Pros & Cons on the Garmin 162 GPS unit

[KYBOB]

Looking for information along with pros & cons on the Garmin 162 GPS unit. Also looking @ Lowrance 240 that is not yet out - was told it was coming out within the next week or so - and the Eagle unit that is in Cabela's catalog. Any info at all would be greatful.
Thanks ahead
KYBOB

[Big Sky]

Good luck KYBOB on this one. I posted this awhile back and was surprised at the lack of responses. I did have a few that said they really liked the 162. I had one in my basket at Cabela's this weekend and the sales guy talked be out of it due to minimal memory capacity compared to the Lowrance units. Bumping this up may get the same guys to respond again or check the archives.

[eyeD]

I've had my GpsMap 162 for two years and I love it! It is very easy to get up and running and operation is a breeze. The other thing that I like about this unit is the display is very easy to see under all conditions. I would definately recommend it. Hope this helps. eyeD(Denny Sharrone)
P.S. I called a couple of times to get tech support on some waypoint questions and the people were very helpful.

[johnp034]

I don't know what kind of memory your looking for, but my 162 has all I need, and besides that is much more user friendly than any others I've seen. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it. I wouldn't trade mine for any of them.
Just my 2 cents!

JohnP

[Big Sky]

I am far from a techno guy so I get easily swayed when someone starts talking things like megabytes. This sales guy basically said the 162 has 2 MB of memory while the new Lowrance 2400 has capability of 64 MB of memory. Again, being somewhat technically challenged but not an idiot, it's doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math. That being said, it only caused me to re-think my decision. I want the 162, but not sure what the gain on that many MB will really do for me. Maybe it's impossible to use 64 MB of memory and 2 MB will be fine. I'm not sure. Maybe it's all hype on Lowrance's part. That is what I need to know. He did try to say that Garmin should be coming out with something new soon. Of which I find hard to believe when all the catalogs are out. He also said Garmin isn't being progressive like Lowrance. Help me out on this MB thing.

[Chad C]

I would definately buy the Lowrance. The main reason I like the Lowrance units is they have much better shoreline detail than the Garmin units which is important to me. If you're in a store again and they have any Lowrance or Garmin units with a background map pick go to an area on a lake you know on both units and compare the shoreline detail. Most spots I have looked at on Garmins are very blocky looking and the Lowrance looks a lot better.

The memory will come into play if you plan on downloading more detailed maps into your unit. Say for instance you get some contoured lake maps for it, you will probably only be able to have 2 in the garmin at a time depending on how much memory 1 map takes. The ones I have take about 1mb per map.

Hope I helped a little

[flyingfish]

I just bought a Garmin GPSMAP 162 this last weekend. I've watched the posts on this board for a while and have seen mostly favorable reports. It seems like you can always spend more--kind of like buying the latest and greatest computer. It came with a Fishing Hot Spots CD, and currently has a $50 rebate if purchased by July 7. Seems like most places have it priced about $449 (before rebate).
Good luck on your decision.

[Mike Michalak]

The 162 can handle up to 2.5 MB of map data. The built-in basemap includes detailed ocean, river and lake shorelines with cities, Interstates, US and state highways. We even set it up on the dashboard of our truck on a 1500 mile run to Florida and it performed flawlessly. Easy-to-use tracking and waypoint plotting.

Mapguy

[one eye]

Just a question for Mike Michalak, is there anything in the works for more fishing hotspot maps of Northwest Ontario? A great fishing tool I'm sure they would be well recieved.

[Big Sky]

Mike,

What does that really mean with 2.5 MB. If one map takes 1 MB like a previous post stated then you can only download 2 1/5 maps? That doesn't seem very useful.

[John]

I thought I saw on a prior post, that 2.5 MB was enough to hold maps of Western Lake Erie, Detroit River and Saginaw Bay--but trying to search, I can't find the post. Can anyone confirm how much 2.5 MB will actually hold? What does that mean in terms of large lake map detail?
Thanks ><XXX))*>

[Brad B]

I was remember the same thing. Thought I saw somewhere else where somebody was able to keep Winnebago, Winnecone, Butte des Mort, Poygan, and part of Green Bay loaded as well, but now I can't find it.

