Portable GPS

[legacey]

I'm looking into buying a portable GPS for fishing. I'm thinking portable would be better for me as I fish often with buddies, in their boats and vice versa. We switch depending on the location and people.

 

I've been looking at Lowrance's iFinder H20. It seems like a reasonable priced model but honestly, have no clue what I'm looking for with mapping.

 

I fish mainly the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario (Kingston area) and back lakes like Lobourough, Dog, Fortune etc.

 

So, what I'm looking to do is have it with me, map and mark out the areas that I'm fishing with success, lures etc.

 

If I'm on a lake that doesn't have the mapping, mark where I leave from and go too and again, the results.

 

I'd appreciate your opinions, please?

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[ccmtcanada]

I have the Lowrance H20c and love it! I bought the Navionics 14xg mapping card for it. The coverage for that is....

 

"Entire Great Lakes, St Lawrence and the Canadian Maritimes, including Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake, Lake Champlain, Trent Severn Waterway, Ottawa River, Rideau Waterway and the Finger Lakes."

 

BOQ is on that card.

 

When I ran the unit with no mapping card, it still plotted my position on the gps, so for what you are talking about, it should still fit the bill.

[legacey]

Thanks for the reply, CCMT

 

I fish the BOQ mostly. How is the mapping for it?

 

I've never really seen one working with a lake map. Does it show depths, names of points etc?

 

Cheers

[ccmtcanada]

Thanks for the reply, CCMT

 

I fish the BOQ mostly. How is the mapping for it?

 

I've never really seen one working with a lake map. Does it show depths, names of points etc?

 

Cheers

 

If you get the Navionics gold card I mentioned, it has multiple zoom levels, each with more and more info as you go. It does show depths, as well as the names of points, bays etc....

 

It also will show buoy markers, areas where stumps and rocks are dangerously close to the surface (use that part as a guide only as these change depending on water levels for any given year) and major land markings such as silos etc.

 

I'm very happy with it....especially useful on new lakes.

[legacey]

Again, thanks CCMT.

 

I think I'll go with this model then.

 

Do you know the approximate cost of the card?

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[ccmtcanada]

Again, thanks CCMT.

 

I think I'll go with this model then.

 

Do you know the approximate cost of the card?

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

 

Do you really want to know that?? LOL.

 

It's not cheap. It retails at Radioworld for $220, but if you buy a GPS unit there, it goes down to $185. I'm not sure where you live, but when I did my research, Radioworld had the best prices...especially if you are buying a card as well. I have seen just the cards for as low as $199.99.

[jace]

Again, thanks CCMT.

 

I think I'll go with this model then.

 

Do you know the approximate cost of the card?

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

 

 

anywhere from 100-300 depending on the area of the coverage.

[legacey]

Wow....that's incredible!!!

 

But I guess well worth it.

 

Thanks again for the replys.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[jace]

If you plan on using this portable gps for any travelling and road navigation, you should get a garmin. You can get topo and ROUTABLE street level maps with extensive POI's for just about anywhere in the world for a garmin. I don't think there's navionics for garmin, but they have their BlueChart, inland lakes, and maybe 1 or 2 more

[ccmtcanada]

Yep....j ace is right....the iFinder H2O is specifically for people on the water. You can get road maps, but they are not road navigation (ie turn by turn) units.

[Reef Runner]

I just bought a Garmin venture HC this past weekend from radioworld. I agree, they do have the most competitive prices around and the staff is friendly and knowledgable. I got topos for free online and am in search of roadmaps and hydrographics. I saw the Bluecharts available and was not impressed by the coverage.

[jace]

I just bought a Garmin venture HC this past weekend from radioworld. I agree, they do have the most competitive prices around and the staff is friendly and knowledgable. I got topos for free online and am in search of roadmaps and hydrographics. I saw the Bluecharts available and was not impressed by the coverage.

 

 

 

bluechart is primarily for the ocean charts and has extensive coastal coverage but for Ontario they have all the great lakes, st lawrence, and any lakes close to them like the nippising, st clair, kawarthas, rice, ottawa river, all the lakes and rivers out by brockville/kingston. It gets most lakes that most people in swo fish.

[blaque]

Also have the Lowrance H20C, love it love it love it. Its been a great addition to my toys especially because it was a gift. I probably wouldnt have one if it werent free lol. I did have to purchase the map (same as ccmt, navionics gold, except for the coverage area as i am in the Buffalo area) Looking for screenshots from mine for you but cant find em

[ozaibak1]

I got a portable Garmin from Radioworld a few years ago, still use it its quite useful mainly for boat navigation (knowing where the hell you are and how to get back), this has saved me many a time because on many lakes it all looks the same. $200 for a map set is steep, I think I'm just gonna hold onto this one.

[Guest lundboy]

I just picked up a Lowrance iWay 250c cheap $99 now replaced by the XOG.

 

It's primarily a car turn by turn navigation device, but also accepts navionics cards for lake maps. Works fine with my gold and hotmaps chips. These devices aren't waterproof but the XOG is splash resistant. I don't see anyway to set a waypoint, but it does have trails so you should be able to find your way back when on the water.

 

A great double duty device, when you're in a friend's or rental boat... and you can use it in the car as well.

 

http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Automotive/XOG/

Edited June 18, 2008 by lundboy

[duber]

I bought the Lowrace Expidition C and the Hot Maps chip.I love the unit and the Hot Maps has more of the back lakes on it.It has the bay on it in high detail but does not do Lake Ontario outside of the bay but does have the St. Larwance.You can go to their website and get a list of the lakes on it.I went with the expidition because it had a compass that works without being moveing and you can record voice notes with your way-points.The only issue I would like to see improved is the screen is hard to see in some light conditions.

