GPS for Street/Lake??

[VetteBrett]

I am looking to get a GPS for my wife and would like to use it on the lake if possible. Are there downloads for the lakes available for most of the major brands of GPS unit on the markets, wife wants a Tom Tom and I think she will get the ONe XL version. Any ideas if the street unit will work on the lakes other than showing big blue water only??

 

[The Great Escape II]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

TomTom will not work for the application you are looking for. Their GEO engine will not allow charts to be downloaded into their unit.

 

[VetteBrett]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

Will any unit on the market allow aftermarket downloads of lakes that will fit the operating system for the GPS??

 

[txmntman]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

I have a Garmin GPS76CS Plus marketed by West Marine. It does not have a voice system, but it will allow you to download charts for coastal water, hiways, and inland waters. But, you must buy a different chart set for each, and download them to the unit through your PC. Not a bad system, really, but you must have an idea as to what you want at what time.....It is a charting, mapping GPS.

There are several handhelds as well as more permanent units that will do what you want, but I don't think the Tom-Tom is one of them. Just my opinion.

 

[The Great Escape II]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

What you are looking for does exist, the issues is the form factor is different then the TomTom style of devices. Garmin, Magellan and Lowrance make products for your application. The Garmin devices are either the small handhelds like the 60c (as an example) or the bigger devices like the 276c (as an example). I work in this industry, if you find one you like and have any questions let me know.

 

[Nandy]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

Originaly I got a Garmin Quest unit. That unit is an automotive/motorcyle/boat/topo unit. It worked great but It did not fit my lifestyle as the main scope for the unit is road navigation and it lacked features for the land/marine part. I still have that unit but I also got a Garmin 60Csx. This unit you can say is the inverse of the Quest as it is more oriented towards the outdoors (fish calendars, tides calculation and such) but it does road navigation quite alright for excecpt that it will not talk the directions. It does gives you a beep to get your attention. Im planing on selling the quest as I rather have a unit like the 60 csx. Im getting a nuvi with the money from the Quest sale for my lady.

I have a friend with a similar situation. The wife wanted an unit with voice prompts but he wanted a unit for outdoors. He got his wife the cheapest tomtom and he got the 60csx. Upgrading the tomtom could be better done by just tossing the old unit in craiglist and buying a new one. Once my friend got the city navigator maps he was set. Lakes and Topo maps dont need to be updated. Features in those 2 maps really dont change much. You can have the same lake map and the dept features will not change, topo same thing, that mountain will be as tall for the next 20 years as it is now (except if some major natural/manmade disaster happens. If your POI changes you can add those either as waypoints or as a POI file. As far as the road maps, well, those roads to the lakes, streams and parks dont change much either.

The 276c is a good unit for what you mention. The only thing I see is that the unit does not give verbal prompts, if this is not a must this unit is your ticket. I assume it does like my 60csx and just beep. The screen is larger than the 60csx, the only problem I have with it is that it has a rechargeable battery (not good for hiking days at a time) and it is too big to be a hand held. However, those items will not be a problem for boating or automotive use.

Good luck, if you have any questions you can ask me too. I like the gps talk, I even build maps for my garmin units.

 

[Bamboo]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

I have a Garmin 478 - Easy to use, portable, durable - I give it two huge thumbs up. Has good road features (including voice prompts), and comes loaded with good marine charts. Been using it for over a year in the car and boat and if something happened to it I'd pop for another. In fact I often bring it when I go out on a buddy's boat which has a $6k Raymarine system. Not quite as feature laden (of course), but just as accurate and in some ways easier/faster to use.

 

[BigB9000]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

Tom Toms are set to kilometers, meters, and yards.

I hate the damn things.

I have a garman, I don't have lakes/water ways on it, only roads. But it is by far one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Also, It doesn't have voice prompts, but i downloaded a voice package (it doesn't say, turn right on Main street, just "turn right" ) and uploaded it, and with the Australian accent, spoken by the British-English Jill voice, it'll say, turn right on main street.

I love the stupid thing. I named it navcom, We get in fights and i raise my voice at her, but she gets me where I need to go.

 

[The Great Escape II]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

Tom Toms are set to kilometers, meters, and yards.