Either way, I ordered a 168 about 2 weeks ago and it is due in any day. I WILL be finding out how much of information it will hold for myself very soon.

[Big Sky]

I saw that post too. That seems to support the sales guy point that it doesn't have much memory. Most of us fish alot of lakes and what is a person to do if they can only have the Winnebago system downloaded or Lake Erie but not the combination of both.

[Chad C]

Maps will take different amounts of memory, so it really depends on what maps you're going to download.

[Mike Michalak]

Guys,

All good questions, some of which I'd refer you over to Garmin, but I can add my 2-cents worth.

If the RAM size is a concern, drop a note to Garmin and they can tell you how large a file is...give them the lake, they'll give you the details. If it's a big enough concern, you may want to consider moving up to the 182. Plenty of memory and it's WAAS enabled to boot!

For more info head to: http://www.garmin.com/marine/compare.jsp

As for Canada, there are no immediate plans to expand as of this writing. But, we're looking...

[John]

I am also researching the Garmin 162 and Lowrance 2400. One thing I was told to consider is the maps available. The Lowrance can use Navionics Hotmaps which come on MMC cards and the lakes are limited if you fish in Minnesota. It also has Mapcreate software available to provide more detailed mapping. The Garmin has Mapsource Hotspot CD which has a different set MN lakes. The amount of lakes it can hold doesn't seem like a big issue for me. I only fish 1 or 2 lakes on any given outing. I am going to take a look at both of these units again. Tough choice. Online Marine has the 162 w/ hotspots map for $396 and then there is a $50 rebate. Pretty good deal.

[Big Sky]

That was part of my question in the beginning. I don't know how to quantify memory space in relation to the size of maps available.

[Bob]

Mike,
I believe the 162 is WAAS enabled also.

[Mike Michalak]

John,

Garmin also has the pre-programmed FHS data cards now, so people can purchase those if they don't want to work with the CD and unlocks. Lots of flexibility there...

[John]

Mike,

Are you referring to the Garmin 182 ( FHS cards)

When are you going to add more lakes in MN. I would like to see Lake Osakis added. :-)

Thanks!

[jiggin]

As for the memory, I have a Garmin 168 and I was able to load the following lakes on it without any problem:

Green Bay
Sturgeon Bay
Menomenie River
Fox River (DePere)
Winnebago
Poygan / Butte Des Morts
St. Clair
Detroit River
Western basin of Erie

It is also very easy to reload lakes if you are going on a trip. On your computer once you load the Mapsource CD, You need to click on the lakes you would like and hit "save to device". This whole procedure only takes about 2 or 3 minutes. I wouldn't trade my 168 for anything, I love it. And the details of reefs and contour lines are right on.

[Chad C]

Does the Lowrance unit you're looking at have memory cards you can take out?
If it does I think that's how they get that much memory in the unit, so you can have different cards with different maps on them so you don't have to download from you're computer each time you want to have different lakes in their you just grab a different card and put it in your unit.

I hope that makes a little sense.

I know I have literature on both units so I'll try to find it and maybe I can be of more assistance.

[KYBOB]

I already like & appreciate all of the respones thus far. I did not expect this many. I was interested in the Lowrance 240, but as I said earlier, Do not know when it is coming out on the market. From the responses, I am still interested in the Garmin 162. Did not know about the 168 model. Anybody know the price on this model and who has the cheapest price? How much more memory does it have and is it worth the extra cost?
Time is running out. Trip planned for end of month. I need to make decision by end of the week on which unit to purchase.
Thanks again for all your comments.
KYBOB

[MLD]

Probably because the in-store Garmins don't have any detailed maps downloaded onto them. I really like my Garmin and in my opinion they're more user friendly than the Lowrances.

