Whats the best handheld gps?

[croixflats]

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te] Droid is the dark blue the light blue is the GPSMAP 62 if your satisfied with this go for it.

It looks as though tall structures and a proximity to them effect the droid on the lake maybe a different story.For a one wheel wonder the price is appropriate.

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6 ft hmmm I have a rubber tape measure too but the CO dont like it.

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And the light blue line is the Gpsmap62, just so no confusion. Not trying to discredit android on actual positioning but it seems to have a hard time tracking.I am sure if if you took your H2o the tracking be the same if overlayed the droid experience if that is any consolidation. I can see side stepping not upgrading when you dont see better. Open your eyes embrace it dont deny it.

Note; a one wheel wonder pushes the car and can turn but thats all you get

[croixflats]

We really stooped to this mine is as good or better than yours? Each has their place where a user can decide for them selves. Lots of good info has been shared.

To those looking to make a decision I am sorry for muddying the waters.

The Droid APP is definitely worth looking into.

[panfishpounder00]

i bought the new endura out&back this year and love it! i will point out the same chip from the h20C works for it, but the b/w will not! i have the navionics hotmaps premium chip. so far it has been extremely accurate, down right impressive! i love the touchscreen! battery life seems to be ok, for a color unit. i have a bike handlebar mount that i maounted to my ice auger for hands free use when drilling holes and the suction cup windsheild mount for the "yota". i would recommend in a heartbeat!

[panfishpounder00]

oh, yeah just remembered.. the smartphone guys... if you drop it down the hole, how are you going to call anyone to @$#%$# about it too? lol! at least if i drop my handheld gps, i still have a phone to call for help if i get stuck or stranded! just a thoguht! lol!

[CaptainMusky]

Croixflats, interesting to see that. One thing I have read online about the GPS on some droids is that they may need to be calibrated to attain greater accuracy. I havent done it with mine, but there is like 3 steps you need to do (one is to install an app) and it is supposed to improve accuracy if you are experiencing some issues.

Personally, I am completely satisfied with that accuracy. That is close enough for me to get on the spots and the better tracking of the handheld, at least in your example wouldnt warrant all the extra cost for the handheld plus all the chips I would have to buy since I already have the smartphone.

[fishinsfun]

I use GPS at work to lay out timber sales, and accuracy is important, so I know a bit about how GPS works. Garmins (as well as all other cheap GPS's) are considered recreational grade (within about 15 meter accuracy 50% of the time). I don't know anything about the smartphones, but find it hard to believe they are any better. I could be wrong however. You need to pay thousands of dollars to get consistent accuracy below one meter. For the types of things we are talking about here (finding a fishing hole, or navigating) garmins and smartphones are likely not any different. As someone said, it comes down to features, cost, etc.

And I don't want to hear about the reference to metric!!

[leech~~]

I use GPS at work to lay out timber sales, and accuracy is important, so I know a bit about how GPS works. Garmins (as well as all other cheap GPS's) are considered recreational grade (within about 15 meter accuracy 50% of the time). I don't know anything about the smartphones, but find it hard to believe they are any better. I could be wrong however. You need to pay thousands of dollars to get consistent accuracy below one meter. For the types of things we are talking about here (finding a fishing hole, or navigating) garmins and smartphones are likely not any different. As someone said, it comes down to features, cost, etc.

And I don't want to hear about the reference to metric!!

What brand or type of GPS do you use at work? Maybe we should all be buying those so we can find the right stump, opps um hole!

[lovebigbluegills]

"What brand or type of GPS do you use at work? Maybe we should all be buying those so we can find the right stump, opps um hole!"

I would guess Trimble

[CaptainMusky]

I would guess Trimble as well, and they are not too cost effective for a general consumer.

$2800 for a handheld unit. Highly accurate, yes, but not cheap.

[leech~~]

I would guess Trimble as well, and they are not too cost effective for a general consumer.

$2800 for a handheld unit. Highly accurate, yes, but not cheap.

Huuum, will a LakeMaster chip work with them!

[JuanArellano]

I will have to go with the Colorado 400I....

[fishinsfun]

Yep, we use Trimble. The costs for the survey grade run from $2500 and up. They are all ruggedized as well, meeting military specs for water, dust, and shock. They also do have PDA type units that cost between $600-$900 and are not rugged. They get down to 1-3 meter, but you need other software for mapping and such, so again, not very cost effective for general use. A fishing or hunting guide may be able to justify it if they needed the extra mapping functions and really wanted to collect detailed data.

For example, you could set it up to collect points or tracks and then enter in weather conditions, time of day, moon phase, take geotagged photos, etc. Then you could have a detailed database of your outings without keeping a journal. There is free software out there, so you could avoid that cost, but it generally has a steeper learning curve, and little customer support.

If anyone really has an interest, let me know and I could provide more details.

[fishwater]

For example, you could set it up to collect points or tracks and then enter in weather conditions, time of day, moon phase, take geotagged photos, etc. Then you could have a detailed database of your outings without keeping a journal. There is free software out there, so you could avoid that cost, but it generally has a steeper learning curve, and little customer support.

An iphone would be perfect for all this! Yeah, when $ is on the line, precision is probably more necessary. When you are out plugging for some fish, precision is less important. If you know the spot, you know the spot; a bad gps signal isn't going to change that.

I toy with the navionics software on my phone but also always run a dedicated gps for tracking my travels. I don't care so much about gps waypoints, more about the safety of travel. Traveling big water can be scary at times, white outs and getting stuck out later than expected can get scary quick. I use an hds5 for a dedicated gps, have it rigged in a bag with a 9ah battery. It slides snuggly onto my dash of my truck and also has a strap to go around the handle bars of a sled, I can keep it wedged between my legs while riding. I would get a handheld, but don't want to re-invest in chips. I already have LOW and MN chips for both lowrance and humminbird, another set would be too much. Lowrance dropped the ball with their new product release. Are the endura's really as bad as everyone says? I almost got one from santa, but he chickened out at the last moment.