Gps

[VaGent]

I need some advice on a GPS unit for my pontoon boat. I know nothing at all about one of them for use in automobile or for marine use. I've read where many people are using them to determine MPH as well as many other uses. Some use handheld units whereas others use the kind that mount on the helm. I am not looking for an expensive unit as I cannot afford it right now.

I'm looking for one that will calculate speed & postion more then anything else. Any information & advice would be greatly appreciated.

Here's hoping everyone had a Merry Christmas.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Gps

Any of them are capable of speed and position. Position is what GPS is all about. Speed is a product of moving from one location to another and is calculated by the unit in real time. If you know nothing about GPS then I suggest you do some on-line study. What you may find more useful is a mapping unit that shows your location on an actual map. Not all GPS units do that. Some have built in base maps, some have downloadable maps, some accept maps on the memory cards, and some don't. Like anything else electronic, cheap is basic, and expensive includes all sorts of bells and whistles that you may or may not use. Unless you are a serious fisher person, boat in a lot of different areas, or boat on very large bodies of water, a GPS is really not necessary in my view. For the average user, a hand-held unit with mapping capabilities allows its use in a car, hiking, biking or on the water and you don't need to spend a great deal of money in the process.

 

[VaGent]

Re: Gps

Thanks Silvertip. This is what I needed to hear. I know absolutely nothing about using a GPS of any kind & I've started to read & learn more about them. I hate to admit I know nothing about these things in this "modern day electronic world" but I don't. I've had one unit recommended to me that from what I read about it, it should be a decent basic unit that will fill my needs. It is a Delorme pn-20. I was told about it by a fellow pontooner who is using it.

Speed is not as important to me as knowing where I am. The lake I will be on has 850 miles of shore line with many coves & small rivers that flow in & out of it. Not sure if I can get a map of it for a GPS or not but I'll try & find out. But thanks for the helpful information you provided. I don't want to buy something that I really don't need or will use very little. Besides, my wife WILL always tell me when I make the wrong or right turn. So how could I possibly get lost? lol

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Gps

Hi VaGent,
I have been mulling over the same subject. I have a Garmin in my vehicle and have been using it for a few years. Good support and good forums. By far it seems to be the most used brand. I'm going to buy a Garmin Vista Hcx for the toon and other fishing trips. This is portable and has good battery life on AA's. This may have more than you are looking for but there are models available with less dodads. I would focus on more than the basic memory because extra maps really suck it up. Having a memory slot is great as well because you can simply plug in different memory cards with the maps already loaded. Larger memory also gives you more weighpoints you can store(where the big ones are caught).Garmin have topo maps you can purchase from their website, but they aren't cheap. There are others that are a lot cheaper or free on the net. You can get maps of just about anywhere. Most of them list themselves as Garmin compatable.
Check out their website and see what works for you.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Gps

Agreed. Check out their map uploading pages to see areas they cover. I looked at one and they don't even have my lake available! The various areas around it were available at $5 a pop. The entire area download (less the actual lake) was $225. Not sure how helpful it would be to load a marine unit with streets. I would think that if i got off course, the grinding sounds would let me know real quick.

 

[papasage]

Re: Gps

the garmin is ok . i have the eTrex venture HC that was $200.00 no sd card slot,. migellon has one that does have the SD slot . at walmart it is less money . i think it is $150.00. look up the gps and compair what you wan`t for what you will be using it for . the maps are good if you fish a lot of different lakes . not all lakes have maps for them . they are extry money for them . the vista HCx and LegendHCx have the SD slot . more money .
in the search bar type in gps. that should bring up all brands

 

[rlk]

Re: Gps

VaGent, if you have an electronics supplier close by, visit them (BassPro, Cabellas, Overtons, West Marine, Boaters World, etc.) They usually have GPS units set up for display and for potential customers to see the functions.

I have Garmin in my truck and on my pontoon. I'm on a 50,000 lake with about 500 miles of shoreline. The map of my lake came on the unit, i.e., nothing extra to buy. Mine also shows surface streets so you could move it to your vehicle.

I'm not worried about getting lost, but when boating at night, it sure is nice to know where you are and where the hazards are (I marked them myself.) Also, only the main part of our lake has bouys, so I have set way points to guide me home at night. If the moon is out this is not necessary, but on a really dark night, it is very nice to have.

During the day, I can easily set a waypoint to mark where I caught fish. When trolling, this is important to ensure you get back over the same spot.

It also marks the trail you have taken so you know exactly where you have been.

Of course it shows your speed, how far you have been, how long you have been out, your average speed, your max speed, and a bunch of other information.

Best of all, it is large enough and bright for my old eyes to easily see it either in full sun or at night. Everything is displayed in color.

If you can't see the units in a store, go with a friend who has one to understand how they work.

