Anyone use a handheld GPS?

[MarVaBC]

I was thinking of getting one of these for marking deep water spots in my local lake, and maybe some hunting spots.  Can anyone recommend a good unit for my needs.  I don't really want to spend that much...like $150 probably.

Thanks

[ring fry]

Lowrance I-finder H2O $169.00.  I have one with the Mapcreate6 that I use in my vehicles and another one with the Navionics hot maps (?) south chip that I use on the boats.  You can use it the way it comes and then add those chips later.   Really comes in handy and is easy to use for us that are tecnologically challenged!

[smallfry]

I have a garmin e-trex legend.  There really aren't very good maps available for the lakes I usually fish fo any GPS system, so I only really need it to drop a way point on key rocks and parts of structure.  There may be better suited units out there for mapping, it just isn't that important to me right now.  Whatever you get, definitely put a mount for it both on the front deck and at your console.  I have a RAM mount with a base in each location so I can easily move it back and forth.  Just be careful not to drop it over the edge.  Remember that when you mark something you want the GPS position as close to your depthfinder transducer as possible for best accuracy.  Once I have an area properly marked, I find I spend more time staring at the GPS than the depth finder or the water.  Since you'll probably be using it the most on the front deck, put an outlet up there so you don't go through the batteries so fast.

[MarVaBC]

Thanks for the info...I don't think my lakes will be on the software either.  I will look into those, and the mounting options.

[Shad_Master]

One thing you want to check out when buying a GPS is battery life - I have a Magellan SportsTrack and that sucker eats AA batteries.  I have been playing around with it for a while and it works well for marking waypoints (brush piles, ledges, etc.), but you can probably get by a little cheaper.  Don't be roped in by all the sexy buttons and screens, you may only use a few of them.

[MarVaBC]

I trust a small, yellow garmin with my life. The model number has scratched off long ago, but it's been through 2 Iraq tours with me. If it's good enough for that, I think it can handle your lake

Lol...I think so.  That sounds like the ETrex model.

Thank You for your service to our country!

[Raul]

I trust a small, yellow garmin with my life. The model number has scratched off long ago, but it's been through 2 Iraq tours with me. If it's good enough for that, I think it can handle your lake

I don 't think there 's a better review than that one.

[Gatorbassman]

I live an die by my etrex legend Cx. It is a little out of your price range but it is awesome. I got it brand new on ebay for 100 bucks off of retail. I have had the yellow etrex and it was good but from my experiance you should get one that had a map programed onto it. I have two different after market mapping prorgrams that I put on my GPS one has detailed road maps and the other has thousands of lakes and river maps and charts on it. I can go out in the evening on a new lake and get back to the ramp after dark. I use it every day on and off the water. It has been worth every penny.

[Jig Man]

I use a hand held and a lot in the truck, boat and geo caching.  Like stated it eats batteries so I bought a charger and some rechargeable batteries.  I always carry a couple of extra ones with me.

What ever gps you buy if you don't get one with mapping capability, you will be wasting your money.

[Bass Hammer]

I have a lowrance iFinder C.

I like that it's the same as my boat electronics.

Plus, if I am on a buddys boat I can save new waypoints as we find them and have all my other points with me.

[GeneinTX]

I bought a Lowrance iFinder H20. i paid 169.00 for it. It has proven to be a very good system and is water proof. This can a big plus. If you are going to have it out on the boat, you will want this feature. Lowracne provides free maps to som lakes on their website. you can check it out in advance and see if it helps you. Both of my favorite lakes have very detailed maps and they are not too popular.

I have used many systems and can say they all eat batteries. Mine has a power adapter (cigarette plug) for the boat which helps.

One thing to also look at is the media that you can use, lowrance uses a SD card and accepts upto 512MB. This is important if you plan on storing data.

The most important thing is that it is accurate. I dropped 2 brushpiles this year and even with 40+ feet of flooding (read no landmarks), I can still locate them quickly.

Good luck with the search. I got a lot of good advice at Academy.

[Rebbasser]

I use a Magellan Explorist 600.  Installed a mount on the console of the boat so I can run and watch it at the same time.  It uses a rechargable battery and has an adapter you can plug into a cigarette lighter.  I would suggest a color model-a lot easier to see IMO.

[bassnleo]

I bought a used Lowrance I-finder Go2 off a board member here. It has worked really well for me, it operates about the same as the H20, just dosen't have the capability to download mapping programs like the H20.

I have also used a Garmin Etrex legend, it also works well.

I believe both can be had for around $150

[Guest the_muddy_man]

AVID tried to but with one arm in a cast and the other hand gripping his Angelina Jole pictures he pretty much had to give up

[Tpayneful]

I have a Garmin Etrex, it has 8MB of RAM for maps and the screen is black and white.  I use it for marking waypoints so I can find my spots again.  It either is in my truck or my tackle bag.  I bring it with me every time I fish.  My partner doesn't have a GPS so it comes in handy when I fish out of his boat.  I think I get about 10 hours out of my batteries.  I usually turn it on when I need it.  I have the road maps CD and download new maps to it when I go on vacation.  It works for me and is around $150.  If I ever got motivated, I could buy the cable and connect it to my Humminbird Matrix 17 but I don't know what that would get me.

[burleytog]

Lowrance H2O

And yes, the color is worth the extra $$.  Worth it's weight in gold when running at night.

[Catt]

If you just want to mark locations you can't beat the Garmin ETRAX sold at Academy for $98.86, it is our #1 seller based on the fact of simplicity of operation.

Up to 10 tracks and 500 waypoints

Permanent memory storage saves waypoints and tracklogs forever

Less than 5 1/2 oz. with batteries

Two AA batteries last aprox. 17 hours, sold separately

[links_man2]

Check out the Lowrance Free Enhanced Lake Maps.  If they have your lakes, they are a good start along with the H2O.  If you want to see what  it is like, download the H2O Demo unit and some local lakes.  Allows you to see what the unit and maps will do using your PC before you buy it.