GPS issues

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I'm having issues trying to use my GPS (H2Oc) at a speed slower then about 1.5 mph. It just doesn't track unless I'm going faster. Is this normal?

I also I'm not satisfied with the accuracy of it. Sometimes my Lakemaster chip shows I'm on land when I'm trolling close to shore. I know the accuracy can vary, but what about repeatability?

Let's say I mark some fish and set a waypoint. If the unit shows an error range of 40 feet, will it bring me right back to my marked waypoint? I don't think so. If not, what good does it do to mark waypoints for some fish if you are that far off?

If I can't find the same exact spot using GPS, I still see the need to use a few floating markers .

[LMITOUT]

How are your trail options set? There are some adjustments in the trail menu that can help the tracking problems.

No, you'll never get back to the exact same spot unless you use a surveying grade GPS. These units don't have that accuracy, but it will get you pretty close to the general location. It's not the Lakemaster's fault for showing you on shore as much as it's the GPS system....you said you have a EPE of 40', that's going to show you on shore or even further out in the lake. Make sure the WAAS is turned on which can help get your EPE down less than 20' sometimes. When you put the error into perspective, it's really only a boat length or a little more. It's not a great distance. I wouldn't go burying coffee cans full of money in the woods and then try to find them in 10yrs with a GPS though.

[Tman2]

I have one of those units as well and have expeienced something similar. I haven't used it much, so I'm hoping I can get it to work better since I agree if it can't get you back closer than tha, I'm not sure it's very useful for marking spots. It must be able to get better since people use these things for geo-caching and that it very similat to finding a can of money.

I know there's an option on there to 'relocate' or 'realign' to satelites. That would sort of re-boot like a computer and hoefully adjust closer. I am going to LOTW next week and plan on using it. Hopefully re-booting will help, although I'm open to other suggestions from more experienced users.

Tman

[sparcebag]

When GeoCaching theres a marker to find,the last 20-50 ft. are sight locating not GPS.But that 3 meter varience in GPS is so much easier than shore alignment guessing!

[sparcebag]

I thought the same of lakemaster,it showed me on shore also,but then I was informed their accuracy is only to that 3 meters variable fault in GPS on their 3 ft.contour maps,as far as anyother maps on lakemaster,there from the old DNR mapping system.No accuracy!

[Muddog]

If I'm within casting distance I'm happy. I don't have lake maps on my GPS because I have a depth finder that tells me how deep the water is under the boat. I can see that it would be helpfull to know if there are dropoff or flats in the area but mostly on lakes I've never fished before. I can't see how being on an exact spot would be of that much help. Heck; it would take me forever to get anchored in area less then 3 meters (If I ever used an anchor).

As for using markers. If you have been using floating markers you have trained yourself to look for them. There is a learning curve and it will take time. In open water a floating marker is nice to have as a visual aid but the GPS will get you back to the area to throw the floating marker faster then anything on the market. As long as you marked it with a waypoint before.

[ccarlson]

To solve all of the problems you have described you simply need to adjust two settings on your gps unit.

The first is called track smoothing. Shut it off. It may also be called pinning.

The second thing is to change the mapping update selection. Choose to update by time then change the time frame to every one second or perhaps two seconds.

Make these two changes and you will see a dramatic improvement in your plotting accuracy.

ccarlson

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Quote:

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The first is called track smoothing. Shut it off. It may also be called pinning.

The second thing is to change the mapping update selection. Choose to update by time then change the time frame to every one second or perhaps two seconds.

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My manual says the track smoothing helps at low speeds, but I'll try shuting it off.

I did find the "trail options" feature that LMITOUT describes above. As you suggested, I changed the setting from "auto" to "time", then changed the time to 2 sec.

There is also an option to set the trail to record by distance. I think that would work also.

Thanks guys! I'm eager to see if these settings changes works

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Quote:

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I thought the same of lakemaster,it showed me on shore also,but then I was informed their accuracy is only to that 3 meters variable fault in GPS on their 3 ft.contour maps,as far as anyother maps on lakemaster,there from the old DNR mapping system.No accuracy!

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I love my Lakemaster map chip! I think the problem is the inherent positioning error of all "consumer" GPS units.

I do use my locator all the time in conjunction with the GPS, so I know when I'm at the right depth. It just has been frustrating not being able have my GPS update my track so I know when I'm coming up to my waypoints.

[LMITOUT]

I think the track smoothing will help you the most. I turned it off on both of my units in the boat and it helps show the exact path I traveled instead of cutting corners sort of speak.

One side effect of changing the trail option to a short time duration is that you could possibly run out of trailpoints. What happens then is the beginning of the trail will start to disappear and if you had depended on the trail to get back to your starting point it'd be gone. A point every 2 seconds is 1800/hr. Depending on the number of trailpoints your unit has or is capable of, it could fill up it's quota in as little as 5-6 hours based on a 10,000 trailpoint capacity. Right now my units are set to auto and it seems to be working OK for me, but I'd never depend on a trail to get me back to my starting spot. I'd rather place a waypoint at the starting spot and navigate back to that, but you can also get into saving trails and that would work also but that's another story.

The track smoothing will probably be your best fix and experimenting with the trailpoint options you'll find what works best for you.

Good Luck!

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Thanks guys! I changed the settings as described and walked around at a slow pace to see if the trail would advance on the screen. It did!

I'm very hopeful that this solves my issue, and very greatful for all the great advice!

I also wondered about lossing the trail, but it is a none issue for me also. However, I'm going to try just leaving the setting on "auto" with the track smoothing off first. If it works as well as I think it will, then leaving the setting on auto will allow me to keep the trail intact if I need to back track.

Now I can't wait to hit the lake

Thanks again!

- Jeff