GPS for boat

[Sutty]

Last year I used my H20C as my boat GPS and I am thinking about upgrading it. I would like to stick with a Lowrance unit (Lakemaster Chips) and want it to be just a GPS not a combo unit.

I am wondering if the GlobalMap 5200C accepts the chips and if anyone has any other suggestions.

Thanks,

Sutty

[PerchJerker]

Yes, the 5200C and the 5300Ci accept map chips and are excellent units.

I know you said you wanted a gps only, but you might consider a combo unit. You can buy a combo unit without the transducer and use it as GPS only, but it could also fucntion as a backup sonar if you have a transducer for it, or you could add a transducer in the future. I just wanted to throw that idea out in case you hadn't considered it.

[Sutty]

thats a good idea, I just don't want to drop big money on one that is big enough for the split screen to be effective, and I want to make sure I still have a functioning sonar or gps if one of my units drop.

[PerchJerker]

I understand what you're saying, but I wasn't thinking of using it as a split-screen unit. I was thinking of using it as gps only ...... but still having the ability to use it as a sonar in the future if you ever need to or want to.

For example, in my boat I have multiple 332s (predecessor to the 500 series you're looking at now). They are sonar/gps combo units but I never run them in split screen mode. I run one as a sonar only, I run one as a gps only, and I run the 3rd as a sonar or as a gps depending on where it's mounted and how I'm fishing. I don't have gps antennas or transducers for every 332 head unit, but I have some backup options in case a head unit fails, so I can still have sonar OR gps (or both if I want to run split-screen).

I don't know if a setup like that fits with what you're trying to do in your boat, I just wanted to point it out as an option before you bought a gps-only unit. The way the pricing was on my 332s it didn't cost me any more money to go this route than getting individual sonar and gps. Good luck.