Purchasing a Handhelp GPS

[MN BassFisher]

So I've determined that a handheld GPS will be my next purchase for ice fishing, they are so helpful and informative. And quite frankly I think I'm just missing some great information by not having one. Freinds of mine have Navionics on their phones but my phone is just not that hi-tech. So I just wanted to get some input from some GPS owners and see what seems to fit the needs for a fisherman. That would be the main use for my unit, fishing. I'm not sure which can have a lakemaster chip and which can't. If you have any tips or recommendations that would be really helpful! I've done some research and I was hoping to buy a unit for around $200-$300. Thanks!!!

[mosquitoman]

well, i have a Lowrance H2Oc with a Navionics map chip. its not the best GPS unit on the market by any means but it has worked great for me fishing both in the summer and winter. they are easy to use and not too much money. I actually think Garmin has better units that are a little more hi-tech but i have not thought twice about my lowrance unit!

[highlife4me]

I have the H2O also. Works good for me, except the power cord sucks. I have the Lakemaster chip. Chose that one since it shows roadsfor use in vehicle, I have used a Navionics chip also. More lakes on it but it was off quite a bit on many lakes.

[bobbymalone]

The H20 is now discontinued....

I'm a huge Garmin fan myself.

[croixflats]

If your looking for a new model a Garmin Vuvi 500 or 450 would be a great choice. Discontinued models I would go for the Garmin 76csx or the Garmin 60 Csx still in that price range.

Keep in mind a Lakemaster software or chip will add another $107 and for Garmin has to be Garmin Lakemaster software.

[Ed Carlson]

So I've determined that a handheld GPS will be my next purchase for ice fishing, they are so helpful and informative. And quite frankly I think I'm just missing some great information by not having one. Freinds of mine have Navionics on their phones but my phone is just not that hi-tech. So I just wanted to get some input from some GPS owners and see what seems to fit the needs for a fisherman. That would be the main use for my unit, fishing. I'm not sure which can have a lakemaster chip and which can't. If you have any tips or recommendations that would be really helpful! I've done some research and I was hoping to buy a unit for around $200-$300. Thanks!!!

Some very good deals on the Garmin 500 out there, well in your budget range. I have one, it is a really handy, multiple task use GPS unit. It will run LakeMaster Garmin lake maps, MNTRAX and NDTRAX for hunting/fishing/camping, inter phase with Google maps and Google Earth...real easy to use. 100% Waterproof, a big plus.

Big "C" a had a deal on them for $200, not sure if it's still going or not...well worth a look.

[Sir_Sumo]

I just bought the Lowrance Endura Out&Back... works great with the 2011 Lakemaster chip. Plug and play.

I also wanted it only for the water so I got the cheapest model.

Reason why I got it vs Garmin was:

1- Accepts both Lakemaster and Navionics

2- the price at $300+ tax combined with chip

3- Easier to find chips for it locally than Garmin

I like it and it's accurate, especially when walking on the ice to a saved waypoint.

I was considering a Garmin car GPS with Lakemaster chip like some folks have but.. nah. I wanted to be able to change my batteries in case I need it for a 2+ day trip. Plus like I said, most stores don't carry Garmin chips.

[Ed Carlson]

So after it's first year, the Endura actually can run mapping, and work as it was advertised it would? SWEET!

My experiences from day one with that line are all..not good. 4 out of 5 sold were returned, no mapping and the updates locked up the units so the costomers needed to send them in to get unlocked, and then charged by Lowrance to fix them. WTH..it was a mess from day 1.

I can't recommend it to anyone after the hassles they put people through this year. It's way down at the bottom of my list.

I truly hope it behaves for you, and you bought the extended warranty.

[Sir_Sumo]

Yeah I mean, I have never owned another portable gps aside from my tomtom car gps but yup, if that's what is to be expected of a gps where it shows where you are and the arrow moves when you move while showing the contours of the lakemaster lake you are on, then yes, mine works awesome. No extended warranty purchased. I have read of disasters as you stated but that's why you don't always want to jump on the first generation anything when it comes to electronics. I was told that the 2011 LM chips are truly compatible so i dunno about the earlier years. So hey, it could be the chips and not the gps. Who knows, all i know is, mine works.

[MN BassFisher]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I'm going to keep researching and I'll take a look at the Garmin 500, thanks Ed. If anyone else has any tips, keep them coming because I have a lot to learn when it comes to GPS. Thanks Croixflats for reminding me of the extra cost of the lakemaster chip, I knew that it would cost extra but now I know how much. I appreciate all the input everyone!

[MN BassFisher]

Some very good deals on the Garmin 500 out there, well in your budget range. I have one, it is a really handy, multiple task use GPS unit. It will run LakeMaster Garmin lake maps, MNTRAX and NDTRAX for hunting/fishing/camping, inter phase with Google maps and Google Earth...real easy to use. 100% Waterproof, a big plus.

Big "C" a had a deal on them for $200, not sure if it's still going or not...well worth a look.

I looked at the Big "C"'s HSOforum, they are in the bargain cave for $299. I browsed for a quick minute and found them at the lowest of $277. There are refurbished ones out there within my price range (found some for $190) but refurbished stuff scares me. I'm going to keep an eye on that unit though, it looks nice!!

[Hoffer]

why not buy an Itouch for 200 to 300 depending on the memory size. You can download the navionics for 15 bucks and then you have that - plus all the things an itouch can do = music, other apps etc...

