Up-Grading Hand Held GPS

[gunflint]

I've been going through the posts for the last several weeks on hand held GPS units and I'm beginning to think it's another Ford vs Chevy issue. I want a GPS for marking fishing spots and Rocks. I don't need any mapping capability, I don't need it for hiking or highway use either.

The Lowrance H2O in black and white or the Garmin 72 seem to be the logical choices. From what I can see the pixel count on the Lowrance is a little better. Other than that are there differences I should be considering?

[fiskyknut]

I have each of the units you mention and use them both. Both are good. Lowrance unit can accept chips where the Garmin72 can't. Garmin is easier to use, but that may just be 'me' as I've had various Garmin GPS's since '92 and the keypads and operation is/was similar on all of these whether handheld or fixed mounts.

fiskyknut

[caseymcq]

You may want to check out the Garmin GPS 76. It is similar to the 72 with better resolution/more pixels and with more memory.

I would say you are looking at six one way, half a dozen the other. I think you will get similar performance out of any of the mentioned units. Similar battery life, etc.

I have a Garmin GPSmap 76, Garmin Etrex Legend and a Lowrance H2Oc. I really like the H2Oc and it is a great unit for the money. The GPSmap 76 is much easier to use though.

[Northlander]

I would go with the Lowrance because of the chip capability. I also recomend spending the extra $ and going color. Much easier to read what is waht on that small of a screen.

[gunflint]

I was wondering about the color issue. I'll get a chance to look at them Friday in Duluth. I'm really just looking to mark way points and travel routes on three lakes and I don't think there's a chip for Sag, the other two lakes I know better than any chip would.

[caseymcq]

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...I don't think there's a chip for Sag, the other two lakes I know better than any chip would.

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Sag is on the Navionics Chips. It is even on the '06 chips which I think you can pick up fairly cheap right now. I am asuming you are marking travel routes to avoid hazards. I don't know about Navionics but I do know that LakeMaster has a lot of hazards marked.

Color is really nice. If you are going to have it in the boat make sure you have a 12v power source available to plug it into. It eats batteries like they are going out of style. I bought some lithium batteries and that made a bit of a difference but they are spendy.

[gunflint]

Thanks caseymcq, that helps a lot. Now,how many leads can I hook up to one 12v battery? Trolling motor, nav lights, sonar, gps.....

[Daze Off]

I've had both the H20 and the H20c and I would say go with the color - the visibility factor is much better (at least for these 50 yr old eyes). The other thing the color unit has is the ability to switch to night screen which is high contrast.

As for batteries I have been using the Duracell rechargeables and I get at leasst 8 hours of continuous use out of one set. I always carry a back-up set just in case or if I am going to be out longer.

Daze Off

[youngie22]

Hey daze; new to the gps game. But, do your rechargeable batteries hold a longer or shorter charge than new alkaline off the shelf?? Does that 8 hrs work for having the backlight on? If I have the backlight on I can pretty much watch the battery gauge drop as I'm looking at it. I think I am going to look for some nice lithium rechargeable, maybe cut down on battery costs in the long run!

[McGurk]

The new Garmin models with the "x" in the name (i.e. Garmin etrex Legend Cx) have the ability to accept memory cards. I purchased a Legend Cx for my dad and it came with a 64 mb card. They are MicroSD cards, I believe, and can be purchased from Garmin with the optional maps.

[Hookmaster]

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I want a GPS for marking fishing spots and Rocks. I don't need any mapping capability, I don't need it for hiking or highway use either.

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Many of us started out using Garmins and switched to an H2O for its mapping capabilities. I have the Garmin Map76 (the Garmin 72 wasn't out yet when I got the Map76) and the H2O. Since you don't need mapping I would suggest the Garmin 72. Easier to use, larger arrow to follow when you're following a route or going to a waypoint. If you're thinking of the H2O and fish during the day in bright sunlight, either direct or indirect, don't get the H2OC. I've done side-by-side comparisons of the H2O and H2OC and the H2O is easier to read in these conditions. In low light the H2OC is better. I do most of my fishing during the day so I got the H2O.