Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

[rauch0812]

Ok... so we took our new boat out on the chesapeake this weekend (first time boaters) and discovered the depth finder does not work in our new-to-us 98 Larson 206Lxi (just a 20' bowrider). We very quickly discovered the Upper Chesapeake is no place to be without a GPS or a depth finder so now where trying to pick one out...

I was trying to stay in the $500 range, yet want a unit my hubby won't regret later and wish we'd spent more. How realistic is this?

I was looking at a Lowrance Elite 5... then wondered if we shouldn't fork out more money and go with the HDS 5 Nautical Insight, is it worth the additional money or is it only nicer graphics...then someone said don't bother buying the transducer (what?)... then someone told me to go with a 7" screen.. then that same someone said get 2 units - a 7" expensive GPS and small b&w cheap depthfinder - said 2 screens are better and if one breaks I don't lose everything... urgh.. help! I don't know what to buy!?

I want to enter in a destination and have the unit tell me how to get there without me running aground (stay left, stay right, etc), showing me bouys and whatnot. My hubby's into the fish finder aspect... help...

Thanks,
Desera

 

[Woodnaut]

Re: Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

I'm sure you'll get lots more advice from the folks on this forum, but I've had a Garmin for the past 11 years with great success. The model I have is a 185S GPSMAP/Sounder combination unit and it's still going strong. This model is long since out of production and I hope to replace it during the next year. (Just to go faster, better, cooler, bigger, etc.) The one I would go for it I were to replace it would be a Garmin 546S GPSMAP Sounder combination. However, even on sale its about twice your requested budget. There is a lot of good equipment out there. Just keep reading the specifications and reviews on the internet and you'll discover the unit that's best for you.

 

[borakid]

Re: Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

I picked up the Elite-5 and really like it

 

[dingbat]

Re: Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

First off, you want to buy the biggest screen you can afford or fit on your console. There is nothing like getting bounced around in the rough trying to steer your way home while looking at a postage stamp sized screen. If you buy a single unit, the screen will be cut to half its size since you will be running in split screen mode most of the time. I have a strong preference for individual units but for most the dual unit is the practical way to go.

Second, if you don't fish, all you need is simple depth reading. Spending money on a better "fish finder" is money down the drain. Buy the unit based on its GPS performance. You want a GPS with fish finder capabilities, not a fish finder with GPS capabilities.

Maps, you need to look at the maps supplied with the units. The Lowrance base maps of the Bay are severely lacking. If you buy a Lowrance unit, be prepared to buy at a min. a Navtroincs Gold chip for the area. The Garmin units come with quality maps of your area already loaded so take that into consideration when comparison shopping.

As far as navigation is concerned, a GPS unit does not know the difference between land and water. If you punch in a destination it will route you the shortest distance between two points. Not good if there is a piece of land between you and the place you want to go. The only units that have auto-guidence are the newer Garmin units. Even then you?ll need to purchase a Garmin Bluechart G2 Vision Chip to use this feature.

For GPS, it?s pretty hard to bet a Garmin. The Lowrance units are nice but I don?t how they display the charts. They look almost ?painted? on the screen. The Garmin displays looks identical to what you see in a chart books. I?m running a Gamin 4208 chartplotter and a Furuno 585 Fish Finder so I?m a wee bit bias when it comes to Garmin plotters.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

I want to enter in a destination and have the unit tell me how to get there without me running aground (stay left, stay right, etc), showing me bouys and whatnot. My hubby's into the fish finder aspect... help...

Thanks,
Desera

First Dingbat post is very good information.
I am more of Lowrance guy than he is but do carry a Lowrance and Garmin GPS on board.

First Marine GPS units do not work like a Auto GPS where you put in your destination and it
tells your how to get there.
It will not tell you where to turn and it you miss a turn will recalulate and give you another way to get there.
Instead you preprogram a route that you want to go. A route is a group of waypoints that you set to define how you get to where you want to go.
So from your starting point you head to your first waypoint. This could be a buoy that defines a chanel you take to get out to open water then form tha point to the next waypoint.
So the Gps will give you directions to your first waypoint in a straight line, when you get there it will give you direction to the next waypoint in a straight line.
Directions will be a compass heading and range or a arrow pointing which way to go.

Example where I launch for the Pacific Ocean from the launch ramp to the open water there are 26 buoys in about 2 miles.
The buoys mark the edges of the channel and are it sets of 2. My route has a waypoint between each set of buoys then when get to the open ocean ends with a buoy about 1 mile off shore.
From that point I then pick a route to where we want to fish.

Single unit verses two units (GPS and Depth finder)
Two units are better but the cost is almost double.
With a single unit to do both. The first thing you must do before you hit any buttons is select either the GPS screen or the Depth finder screen as they use the same buttons for both aplications.

Now you can just look at the chart on the screen and in track up mode steer toward the path you want to go.

You can also turn on a trail so the unit leaves a trail you can follow back it.

There are many ways to use the unit and it will take you some time to find which way you like the best.

In terms of units to buy I suggest you go to a large Marine store in your area and look at many units.
If a Saleman comes over to help you he should ask you many questions before showing you some unit.
Things like are you a fisherman or just a cruiser.
Fishermen will want a much more detailed Fish finder than just someone curesing.
Also he may ask how deep you will fish.
If you fish deep water then you will want a unit with more power and resoultion so your can see fish in deep water.

