GPS?

[ironranger29]

 Which GPS is the way to go?   

[stevejedlenski]

i assume your asking handheld vs. counsel?? why dont you share what you will be using it for and what things you would like it to do, and maybe some of us will be able to give you some better feedback and ideas.

[sandmannd]

Handheld go with an H20 or H20c if you want color. For the boat I love my Lowrance 522c. Actually I got the ice pack for the 522c this year and use it a lot. Even as my GPS, didn't eve crack out my H20 this year on the ice.

[ThunderCAT]

I received a Lowrance XOG for Christmas this year. Used it 1x on the ice. Worked pretty good. But we've used it a few times in the car, and it works great! I like that it's a cross over and can be used for both on and off-road.

But, if you're looking for something more rugged, you may want to look at something other than the XOG due to it's lower battery life and lack of waterproof features.

[The General]

IF you're going hand held I second the H2O but only the color version.  Much easier to read in my opinion.  The Navionics card also has different colors representing different depths.

[Hard617]

I have a Garmin Colorado and love it. A little spendy, but the accuracy of the garmins are much better than the lowrances. I have an 08 lakemaster chip for it and it has been great, especially the hd lakes (1 foot contours)

[trout whisperer]

garmin rhino......for me.. nothin better.....not even close

[ironranger29]

 At 1st i was going to get a real basic gps. After lookin at some of the newer ones i'm really considering going all out! Do they have any with live Doppler? Which brand has a good 3D (4 satellites) triangulation? i was lookin at some today couldnt see any H20's all sold out along with many other units i was interested in. Any advie on a good store that has different ones out on display?   

[tom fellegy]

 but the accuracy of the garmins are much better than the lowrances.


hard617,
can you tell me why you think that one brand is more accurate than any other brand? i have eagle and lowrance gps units, both brands work just as good as the other. the way i understand it is, accuracy depends on which satellites the unit has locked on to and the position of those satellites. not the unit itself. position error changes constantly on all units. i don't know about the garmin units, but on the eagle and lowrance units there is a item in the menue that gives this information and you can have it on the screen if you want. if i am wrong , thank you in advance for educating me futher on this subject..................tom fellegy   

[Dan R.]

At 1st i was going to get a real basic gps. After lookin at some of the newer ones i'm really considering going all out! Do they have any with live Doppler? Which brand has a good 3D (4 satellites) triangulation? i was lookin at some today couldnt see any H20's all sold out along with many other units i was interested in. Any advie on a good store that has different ones out on display?   

 I got a e-mail from Reeds in Walker, Mn. They are having a sale on everything
 just to mention lms-520c was 649.00 now 489.00 thats a good unit and price
 check them out they have it all.   

[sandmannd]

That is a hell of a deal on the 520 spuds.

[Dan R.]

Yes it is and its a good unit. It would make a good ice fishing unit with internal
gps antenna. Also the LMS-522 is the same price

[sandmannd]

I have the 522 and love it. Would buy it again in a heartbeat. Awesome price for those and I use mine on the ice all the time.

[ironranger29]

Bushnell ONIX 400 Portable Color XM-Ready Handheld GPS Unit with Weather, Radio & Satellite Image Available
 
   

Item #: 36-4000


Retail Price: $499.95
Our Price: $438.49

 

Condition: New Retail Box (NOT Refurbished)

Returnable:   

Warranty: Tiger 60 Day, Manufacturer 1 Year

 
DetailsAccessoriesPackage IncludesTechnical SpecsReviews
The world's first and only handheld GPS with satellite photography and XM weather: the Bushnell ONIX400!

Navigate using an actual satellite photo of your surroundings - layered with all your tools, waypoints and other points of reference. Subscription access to real-time XM weather and more than 170 channels of XM Satellite Radio programming featuring news, sports, talk, entertainment and music.

Bushnell ONIX400 is the world's first handheld GPS to combine navigational aids, satellite photography and XM weather on a single screen. It shows you the perfect pinchpoint for this wind. And how you should dress for the day. NEXRAD weather data downlinked via XM Weather, layered over a georeferenced satellite map of your location keeps you prepared. It's all housed in a rubberized defensive armor built to XPX7 waterproof standards, with a high gain SIRF GPS receiver. In your palm.

Features

Layer a satellite photo, topo map, compass, navigational aids and XM services on a single screen with TruView Navigation
Extra-large 3.5'" full color LCD
Downloads and displays georeferenced satellite photography
Displays XM weather data on the GPS map (*With XM Satellite subscription)
XM Satellite radio entertainment including XM sports (*With XM Satellite subscription)
SafeTrack battery conservation mode
SiRF GPS receiver
Digital compass
Embedded 128 micro SD card
Rugged rubber armor
Waterproof (IPX7 rated)
ONIX 400 - The world's first handheld GPS with XM Satellite Weather.

What is XM?

XM Satellite Radio Inc is the nations leading satellite service provider with over 8 million subscribers for the home, car, aviation and marine. The XM system of redundant satellites, broadcasting in the S-Band, enables seamless delivery of audio entertainment and vital data services in the harshest of weather conditions. Starting in late 2003 with the XM WX Satellite Weather Service for aviation and marine markets and then following with the XM NavTraffic service in 2004, XM has demonstrated out cutting-edge data capability that leverages the robust capability of the XM Satellite network. Pushing the envelope even further, XM is proud to announce the latest and most advanced service to date - XM Weather service.

