Back-up Handheld GPS

[PhilipH]

What does the panel think is the best buy for a handheld GPS just to use as back up i.e. in conjunction with paper charts and as a "get you somewhere safe when the main GPS/chartplotter fails" item?

 

[prv]

Pretty much any GPS will give you navigational facilities that yachtsmen of thirty years ago could only dream of. So really, "whatever's cheap and handy" is a fair answer.

Something that takes AA batteries seems a good idea for shelf-life purposes, for a backup that will be rarely if ever used.

Pete

 

[dylanwinter]

got two

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GARMIN-ET...S-/280960689656?forcev4exp=true&forceRpt=true

never used the second

lives in a tupperware box

dropped the first lots of times

keeps going

D

 

[temptress]

What does the panel think is the best buy for a handheld GPS just to use as back up i.e. in conjunction with paper charts and as a "get you somewhere safe when the main GPS/chartplotter fails" item?

Do you have a smart phone? Use the Gps in that.

 

[Modulation]

Do you have a smart phone? Use the Gps in that.

+1. Or get something like a Garmin Etrek - they're cheap, tough, and waterproof.

 

[Fantasie 19]

What does the panel think is the best buy for a handheld GPS just to use as back up i.e. in conjunction with paper charts and as a "get you somewhere safe when the main GPS/chartplotter fails" item?

Garmin GPS72H... no question....

 

[PhilipH]

No Smartphone as away too much. A handy feature is an anchor alarm rather than using the main unit at night. Can't find if this is included in eTrex - anyone know?

 

[lw395]

I would be reluctant to rely on a non-waterproof GPS.
Also smartphone GPS's can cane the batteries.
If you've already broken the main plotter, that implies it's not one of those gentle trips where everything goes to plan.
I do have a phone with a GPS in it, but I've also got an old Magellan hand held. That's all I had on my first boat, and I wouldn't be too phased by going back to navigating with a few typed-in waypoints and an Imray chart.

Of course it is perfectly possible to find any port on the English Channel with no electronics at all. But I would not relish doing without a depth sounder.

Depends on the size of crew and boat. It's probably easy to keep your phone dry navigating from below on 40 footer while your 3 crew drive the boat. Less so when it's just me and SWMBO on a boat with no autopilot.

 

[[70521]]

I have a Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx in a pouch in my lifejacket.

Found it a good GPS in all sorts of situations.

 

[europe172]

Another vote for the
Garmin etrex, never let me down, AA battery or 12V cigar lighter power

 

[elton]

Another vote for the
Garmin etrex, never let me down, AA battery or 12V cigar lighter power

Why did you choose the eTrex over the GPS 72?

 

[Chalker]

Just a though on all of the battery GPSs. When OFF do they discharge like some/ many
VHFs? The electronic on/off switches usually get the blame.
If so seems a though it would be useful to disconnect the battery when kept as a standby.

 

[prv]

Just a though on all of the battery GPSs. When OFF do they discharge like some/ many
VHFs? The electronic on/off switches usually get the blame.
If so seems a though it would be useful to disconnect the battery when kept as a standby.

If I was putting a dedicated backup GPS aboard, it would be in a sealed box (possibly metal against the tiny possibility of electromagnetic damage from nearby lightning) together with a new pack of AA batteries.

Quite happy without a dedicated backup on KS; I have a main ship's GPS (Garmin 128), a plotter with inbuilt antenna, and an iPhone that's safely stowed in a locker when at sea. And most of my voyages in KS could be completed with the Mark I Eyeball anyway

Pete

 

[PhilipH]

Garmin GPS72H ordered from Amazon - good price.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[cmedsailor]

I have an etrex garmin as a back up but wouldn't recommend it. It's too simple. I don't like the fact that does not show XTE. This is a minimum information but very important.