Handheld GPS

[gokudl3]

I am looking into buying a handheld GPS unit (garmin 400-500 $) , was wondering if anyone uses one of these , or how they compare to a mounted unit

[nyforests]

I use the Garmin Etrex for timber management, I also carry it on the boat as a back up. It works well on land, I can only presume accuracy to be as good if not better on the water. The forest canopy decreases the number of satilites that can be received.

[Shellback]

The main reason I went with a fixed mount is the screen size. If the unit has any mapping abilities, I'd think they'd be pretty hard to interpret on a small screen. You'd be zooming in and out trying to make heads or tails of where you're at.

[jimski2]

I use a Garmin handheld on my boat as a different page display and it has accumalated a lot of waypoints. I take it in my motorhome on trips and it gets me back to where I'm staying, etc. I've taken it to Alaska and used it in my brother's plane to keep track of our flights. He was impressed enough to buy one for the plane. Whether you're in your boat, car or a small plane, you can't beat a small handheld GPS. Where it didn't work was when I left the moose camp in Alaska, it didn't give me the proper bearing to return to camp. You have to be moving for that function and you still need a hand compass.

[gokudl3]

thanks guys , also how accurate is the speed ?

[jimski2]

Speed is true speed over ground, on the water you are to be aware of changes by currents that your lure action may change. Always look at your lures when trolling to check their action. There is surface speeds and speed at the ball that are different than speed over ground.

[Sluggo / NY]

These guys covered it well, but I'll chime in anyway. I have two Garmins.. one mounted in the boat and a handheld as backup. As for accuracy of both speed and location.. they're almost identical. As Shellback said though.. the handheld is tough to read with it's small screen! If it's mainly for using on a boat, I'd definitely go with a larger, permanent mount model. I can't even imagine leaving the dock on BIG water without one! Good Fishing, Sluggo (Chris)

[traveling man]

I have a garmin 76 and like it. It is small but you can zoom in if you need to. Would a big one be nice... yes but i do not have the room for it.

[Landing Craft]

I have the Lowrance iFinder H20 with the Nauticpath chart chip. Love it! It's more than accurate enough for me, and I have it interfaced with my DSC VHF. (Uniden Oceanus)

[waterlogged]

Landing Craft,

We run the iFinder H2O also. Am curious on how you interfaced with your DCS VHF. We run the ICOM 402 DSC VHF and it has similar capabilities.

Is it a stock cable you can purchase or something you have made?

Thanks,

Clarke

[Landing Craft]

Here's a link...

http://www.lowrance.com/Accessories/sea ... FINDER+H2O

It's the PC-DI7 or PC-DI8. It comes with a piece of cardboard showing the pinout of the cable. Match that to the NMEA input of the radio. I bought a 9 pin D-sub connector from Radio Shack and soldered it to my radio NMEA 0183 wires, so it's easy connect and disconnect. I registered the radio to get the number from Boat US. It's a nice sense of security when I'm out with my 5 year old daughter. She knows the red button is for emergencies only.

[mikejonestkd]

We recently got a garmin etrex and realy like it!!! The screen is too small for really mapping your course but it is good for what we need it for - speed and location. The price was right too - around $90.