What is XM Weather?

XM Weather is a new service enabling real-time graphical weather data for GPS navigation devices. XM Weather covers not only atmospheric but also conditions on the ground. The information displayed can be broken into three main areas:

Current Weather Conditions
Forecasted Weather Conditions - 5 day forecasted weather
Threatening Weather Notifications - for near term (1/2 hour) Warnings and Watches are also included as part of the service.
What makes this service unique?

A weather data service by XM is not new as the XM Satellite Weather Service has been in place for a number of years now, providing real-time weather information for pilots and mariners. XM WX is "professional grade" weather that a pilot or mariner must interpret to understand the weather threat potential. What makes XM Weather unique is that the interpretation of the weather data is done for the user, providing clear information on current, future, and threatening weather conditions. The user can simply see the information provided and instantly know the current weather or weather threat potential.

How would I use the service?

Imagine hiking through the woods with the ONIX400 - skies are clear and there is a chance of rain. Using the XM Weather service you can graphically see the precipitation pattern as well as receive a warning of threatening storm conditions advancing on your position. Or, the rains have come but they are north of your position. A flash flood warning has been issued for your location by the NWS. due to the rain. The XM Weather service will graphically show the NWS warning directly on the ONIX 400, enabling you to take action based on the capabilities of the service.

XM Satellite Radio Offers

170 channels of news, sports, talk, entertainment and commercial free music
Over 5,000 live sporting events from PGA, IRL, Hockey, Baseball, College Sports and more
Award winning programming
Superior digital sound quality coast to coast


Package Includes:

ONIX 400 GPS/XM Receiver
Lithium Ion Battery Pack
128MB MicroSD Card
AC Charging Cord
USB Cable
Earbuds
Info Pack with Quick Start Guide, Registration Card, and CD-ROM
Specifications:

Model # ONIX400
SKU # 36 4000
UPC # 029757 364005
GPS Channels 20
WAAS Enabled Yes
Screen Type Full Color
Display Size - Pixels 320 x 240
Screen Size 3.5"
# of Waypoints 1000
# of Trails 20
# of Routes 20
User Memory 128MB MicroSD, expandable
Waterproof Standard IPX
USB Connection Yes
Battery Type Li-Ion


 Any advice on the Onix 400? I'm not sure if Bushnell is the way too go for a GPS?

[Hard617]

hard617,
can you tell me why you think that one brand is more accurate than any other brand? i have eagle and lowrance gps units, both brands work just as good as the other. the way i understand it is, accuracy depends on which satellites the unit has locked on to and the position of those satellites. not the unit itself. position error changes constantly on all units. i don't know about the garmin units, but on the eagle and lowrance units there is a item in the menue that gives this information and you can have it on the screen if you want. if i am wrong , thank you in advance for educating me futher on this subject..................tom fellegy   

The garmins have been known, (through my own research and talking with the experts in this field) to have better accuracy because of the sattelite lock. They tend to lock onto, and hold onto sats better than the lowrances. I have reception, albeit not great, in my house, which for any gps is very difficult. I believe it has to do with the antenna that garmin uses and their ability.

[tom fellegy]

hard617
my lowrance units will lock on indoors also, under the right conditions, you must be in the vicinity of a window. maybe 20 years ago one company had a advantage over another in antenna technology. today i think that it comes down to which satellites the unit has locked onto and where those satellites are in space. this argument is the same as my mercury is better than your yamaha, is better than his e-tec, is better than his.............. my lowrance and eagle units have never failed to get me to where i was going and never failed to get me back home, or back to the launch. i am sure that your garmin has done the same for you. we can agree to disagree on this on for now, unless one of the experts that you talk of wants to chime in and give his 2 cents worth on the subject. i have run the garmin units next to lowrance units while geocaching, both units brought us to the same location. garmin does have a advantage over lowrance for downloading waypoints from the computer directly to the garmin handheld units from the geocaching web site.............tom fellegy

[indyefi500]

I have an old Magellan Meridian Platinum, Garmin Colorado and a Lowrance Ifinder(predecessor to the H20, etc).  For accuracy, the Magellan is best with the Ifinder right on its heels.  The Colorado has been a disappointment in that area.  I did just do the latest software upgrade and haven't had time to try it now after that.  I am debating on getting rid of the Magellan and the Ifinder to get a newer Lowrance.  There is however new Lowrances coming out in May or so that should do it all like a Garmin for geocaching and everything else.  I want to keep two units so that my son and I can geocache together but I am tempted to get rid of them all and just get the new Lowrance.  My biggest fear is that I bought the Colorado soon after it came out and feel I got burned.  Once bitten, twice shy.

[Dardevle]

I just bought a Garmin Oregon 400t.  Love it.  Use it for geocaching also.  I found it is really acurate.  Gets me within' 5 ft of GZ. 

[IceFishin4Life]

I had a Lowrance Expedition C until I lost it a couple of months ago and instead of going back to the same GPS, I went with the Garmin Colorado. I am glad I did. It locks on to satilites way faster then the Lowrance models. I would say go with the Colorado T and get a chip for the lake contours.