Hand held GPS ..... which one?

[Fallsman]

I have a Magellan Blazer12 that decided to stop functioning. Of course, it is out of warranty and the dealer says he'll swap it for a new one at the new unit's full price .... some deal! Sooo, I think I will switch to another make but don't know which one. Suggestions anyone?

[Mike]

>I have a Magellan Blazer12 that
>decided to stop functioning. Of
>course, it is out of
>warranty and the dealer says
>he'll swap it for a
>new one at the new
>unit's full price .... some
>deal! Sooo, I think I
>will switch to another make
>but don't know which one.
>Suggestions anyone?
Garmin GPS 12 is a good solid unit.

[River Rat]

I second the Garman GPS 12. I have had one for about 3 years now and have not been kind to it, It hasn't let me down yet.

"happiness is getting bit"

Randy

[Kaz]

I have the the Globalmap 100, and think it works GREAT. I have down loaded several maps and the detail is excellant. Lake of the Woods is one of those and I find very good detail from the "Street maps" for all of the US side of the lake. They all eat batteries but with the 12v adapter it runs on and on. Globalmap 100 get my vote. Good luck FISHING....Kaz

[Dan(MI)]

I have a garmin gps 2, which I don't think they make anymore. I had it two years and I think the sun cooked it one day. I lost everything in it. The plus side was I called Garmin and they said they would replace it for 89 dollars which they did, brand new equivalent, and this one works great locks satellites in seconds unlike the old one.
I'd go garmin again.
Go fishin
Dan

[Waterfowler]

It really depends on what functionality you want. Do you want to use it strictly in the boat or do you use it for ice fishing/hunting also?? If you want to store routes and waypoints only then I would go with the Garmin 12. If you need mapping capabilities then go with the Garmin 12map. These would be my first two choices for a handheld. If you're looking at a permanent mount for the boat then I would still look to Garmin and check out the Garmin 162map or GPS152.

[Jay Thomas]

Fallsman:

I recently did my own due diligence and decided on a Garmin 76 (rightfully or not). It's a handheld with no mapping capabilities. It is essentially the new and improved version of the Garmin 12 or 12XL. The Garmin 76 weighs 7 ounzes, has a Quad Helix antenna, and they improved screen to 180 X 240 pixels.
With shrewd shopping, you can pick one up for not much more than you'll pay for the Garmin 12 or 12XL. The 76 is worth a look.
A good GPS web site is at http://www.joe.mehaffey.com
Jay

[Lucky Jim]

Hey Jay, Now you got me thinking. I just was on the verge of ordering a Garmin GPS 12. I have not seen the GPS 76 but if it is a better unit I would rather hold out for that. Is the GPS 76 designed mainly for marine use or could a guy use it with the same success as the GPS 12 for elk hunting in the mountains? My GPS needs to work in the boat for trips to Canada as well as double for hunting uses. Is it designed as rugged as the GPS 12 is?

[CJW]

Check and see how long the backup battery will last in the unit your going to get. They have anywhere from 3 years to the lowrance models with ten year batteries in them. Also did you check and see if it was your backup battery that went out in your old one? Could be why it took a ####. I have the eagle map guide pro same as the lowrance 100. Love to be able to download and upload on the computer. Saves all your spots, trails waypoints etc. Hope this helps, Craig

[Jay Thomas]

Lucky Jim:

Yes, the Garmin 76 is listed as a marine handheld on their web site but I believe that is due to the nautical navigation information as well as tide information preloaded into the 1 MB of memory. To my knowledge, you can use this GPS anywhere you choose. I spoke with their technical representatives by phone and they confirmed that the 76 was the new and improved version of the Garmin 12/12XL.

The primary reasons I opted for the Garmin 76 over the Garmin 12XL were the Quad Helix antenna (better reception than the patch antenna), the bigger screen (1.6 X 2.2 inches vs 1.5 X 2.2 inches for the 12XL), the vastly improved screen resolution (180 X 240 pixels as compared with 64 X 100 pixels for the 12XL),and the 76 is WAAS enabled which can allow accuracy to 3 meters. I've copied the following 2 paragraphs from the Garmin web site:


The GPS 76 is designed to provide precise GPS positioning using
correction data obtained from the Wide Area Augmentation System
(WAAS). This unit features a built-in quad helix antenna for superior reception and can provide position accuracy to less than three meters when receiving WAAS corrections.

The GPS 76 provides 1 megabyte of internal user memory to be used
for storing downloaded points of interest data. This 1 megabyte of storage area is preloaded from the factory with worldwide cities (populations greater than 200,000) and nautical navigation aids such as lights, buoys, sound signals and day beacons, and is perfect for downloading points of interest detail from GARMIN’s line of MapSource CD-ROMs. The GPS 76 is also preloaded with tide data for the United States.

If you visit the http://www.joe.mehaffey.com web site and scroll down to FAQs Hardware and then down to the 13 th bullet, you will find an article authored by Dale Depriest entitled "Garmin GPS Receiver Feature Comparisons with Comments by Dale Depriest updated frequently". This will allow you to easily compare features.

Apparently, suggested retail is $250 US but I've seen it on E-Bay for $190 but that's not where I bought my unit. Lastly, I want to emphasize that I am not a GPS expert. Consequently, value my comments appropriately. Jay

[Lucky Jim]

Thank you Jay for the time you took to answer. I will definitely have to consider this. I would hate to get the GPS12 and then find out I went with older technology, especially when the difference in cost is so small. This board continues to help me buy the right equipment the first time. When I think of the equipment purchases that I made this year (and the ones I avoided) that were directly influenced by reports like yours, it is amazing how much help it has been and I am very grateful.

[rngrfshm]

I agree with KAZ as I have had my globalmap 100 for now 2 1/2 years and works great. No problems and software loading is a nice feature for upgrades. Map details are really nice and the unit is waterproof.

[Fallsman]

Thanks to everyone for their input. As always this board provides good information.