What is a good handheld gps unit for $200 or less?

[LEECH21]

Hello all,

I'm in search for a good handheld gps unit for around $200 or less. I unstand that the lakemaster chip will be an additional $100. I don't know alot on this subject, so any help would be great. I searched lowrance and garmin a little. Just looking for a unit that will help me out when I'm on the water thats reliable.

Thanks, Jesse

[dan z]

you can usually get the older styl lowrances for the amount your looking to spend. its the software(chips) that add up quickly if you know your lakes you really dont even need a chip, just mark your depths when you drill and go from there. good luck...

have a lowrance expidetionC and havnt updated the chip since I bought it in 05-06 i just use the old waypoints I have created and fish around that general area.

[MN Mike]

Garmin Etrex Legend HCx, color screen, accepts MicroSD cards and it has GREAT battery life. Some places just had them on sale for $119, don't know if you can still find it but I would keep my eyes open. Team that up with a $50 Lakemaster CD from Garmin's site and you're into a good little setup for pretty close to your price range.

Another one to look at would be the Garmin Etrex 20.

Mike

[LEECH21]

Thanks for the info!

I found I can get a good deal on gps units from (thegpsstore . com)

They have the:

Garmin Etrex Legend HCx for $159.95

Garmin Etrex 20 for $184.95

And I also read the Garmin Dakota 20 is good and they have it for $189.95

What do you think is the best choice out of those 3?

[MN Mike]

Of those 3, the Legend HCx will be the most basic device BUT it will give you the best battery life, although the Etrex 20 will be right there with it.

The Dakota is a touchscreen unit, the largest screen of the 3 ( by just a little bit ) and a fancier compass but has a lower battery life ( you will want to run lithium's' whichever you buy ).

The Etrex 20 will have the brightest display and the most internal memory storage, these units are brand new releases within the last few months.

I'd be torn between the Dakota 20 and the Etrex 20, I would throw a name in the hat and pull one out and go with it but I'd be lying if I didn't say I would lean towards the Etrex 20 a little bit just because of the screen brightness over the Dakota 20.

If you can get to a retailer that happens to have both on hand, I would try them out, especially if you can try them in direct sunlight.

Don't know if I muddied the waters a little more or helped you out......

Good luck! You can't go wrong with any of the 3 IMO.

Mike

[LEECH21]

Haha! Sounds like any will do! You are very knowledgable on this subject, so thank you very much for helping me out.

So, one last question.....or close to the last. Would you recommend a micro sd card for any of these units. Like a lakemaster chip? Or do they not work with Garmins? Or do I get a CD, or download from the computer? Whats the best option to get depths of Mn lakes?

Thanks again

[MN Mike]

I prefer to run the MicroSD Card myself, I have 3 Garmins that accept the memory chips, I can use the MicroSD Garmin Lakemaster chip in anyone of those OR a Garmin I buy in the future.

The Garmin Lakemaster CD Rom is tied to one Garmin GPS device ( you can only use the CD on that one device unlike the MicroSD Card ) and from what I have heard, if you lose it or if it goes bad on you ( the GPS Device ), it takes an act of Congress to get a new unlock code, if you get one at all...... that's what I have heard anyway.

You will pay more for the MicroSD Card, if you plan on more Garmins I would recommend it, if you don't plan on buying any other GPS devices in the near future, you should be fine with the CD.

These Garmin Lakemaster MicroSD chips work in the Garmin NUVI devices too, those are the turn by turn navigational units.

You can view the Lakemaster data on your PC with the CD or the MicroSD Card, so if you want to do some preplaning you can do that and transfer waypoints to the GPS.

No problem on the questions....... I'll try to help where I can!

Mike

[Esox_Magnum]

Keep in mind Lakemaster now only supports Hummingbirds so no new chips in the futur and whatevers is on the store shelves is all there is left...

[delcecchi]

Keep in mind Lakemaster now only supports Hummingbirds so no new chips in the futur and whatevers is on the store shelves is all there is left...

But now Garmin has their own data. I just noticed that and don't know how good it is, but apparently the various lake surveys have become licensable.

It is something called "Inland Lakes Vision-North Central" and includes all kinds of bells and whistles. It will take a little more digging to find out how good the lake data is.

[MN Mike]

With the Garmin Inland Lakes data you won't get the 1 foot contour data, that was the big draw to Lakemaster products, plus they covered over 3300 lakes, I'm not sure how many lakes Garmin's Inland lakes product covers for MN. Garmin has some pretty neat features on their Vision products but I'm not sure what is available for MN.

