Handheld GPS

[Guest]

Can anyone help me out - I lookin gto purchase a handheld GPS but am frankly baffled by the range of models and proces on the market. I want something inexpensive but at the same time readable. Also I am a bit of a gadget freak and suspect that I could easily end up with something far more sophisticated than I really need.

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks

Ian

 

[zvidoron]

Go for the straight Garmin GPS 12. Simple, reliable, from the market leaders in GPS and very un-expensive. You can slowly build your own database of lighthouses, buoys etc. and use as a simple 'map'. I find this very useful.

 

[Guest]

Just navigated from Moray Firth to France and back including crossing the Channel in fog (Ramsgate to Calais) with the bog standard E-trex (about £110 with cigarette lighter attachment to save on batteries).

"It did everything it said on the tin." with amazing ease.

If you already have paper charts who needs more?!

Best regards )

Ian D

 

[Guest]

I've used a Garmin 12 for 3+ years now, and it's been perfect - although expensive on batteries if you use it too much. You can get a cable to run it on 12v, though.

Lost in Denmark - a yachtsmans paradise!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the swift replies - it's looking like the Garmin 12 so far.

 

[gary_yank]

The Garmin 12 also has my vote. Simple, accurate enough for most users and when used with good charts an excellent combination. From this side of the pond and on the other coast. Gary

 

[trev]

I reckon the Garmin 12 is the one.
Easy to use, inexpensive, and a good size screen.
Does all you need it to do.

Trev

 

[lyc]

MLR SPX24 excellent, easy to use, I use Ozi-explorer (free download) to plot waypoints and routes from charts which can be downloaded to GPS and from GPS to computer and printed out.

 

[david_bagshaw]

I use a Garmin 45 Hand held as a backup, same software (almost , on the main Garmin 128), also use Oziexplorer , see my web site for some examples of what registered Ozi can do.

All the best



David ps Take a look at my site www.yachtman.co.uk

 

[Boatman]

Garmin 12 again, I use mine as a backup nothing but praise for it. All our group approx 8 have the same model and have nothing but praise used as backup and primary from the UK accross the bay and further. Price wise excellent the only diff is the colour version is better on batteries, but I think the latest software dounload takes care of some of this problem.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Rapidly evolving market

The Garmin 12 seems to be getting lots of praise (mine's a Garmin 48 which is essentially a G12 with an extra database). But there's quite a lot of new product activity at the moment in the market and you might want to look around at the Soton Boat Show to see what the latest and greatest stuff is, as well as check out any special offers.

 

[Guest]

I Also use a MLR SP24XC and Ozi Explorer. It's a great combination. The SP24XC is a virtual Chart-Plotter (heavy on the virtual though).
Just a week ago, we did our first trip with it as our backup navigation device (the ships compass being the primary device.) And I used Ozi Explorer to set loads of waypoints in the areas we were travelling (River medway to West Mersea/Brightlingsea/Burnham and return to River medway.)
I set a route in Ozi Explorer to get us to West Mersea, and built a cable to connect to the 12v supply from the boat.
The route finder worked great all the way there, agreeing with the bearings I calculated from the charts. On the way back, we were deciding where to go each day, and when we decided to go to Burnham, I decided to set a couple of waypoints on route, and then set the goto function in the gps. Leaving Burnham headding back to the Medway, I set a couple more waypoints, and wrote in a new route to get us out of the river colne.
Before we set out, I only used Ozi Explorer to set the waypoints as I thought that it would be much easier than setting them directly into the GPS. But after taking into consideration the hassle of scanning in charts, then joining the pieces together, then calibrating the scanned in chart, I'm not so sure that it's that much easier after all, not as a fault of Ozi Explorer at all, it's great software, but just that it was actually really easy to set them directly into the GPS from the chart.

Oh, the ybw marine store and mailspeedmarine.com were the best (uk) prices I found for the MLR when I bought it a month ago or so.

Hope this helps.

Dawson

 

[lezgar]

I prefer magellan. For my is more use friendly. Try the Magellan 315 and the garmin 12 and compare.

 

[billmacfarlane]

Looks like you've got lots of suggestions Ian. Whatever you decide to go for it might be advisable to check if it's waterproof. A non waterproof one wouldn't last too long with wet, salty hands operating it.

 

[davel]

I agree with all comments on the Garmin 12 - latest s/w download (available from their web site) also seems to help with hungry batteries.

Having said that, I bought mine some years ago and there are bound to be more sophisticated and less power hungry models around. There's a very good web site which has informed reviews of a vast array of low cost GPS recievers. Check out http://joe.mehaffey.com/ot-20.htm

It's a USA site and prices are in dollars but I believe the functionality is pretty much the same on US/European versions.

 

[Guest]

I sold my last boat with a Garmin 50 and its still going strong .... thats about 5 years + ... not bad and its accurate now that SA is off !
My present boat has an old Magellan, takes ages to start up if I move the boat and forget to switch on first !, but again thats about 6-7 years old and its accurate as well.

Both run of the 12V supply and about 3 hours on batterys .... but I hardly EVER use on batterys anyway, so I'm happy enough.

By the way BOTH are NOT waterproof, but they both have survived rainy days in their cockpit mounts ,.... I don't advise it, but still true.

Oh yes .... can you still get them ? NO, except from some kind soul who is selling s/hand .....