HANDHELD GPS

[LAURASDAD]

Hello,

Would like to buy an inexpensive hand held gps so I don't get lost on the lake.  All I want it to do is to show a trail of where I have gone on the lake and to help me get back to the dock.

From what I understand, the real cheap units don't have the lake maps built in so they won't work.  thanks for your help

Larry

[IneedAnewScreenName9886691]

I have been studying all the new fangled electronics out there and for what its worth my head HURTS >!

anyway - I was considering a hand held in lieu of GPS/sonar combo. Lowrance just came out with a pretty good looking set of handhelds designed for lakes. They even take some of the 'plug and play' navionics cards.

I would be considering them more if I already had a decent sonar on board! They start around $170.00 and go up - - and that is color! http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=58894&hvarDept=200&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=1&hvarSubCode=3&hvarTarget=browse

Good luck.

after thought - even if they don't have lake maps you can trace your route back to the ramp, etc. This is the way we used to do it on the ocean. no map - just a starting point and a squiggely line.

[Team_Dougherty]

Hello,

Would like to buy an inexpensive hand held gps so I don't get lost on the lake.  All I want it to do is to show a trail of where I have gone on the lake and to help me get back to the dock.

From what I understand, the real cheap units don't have the lake maps built in so they won't work.  thanks for your help

Larry

This one will do the job. http://www.garmin.com/products/etrex/ you can usually find them on sale for $100.00

http://planetgps.net/grm0100019000.html

[Wayne P.]

I recommend the Lowrance H2O or H2Oc as they have a built-in map and have a card slot to add mapping software when you are comfortable enough to upgrade to more detail. Lowrance has some lake maps available for free on their site. They are so easy to use: "Even a cave man can do it."

[kbkindle]

kbkindle here   i have the etrex   the yellow one does not have the  it dont have the lake maps but you can mark you way and then back to boat ramp.  never used on the water. also have the vido with it i think it cost about $110.00    your cost #50.00  ken kindle    kbkindle@sugardog.com   if interested will post pic.

[Long Mike]

I have the Lowrance iFinder H2O.  On open water it is accurate to about 20 feet.  I bought it from BPS for about $170.00.  I also bought the "lakes" chip, which was another $100.  You DO NOT need the chip to navigate on any lake.  The "lakes" chip shows very detailed sub-surface topo detail for the more popular lakes in a given area.  If you simply want to get back to the boat launch after a day of fishing, there is a Lowrance unit called the iFinder GO that sells for about $100 that will serve you well.

[Jig Man]

Hello,

Would like to buy an inexpensive hand held gps so I don't get lost on the lake. All I want it to do is to show a trail of where I have gone on the lake and to help me get back to the dock.

From what I understand, the real cheap units don't have the lake maps built in so they won't work. thanks for your help

Larry

I know several guys who have gps units without mapping capability.  Those are in the bottoms of drawers somewhere in their houses or garages.  Mine with mapping goes with me in the boat, truck and even on my bike when I take a ride.  I wouldn't want one without mapping at all.

[Alpster]

Almost all of the handheld GPS receivers will probably do what you are asking. The GPS receivers that are not capable of 'real time routing' will still get you back to the dock. Buy a used Garmin E-Map, E-Trex or similar unit on E-bay and you will be satisfied.

Ronnie

[frogtog]

I have the etrex and it works very well, just can't remember were I put it at

sometimes. :-[

[bocabasser]

without a doubt the garmin72---IMO

[Nick B]

I use a Magellan Sport Trak,it is a handheld and does exactly what you want it to do. It came with software that you can download on to it if you want more detailed maps. I dont have the budget to buy the all in one units

[cowboy]

I currently use the Lowrance Ifinder Hunt C and have uploaded the Lowrance Hot Spots Elite South maps and am very impressed..... now I have a gps I can use on the lake and use for deer season also..... plus the lake I run you really need to stay in the river channel if its a little low and it has been irreplaceable for that and finding the little creek channels and staying on them has been great....

