shrinkucci
Cadet
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2011
- Messages
- 6
Hi
Thought I'd share a fun solution to an interesting problem. I bought a new Garmin 421s Fishfinder/GPS toward the end of the fishing season--mid September. Sadly, the direction booklet is poorly written and I had no previous experience with a marine GPS, so I needed to practice with the Garmin before using it on the boat. Additionally problematic is that the Garmin does not allow practice unless it is power activated--e.g., wired into a boat's battery powered system. This meant I had to practice with the Garmin either while sitting in my boat in the garage (uncomfortable and too cold) or try to learn using it on the water (impractical). I tried learning to use it sitting in the boat in the garage but it was, indeed, both uncomfortable and cold.
So, I solved the problem in the following way. I bought a spare Garmin power plug for 15 bucks on line and bought a small, 2.5 amp, 12 volt battery at Batteries Plus for 30 bucks. By wiring the Garmin power cord to the battery I can practice on the Garmin for almost three hours at a time before having to recharge the battery (the Garmin pulls under one amp per hour). The battery is probably 8 inches by four inches and weighs perhaps 1 1/2 lbs so it's not a hassle to keep in the house. I use a trickle charger on it between uses so it's an easy thing to keep charged. After a few hours messing with the Garmin I've already learned to place GPS way points, set up GPS routes and to label them. I've got all winter to learn the Garmin's ins and outs and to become comfortable with it. The only drawback to this solution is that I cannot play with the transducer/fishfinder screen but that is not a biggie in the scheme of things. For those of you already familiar with Fishfinder/GPS technology this is probably over kill but for me it allows me to get ready for Spring in a convenient manner.
Thought I'd share a fun solution to an interesting problem. I bought a new Garmin 421s Fishfinder/GPS toward the end of the fishing season--mid September. Sadly, the direction booklet is poorly written and I had no previous experience with a marine GPS, so I needed to practice with the Garmin before using it on the boat. Additionally problematic is that the Garmin does not allow practice unless it is power activated--e.g., wired into a boat's battery powered system. This meant I had to practice with the Garmin either while sitting in my boat in the garage (uncomfortable and too cold) or try to learn using it on the water (impractical). I tried learning to use it sitting in the boat in the garage but it was, indeed, both uncomfortable and cold.
So, I solved the problem in the following way. I bought a spare Garmin power plug for 15 bucks on line and bought a small, 2.5 amp, 12 volt battery at Batteries Plus for 30 bucks. By wiring the Garmin power cord to the battery I can practice on the Garmin for almost three hours at a time before having to recharge the battery (the Garmin pulls under one amp per hour). The battery is probably 8 inches by four inches and weighs perhaps 1 1/2 lbs so it's not a hassle to keep in the house. I use a trickle charger on it between uses so it's an easy thing to keep charged. After a few hours messing with the Garmin I've already learned to place GPS way points, set up GPS routes and to label them. I've got all winter to learn the Garmin's ins and outs and to become comfortable with it. The only drawback to this solution is that I cannot play with the transducer/fishfinder screen but that is not a biggie in the scheme of things. For those of you already familiar with Fishfinder/GPS technology this is probably over kill but for me it allows me to get ready for Spring in a convenient manner.