I hate the damn things.

I have a garman, I don't have lakes/water ways on it, only roads. But it is by far one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Also, It doesn't have voice prompts, but i downloaded a voice package (it doesn't say, turn right on Main street, just "turn right" ) and uploaded it, and with the Australian accent, spoken by the British-English Jill voice, it'll say, turn right on main street.

I love the stupid thing. I named it navcom, We get in fights and i raise my voice at her, but she gets me where I need to go.

On TomTom's you can set it as Miles or Kilometers. The most unique item TomTom has over all other units is Map Share. It's a feature that allows you to report map errors and update your map with other user community map changes (you can decide what level). There will NEVER be a map that is 100% correct. But this feature allows you to capture real world changes. So when there is a detour in Boston that change will be captured by other users and you can download it to your TomTom.

 

[JB]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

I have the Garmin 276C. Contrary to the above reference it can be equipped as a fully functioning road unit, with voice directions. The optional accessory kit is not cheap, but the outcome is a unit that does almost everything that Bamboo's 478 does.. . auto, marine and portable. It takes a variety of CD downloads and/or preprogrammed cards.

Mine has more detailed road maps than most of the low-end auto units, detailed lake maps and can accept topo maps and marine charts off CD or on accessory cards.

A lot of the stuff that are options on my 276C are standard on the 478, but it also can be loaded with almost any special map/chart you may desire.

Compared with units like the 276C, 478 and similar from other makers the TOM TOMs are toys, but much less expensive.

Were I in need right now I think I would look for a Garmin 276C, with auto nav kit, or a Garmin 478 on ebay.

 

[jkust]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

I am in the very same boat so to speak. I want a marine gps/map/fish finder unit but they are very expensive. It seems the answer is a portable unit that I don't have to mount which is an automotive unit. I found that the garmin brand has certain units that will accept their proprietary lake map sd cards. The card is $116 on their site and you chose your u.s. zone. Now the problem I found is that I am getting a garmin 255w for xmas that I am not supposed to know about. It has the sd card slot but is not on the list of units that will work with the maps. that is a bummer but I sware it should work if it has a card slot. I will keep shopping throughout the winter to find a real marine version. the auto verison is not waterproof and to some extent a maping system even at the low end of $400 is cheap insurance for your lower unit and prop. I also hate the idea of mounting something to my dash on my boat.

 

[Nandy]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

I have the Garmin 276C. Contrary to the above reference it can be equipped as a fully functioning road unit, with voice directions. The optional accessory kit is not cheap, but the outcome is a unit that does almost everything that Bamboo's 478 does.. . auto, marine and portable. It takes a variety of CD downloads and/or preprogrammed cards.

You are right. It does voice but it needs an extra kit for around $250.00. But it dont have that feature out of the box which is what I meant.

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

my local computer wiz kid explained it that land navigation and chart plotting is like pc vs mac. so similar but not compatible. takes too much operating system for a single unit.

 

[JB]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

I disagree with your local whiz, wajajaja. Most of the multipurpose units have dual operating modes (systems). . .one for marine operation, one for auto nav. You simply select the operating mode and off you go. For hiking with a topo map you use the marine mode.

 

[The Great Escape II]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

I disagree with your local whiz, wajajaja. Most of the multipurpose units have dual operating modes (systems). . .one for marine operation, one for auto nav. You simply select the operating mode and off you go. For hiking with a topo map you use the marine mode.

You are correct JB. I do this for a living. It's all in the modes the nav hardware can run. The car only units are just that, for land navigation only. The hybrids that are out there can do both. And there are also marine only units that only do chart plotting. That's why there is a huge price difference in the dual land navigation/boat navigation units and their single use counterparts.

If we go back to the original posters question the answer is yes there are units out there that can do both. But NO to the TomTom One XL. Also you will not find one with any real capability for the price point the TomTom One XL is selling for ~$149. For the base Garmin 276c it's going to crank his purchase up over $400+.

 

[VetteBrett]

Re: GPS for Street/Lake??

Thanks everyone for all the reply's, I will just have to buy one for myself that will do both, she is getting the TomTom for Christmas, I was just hoping to get lucky but that never happens when I want something.