How accurate is your handheld GPS?

[Mike1700]

What kind of handheld unit do you use and within how many feet will it return you to a spot on a spot. (If you through out a marker and entered the spot into your handheld unit and then left, how close would it return you to that marker)

Thanks, Mike

[WalleyeWiz]

Mike,
I have a Lorwrance GlobalNav 12.Last fall we were going out of the Huron River and I marked a bouy while seating right next to it. On the way in I punched in that waypoint and it took me to within a foot of the bouy. All GPS became alot more accurate since the Goverment turned off the SA.
Good Fishing
WalleyeWiz

[VERN]

I HAVE A GARMIN 11 AND A GARMIN 111 AND THERE WITH IN A FOOT.

[EricCO]

I have a GlobalMap 100 by Lowrance. On the status page that shows all the satelittes that are being received it gives me a number up in the left hand corner showing the "within" feet figure. Mine is usually right around 50 feet. It will not put you right back on your marker, but close.

In a local reservoir we have a submerged road with a bridge that holds fish from time to time. I marked the bridge and then some spots along the road. The handheld GPS works well for getting me back to the bridge (takes alot less effort to find it now than without the GPS). It also works extremely well for getting me back on over the road when I drift off course. Before I used to have to fire up the motor and then try to figure if I was north or south of the road. Now I can tell by looking at the GPS which way I need to head and don't need to fire up the big motor and pull up bait.

Just one of the applications I've found.

[chrism]

I did lots of playing - When I have 3 sattelites locked, about 100ft...with 5 or more, usually less than 10ft.
Magellan 315

[tony]

tried the global map and it wouldn't do any thing consistant, was spoiled with the garmin 12(lost it during bowhunting)so went back to garmin and have an e-map gets me back to a known spot. 1-15ft. consistantly usually within 5'.

[Phil T.]

After everyone has boasted about the accuracy of their chosen unit, you may want to ask Dave Randash who found a sandbar on the Missouri River during last year's PWT championship while relying on gps accuracy.
Read the disclaimer in the instructions and believe it.

[RB]

I posted a like question some time ago. I did receive back one lengthy technical response from an individual who knows how these things truly work. Two points he made. One - most are accurate within 10 to 90 feet. Two - place your gps in one spot and punch in spot as a waypoint. Leave the unit there for one hour. I just let it sit on the hood of my car. During that time you can see how much it will "wander". I found his second point to be most interesting. Mine at one time told me I was 60 feet from my waypoint even though it never left the hood of my car.

[ERicCO]

Lowrance GlobalMap 100 has an "average waypoint" function that will average that wandering to give you a more accurate reading when creating a waypoint. Works well if you anchor on your spot and leave it for about an hour.

[Ernie]

I have a Magellan that is a few years old, and it seems to work well finding locations that match mapped coordinates on Tutt's Mille Lacs Walleye map. My partner has a Garmin hand-held and his and mine are relatively accurate on latitude, but are quite a bit off on longitude. His does not match the mapped coordinates and seems consistently 3 tenths of a minute off to the east. Don't know if an adjustment or calibration can/needs to be done. I feel pretty confident, but not over confident, in mine now that I have used it successfully. It has been of great benefit in finding the landing in the fog.

p.s. I still always have a compass with me (actually two).

[The Great Guide]

I have a Garmin 12. Last summer I was fishing reefs at Rainy Lake, MN. Rainy is big and wide in the area we were fishing. When I pulled up on one reef I marked it and my partner dropped a bouy. The wind was kicking up pretty good and we were getting blown arround. Waves were 2 to 3 feet. I eventually lost track of the bouy. I maneuvered around the reef for a 1/2 hour trying to locate the bouy with no luck. I finally hit the GoTo button on the Garmin and followed it directly to the bouy. It flashed my arrival and the ETA was right on. We had been blown on to another reef about 500 yards away.

I think the the Garmin 12 is reliably accurate. TGG