Mike

[John]

The 168 is the Sonar/GPS version of the 162 just like the Lowrance 240 is the combination version of the stand alone 2400 GPS. I ordered the Lowrance 240 with my boat but since they were not available I decided to get a Lowrance X91 sonar and a separate GPS. Now I can't decide between the Garmin and Lowrance units. At the Sports show in Mpls a couple weeks ago I talked to someone from Lowrance and they said the Lowrance LMS 240 combo might not be in the stores for another 6-8 weeks. I did see the 2400 GPS at Thorne Brothers and it has a nice display. After reading a lot of posts I think I would prefer seaprate Gps and Sonar units for 2 reasons.
1) If the combo unit dies you lose both.
2) With individual units you can view both at full screen at the same time.

I still have to decide between Garmin and Lowrance nGPS. I think they are both good products.

John

[Jeff]

For GPS the 162 and 168 are the same. The 168 also has sonar.

I may have missed it, but I don't think anyone mentioned the Garmin units have an internal antenna. One less wire to string and thing to mount. I think this a nice feature compared to all other makes.

As was mentioned above the 182 has it all. There is also a 176 that is similar in price to the Lowrance 2400, but has a slightly smaller screen.

Finally, no one has used a Lowrance 2400 yet. I am sure that it will be fine product, but there were initial glitches with the X-15 release and I did not want to risk any down time due to that.

[Brad b.]

I paid $599 before the $50 rebate. $599 w/ one region of FHS seems to be the going rate at cabelas and basspro. Gander Mountain seems to be a little more.

[Nordicron]

Does anybody know yet which units will be compatable with LakeMaster software? I don't just mean downloading the waypoints but the entire lake. At the sport show this winter the LakeMaster guys said they almost had contracts in place but wouldn't say with who, but would be out by summer. This might be a factor on which unit you would want to buy.

[Melonbob_ON]

This seems like a good place to vent......

What is the problem with getting maps made for Canada? There are 26 million of us up here!!!!

Not to mention all the people in the U.S. who come up here annually, and would love maps of lakes this way.

I told myself I was going to get a gps unit as soon as mapping was available for my area, I didn't think it would take long, I'm only a few hours north of the border. That was around five years ago!!! I gave up and bought an etrex this year, why spend obscene amounts of money if I'll never use the unit to its full potential.

Not griping at anyone in particular, just felt like ranting tonite....lol

[KYBOB]

I am beginning to lean that way also, I think. At the same time, I am looking for something to replace my Lowrance 1510B paper graph recorder. Leaning toward X-85 or X-91 for the Console. Have looked at the Lowrance X-15 MT sonar only. Wondering if it is worth the money. Right now it is going to depend if the LMS 240 comes out in time. Also, the memory problem on the Garmin now concerns me, although Western Lake Erie, Chautauqua, NY, Lake ERie, Dunkirk are the only places the I fish most of the time.
I do like the idea of haveing 2 seperate units even though it will cause mounting problems for me on my boat.
Thanks for your help
KYBOB

[Mapguy]

Hey, MB

We'd love to do more in Canada. Please tell Canada that. The main source of information is the Ministry through the Canadian Hydrographic Service. Without their cooperation, US based companies cannot work in your country.
We hear all the time, from both sides of the border, how much the tourism means to you, much like it does to us. Without it, the economy is in tough shape. Over the years, we've been telling Americans how great the resources are north of the border. It truly is an adventure...one I've been fortunate to enjoy many times over.
This is the long answer to your question. Lac Seul, Wabigoon, and many others are on our list. With your continued support, the Tourism Council and others, we Yanks may be allowed to work in Canada to bring all anglers the maps that are not available anywhere else.

Mapguy

[Chad C]

You are correct, but what if their isn't a map for the lake you're on. Their are some lakes in Minnesota that don't show up on the Garmin that do show up on the Lowrance units.
I mainly look at the maps in Minnesota because I'm more familiar with them.

I don't think the Garmin units are bad units, but I prefer the Lowrance maps.

