GPS MAPPING

[TONY M]

I AM LOOKING AT ADDING A GPS
TO MY BOAT WITH MAPPING CAPABILITIES.
I LIKE THE GARMINS BUT AM WONDERING
WHAT WOULD BE BEST.
FISHING LAKE MICHIGAN AND
INLAND WISCONSIN WATERS.

[cooker]

I have a Garmin 168 Sounder. For the most part I like it. When I was looking to purchase last spring it was, in my opinion, the best value. The main deciding factors were that it was available with a built in GPS antenna and it came with the Fishing Hot Spots CD. The built in antenna is nice because I can also use the unit in my truck, in a friends boat, etc without moving a seperate antenna around. One down side to the 168 is that it does not have removable memory (it has 2Meg built in). This is just enough to hold the lake map for Lake of the Woods. For my use this was enough but you may want to consider a unit with removable memory.

Somethings to note about the Garmin Fishing Hots Spots SW. The US is split up into 15 regions. Purchase of the SW allows you "free" access to one of the regions. If you wish to use lake maps in other regions you will have to purchase addition unlock codes (there are websites that sell these much cheaper than direct from Garmin). Additionally, I had higher hopes for the accuracy of the maps than what I have found. This is due to inaccuracies of the GPS signal (not much anyone can do about that) and the inaccuracies when the maps were geo-referenced (Map Source could have done better here). I have found things (roadbeds, etc) off by 150 feet. Not too bad when you are looking for something in the middle of a large lake but my expectations were higher.

I have nothing against the Lowrance products and will strongly consider then on my next purchase.

[jwilson]

Something to keep in mind, if you have a PC at home and like to use it the Garmin software packages are viewable on your PC. It makes for something to do on a cold winter night. You can plot out your waypoints and routes on the actual maps on the PC then transfer both to your unit. The Garmin allows a description field for your waypoints and also has the ability to have a longer waypoint name.

[Toolman]

I just got a Garmin 182. I have not yet purchased any BlueChart maps. I was planning on getting the pre-programmed data card for Erie. Does anyone have input on the CD-Rom that you can download maps from? Is the pre-programmed data card better?

Thanks,
Tim

[catchNrelease]

Anyone have any comments on the Lowrance 2400?

[mezmorized by marble eyes]

I use both the Navonics and Map Source Hot Spots software. I get way more accuracy with my Garmin GPS units than my X-15. It's true that there are inaccuracies due to error in GPS signals, but Ive found roads where lakes should be with Lowrance's Navonics.

I've also noticed that with the WAAS signal, I'm way (up to 100ft) more accurate than without it.