Handheld GPS

[gatorblazer]

i am looking for a handheld GPS (use for hunting as well as in the boat).  Has anyone used these successfully on the water with a decent map system like navionics or anything else?  I have great depth finders, just need the GPS for the boat, walking to the treestand, and occasionally for driving.

[surfer]

I have one of the cheap $120 handhelds.  it hasn't any maps, but it will gets me back to within 30ft of my unerwater targets prety sucsesfully.  Water resistant and generaly ruged enough.  I have droped it on the boat floor many times.  All in All I think I got my moneys worth.  

[Wayne P.]

Yes, I use the Lowrance H2O with the Navionics software and some free download maps from the Lowrance site. I use it for hunting also. The only one I know that will do the before mentioned plus highway use for turn by turn directions is the Lowrance XOG.

[gatorblazer]

Wayne,  does the H20 give speed info and plot your trail?  How, if you do, did you mount it in the boat?

[Wayne P.]

Yes, it does shows speed, elevation, trails, routes, 1000 waypoint memory, etc. There are mounts made for it made by RAM. I have one that I used with a suction cup base but I didn't use that mount in the boat because I already had a larger unit when I got it.

I used it yesterday to stay on a property boundry for placing POSTED signs between corner markers.

You may prefer the color unit H2OC that has a higher pixel count screen-both units are the same size but that unit cost about $100 more. You can get the specs at the Lowrance web site or in one of the fishing catalogs.

[Long Mike]

I have the H2O.  It is a great little unit.  When driving in unfamiliar areas I use it for navigation and have a dash mount for it.  When I'm on the water I mount it on the bow.  It has a Fishing Hot Spots SD chip in it, so I can easily navigate around, or to, shallow areas.  All in all, it's a great investment for the money.

[Simp]

I did a search and found this thread and just wanted to say thanks! I think that Lowrance unit looks like it would be perfect for my needs. Also how nice is the Navionics software? I see them use it in some fishing shows and it looks great but didn't know if only a few lakes look that good as they show on TV.

[Wayne P.]

Simp, the mapping software by Navionics, Lowrance, and others works quite well IF it includes the bodies of water you fish. Before you purchase any, check each site to see if it has what you want. Several lakes that I fish are not included in any software I could find. Most users prefer the Navionics since some bodies of water have 1' contour lines rather than the 5' or 10' that most maps do.

[bassnleo]

I'll add another plug for the H20 unit. I have one and have the Navionics East SD card. It does everything I need it to, and then some.

One thing to consider........It waterproof, but it does not float. Last summer I lost a Lowrance I-finder Go To unit when it fell overboard.

I purchased the H20 as a replacement. The H20 comes with a lanyard you can attach to the unit. I took a piece of a swimming pool "noodle" float and secured it to the H20's lanyard. That way if the unit falls overboard the noodle will float and I won't loose everything again.

[Simp]

Simp, the mapping software by Navionics, Lowrance, and others works quite well IF it includes the bodies of water you fish. Before you purchase any, check each site to see if it has what you want. Several lakes that I fish are not included in any software I could find. Most users prefer the Navionics since some bodies of water have 1' contour lines rather than the 5' or 10' that most maps do.

I checked and the version for my area and it seemed to have all the lakes.  How much better is the nav software compared to the stock version? I think I read about it already having some good fishing spots marked or something. I could see how this would be useful for trips to a new lake at times. I'm certainly wanting to see contour lines for the lake. I'd like for it to help me visualize what I'm casting at and with navigating my boat around points properly.

[Wayne P.]

The H2O has a "background map" which has some roads and some bodies of water with representative shoreline outlines ( no contour lines ). I use the Navionics Hotmaps Premium East and South cards as well as some free download maps that I got from the Lowrance site and put on another SD card.

[Long Mike]

If you really want to use the H2O to best effectiveness, you need to have either the Navionics or the FHS card in it.  For either land or water navigation the H2O is pretty much useless without a card.  It could be that one could go to the Lowrance website, download their free lake maps, and get the same resolution for both land and water, but I really don't know.  I installed the FHS card in my unit the day I bought it.

[gatorblazer]

Bringin this one back from the dead.....

Has anyone seen the stock lake maps for the XOG?  I know that they do not have the details the Navionics does, but am wondering if it will work ok until I get the nav chip

[BassBandit35]

The H2O has a "background map" which has some roads and some bodies of water with representative shoreline outlines ( no contour lines ). I use the Navionics Hotmaps Premium East and South cards as well as some free download maps that I got from the Lowrance site and put on another SD card.

Wayne, does your Hotmaps Premium card load a lot slower than the backgroudn map? Mine is doing that, incredibly slow & painstaking! On map page when I move the cursor in a direction and loading takes forever to load unlike background map does instantly. I have thought about deleting (other state) lakes that I won't be fishing at all would be the solution, quicker loading???

[Wayne P.]

BassBandit35, yes it takes a little longer to read installed software. I assume the slowness is due to the processing power of the unit when it is reading the additional 512mb inserted. I don't find it cumbersome though when navigating.

[BassBandit35]

Makes sense. Say if deleting a couple of lakes listed in the card would speed it up a bit? Well, I do find it annoying.

[BassBandit35]

Edit: Spoke with a rep at Navionics, he walked me through it. Works great now.

[Wayne P.]

What was the solution without going thru all the steps?

[BassBandit35]

Was told to use Map Data which I did but didn't know I had to zoom out until I see blocked lines then zoom in that state and scroll until I find a lake I want. Should of read the manual more lol. Btw, its 1 GB and a lake stored in the card can not be delete.

[Wayne P.]

Thanks BassBandit35, you have a newer version than I do that requires a larger SD card.