[Snoogans]

If you decide to get a 162, the best price that I found was online at www.gpsdiscount.com.

Depending on the map size, no, you cannot load a ton of maps into the 162. But swapping out maps on the pc literally takes only like 1 minute to do once you are set up.

At least for my application, I never fish more lakes in a day than will fit into the 162, so it is not a problem. And, if you dig into it, those memory cards and pre-loaded maps can get spendy...so it was pretty much a no-brainer for me--especially considering the price.

If you must have a bunch of maps ready for your disposal on-the-fly, then go with the next step up Garmin (182 I think). In my opinion, Garmin IS the gps leader.

[bob oh]

Bob, if you fish Lake Erie take a look at Garmin's BlueChart maps, the ones I've seen were very, very good.

[Barry]

I just got through making the same choice. I decided to go with the Garmin 168 w/internal antenna.

My reasons: Garmin offerred more GPS for the dollar, Lowrance 240 specs looked good, but it wasn't in stock, and priced quite a bit higher. Internal antenna will allow me to put in multiple stations in the Boat, put on the console when moving spot to spot, and move to the front when on the electric trolling motor, move back to the console when trolling and hook up in the truck when driving to the lake - - the best time to fiddle around with the unit and learn how to run it. The Fishing Hot Spots maps are really incomplete at this time, unless you are fishing the great lakes. Can't comment on their accuracy, but I'll be finding out. Garmin's backlighting really impressed me. 2.5 MB will be a little limiting, but changing the downloaded map should be easy enough. I would say the 2.5 MB major limitation will be that the Unit will become obsolete rather quickly as the software continues to develop. If you want to try to beat the obsolete you'll have to buy a unit with a memory card, that will be just about twice as much money. I am very familiar with the Lowrance 160, fished with it all of last year. It is a good unit, and if you choose either one I think you will enjoy it. The 160 is pretty much a 240 with less resolution. I got tired of waiting for Lowrance to actually put contour maps on a map. They've been telling me for 2 years they would have it. They tell me they do, but I guess I don't fish the Great Lakes in my 16 ft boat.

Worked with a friends X-15 and X-16 last weekend setting up Map Create 6 on the unit. The Map Create 6 is a good example of 2.5 MB will not do nearly as much as you could with Map Create 5, but you will do it with greater detail. Updating the units is still in process, after 3 hours Creating maps on the computer, it finally got to the point it told me I had chosen a map size 38.99 MB, I only had a 32 MB card to load, so it was start over. That process needs to be fixed!! Wasted 3 hours. Try again next weekend.

This is what I didn't know when I bought the Garmin 168. Most Lowrances come with a PC Cable and power source, the Garmin doesn't. Check with the dealer if you are planning on loading the Hot Spots in a Garmin. It seems to be an act of God to get a PC Cable to purchase. Maybe the guy from Hot Spots can talk to Garmin about what they have the dealers stock!! I waited for 6 weeks to have Scheels get the pc Cable as well as an additional power cable for a second station. Finally I ordered it from a website - Still not in.... You can do quite a bit better than the above posts for Cost on the 162. I paid $399 for the 160, plus @ $100.00 for 1 region Hot Spots map. I did find a website that offerred the 168 and HotSpots for $449.00. Then you have a $50.00 rebate from the Garmin website, and/or an tourney anglers program. Keep in Mind PC cable will cost another $65.00, added power cable and Gimmel Bracket $25.00 for second site location, cig ligher plug in for truck $15.00. Lorance 160 were on clearance for same price, Normally $629.00, sale $399.00. For the same $$ I bought the one that wasn't obsolete already.

E-mail me if you have any questions. Oh, by the way, the 160 had 2 MB memory, and we loaded most of west Central Minnesota on last years unit, and made 2 other saved Maps, one of Devils Lake - Sak., and another NE SD. It really wasn't that much of a problem to take the time to change maps - my fishing partner did it!!

[KYBOB]

Thanks for the info Bob. I will check it out. Coming up your way to Erie at the end of the month. Staying on Middle Bass.