[Dondorfish]

 

 

 

Not a great picture - but this is the chip that CCMT is talking about. This is the reach on Quinte.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Don

 

[Guest lundboy]

Here are some shots of the iWay 250c (basically XOG) with the Navionics Gold East Great Lakes chip.

 

One of Niagara River above falls, and two zooms of BOQ. The toolbar can be clicked off.

 

 

(actual screen image is much better of course)

Edited June 19, 2008 by lundboy

[mikeymikey]

I personally own Garmin 60CSx for everything and it is extreme good mapping handheld GPS unit.

 

But I also recommend Garmin 76CSx which is exactly same as 60CSx in internal hardware and feature wise. Only difference is the exterior design and 76 series floats on water.

 

I know there are few Garmin 60/76 users here and they will highly recommend this mapping handheld GPS.

 

 

Radioworld is good place to shop if you would like to visit the place yourself in person but I personally recommend www.GPSCITY.ca They have excellent price and good service. They also shows a good price drop on 76CSx model.

[Dabluz]

All of the GPS units are great. However, stick to 2 brands....Garmin and Lowrance. Both are just as good as the other. Maps....there are maps for each brand however the maps are not interchangeable.

 

I would say that the Lowrance H20 (colour) is the best bang for the buck and it's maps.....you can say are exactly the same as those for the Garmin. If you want topo maps....both Garmin and Lowrance have them. If you want streets and highways....the same. If you want nautical maps....they are available for both makes of GPS.

 

It's a shame that Magellan does not offer a better customer service because it is a superior GPS. However, steer clear of the Magellan gps.

 

If you really looking for the best nautical maps.....check out which maps you prefer (Garmin or Lowrance) and then decide which make of GPS to buy.

 

Portable GPS systems do not have voices telling you to turn right or left. Only vehicle GPS systems have this or if you hook up your portable GPS to a computer or a palm pilot. You do not need voice activation when boating or hiking etc. It's only handy when you are travelling on a road and don't want to take your eyes off the road. On top of that, most of the GPS systems for vehicles do not allow a person to enter waypoints.....I think.

 

Topgraphical maps have all the streets and highways you will ever need. However, there is so much detail, you cannot get all of N.America on one digital card. Example, my old Lowrance IFinder Pro has an SD card containing topographical information for all of Quebec south of the 53 parallel, NewBrunswick and a large portion of Ontario. My old version does not have the contour lines. Yes, the maps you buy are upgraded every once in a while. Nautical maps are different. People who use nautical maps want info for the large bodies of water they fish like the Great Lakes, St-Lawrence Seaway, East Coast, West Coast etc. Topgraphical maps will give you details like islands, shore lines, rivers, streams, brooks etc etc but no info on depths, buoys etc. For those small inland lakes....topographical maps are very adequate. There is usually no nautical info for these lakes anyway.

 

So if maps are important....check the maps first then decide on the GPS after.

 

The big problem with Garmin is the fact that they have way too many models. They each have small differences and you really have to know what you want before you can make the best choice for you.

 

Do not buy the Garmin Colorado....too many people have been disappointed.

 

Do not believe the hype that one GPS is better than another. My old Lowrance IFinder Pro is as fast as a Garmin 60CS in getting a satellite fix. The other day during a "geocaching" reunion, my old 80 Lowrance got a satellite fix in the middle of a room where there were only 2 small windows as fast as a Garmin 60CS. Meanwhile, the Garmin 76 never got a fix. When looking for geocaches, my old Lowrance was just as precise and fast as the expensive newer models of GPS's.

 

A great GPS is the Garmin Legend. They sell for about 150 dollars here in Canada. If the Garmin nautical maps are your choice....then you can load the info you need for your outing on the 8 megs of memory in the Legend.

 

If you want to completely load your nautical map in your GPS, you will need a GPS that accepts SD cards. The Lowrance H20 has a slot for SD cards up to at least 2G. My old IFinder Pro accepts SD cards up to 2G.

 

You can save a bit of money by buying a black and white GPS. The shades of gray are very visible. But colour is much nicer and now only costs about 50 dollars more to have but does consume a bit more energy. Black and White GPS screens are getting rarer every day.

 

Final thing to look at but still important is the number of pixels on the screen. The more the merrier.

 

A good accessory to buy is a power cord for the GPS. This way, you can plug your GPS into your car's cigarette lighter or the one on the boat. Supports for the GPS can cost quite a bit....shop on ebay to find some that are just as good and much cheaper. You can even find a decent GPS holder for 1 dollar at Dollarama.

[Roy]

Dabluz, that's just a whole lot of great information. Thanks for taking the time to post that. I know it'll help a lot of folks out who are trying to make an informed decision.

[legacey]

Wow! Ya'll rock!

 

I'll have to check out the maps available and decide from there as suggested. I primarily fish the Kingston area but do take a trip every year north of Plevena.

 

Thanks for the screen shots; especially being the Quinte and familiar territory. The shot of Shermans surprised me. I always thought it was deeper than displayed, near the marker.

 

Goes to show that I definitely need one.

 

Again, thank you for the information, everyone. This is an amazing site and group of people.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[blaque]

Here is the H20C with the gold card (eastern great lakes) and a screen shot, see if you can guess which lake and what area? lets make this a little fun , although theres some dead give aways in the map lol

 

[NAC]

GPS city - mississauga and calgary

nice Ram mounts for them as well.

[legacey]

Blaque....I'm not sure of the location but your computer looks like a Compaq Evo 8000 case.

 

Cheers