Need GPS shopping help!

[Bobby Bass]

I am thinking of adding a gps with a lake chip for the Puddle Humper and looking for some impute. Thinking of a hand held unit so I can get max use out of it. Pros/cons anyone else looking or already own?

[Dan R.]

I like my  H2OC. You can use the Lakemasters chip in it. Also it is easy to use

[Woody]

I 2nd the Lowrance H2Oc!!   

[Benny]

I have both the Lowrance and the Garmin , the Lowrance is nice for having a large screen to see the detail of the chips when fishing on a lake and it is fairly easy to use.

That said, the Garmin is a better unit for foot hunters and has longer battery life.
It has better PC iterface and the software is easy to use.

So if your main use is water nav I would go with the Lowrance, if your going to use it on land I would go with the Garmain.

Keep in mind neither is all that great to use in a truck because the screens are small and hard to see while driving. A unit set up for autos is best there.

Benny

[Fawkinnae]

I have the Lowrance expedition.

When I bought the unit I was convinced to spend an extra $30 bucks because it has an altimeter (over the H2O). I find the screen size difficult for me but there really is no alternative. I wanted a hand held because of it's usefullness for ice fishing. I use it 99% of the time for fishing. When I'm running the boat I pretty much have to rely on someone else to handle the gps - preferably someone with younger eyes. I need reading glasses to use the damn thing and then can't see anything else. What I'd really like is a hand held with a screen about 150% bigger (ok I'll need bigger hands).

I have the Lakemaster chip - great detail but sometimes hard to read because of all the detail - but no limit to how far you can enlarge the screen (like the navionics - that is the Navionics does limit how much you can enlarge).

[Bobby Bass]

I am thinking about the H2o mostly becase of teh lake chip, I have not found a lake on it that I don't fish and with gas down and looking to expand the cirlce of lakes once again. Will use it mostly in the boat so the thought of just a boat gps is gaining. Anyone have a comment on a boat gps, screen size, price?

[Woody]

Anyone have a comment on a boat gps, screen size, price?

Yeah, they cost more than I can afford!   

[Bobby Bass]

Anyone have a comment on a boat gps, screen size, price?

Yeah, they cost more than I can afford!   

Hey Jeff we could go halves on one! we can keep it in my boat during the summer... :fishing2:

[The General]

I have the H2Oc also.  I have both the navionics and lake master chip (older ones).  Only time I use the lakemaster chip if it has a high def lake navionics doesn't.  I like that the navionics has different colors for the depth contours.  Makes it easier to read IMO.

[Benny]

Here is one thing I did to maxamize my boat GPS.
I have a Lowrance 332C that I have set up to use in my boat, and I rigged up an older Genz box to hold the locator in my truck.

The box and locator sits on the center floor hump with a ram mount 8 inch long that places the unit about the right hight for me to run while driving.

I have the puc valcroed to the dash so it won't slid around, and set up on a ram mount in the boat.

The unit works great for the lake and as a unit for the truck when out scouting hunting areas.

The boat units are way better for screen size and you can read them while on the go.
The hand helds as stated above are hard for most people to read while bouncing in the boat.

Benny

[tom fellegy]

it sounds like you have to make a decision, do you want a hand-held that will give you all season use or a gps/sonar unit. my wife has a h2o expedition. that is a very nice unit. she does let me use it form time to time. i use it for deer hunting and bring it up on the annual BWCAW trip. that is a great unit that will service you for all applacations except depth readings. the other option would be a lowrance 500 series combo unit. they are being sold in the $499 range right now. they can be rigged portable for use in a truck, atv, or snowmobile and the boat. just can't walk in the woods with it. so if it is a monry factor, go with a hand-held, if not go with the 500 series..................tom fellegy

[Ace]

One big advantage to owning a boat unit, is that you can have it on all the time.  Batteries are not an issue and you get the full advantage of having the GPS.  Tracking for when you're trolling is almost impossible with a hand held, unless you have about a hundred batteries with you.

The larger screens are also nice to have as they are much easier to see while your driving.  You can figure a locator/Gps combo will cost at least $500.00, but I think in the long run they are well worth the money. Once you have one, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Think of it as an investment in your fishing future. It will make you a better angler and they do last a long time, if you take care of them. One last thing, Lowrance has the best customer service of any major brand bar none.   

"Ace"

[The General]

I'll agree with everything ACE said except if you have a cig lighter in your boat then no batteries needed for the hand held.  Plus you could also hook a converter up to your boat battery and then attach a cig lighter to that.

[trout whisperer]

garmin rhino...

[dakids]

H2O with the lakemaster chip.  I was able to justify the money because I take my kids geocashing.

[Ace]

TW,
I have never owned a Garmin hand held unit and I'm sure they are a fine unit. However Garmin has a very limited line, when it comes to a GPS sonar unit for your boat. 

"Ace"

[stevejedlenski]

i have the lorance hunt, and that is a great gps. you have to remember that a gps is only as good as the software you put or it has on it. so when buying the gps remember that most of the software you put on them will be the same and you have to look what the actual gps offers over another. basicly the waypoints and stuff dont really matter, accuracy dosnt really matter because they all can be off depending on satellites.

 so what you are looking for is
portability/ overall size if you plan on using it outside of your boat (vehicle, icefishing, hunting...)
screen size/type what works for you?
battery life
the detail it offers, make sure it will give you the detail your software offers
compatibility, make sure you can use it with what you want for maps
searches, the ability to search for areas, lakes, restaraunts....
there are more but those are the meat of what you should look for...

before you start your search pick a price range and then get what fits your needs in your price range, no sense spending extra cash for options youll never use.