Garmin 162 versus the 182

[MathMan]

Oh how I struggle with some decisions. I have tried to read the recent and not so recent posts on the subject.

I am not a professional fisherman -- I simply like to fish. It is unlikely that I will ever be in any real tournaments. But I am more than just fairly computer savy.

Do I really need the 162? I am not off to a new place each day or week. Can't I fit what I need into the 162? Is it that hard to download what I need before the trip?

The 182 is about $115 more than the 162, but then I need memory cards. Is the CPU faster in the 182?

I do not mind spending the extra money, if it is something I really need or will use. But I am not a professional, and can usually get by with less. The 162 is in the price mark that I am comfortable with. $319 for the unit. $115 for the FHS unlock all (by the way, am I reading this correct, unlock all is for the whole US -- all of the areas -- that does not really seem right to me). Later on I want to purchase the BlueChart for Lake Michigan.

Any thoughts would be well appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Rick

Rick Mitchell
Stevens Point, Wisconsin

[MathMan]

Oh how I struggle with some decisions. I have tried to read the recent and not so recent posts on the subject.

I am not a professional fisherman -- I simply like to fish. It is unlikely that I will ever be in any real tournaments. But I am more than just fairly computer savy.

Do I really need the 162? I am not off to a new place each day or week. Can't I fit what I need into the 162? Is it that hard to download what I need before the trip?

The 182 is about $115 more than the 162, but then I need memory cards. Is the CPU faster in the 182?

I do not mind spending the extra money, if it is something I really need or will use. But I am not a professional, and can usually get by with less. The 162 is in the price mark that I am comfortable with. $319 for the unit. $115 for the FHS unlock all (by the way, am I reading this correct, unlock all is for the whole US -- all of the areas -- that does not really seem right to me). Later on I want to purchase the BlueChart for Lake Michigan.

Any thoughts would be well appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Rick

Rick Mitchell
Stevens Point, Wisconsin

[REW]

Rick,
The 162 is fine if
a; you only fish in one area, that will fit into the gps memory or
b. are willing to upload different lakes or areas as the need arises. or
c. If you have a laptop - so that you can upload added info as you travel, if you find memory limitations.

Of course the 182 gives you the added advantage of pluggable memory - on which you can load your locations of choice. Also the 182 can have considerably larger memory on a single stick - compared to the 162.

Conversely - since the 162 is a completely sealed unit - with no openings, it is a bit more weather proof, compared to the 182 which has a door for installing memory sticks.

I purchased a 162 last year, and couldn't be happier.
I realize that it would be nice at times to have the memory pluggable option, but it works well for me.
I just picked up the latest Lakemaster software for this unit and have found it to be extremely accurate, easy to use, and display excellent detail.

Take care
REW

[MathMan]

Thanks so much for the detailed note REW.

I am wondering about the Wisconsin FHS -- curious as to how much of this will fit in the 2.5 mb memory in the 162. Really do not need a percentage, but rather to know if all will fit, or not all.

Thanks

Rick Mitchell
Stevens Point, Wisconsin

[Jeff S]

I have a 162 and love it.

I just fired up my mapsource FHS software and put together all of the Wisconsin portion of Green Bay, Poygan, Winneconne, Butte Des Mort, Winnebago and Castle Rock. Total 1.18 meg

All of the lakes will not fit in 2.5 meg. Another thing to keep in mind is that the screen redraw rate is faster if you keep a minimum of the memory used.

I don't mind hooking my unit up to my PC. It is simple to do and really doesn't take much time. If you review maps before heading out anyway, there really is very little extra time involved. I only wish I could hook the unit to the PC through a USB port. Maybe with the newer ones you can.

I think if you don't use the features to manage way points and plot trails you are missing out on some of the best parts of the software. After each days fishing I hook the unit up and dump my waypoints and plot trails out to the PC. I save that information on my PC so that I have a record of where I fished. I can go back to every time I fished last year and see exactly where I was.

With that said, I did get a LMS 320 for the bow (I like Lowrance sonar much better), so I will be able to compare the chip vs the upload system directly this year.

[perchjerker]

Question for you Garmin users.

Do any of the Garmins allow you record you sonar chart data so you can play it back on your PC? I dont see that info on thier site.

Just curious here.

[David Anderson]

The 162 is a great unit. I see the FHS software as NOT being the main reason to purchase a GPS such as the 162. This software is excellent if you want an electronic version of their paper maps, and it definitely has it's place. Unless of course if it's changes from a few years back, as my version was just a reference map. I just purchased the Lakemaster software which gives the actual correlation of where you are on the lake to the map, something that FHS does not do. In the future, I see the technology being applied to a number of lakes in your area. We have about 50 lakes available in Minnesota that provides accurate depth/location information.

Even though you don't fish other areas often, you will find the 162 invaluable for plotting your favorite spots, establishing a trolling or drift pattern, location spots on the spot, etc. Since my fist GPS purchase in the early 90's ($700 for a GPS 75!) it has become as valuable as my depth finder. You might say I am lost without it. I would make my decision on not based on FHS, but based on which unit will serve you better in the future. Regardless, the software whether downloadable or on chips is about the same. It then becomes a matter of convenience.