Humminbird

[Broadhorizons]

On my boat I have older Garmin electronics, 182c GPS with LO chip and 320c FF. I am pleased with these units for LO but I can not easily upgrade the charting in the GPS for other lakes. I emailed Garmin and they said I need to buy their inland lakes software, individual chips because the older unit can't use the larger newer memory chips, and a chip programmer. Then since I am required to use the smaller memory chips, I will need multiple chips to get all the lakes I want. All this will cost about $300 to start without multiple chips.

So, that's a large part of the price of a new unit. My plan is to get a ff/gps combo unit to get me the Navionics charts, using it primarily as a plotter. Then in the future, adding a radar/plotter unit and using the ff/gps primarily as a ff and backup plotter.

Is this reasonable thinking? I'm leaning towards the Humminbird 788c. Any thoughts on this unit. I don't see the need for the side imaging so I would like to avoid the extra cost for that if possible. It seems that all the reviews I've read about the Humminbird ff's are good. Since this will eventually be the primary ff, I'm more concerned with it's ff performance.

Fish Hawk guys... Has anyone had any interference from the 83kHz transducer on the 'bird with the 70kHz fish hawk?

What are peoples thoughts of a combo radar and gps plotters? I haven't really researched them yet.

Thanks for your help.

[jimski2]

Two machines are better than one. With the cost of new charts, you might as well get a new machine and when one goes down, or you have a problem, you can compare what is going on. At least you will not lose a day of fishing and that is what is important.

[rolmops]

There is the alternative possibility of buying a Garmin cd called U.S. Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots East v5.

Down load it into your computer and buy an empty cartridge for your 182 GPS now all you have to do is go into the disc,pick what lakes you want and down load them into the cartridge. Now stick the cartridge back in the GPS unit and that is all there is to it.

The cartrides are available on eBay and so are the gizmos that you need to stick the cartridge in, in order to connect to your computer.I have all the East coast with every single lake on one 120 meg cartridge which cost me $28 and I did not even use half the cartridge.The whole thing cost me $150 not $300

This also gives you the ability off setting up way points and charting a course at home in front of your computer and downloading it into your cartridge, That way you can set up your course of the day in the comfort of your home.

I have used this system for 5 years now and it works great.