If he does not start by asking you many questions then I would not take much out of units he recomends.
I hate to say it but some are more about selling you a unit that they make more on than getting you the unit that meets your needs and expectations.

Take your time before buying and look several places. This I think is the hardest decision a boater makes about electronics. It takes some time to sink in at least for me.

Another thing you might want to do is download the manuals of a couple of units you are interested in. This will help you see what you have to learn to use the unit on your boat.
Most units work pretty much the same but some may have simpler menu and be easier for you to learn and use.

Below are a couple of tutorals from Lowrance.
Lowrance also has some product emulator that you can download to your PC and then work the unit with your mouse just like your were useing it on the boat.
If you do this make sure you set your screen resoultion to the size they recomend before starting so the whole unit will show on you screen and you can hit all the buttons.
Only bad thing is they do not have any of the very latest units yet.

http://www.lowrance.us/en-us/Support/Tips-and-Tutorials/GPS-Tutorial/

http://www.lowrance.us/en-us/Support/Tips-and-Tutorials/Sonar-Tutorial/

http://www.lowrance.us/en-us/Downloads/Product-Emulators/

 

[dingbat]

Re: Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

First Marine GPS units do not work like a Auto GPS where you put in your destination and it tells your how to get there.

While that certianly is true with most units, a Garmin unit capable of utilizing a G2 Vision chip has auto-guidence capability. No need to create any way points or routes. The unit does it automatically for you. Give the unit a location and it will automatically calculate and plot the course for you. Tie the unit in with an auto-pilot and you have the cat's meow.

Having said that, that ship that sank last week in the channel heading out to open water is not going to be on any charts. As with anything, local knowlwdge must be applied when using any type of navigational aid.

If your not doing it already, you should be checking the local notice to mariners website before heading out each day. It could save your life.
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/LNM/d5/default.htm

 

[rauch0812]

Re: Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

I ended up with a Lowrance HDS-5 w/ Nautical Insight (space was a huge issue)... just installed it, haven't actually gotten to use it yet. Does anybody have any tutorial links for these units? I can see us now with the book while we're bouncing over chop trying to figure it out...

Desera

 

[Boatist]

Re: Help Picking out a GPS / Fish Finder Combo...

I do not know your area but out here many place that sell depth finders will have free classes where they will go thru the operation and answer all your questions.

I would spend some time on the boat just getting use to the menu on the unit.
Very fist thing to learn is how to change from the depth finder mode to GPS mode. You can learn this sitting on the boat before you head any where. You will probably end up running in split screen mode.

To start out find the page that tell you how it initilaze your GPS postion. It will find where you are faster if you input your basic Latitude and Longitude as a starting point.

Next the unit will probably come in North up mode. I think this is hard for most new user to understand. I would recomend you set the GPS to Track up or Heading up mode.
In this mode the direction the boat is heading will be at the top of the screen. Then when you look ahead of the boat what you see starboard side ahead will show on the top right of the Gps and Port side ahead will be to the top left of the screen.

Next learn how to set waypoints before you head out. Most unit have several way.
Examples would be to Hold the enter key until it beep twice or hit the enter key twice. Look in the book for your unit. While under way you should set some waypoints that you can use to form a route later.

Also you can preset some waypoints by looking at the built in charts. On Lowrance units I think in GPS mode you hit the exit key then you can move your cusor to a spot on the chart and set a waypoint. A third way to set a waypoint is to go to the waypoint screen and enter Latitude and longitude you got off a chart or light list.
You can also hit the manoverboard buttons and it will set a waypoint but it will also set the unit to navigate to the location you hit the button.

When you set a waypoint the unit will automaticly set a waypoint number then the next one will be the next number. You can accept that number or change to some name you want Like Dock or Buoy 2 and you can choose a symbol that will show on the units chart. Choose a symbol that mean something like a Boat ramp symbol of a Buoy symbol or a Fish.

For me when going to a new area or setting a new waypoints I let the unit give it a name. I use a voice recorder and when I set a new waypoint I say Waypoint 25 that the unit assigned is where we caught 3 large fish at the same time and the water depth is 87 feet. Most of the time My Crew will on a note pad also write down the new number and large fish spot 87 feet. Then at the end of the day or at home I will go back into the waypoint list and change the waypoint 25 name to what I want it to be and put a fish symbol on it. In my case I also in a waypoint list book I write down all the information. The waypoint name I gave it, the Latutide and longitude, Water depth, Large Rock Fish hot spot or Reef with lot of fish.

Then next year when we go to the same area I look in the book and say lets go back there to start fishing.

I sure everyone has their own way but the list helps me. You can also load the entire list of waypoints to a SD card in the unit then read it into your computer and sort and adjust how ever you want.

I use the book then before heading out to decide where we want to go. In large waters weather may cause you to go to a different area but book is still a big help to me.

It will take some time before every thing is automatic. Another thing I do with a new unit is go on line and down load the units manual and print on a normal letter size paper. This way it is larger and easy to read and if it get wet or I want to write down a note it no problem. Manual that came with the unit stays clean and dry and does not smell like fish.