The best all-round piece of electronic (GPS w/sonar)

[Andy26M]

I have a Garmin GPSmap 188C and a good tri-ducer for it. The screen is just the right size for on top of my M pedestal, easy to view in full daylight, and it can use all the Bluechart products. It acts as depth sounder, GPS chartplotter, water speed (paddlewheel) and water temperature. It also has a lot of little extra features like tides, moon phases, etc.

I think they've since updated to a new model number, maybe 198C.

- Andy

[Andy26M]

In answer to Bob -

As long as the "new" satellite in the constellation has a valid signal, any GPS receiver should pick it up without needing to be reprogrammed manually. Each time you turn on the unit it just listens for valid signals, it doesn't care where it is located itself, nor does it care which satellites it receives from.

Quoted from an article at howstuffworks.com:

In order for the distance information to be of any use, the receiver also has to know where the satellites actually are. This isn't particularly difficult because the satellites travel in very high and predictable orbits. The GPS receiver simply stores an almanac that tells it where every satellite should be at any given time. Things like the pull of the moon and the sun do change the satellites' orbits very slightly, but the Department of Defense constantly monitors their exact positions and transmits any adjustments to all GPS receivers as part of the satellites' signals.

{bolding added by me}

So, your old receiver will just get an update to it's built-in almanac the first time it is turned on after a satellite is swapped out.

- Andy

[Newell]

This 2 year old discussion was great but the units are now either not being made or out-of-stock. Looks like the 440 is now the 441 and $200 plus (599), the Hummingbird 787c is no longer available but 788c is and pricey. Is it possible to get a good unit for @450?

Newell
& 89D

[tangentair]

http://store.humminbird.com/humminbird- ... 540-1.html
and this is full retail - I am sure it is cheaper if you look around

[richter372001]

It's been two years, and I still have not found what I'm looking for. Now it seems that a Garmin 400 series would do all I need. I plan to pair it off with an X-5 wheel pilot. Has anyone installed this combo on a 26X or could offer any feedback on how one or both of these units work with an X? I am specifically interested in whether the top mounting of the GPS unit interferes with the main sheet (or vice versa ) and whether the X-5 works ok, considering the absence of the rudder sensor. And finally, where to get them at the best price. I will take both to Croatia, so the support from the store is not essential.

[richter372001]

Any feedback on the Bluechart cards/maps? Has anyone used the Med charts?

[Russ]

I have nothing to compare to but my 440s works great. We used it this weekend to get us in and out in the pitch dark. Amazing little unit that is easy to read in bright sun as well as dark. The sonar feature has voltage reading and it can be used for anchor alarm and water temp.

They still sell them as a quick google found this one for $412.
I bought a SD upgrade with more detail but the stock charts are pretty good. Can't help you with the Med charts but Garmin has a good international base.

We have an M so I don't know about interfering, but the fact that so many have them I can't imagine it would get in the way.

--Russ

[J.Teixeira]

Check ebay seller

vikusy

I am a very satisfied customer.

He has incredible garmin prices.

Jose

[RocketsCrew]

I have a Garmin 3006c with sonar, speed over water and water temp. It came with the boat...and I love it. It may be a little fancy but I don't think I would go for less after having used it this summer in Desolation Sound. I bought the West Coast Blue Charts chip. However, you might want to think about a new Iphone 4g with gps and download the nav charts for it. now thats incredible

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

There are hundreds of choices and opinions, and they all really do the same major functions equally well. The differences are in the details.

I highly recommend you go to a store with the unit you are considering on display and use the actual user interface. I was very surprised this summer when I used a mid range Garmin unit installed on another Mac. It took 3 - 6 more button pushes and scrolls to do the same thing than on my Eagle / Lowrance unit. While in the end it showed the same information, it would be very frustrating to use. I was endlessly scrolling the little arrow around and navigating through a host of popup menus that completely obscured the main screen below.

Test it for the normal stuff you will do all the time, zooming in and out, panning to look at a different area, checking tide and current information, creating a route, selecting a point to steer to, etc.

Another big difference in the various units is the cost and availability of charts for the area you will be cruising in. Some are built in, some require cards from other companies, some cover large areas, some small. Make sure the unit you pick has the chart selection you need.

It's also very nice to have a unit with a couple of media card slots so you can easily transfer routes, points, and tracks back and forth from your computer without messing with cables. Mine has two slots, one for the chart chip and one for a standard SD card I use to move data on. This let's you do planning / dreaming on the computer which is much easier than on any of the chartplotter units.

And finally, I would recommend you look closely at the type and size of screen. I had a medium size black and white unit for years and while it worked, there is no comparison to a large color screen. A small screen will force you to zoom much more often between the big picture and the details. Now that I have a 7" color unit there is no way I could go back to a smaller 3" - 5" screen.

Other nice extras are speed through water sensors and water temp sensors. If you cruise in an area with current it can be very useful to know the difference between your speed over ground (gps speed) and your speed through water. You can save a lot of gas with this information.

You won't buy a Chartplotter / Sounder very often, so do your research and be willing to spend a little extra for the unit that really fits your needs.

[richter372001]

After some research, I went with Garmin 440s. Got it from eBay for 385 plus 20 shipping. Will probably also get the dual or triple transducer.
The main purpose is to drive the autopilot (yet to purchase) and this unit should do it. The screen is small, but I probably won't spend that much time eyeing it.
Installing it on my Mac in Croatia is months away, but I might post some notes on usage and behavior of the two units. If Leon flies over to help me with the installation. And under "help me", I mean does the whole job himself. With me perhaps passing the tools. If it's not too hot. And it gets hot in Croatia.

[Rick Westlake]

I've been following this "my GPS is best" long enough to want to throw in a monkey wrench ...

Any GPS - for boat navigation, car navigation, geocaching or weapons guidance - is only as good as the satellites that support it. They're run by DoD and they can be turned off by DoD. Besides, they are subject to every potential problem you might have with your electrical system. And there's not much room for a chartplotter in a Mac X -

Does your chartplotter handle Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou? What if DoD can't afford to launch new satellites? Where does that leave us?

There is a practical alternative:



(Flame away, guys!)

[red_sky_at_night]

There is a practical alternative:



(Flame away, guys!)

Does it have NMEA outputs??

[Rick Westlake]

There is a practical alternative:



(Flame away, guys!)

Does it have NMEA outputs??

"Note Minute and Exact Angle" when you take a sight.

[red_sky_at_night]

"Note Minute and Exact Angle" when you take a sight.

LOL, clever!