GPS - Ice Fishing Only -Which One?

[grundy]

I have a garmin gpsmap 76 csx with the Minnesota Lakemaster Chip and it is awesome. One foot contours on the larger lakes (Mille Lacs, Leech etc) and five foot contours on the smaller lakes. I wouldnt go fishing without it or my Marcum LX7. Just my two cents worth.

[bobbymalone]

Sorry, I'm a bit ignorant to this topic as well. If you used a nexus 7 and a downloaded app wouldn't you need wifi out on the lake or how would the gps work along with the map app?

You can download map data to your device to avoid needing an internet connection.

Not sure how accurate the GPS chip on one of those things is though. I have my doubts whether it's as a good as a dedicated handheld.

[MidCoast]

Can you save spots on the Navonics app?

[dfeste]

Yes you can mark waypoints on the Navionics app with a smart phone.

Some earlier questions asked about the Upper Midwest Fishing Guide and how it compared to LakeMaster. The answer is it is identical. Prior to Humminbird buying out LakeMaster Garmin owned the rights to all of its mapping data. Another question asked about LOW being included and yes it is. As far as a mapping chips or downloaded maps go, the Upper Midwest Fishing Guide is a great bang for the buck even at $100.

[cribbageboy]

Yup. You can save spots. My handheld just collects dust now. I don't even bother bringing it. The app is like $10-$12. If you don't like it, you aren't out much. Don't know why you wouldn't like it though.

[Jared_P]

Thought about the app but some of the areas I go don't get the greatest reception.

JP

[aczr2k]

Yeah the app would be very expensive for me, we only fish LOW and my phone constantly bounces off Canada towers...Not cheap at all.

[Lusid]

I just picked up the Garmin Upper Midwest Fishing Map off amaz0n for 75bux..

Figured we got 10k lakes and if i buy a car garmin I can use it in that when the time comes.

[Reverence]

I've never used an app for fishing, but i'm guessing it's just like google maps or a navigation app on your phone in which you use data. (3G,4G)

[bigbad401]

Anyone run the Navionics maps on an Ipad? Does it work without wifi or network?

[bobbymalone]

lots of failure to read above posts going on here.

Several times it has been mentioned that you can download map data beforehand, then you don't need an internet connection for it to work.

Your phones GPS doesn't care if there is any sort of service. Neither does the app if the map data is already downloaded.

The Navionics app works great for $5, and you can download maps for offline use if you don't have service out on the lake.

[CaptainMusky]

Yeah the app would be very expensive for me, we only fish LOW and my phone constantly bounces off Canada towers...Not cheap at all.

Simple solution Disable the mobile phone locaiton services and use only the GPS.

Too many people dont understand how cell phone "GPS" works. There is GPS AND then there is the "location" services that utilize cell towers to determine your location. Location services is useless anyway if intending to be somewhat accurate in your positioning so turn that off.

You will NOT be charged for using the GPS! I have used my phone in LOW in the middle of the lake, it prompted me that I would be "International Roaming", disabled that and the GPS worked fine. I spent a week in Canada on LOW and used my phone then too. No issues, no charges.

[Lusid]

Accuracy between Cell phone and stand alone GPS.

http://www.backpacker.com/gear/ask_kristin/319

Just some food for thought..

[bobbymalone]

Cell tower triangulation aids in quick fixing your position by GPS. With tower triangulation, it might take a few seconds to find your position. If you have it off it might take a few minutes to zero in. It's not useless, but it's not necessary either.

My handheld seems to use the last known position to start calculating the current position. So if I turn it on and I'm pretty close to where I turned it off, it might take 10 seconds or so to get some sort of position fix. If I turn it off in MN and turn it back on in California, it might take 3 or 4 minutes to determine my position.

My phone can sometimes take 10 minutes to figure out where I am at if it can't triangulate from cell towers and I'm a long ways from my last known position. Tried this in Buttscratch, Ontario last year. Shut my phone off in Thunder Bay, turned it back on several hundred miles later in the middle of nowhere. Took a long time to find my position.

