Garmin 276C and Simrad HD52

[steve270957]

I am thinking of buying a Garmin 276C and Simrad HD52 for my 25ft motor crusier.

Any experience of performance, useability and compatability of these two.

Thanks

 

[pvb]

They're compatible, as most plotters and DSC radios are, but the HD52 is discontinued and I'm not sure where you'll get one if you're buying new.

If you don't want to use the Garmin in your car as well, you might be better choosing another plotter. Reasonable screen size and good resolution are vital to easy plotter use. The Garmin 276 only has a tiny 3.8" screen with 480x320 resolution. For the same money, you could get a 5" plotter with double the resolution - look at the Lowrance 5150C or Northstar 557 as examples.

Apart from the Simrad HD52, I don't think that there are currently any other DSC handhelds certified for use in the UK. So if you want DSC, you'll need a fixed set. If you just want a good handheld, an Icom M71 or Icom M33 might be good choices, as they both have Li-ion batteries. (There is of course the brilliant little Standard Horizon HX471 DSC handheld which you can get from Hong Kong for £115, but I couldn't recommend that as it's not certified here!)

 

[steve270957]

Thanks for the suggestions. Anyone able to advise on the pros and cons of the Lowrance and the Northstar. Particularly usability and chart software.

Thanks

Steve