Gps purchase advice

[Dozer]

Im looking at repalcing my H20c. Right now the Lowrance XOG is at the top of my list but Im looking for opinions on what I should get. I use it for both driving and fishing so it must be compatable with a lakemaster chip. I just bought a 09 navionics chip for my H20 so it would be nice if I could keep using that chip but if there is anougher gps is much better i would consider buying a new chip to make it work. The Gps will also have to have road navigation capabilities. I also do alot of 4wheeling so it must have trail mapping capabilities too. I would also like it to be atleast water resistant if not water proof.

Like I said Im leaning tward the XOG but is there something better?

[bigbad401]

Garmin Oregon!

[Ed Carlson]

Another vote from me for the Garmin Oregon 300, or a Garmin Nuvi 500/550 series, or above.

Garmin Oregon 300

The Oregon 300 puts the great outdoors at your fingertips. This next-generation handheld features a rugged, touchscreen along with a built-in basemap with shaded relief, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, microSD™ card slot, picture viewer and more. Even exchange tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches wirelessly between similar units.

Garmin Nuvi 500/550

Multi-mode navigation

preloaded street maps for lower 48 states and U.S. topographic maps, speaks street names, optional FM lifetime traffic, optional MSN® Direct, waterproof, multi-mode, Where am I?

They both can run LakeMaster data cards and or MNTRAX, NDTRAX, or MTTRAX chips.

[gofishingtom]

good luck finding a XOG they were discontinued a while back maybe a used one on a place called craig or e-b-a=y the new lowrance product gps take micro sd cards which arent available yet maybe end of march but we are all holding are breath on that one.......

[Dozer]

Thanks for the info on the XOG being discontinued. I didnt know that, there are all kinds of them on e bay.

[Dozer]

Garmin Oregon 300s and Nuvi 500s are about $300 Not so sure I want to drop that kind of cash. Especially since I would have to buy all new chips. What makes them worth the money?

What about a nuvi 1490t?

[bigbad401]

The Nuvi 500's are a crossover GPS that is rugged like a handheld. It is waterproof were the Nuvi 1490 is not. The Lowrance XOG's batteries only last 4hrs and I believe that it is not replaceable. You have to have the charger with you all the time. The Nuvi 500 batteries are replaceable and they last around 8hrs. The Nuvi 500 and the Oregon series are route able GPS's. If you buy a new Lowrance Endura series GPS you will have to buy new chips anyways, as the old chips don't work with the new stuff. Personally if you are doing a lot of "off the road" stuff then buy a Oregon. I have a 200 and love it. I wish it did have more internal memory, but that is ok. I have seen on a popular HSOforum an Oregon 300 for under $250.

[Dozer]

Does the Oregon have an internal recharchable battery or AAs? I like the internal rechargables like the XOG better. Even if they only last a couple hrs because once you plug it in it is recharging, I would very rarly use it very long without somewhere to be plugged in.

[MuleShack]

The oregons take AA just like the H2O, but they also have the mini USB so you can use your phone charger to plug it in.

Of course you can use rechargeable AA batteries also.

The features on the Oregon are pretty cool, from terrain to trails to wireless data connection.

[bigbad401]

But you can not recharge your batteries with the USB plug for the Oregon. So you can have it plugged in, not using any battery power, then when you do not have the ability to use the USB plug in then you have 16 hours of AA battery power.

[Dozer]

I would much rather have a battery that charges when I plug it in. Just seems like a better system to me.

[bigbad401]

I rather have batteries that I can change so I don't have to wait a couple hours for the unit to charge, especially when I need it. But to each their own. Plus, batteries will eventually die and when they need to get replaced, like in the XOG, you need to send the unit back to Lowrance and that is a $100. I have a buddy that had to do that already with his XOG. That was a major turn-off for me.

[Ed Carlson]

But you can not recharge your batteries with the USB plug for the Oregon. So you can have it plugged in, not using any battery power, then when you do not have the ability to use the USB plug in then you have 16 hours of AA battery power.

Garmin now has a Lithium Ion battery pack upgrade available for the Oregon line.