When the Lakemaster Cd's and MicroSD Cards are gone you're best bet is to look for a MNTrax data card or CD, if you are a hunter, you should probably have it anyway, you get a lot of other data on that card other than lake contour. I bought one last spring, I went to the store with the intention of buying a Lakemaster MN CD but decided on the MNTrax instead and I like it BUT then Lakemaster put their CD on sale for $50 this fall so I bought one of those too

I guess I'm not to worried about it when the Lakemaster products are gone for Garmin, they've opened their GPS devices up for others companies to build maps, something will be there in the future that will fill in for Lakemaster. Hopefully it opened Garmin's eyes and they will build us a high def contour map, until then, I'll just keep running my current Lakemaster MicroSD Card.

Just remember for future reference, I would NOT buy a used Lakemaster CD from anyone if the CD has been unlocked, you will not get any unlock codes from Garmin to use on your device, the MicroSD card is the only way to go because it did not care what Garmin device it was installed in.

Mike

[delcecchi]

According to the writeup in the new In-Fisherman Gear Guide, some of the Garmin mapping products have lakes with 1 foot contours. It didn't say which ones and the information isn't exactly obvious on Garmin web site. But they do highlight some lakes on the list as having various enhancements.

They offer a DVD for 50 and the microSD cards are 99.

I also noticed they have come out with a couple of black boxes akin to the Lowrance structure scan.

[MN Mike]

I wouldn't doubt they do have some 1 foot contour lakes, it seems to me that most of the lakes in MN are 5 ft contours and just a handful might have 1 foot BUT they keep adding more. 5 foot is better than nothing if that's the option you have after the Lakemaster products are gone.

If I remember right, last summer Garmin acquired a European company that had some sideimaging technology, I would imagine it's just a matter of time and they will be in the market with all that good stuff too.

Mike

[LEECH21]

So....I guess it turns out my wife bought me a Lowrance Endura Out & Back. She heard me talking about getting a handheld gps and I was looking at getting this one as it was in my price range, looked easy to use, and has a brite touch screen. She bought it for me for xmas. She also said she ordered the lakemaster chip thru Cabelas....my only question now is....does anyone know if the lake maps will be nicely detailed on this unit? I know it is not the "premier" for road maps...so I'm worried that the lake pictures won't be great. What do you guys think? I don't feel like being a total jerk and exchanging it for a different model...

[delcecchi]

If you get the lakemaster chip you will be good.

[MN Mike]

What do you guys think? I don't feel like being a total jerk and exchanging it for a different model...

THE WIFE?!....... Christmas gift?!.......... Lowarnce???? Enjoy your Endura

If you have 1 single bit of ammo for wanting a different device, it's that the Garmin Lakemaster MN chip from 2010 featured 3300 lakes on it's card, the Lowrance version from 2009 had 770, I do not know if has been updated since...... YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOU HEARD THIS INFO

[LEECH21]

Ha!...So your saying its probably going to stink? I will receive the card Tuesday or Wednesday and will play around with it and see how it is...

[LEECH21]

As long as the I have the basic lakes around where I live, I'll be satisfied. I usually fish the same 8 lakes anyhow....

I will let ya know if its worth keeping or exchange it when she's not looking

[LEECH21]

Well, I tried out my new Lowrance Endura Out & Back with the micro sd Lakemaster chip....and so far I'm pretty impressed! Its a very easy to use unit, with a pretty big, color, touch screen. And the Lakemaster has all the lakes that I fish with most of them at 1 foot increments. Took it out on the lake last night and it was very accurate with the waypoints. Infact, I brought home 10 walleyes and 3 jumbo perch! I know, its not the top of the line model, or even the best for the money spent, but its easy to use and has the lakes I fish so....so far, so good.

[MN Mike]

Good deal..... results right out of the box, gotta like that!

FWIW, I've never felt compelled to buy the best of anything, just as long as it works as advertised and did what I wanted it to do, I've been happy.

Mike

[fishwater]

Well, I tried out my new Lowrance Endura Out & Back with the micro sd Lakemaster chip....and so far I'm pretty impressed! Its a very easy to use unit, with a pretty big, color, touch screen.

Leech21, are you running the newest software, version 1.5?

I've been very happy with my endura so far as well, especially with the version 1.5 running. The out&back has a less than 30 second boot-up time under the new software and it has greatly improved responsiveness. Now if they could only get the navionics to work..

[LEECH21]

Yes, it has the 1.5 version.

fishwater do you have the Out & Back as well?

[MJBaldwin]

Hope you never have to deal with their customer service you will regret keeping it. I had an h2oc and let's just say its a three hundred dollar piece of garbage! Very disappointed looking at one of the etrex 20's possibly but have to do a little more research on them