It may not be as accurate as the true handheld GPS units? But I know my son uses his "map" feature on his to get around all over - and its very accurate. Just an idea.

[fishwater]

why not buy an Itouch for 200 to 300

Do the itouch units have an actual gps?

I just decided after reading a more recent Endura review online that I'm going to go pick one up today. The Lakemaster chips I would need to buy if I purchased a Garmin cost fractionally more than the Out&Back will cost. I'm going to use cabelas points so it won't hurt much if it is a dud.

I'm bringing the chips I want to run to the store, but anyone have experience running the lakemaster MN insight v.1? lakemaster 2010? LOW&Rainy v.3 on the Endura series?

[Sir_Sumo]

Well if you are buying at cabs then they should have 2011 chips by now. I'd say just get one and ask a bunch of questions like myself. I did research just like you and still pretended to be uninformed... depending on store, those guys will have bias. Cabs guys don't like those new lowrance enduras... so i went and bought mine at gander. Dunno difference with insight and regular... was told HD but watever... at 2.5" screen.. funny.

[fishwater]

Yeah, looks like the 2010 chip won't work. If the LOW v. 3... oh wait, just noticed they released a v.4 with endura compatibility. Looks like I'm a garmin guy now.. I really would like to stop dragging around an HDS5, looks like it'll cost me about $700 to get a handheld & all new maps! Why couldn't they make the gps compatible with the old chips? Way to go Navico!!!

[Hoffer]

The itouch has to have GPS because its not a cell phone. The map function on it works just like the map function on my iphone.

I am by no means an expert - and its a very good possibility the GPS function on the itouch is not as high functioning as the regular GPS handhelds. However, i can comment on one thing from experience. The screen on the itouch/iphone is SO crsytal clear. My friend made a 350.00 handheld purchase this summer and when we use it in the boat in any kind of sunlight you can hardly see the screen. The itouch screen is literally high def. I was super impressed with the navionics download. AS mentioned it may not be as high functioning or possibly as accurate down to the

foot- but it sure gives me what I need to scope out a spot.

[fishwater]

The itouch has to have GPS because its not a cell phone. The map function on it works just like the map function on my iphone.

Pretty sure it works off of wi-fi triangulation?

[BassFisherman]

How is the garmin dakota 20? Thinkin about picking one up. Seem like a decent price. How do they run? With that i also have to pick up the garmin lake map chip for $100? Thanks

[DonBo]

Look for a used H20 on the classified sites here and C List, etc. For about $200 you can get one with a lake chip already installed. Lot's of folks selling theirs and going with the apps on their smart phones.

[Tom7227]

Trouble with the H2O is that i think Lowrance isn't supporting it any more. I had an IFinder Pro and it went kaflooey and they just sent me back an email saying too bad we don't support it. It got frustrating. I also found that it had a tough time locking on if in a vehicle. The older Magellan I have stayed locked a whole lot better than the Lowrance.

I went with a Garmin 78s with Cab points and a Lakemaster CD from profishing supply and I think it's great. The learning curve was high for me but I am glad that I don't have the touch screen. As stated earlier the Cab sales people were way down on Lowrance products. With my Garmin I can download a lot of stuff for free off the internet like the public areas.

[MN BassFisher]

My uncle said he just got a new GPS so he said he'd give me his older one. I'm not quite sure what make or model it is yet but I believe I'll have it tomorrow to play around with. He said that I could add lake maps to it with a cd and he was going to try to find the cable so I could download stuff for it. I'm interested to see what unit this is?

[duck2]

I am very pleased with my recent purchase of a Lowrance Endura Safari handheld GPS and Lakemaster chip. I know that the Endura series had some problems early on. The very helpful staff at the large sporting goods store in Vadnais Heights where I bought it downloaded the latest Lowrance firmware into the unit for me before I bought it and verified that the Lakemaster chip was functional before I picked it up. That excellent customer service sold me on the unit.

[MN BassFisher]

So my uncle gave me a Garmin eTrex Vista hiking companion. It looks like this unit is discontinued. He gave me the original box, and all the cords. Does anyone know if I can get up to date lake maps on here?? And what the best way to go about doing so would be?

[MN Mike]

So my uncle gave me a Garmin eTrex Vista hiking companion. It looks like this unit is discontinued. He gave me the original box, and all the cords. Does anyone know if I can get up to date lake maps on here?? And what the best way to go about doing so would be?

Is that the black and white screen model? If so, you should have about 24 mb of internal storage in that unit, so what you can do is get the Lakemaster CD ( Garmin Lakemaster CD ) with the lakes you wish to get coverage on and import that data from the computer to your GPS via the serial cable it came with and I believe you will need to get your hands on the Mapsource software which can be downloaded from Garmins site for free if you know how to do it.

I have 2 of those black and white model Vistas and they are good units. I haven't uploaded any Lakemaster data to them, just topo data and those files were relativly small so I could put many areas in the Vista if I wanted to.

If I'm wrong on the upload process from Lakemaster via Mapsource, hopefully someone will correct me on that.

Mike

PS. If you don't have a serial port on your computer, you will need to get your hands on a Serial / USB adapter, should be able to get one for about $15 - $25 online.

[bobbymalone]

if you have an iWhatever you call it or one of them fancy phones by all means go for it.

I would hesitate to buy a $300 piece of equipment that is made for coffee shops and campus back packs and think it's gonna survive what I put my Garmin heldheld through. My GPS laughs at a splash of water or a drop on the bottom of the boat.