[harshman]

I second the motion for the Lowrance H2OC. My wife and I got one for christmas and it is so easy to use a caveman could do it . I also have a Navionics USA Lake Map card and it was well worth the money to show lake details , I espically like it to run river channels on unfamilar water. Just my thoughts

Harshman

[eulerentinc]

im about to pull the trigger on a Lowrance ifinder as well.  Its a very nice unit.

[callyer]

Make me an offer.......... This unit is EXTREMELY nice........... ask anyone who has had experience with one!

anyone feel free to comment on this Handheld GPS!

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1173241166

Later,

Craig

[mainebasser]

I've been using GPS's since they first appeared to the public in US Calvary. I think I paid $700 dollars for mine (Garmin GPS12) and it was going for less than $60 before it went off the market more than a few years ago.

Here is my setup now. I use a Garmin etrex Legend and Delorme Steet Atlas and Topo for PC. Don't be fooled by the base maps that many companies, including Garmin, advertise. They usually aren't very good for roads and are terrible for bodies of water.

I use my Delorme Topo on my PC to mark points like docks, islands, points, and the like and then tranfer those waypoints to my etrex Legend. You can also set tracks and routes. This setup works very well for me. I regularly use this setup to get me through 20,30,40 miles of lake navigation in Maine. It is a great pairing.

Here is a screenshot of what I like to do. This is a typical 30 mile-4 day fishing/camping trip that we like to do in Maine. The maps in Delorme are much more accurate than most handheld GPS base maps. I simply do my thinkin' on my PC and then transfer it to my Garmin. You can just as easlily do this in reverse.

I'm sure there are other great GPS units out there, I just wouldn't rely on there maps of bodies of water. Most of them are developed with automobiles in mind, not boats.

[Catt]

At Academy our #1 seller is the Garmin Etrex by a margin of 5 to 1; reason simplicity of operation, and priced under $100.

We have never received a customer complain on this unit  

[darren2569]

I have the etrex Legend and I use it for both hunting and fishing. I have the lake maps but dont use them much as there isnt much info on my local lakes. They sell at Dicks for $150 which includes car power cord, USB cord, mounting bracket and U.S. topo maps (on CD)

[mainebasser]

I have the etrex Legend and I use it for both hunting and fishing. I have the lake maps but dont use them much as there isnt much info on my local lakes. They sell at Dicks for $150 which includes car power cord, USB cord, mounting bracket and U.S. topo maps (on CD)

Darren- That's the same problem I have- There is hardly any information on the lakes in Maine besides some of the big ones like China, Big Lake, and Moosehead. I finally found a guy starting to put together info at Maine Lake Chart- I wish I could help him get some of my favorites done.

One of the guys in the club is a lobster fisherman and he has a setup that automatically builds a map as you go through areas using GPS and sonar in unison to build it's own database. I sure it's super expensive, but the maps are incredible. I wish I could afford one, but it may look funny on my 14' SmokerCraft.

[kms399]

I work at Gander Mountain here in MN and we sell the lowrance H20 probably close to 20 to 1 it is that good of a unit. the thing i think that helps it is that the Lake master software available is plug and play you don't have to search for files and load them it is automatic as soon as you turn the unit on it's there. and there is nothing to download to a computer. I will vouch for it's accuracy by giving an example. I use it on mille lacs lake a bit and it is a pretty flat bottomed lake except for the reefs and when the unit says you are comming up on a reef you look at the depth finder and watch it climb. incredible. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face the first time i used it there. it is such a big lake that it can take a long time to find a flat with out one. I can troll the edge of a flat all day and not even need to look at the depth finder.

if you don't have the chip or some other soft ware the accuracy does suffer alittle bit it's like the whole map is shifted alittle but the software should fix that problem.

as for lakemaster chips I only have experience with the minnesota one but it gives you something like 570 lakes and all the roads in MN for only $100. the unit starts at $169 black and white, $269 color or i-finder hunt black and white, $369 for the hunt color.

In all i would say the best value and the most user friendly.

just remember garmin is a great unit but their money comes from aviation so thats were the focus is, Lowrance focuses on recreation, the person who doesn't have time to read through the manual or money to invest in a gps. and their customer service is awsome.

pm me if you would like more info.