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HAND HELD GPS

F

fastskipper

Member
Looking at purchasing a hand held GPS soon. There are a lot of them out there. I need a waterproof hand held so I can use it in the boat and on the wave runner. Costs seem to vari from about $100.00 to $500.00. What are you guys using and what you like and don't like about it.
I was looking at a Garmin 60CS...coming out in mid march. I can pre order now for a little over $400.00.
 
Looking at purchasing a hand held GPS soon. There are a lot of them out there. I need a waterproof hand held so I can use it in the boat and on the wave runner. Costs seem to vari from about $100.00 to $500.00. What are you guys using and what you like and don't like about it.
I was looking at a Garmin 60CS...coming out in mid march. I can pre order now for a little over $400.00.
 
Hi there, like you, I did a lot of poking around with respect to what GPS to buy. Generally speaking there are 2 basic types, mapping and non mapping, that is, those that can hold maps and those that don't. Once you make that decision it's some what easier.

Based upon my investigative work , the Magellan's are one of the few that floats, however, I was only really comparing Magellan and Garmin. I ended up going with the Magellan SportTrak Pro Marine unit which I got for around $350.00 Canadian. I haven't tried it out on the boat as of yet but have monkeyed around with it outside etc. Both the Garmin and Magellan web sites are very informative and allow you to compare.

For what it's worth

Bruce
 
I went with the Garmin Etrex, it floats and is water proof. All I am using it for is speed. Got a holder for it and its fairly cheep. Right around $100.
 
Fastskipper, if you buy a GPS you may become (slowskipper)
biggthumpup.gif

I bought a garmin my self, I thought I had a 75mph boat,turns out I only have a 67-68 mph boat
brickwall.gif

I have used GPS on cars,trucks,motorcycles,boats and found noy one speedo yo be right?
anyway you maybe doing yourself a faver by not getting a Gps
biggthumpup.gif
 
Power Boat magazine did a comparisen on hand helds this month, they tested Cobra 500, Magellan Sport trak marine and Garmin eTrex.
They said the Cobra had the most memory and mapping ability but wasnt very accurate for navagation and priced out at $199.95. The Magellan also had good mapping and options but cost the most at$269.00. The Garmin was the oldest model but was the most accurate in returning to a given point 9' to target. It did not have WAAS-enable or advanced mapping but it is very simple to operate and the cheapest at $119.99. If your like me and just looking for something basic that gives speed, the Gamin is a good deal.
I must aggre about it being depressing nowing your actual speed instead of a good old seedo 5-10 mph bragging speed. Before GPS was so available most of new our speedo's were off but it was hard to proove and more fun to beleive what it said. A freind thought his boat was running high 60's and was happy, when he found out it was barley 60 then he was depressed and started spending money to make it faster. He never really gets to run other boats, so the speed is only for his ego. Oh well I like to see that higher speed too.
F150GT
 
I agree about the gps speed. I spent an afternoon running back and forth trying to get to 70MPH. The speedo was reading about 79mph. But after all the smoke cleared all I was able to hit was 68.9 mph. Bummer
 
I have a Garmin. I bought it a few years ago, it does the job and I haven't had any problems with it.
 
I had a Garmin 12 that I bought a few years ago. It worked great and was easy to use. Then I bought my new Checkmate this fall and was going to check top speed with the dealer setup before changing anything. Well the first time out I get out of the truck to remove the straps and set my gps on the dash behind the windshield. Launch the boat and take off. Evidently as the bow came up the gps followed the windshield along the side of the boat and off the back it went. Sh*t!! Now I bought a Garmin etrex Legend and like it a lot.

Regards,
Jim
 
info:
Truly a small wonder, the eTrex takes the best features of a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver and put them into a six ounce package that is only four inches high and two inches wide. The result is a unit that will literally fit in the palm of your hand.

Besides its small size, mariners and outdoorsmen will likely notice the sleek design of the eTrex. All buttons are located on either side of the unit, allowing for simple, one-handed operation that won't obstruct your view of the display. In fact, the eTrex features only five operator buttons for the ultimate in user-friendly design. Thanks to its bright yellow case, the eTrex will be hard to misplace and easy to find in any boat or backpack. The eTrex is completely waterproof so it can take an accidental splash or dunk in the water and still continue to perform.

Inside the eTrex, you will find the proven performance of a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver that will run for 22 hours on just two AA batteries. No need to worry about dense tree canopy with this unit, the eTrex will continue to maintain a tight satellite lock even while operating in forest-like conditions. The eTrex will store up to 500 user waypoints with graphic icons and boasts Garmin's exclusive TracBack® feature that will reverse your track log and help you navigate your way back home. In addition, the eTrex uses animated graphics that will help you identify your marked waypoints quickly and easily.

Suggested Retail Price:
$106.24 U.S.D. (for domestic US market only)

end quote
 
eTrex is a good unit... needs good clear view of ski for good readings and can be a bit less accurate the more it "bounces" around when running fast...it has to be "locked" on the satelights and "read" them to give you speed.... yes...boat speedo tend to LIE a bick. When I checked my Warlock with the eTrex GPS, I was getting 84-86 MPH but never a steady reading... On the cop's radar gun I got 85MPH... my little gift certificate so to speak (TICKET)... woops!!! GPS is a fun toy, but bring extra batteries if your using it for Navigation too... Jim.
 
Gps I have the magellan 315 cheapest small mapping type that will also run off 12 volts but it seems battery hungry about 3-5 hours contunis on off a set of duracells and about 2-3 hours off a set of used eveready nicads . I bought it off ebay $62.00 used.

two cents
jon b
 
thanx bad ! thats the conclusion i'm comming to . they eat batteries ......wrestling with cutting a hole in the dash for a guage or just ggrabbing a portable . that way i can let my friends w/o gps see what they are really doing too. misory loves company !!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bob simonik:
don't these portable gps run off a 12 volt cigarette lighter ????? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

never tryied it...
 
I bought a Magellan GPS 2000 a couple of years ago and it runs on 4 AA batterys , or 12 volts with an adapter . Not a marine unit ! I get a couple of hours on the batterys . And yes , GPS speed is depressing .
Redboat
 
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