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Hand held GPS units

RylFlsh85

Asked by RylFlsh85,

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RylFlsh85 Contributor

RylFlsh85

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Looking for some good tips on GPS units that can run the lake master chips and are easy to use, started looking at some units today and was wondering if anyone has one that they really like.

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RonT Enthusiast

RonT

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I have the H2OC and love it. I take it in the car, on the atv, ice fishing and in the boat. Very easy to use and the Lakemaster chips works very well with it.

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RylFlsh85 Contributor

RylFlsh85

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Thanks, i looked at some of the old threads on gps units and there wasn't really any info on any of the units just comments of people loving the lake master chips they have and marking spots with their hand held units, no real names or models. Appreciate all the input.

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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What kind of information are you looking for personal opinion or otherwise?

My opinion? Garmin GPSMap76CSx

  • Accuracy surpasses Lowrance and Magellan
  • Service is great with fast turn-around.
  • Products are durable. Dropped mine 16' from deer stand onto a rock pile with no ill effects beyond a scratched lens.
  • You'll find plenty of threads on this site regarding issues with Lowrance hand-helds. Don't know if that's because so many use them or if it's a difference in quality.
  • They have built-in memory as well as card readers
  • Brighter screens for better viewing in daylight. From threads I've seen on this site, this may be one of the issues with H20s.
  • More generically designed features to cover a variety of uses compared to H20 (geared for water) or Hunt (geared for land).
  • Auto-routing.
  • WAAS enabled.
  • Waterproof and designed for outdoor use.
  • Floats.
  • Electronic compass
  • Able to interface with your PC.
  • Wide variety of available software for your PC such as land contour, road/highway, Lakemaster, HotSpots, etc.
  • Can study maps, create waypoints, and plot routes offline on your PC and then download to your hand-held.
  • Can upload data from the hand-held to your PC for safe storage or sharing.
  • Might be a bit more spendy.

Check 'em out.

Bob

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BpAki987 Enthusiast

BpAki987

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I love our H20. we have the Navionics chip for it. puts us faily close to whatever depth we are looking for. Probly been on 8-10 lakes so far and it seems fairly accurate.

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RylFlsh85 Contributor

RylFlsh85

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Yeah a more comparison of the units people are using I guess, I got very limited info from the sales people I talked to, and they really couldn't tell me the advantages of one to the other between lowrance or garmin units, and the differences in the models.

That is great info Bob thanks a lot, that is the stuff that no one seemed to know at all, they just pointed me to the most expensive unit they had in the case and said it can do it all and left it at that. I will keep looking through some sites and see if I can get some more comparisons.

Again thanks for the info Bob.

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BobT Grand Master

BobT

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In all fairness, the model I pointed out is their top-of-the-line 2D unit. They do have other models that aren't nearly as costly but have many of the same features. It might be better for you to look at them in terms of how their features meet with your needs and expected use.

Lowrance, Magellan, Garmin. They are all good and each model has it's personal strong points and weaknesses.

Bob

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Jarrod32 Mentor

Jarrod32

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Depending on the amount of research you want to do, you can usually narrow it down to a few units for your final choice. Most of the manufacturers allow you to download owners/operators manuals. You can look those over before you buy. I've found that to be a useful method of research.

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moparmarv Explorer

moparmarv

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i have a H2O and love it I also have a XOG I really like it to but the battery life on the XOG is only around 2 hours I like the H2O better for a portable

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RylFlsh85 Contributor

RylFlsh85

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Well i appreciate all the comments, went looking around some more and ended up with a Lowrance XOG on sale for 150, screen is good size and the maps look great. Haven't had it out on the ice yet but i think we will be heading out sunday to give it a try. You can't beat the feeling of getting a new toy!

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43Fan Newbie

43Fan

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I'm picking up a Lowrance XOG this weekend. I'm wondering which map software is preferred, Fishing Hot Spots or Lake Master? Thanks.

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snoozebutton Mentor

snoozebutton

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I have the Lakemaster in my XOG and it's working flawlessly so far, you can zoom in as far as you need. Not sure what lakes are on Fishing Hot Spots so can't give you a comparison.

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Northlander Grand Master

Northlander

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If your running a XOG a lakemaster will give ya roads and a Navionics wont. For fishing get the one that has the lakes you fish most.

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PerchJerker Grand Master

PerchJerker

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I'm picking up a Lowrance XOG this weekend. I'm wondering which map software is preferred, Fishing Hot Spots or Lake Master? Thanks.

LakeMaster is FAR better than FHS

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