$25

With our NiMH battery kit, you can charge 2 AA or AAA NiMH batteries using an AC outlet. Includes 2 AA NiMH batteries and international adapter plugs for the U.S., U.K., Australia and Europe.

So you could use alkaline replaceable batteries or the LITH-ION pack, whatever you wish, just swap them out.

I have 2 Garmin Rhino 530 HCx units with Ion packs. 6 years on one unit and the original Ion pack, 3 years on the other, and a couple years on my spare pack that I seldom use. They hold up very well. For me the Ion packs have paid for themselves many times over.

[wildmanp]

garmin bundle pack at cabels $299 all you got to do is by lake master

[1luckydad]

So will a normal vehicle type Garman with a card slot work with the Lakemaster and Trax cards also? ie Nuvi 255w I wish they made the 500 - 550 with a wide screen. I wish to use it in the boat and car where portability isn't an issue.

[bigbad401]

Yes it will. Lakemaster has a compatibility list on their HSOforum to show which units will work.

[Dozer]

Im kinda starting to lean tward the Nuvi 500 or 550. Whats the difference bettween them? Im assuming they have trail mapping capabilities?

[MN Mike]

Built in maps, the 500 has a U.S.Topo map, 550 does not, the 550 is geared towards road maps of North America, the road maps in the 500, include the lower 48 states and Hawaii only.

Trail mapping as in uploading some of the ' 1 off ' maps people are putting together and the preloaded chip or DVD stuff, yes, it will do that too.

Mike

[Dozer]

Ive been doing some reasearch and I thought the only difference was the 500 had US, puerto rico and Hiwaii and the 500 had US, Canada and Alaska?

When I say trail mapping I mean saving the trail I just drove down.

[MN Mike]

Yes, you are correct on the 500 and the 550 BUT the 500 also includes a U.S. topo map and yes, they do display and save your tracks that you have made, walking, boating, 4 wheeling, snowmobiling or driving in your car.

Mike

[Ed Carlson]

It also pays to see what models will use the peripheral PC mapping programs offered by Garmin, N-Route...ect. Google Earth compatible and how easily this info can be integrated or shared with others.

This will only expand in months ahead to even greater user options. Garmin has a lot of new tricks in the works that will make interface on the web to your GPS far more ingenious and user friendly.

[Dozer]

Ive been told that the Oregon will zoom in further on a lakemaster card than a nuvi 500. Any truth to this?

[MN Mike]

I was using my Nuvi 250 a few weeks ago on Lake of the Woods with the Lakemaster chip, I believe it said 80 ft and that was it, couldn't zoom any further.

Mike

[bigbad401]

I think the Oregon will go to 20ft. That is off the top of my head, but I believe to be right.

[MuleShack]

Yea, I seen 20ft on my Oregon on friday when I was out fishing.

[MN Mike]

I finally got to use my Nuvi 250 with the Lakemaster chip last weekend on Lake of the Woods, I bought the Nuvi over a year ago and at the time had no intentions of using it with a Lakemaster chip but I will be purchasing another new Garmin soon so I decided to see how the chip worked. Mounted the 250 on my sled with a cigarette lighter adapter and a 12v flasher battery in the back of the seat, worked out well. I can only zoom in to 80 feet with the chip, which wasn't too bad but there was one feature I was unaware of when using the 200 series Nuvi's.

The Compass page is not included on this Nuvi 250's or any 200 series that I am aware of BUT you will get it on the 500 series and maybe others, if you're looking at purchasing a Nuvi and plan on using it on the water, I would make sure it has the Compass page, I found it to be a pain in the butt without it. You can still navigate to where you want, arrows will point you there but the numbers count down in increments of 10 and 5 feet, the page you do this on is not very big. If you prefer the using the map and following the line, that works but it's not the same as how the handhelds work.

Here is the page that is missing on my Nuvi 250.

If you are considering purchasing a Nuvi and it is not a 500 or 550, download a owners manual from Garmin's site and search for COMPASS, if it doesn't come up like is shows above it probably doesn't have this option.

All of the handhelds will have the compass navigation page.

Mike