Handheld GPS

[JRN]

What would be a good handheld GPS for marine use. I am new to GPS.

Thanks!!

[scott]

THE GARMIN 12 , IS THE EASIEST GPS TO FIGURE OUT.YOU CAN BUY A VIDEO ON THE UNIT TO SHOW HOW TO RUN IT,WITHIN HOURS YOU WILL HAVE IT DOWN!! IT IS DUMMY PROOF!! GOOD LUCK FISHING!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[SD Fisher]

I agree with Scott. My son bought a Garmin 12 awhile back (I think he paid about $ 80 for it) and it works great. Doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the $ 200 - $ 400 units but you can mark a spot and get back to within 10 feet (maybe closer) of that spot, either by foot, car, or boat. Can hold up to 500 waypoints (as if you would need that many). Four double AA batteries last a long time, and internal backup battery saves waypoints if batteries die on ya. It's like everything else; the more you pay the more features you will get, but you have to decide which and how many features you will really use. Good luck.

[ryan the poor college kid]

well i have worked all spring break to save some money and i am getting the Garmin etrex venture. the reason for this is it has the WAAS enabled and you can get pretty darn close the your original waypoints. also, it only costs around $165. check it out. http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexVenture/

[Maumeemoon]

I can recommend one NOT to purchase - Magellan 315- I bought one for my father-in-law, to use on his boat, the First one didn't work right out of the package after putting in batteries and turning it on, you could here it beeping but the screen remained blank. No matter what I tried the screen wouldn't do anything. I called tech support and they tried to walk me through adjusting the contrast blind, it didn't work, the unit had a defective screen, which they told the chances were 1 in 200,000 for this to happen, so I returned to the store to exchange it, they didn't have another in stock so I had to wait for it to be ordered, a week later I return to pick up the new unit. I get it home fire it up, but I could not get ephemeris. I figured it was because of all the old tall trees around my house so I drove out to a baseball field and went into the middle of the field with no obstructions, turned the unit on re-initialized the unit and set it down. After one hour nothig, no position fix. I e-mailed Magellan, a week and a half later a tech e-mailed me back and told me to set it in a clear unobstructed area for 2 hours to get a fix, this didn't work either. And so on and so forth..........I then bought him a Garmin 12 and he has not had a problem with it, need I say more.

[RickK]

Ryan,..You MIGHT consider holding out for a Vista model,...got one at Christmas for 220!,..(on sale,..haven't seen them that low since but I wasn't looking either) but I think you would be much happier with that model,.. I just had mine stolen by an attendant at Thrifty car rental,..I'm fuming about it,..Was in their garage and turned my back for one minute,..

[Suzuki]

Garmin Map76. A handheld designed for marine use. Email me if you want more details on this unit. I bought one last year.
myager@avaya.com

[Road King]

I run a Garmin 12Map as a backup to my 162 and for times when I need a handheld like vacations and on my bike. I used to use it exclusivly on my boat but found the small screen was a little hard to view while moving. I believe the 76 and maybe the etrex models have a slightly larger screen if you have definitly decided on a handheld.

[Eyecrosser]

Maumeemoon,

I have to respectfully disagree with you about the Magellian 315. I bought mine last fall, on the advice of several friends who already owned one. I can't imagine being outdoors without it. Granted, it doesn't have all the options that other models have, but it has been nothing but reliable. I find it very easy to use and I really like the ability to get the sunrise/sunset times as well as the lunar phase(s). I guess every product out there has a few bad apples mixed in. I wish you luck in the future.

[ryan the poor college kid]

Rick:
what are the advantages of upgrading to the vista?? i guess i might be able to wait a while before purchasing.
thanks

[RickK]

Ryan,..you get much more memory (24mb as compared to 1 mb) you get electronic compass,..pressure change/alt,.and you have a pretty good built in map,..plus you can down load a very detailed map(as opposed to a few "points of intrest" If you go to Garmins site there is a feature that you can go to that compares both (with each other) I have seen the Vista on sale for around 250 at times,..often 260,..

[war_eagle_one]

I have a Garmin GPS3 and when I'm one the lake and near shore like within 300 yards the map shows me on land way on land. But when i mark a spot the GPS takes me right there is it not designed for marine use or what. I would think that it would not matter land or water. Anyone else have this problen?? Any help would be great!!! Garin naturally says don't worry.