Garmin 126 GPS

[seaboy]

My son recently got himself a motorboat with a Garmin 126 GPS.

Simple question: Can this be updated with BlueChart G2 etc. or would it be easier to renew for a device which has BlueChart G2 etc.

Thanks

 

[Spi D]

A pretty outdated unit. According to Garmin compatibility chart it is not G2 compatible.

A new(er) unit definately would make better value than an attempted upgrade.

 

[V1701]

Still potentially useful though, I was used to having a more modern Standard Horizon chartplotter then bought a boat with an older style (Garmin 128 with similar functionality to your son's 126) & just got used to using that by putting my own waypoints in, it's a useful bit of kit. There are other much less expensive options for having a full function chartplotter such as using Open CPN with CM93 or Seaclear with charts from the VisitMyHarbour folk on a laptop or tablet. If he doesn't have the user manual for the Garmin it should be easily found online. Suggest give it a try first & if it doesn't suit look for an alternative...

 

[ex-Gladys]

It's not a plotter, it's just an old fashioned GPS

 

[JumbleDuck]

It's not a plotter, it's just an old fashioned GPS

Indeed. I have a GPS128, which is the same thing with an external antenna, and it doesn't have any sort of cartography at all.

 

[bitbaltic]

A pretty outdated unit. According to Garmin compatibility chart it is not G2 compatible.

A new(er) unit definately would make better value than an attempted upgrade.

As others have said, you can't attempt a chart upgrade, it isn't a chartplotter.

The 126/128 is, however, an excellent marine GPS, even though it is old. I have two, one in the cockpit giving the helm his rolling road and one at the chart table giving data to a marine PC running Imray digital charts.

To the OP, I'd suggest playing around to see if it suits your son's purposes. If not, don't junk it as these boxes will usually fetch over £100 on Ebay, which shows there is a market for them.

Manual here: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...kAIB-ltZI7rObjA&bvm=bv.99261572,d.ZGU&cad=rja

Cheers

 

[VicMallows]

The 126/128 is, however, an excellent marine GPS, even though it is old.

Cannot agree more. Simple, reliable, and uses very little power (important when used for anchor watch). Best of all, you can actually see it in bright sunlight.

Yes, I also use chart-plotting software on a PC when I feel like......but I regard the 128 as my primary navigation source.

 

[bitbaltic]

I regard the 128 as my primary navigation source.

Same here. I have a new Simrad plotter- in a box in the spare bedroom- waiting to be fitted in the cockpit, and it'll wait until the winter. Even then it will be an optional item not the main navigation tool.

 

[NickRobinson]

I do my routes drag and drop, graphically, on the laptop then send to the Garmin 128 and the tablet. So quick and no 16 digit wpt inputs to get wrong. Laptop then turned off. The 128 needed a new cmos battery last year. This year it needs to 'autolocate' selected to get the EPE fix.

 

[bitbaltic]

I do my routes drag and drop, graphically, on the laptop then send to the Garmin 128 and the tablet. So quick and no 16 digit wpt inputs to get wrong. Laptop then turned off. The 128 needed a new cmos battery last year. This year it needs to 'autolocate' selected to get the EPE fix.

Can I ask what software you're using on the laptop to beam the routes to the 128? I am using SeaTrak but no way will it talk to the GPS.

 

[NickRobinson]

Can I ask what software you're using on the laptop to beam the routes to the 128? I am using SeaTrak but no way will it talk to the GPS.

Hi-
Memory Map. (£<50, all UK charts) It has a drop down 'send to GPS' which sounds easy, but with a couple of provisos.

My laptop connects to the 128 serial via a £2 USB/serial lead. Works fine but occasionally the laptop forgets which serial port on start up and needs to be reset, from the info in Device Manager.

More relevant, and not documented any where I've seen, you must have the MMap and the 128 set to Garmin/Garmin in their set ups, if NMEA the route is not sent. Also, route names must be less than 6 characters IIRC.

Once the route is sent, NMEA will be fine if you have a NASA repeater (which won't read Garmin-)

Then, if you have a tablet, save the route on the laptop as a .gpx as MMap android won't read .mmo (the MMap format) files...

Took a couple of winter weekends to suss this. http://britainbyrivendell.weebly.com/ shows some pics of the gear in use, buried in the 'stuff'

N

 

[bitbaltic]

Hi-
Memory Map. (£<50, all UK charts) It has a drop down 'send to GPS' which sounds easy, but with a couple of provisos.

My laptop connects to the 128 serial via a £2 USB/serial lead. Works fine but occasionally the laptop forgets which serial port on start up and needs to be reset, from the info in Device Manager.

More relevant, and not documented any where I've seen, you must have the MMap and the 128 set to Garmin/Garmin in their set ups, if NMEA the route is not sent. Also, route names must be less than 6 characters IIRC.

Once the route is sent, NMEA will be fine if you have a NASA repeater (which won't read Garmin-)

Then, if you have a tablet, save the route on the laptop as a .gpx as MMap android won't read .mmo (the MMap format) files...

Took a couple of winter weekends to suss this. http://britainbyrivendell.weebly.com/ shows some pics of the gear in use, buried in the 'stuff'

N

Cheers, that's good info. I am not surprised to hear it works with software that talks Garmin-Garmin and not when you try to use NMEA. My Seatrak software only talks NMEA and the 128 seems very restricted on what it will listen to via NMEA. It will listen to my yeoman sending waypoints on v. 1.5 but not to seatrak on the same setting. Seatrak prefaces its mnemonics with a 'GP' header just the same as the 128 does, which may be the cause of the problem, but in the end I gave up