Bob

 

[samrawet]

Re: Gps

IF you want to know about of gps system and it work that
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) developed by the United States Department of Defense. It is the only fully functional GNSS in the world. It uses a constellation of between 24 and 32 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, which enable GPS receivers to determine their current location, the time, and their velocity. Its official name is NAVSTAR GPS. Although NAVSTAR is not an acronym,[1] a few backronyms have been created for it.[2] The GPS satellite constellation is managed by the United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. GPS is often used by civilians as a navigation system.

After Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down in 1983 after straying into the USSR's prohibited airspace,[3] President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making GPS freely available for civilian use as a common good.[4] Since then, GPS has become a widely used aid to navigation worldwide, and a useful tool for map-making, land surveying, commerce, scientific uses, and hobbies such as geocaching. Also, the precise time reference is used in many applications including the scientific study of earthquakes. GPS is also a required key synchronization resource of cellular networks, such as the Qualcomm CDMA air interface used by many wireless carriers in a multitude of countries.[citation needed]

The first satellite navigation system, Transit, used by the United States Navy, was first successfully tested in 1960. Using a constellation of five satellites, it could provide a navigational fix approximately once per hour. In 1967, the U.S. Navy developed the Timation satellite which proved the ability to place accurate clocks in space, a technology that GPS relies upon. In the 1970s, the ground-based Omega Navigation System, based on signal phase comparison, became the first worldwide radio navigation system. The design of GPS is based partly on similar ground-based radio navigation systems, such as LORAN and the Decca Navigator developed in the early 1940s, and used during World War II. Additional inspiration for the GPS came when the Soviet Union launched the first Sputnik in 1957. A team of U.S. scientists led by Dr. Richard B. Kershner were monitoring Sputnik's radio transmissions. They discovered that, because of the Doppler effect, the frequency of the signal being transmitted by Sputnik was higher as the satellite approached, and lower as it continued away from them. They realized that since they knew their exact location on the globe, they could pinpoint where the satellite was along its orbit by measuring the Doppler distortion.
more information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System

 

[ooldschooll]

Re: Gps

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Gps

we use our garmin in the Keys, to marker lobster spots. but the thing is only accurate for about 50 yds. we still have to snorkel to find the actual spot. so if you want it to find fishing spots, be prepared to still have to hunt the honey hole.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Gps

i am wanting one that has the GPS/Depth/Fishfinder combo. they are expensive.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Gps

Ebay my freind, you can pick up a used Magallan for 40-50 bucks and they work beautifully.

They will leave a trail of where you have been so you can get back and they will tell you your speed, distance covered and alot of other stuff.

You really don't need a super fancy one unless you are planing a voyage to sea,

 

[rlk]

Re: Gps

i am wanting one that has the GPS/Depth/Fishfinder combo. they are expensive.

Daddy, check out the Garmin 530s. It is a combo unit like you asked about.
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&pID=8058
What is expensive to one guy may not be expensive to another guy, but I did not think this unit was too expensive.

TheNerds.net has them for $625. This is the unit I purchased.
http://www.thenerds.net/GARMIN_INTE...Channels_Warm_Start_15_Second.0100061300.html

Personally, I had rather have a GPS unit and a separate depth/fishfinder unit. After I received mine, I found out I don't like having everything squished into one screen, so I ended up with two units. If you get a chance, go to an electronics store and see what it looks like to have everything displayed on one screen.

Let us know what you purchase. Bob

 

[rlk]

Re: Gps

we use our garmin in the Keys, to marker lobster spots. but the thing is only accurate for about 50 yds. we still have to snorkel to find the actual spot. so if you want it to find fishing spots, be prepared to still have to hunt the honey hole.

My Garmin usually says Ready to Navigate, accuracy 20 feet. Since yours says 50 yards, is it an older unit?

Bob

 

[mandopickr]

Re: Gps

Does anyone know of a unit that will allow you to go back to "home" without cutting across land, similar to a automotive unit that follows the roads. I use primarily on a lake with 1000 miles of shoreline. My Hummminbird will return you as the crow flies, with no regard for the channel or land. My friend's Garmin does the same.

Both units have the lake map, and mine shows the channels.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: Gps

.

 

[pvanv]

Re: Gps

"My Hummminbird will return you as the crow flies, with no regard for the channel or land. My friend's Garmin does the same."

You can follow a route, rather than "as the crow flies" by using routes and waypoints. Critical in shoal areas, etc. Any decent Marine model allows you to do that, even my 1994 Magellan Nav1200xl.

HTH

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Gps

Only familiar with the Garmin Vista HCx that I own. It DOES have a feature called "trac back" which will guide your return path by retracing the original path taken to where you are.

The other way as pointed out previously is to generate a route based on waypoints then follow the route.

Can't see how any GPS could generate a return path (other than described above) without some hard fixed geographic reference points (ie roads). There would be unlimited possible combination's for the GPS to figure out to get from point A to point B.

As for accurracy, my unit is capable of 3 meters (10ft) accuracy with the WAAS feature enabled. Have had the occasional time where it has shown 2 meter accuracy (7ft).