Internal or external

[Eastsider]

I am in the process of purchasing a new fishfinder / GPS unit and am wondering - what is better the external pucks or the internal antenna in a unit. I am also wondering about the color screens. Are they all that they look to be? How easy are they to read in direct sunlight? What are their advantages? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[team wild]

I have the lowrance 522 with the internal antenna and love it.The colored screen is the way to go shows more detail in my eyes and will never go back to grey.Also with the internal antena it is easier to convert over to use in the winter.Hope this helps.

[harvey lee]

I have had both. I like the internal one as it worked great for me and I didnt have to bother with the external one mounted on the boat.

[Kahuner]

Again, as others have said, I've had both. Last year using a Lowrance Globalmap 3600 w/ internal antenna, mounted just under the gunnel rail on my Lund 16', about flush with the top of the top rail. At times while 4 miles off shore, the unit would NOT stay locked on my position. That unit quit one day and this year I'll be using a Globalmap 3500 w/ the external antenna.

Internal antennas should work fine in an open boat like my "little pea shooter" and you avoid the cost of the remote antenna. Externally mounted antennas are really for boats w/ a hard-top, and when mounted on the top, the external atenna itself has a clear exposure to the skyline.

Bottom line is that I may have mounted my Globalmap 3600 (last year) too close to the gunnel.

[ryan p]

I dont think you can go wrong with the external, sometimes the internals take a long time to pick up.

[eyehead]

I had an internal for about 2 months a couple years ago. Got rid of that and got an external. Never again will I have an internal in my boat. The internal would probably be alright for a guy who will use it in the winter, but if its going to stay in the boat do yourself a favor and go with the external.

[Eastsider]

Thanks everybody for your input. You have convinced me to go with the external. I will be going to make the purchase this afternoon and cant wait to see how the color screen looks once on the water.

Thanks again

Eastsider

[Supercrew]

And mount the puck as close to above your transducer as possible if you really want your "chip" to work for you.