ifinder, but now I'm leaning more toward the garmin. Although, Ifinder is coming out with their Ifinder H2O in another month or so, and it sounds like a good unit. Maybe I'll just get two.

Thanks,
love2fish