[Iceboy]

Your iPad has to be a cellular one to have a proper GPS in it, unfortunately. One of many reasons I love my Wifi-only Nexus 7 over the iPad - it has a real GPS built in and is very accurate for $250 vs $620 for the equivalent iPad Mini Cellular. And it has a better screen & is lighter.

[Vitreus]

I'm looking for a dedicated GPS. I have navionics for my iPhone, but honestly I'm not crazy about the interface. On top of that, I don't think its good for the phone when I'm hole-hopping in subzero conditions. Any reports on a good, rugged unit for ice fishing?

[bigbad401]

Your iPad has to be a cellular one to have a proper GPS in it, unfortunately. One of many reasons I love my Wifi-only Nexus 7 over the iPad - it has a real GPS built in and is very accurate for $250 vs $620 for the equivalent iPad Mini Cellular. And it has a better screen & is lighter.

Thank you for the kind response! Exactly what I was looking for. My college made us get Ipads or else I would have got a Samsung Galaxy or similar.

[MN Mike]

I'm looking for a dedicated GPS. I have navionics for my iPhone, but honestly I'm not crazy about the interface. On top of that, I don't think its good for the phone when I'm hole-hopping in subzero conditions. Any reports on a good, rugged unit for ice fishing?

How much do you want to spend? Garmin GPS's with mapping features will run you anywhere from $150 - $650 depending on the bells, whistles and screen size, most will be in that $200 - $350 mark, that seems to be the sweet spot.

You'll find some of the Oregon 450's on sale, Garmin has updated the Oregon lineup with the 600 Series now, I've got one and it works great.

Etrex 20 or 30 are worth looking at.

GPSMap 62's are very nice.

As I stated above, the GPSMap 78 ( same as the 62 but different button configuration ) is a nice rugged GPS and it floats if you happen to drop it in water.

The Monterra seems to be the new big dog in the handheld market.

The Monterra and Oregon 600 series are Android Powered, something new for Garmin.

Rhinos are Garmin GPS equipped Walkie Talkie's and they offer some unique features popular among hunters, hikers and the outdoor community.

There are only a few differences between Garmin GPS models and Garmin has a nice way to compare models on their HSOforum if you aren't sure what you want. If you're a hunter, you might want to look for the models with the 3 axis electronic compass.

Lots of free maps available out there for the Garmins, you can get Satellite imagery for about $30 per year and they have a free program called BaseCamp that works on your computer to interface with the GPS.

There's something to be said about the ease of use and simplicity of a dedicated handheld.

Mike

[bigbad401]

It is about time Garmin uses Android for their OS. Makes much more sense. I have an Oregon 200 that I have used for several years now and it works really good. While the OS on it is a little clunky, the unit does its job. You can still find the older Oregon GPS's as refurbs for under $200 and that to me seems like a good deal. I have seen the Oregon 450 for 170 and that is an upgrade from my 200.

[KirtH]

The Navionics App and a waterproof case like the Lifeproof and you can get a foam case that floats just in case!

[Vitreus]

How much do you want to spend? Garmin GPS's with mapping features will run you anywhere from $150 - $650 depending on the bells, whistles and screen size, most will be in that $200 - $350 mark, that seems to be the sweet spot.

You'll find some of the Oregon 450's on sale, Garmin has updated the Oregon lineup with the 600 Series now, I've got one and it works great.

Etrex 20 or 30 are worth looking at.

GPSMap 62's are very nice.

As I stated above, the GPSMap 78 ( same as the 62 but different button configuration ) is a nice rugged GPS and it floats if you happen to drop it in water.

The Monterra seems to be the new big dog in the handheld market.

The Monterra and Oregon 600 series are Android Powered, something new for Garmin.

Rhinos are Garmin GPS equipped Walkie Talkie's and they offer some unique features popular among hunters, hikers and the outdoor community.

There are only a few differences between Garmin GPS models and Garmin has a nice way to compare models on their HSOforum if you aren't sure what you want. If you're a hunter, you might want to look for the models with the 3 axis electronic compass.

Lots of free maps available out there for the Garmins, you can get Satellite imagery for about $30 per year and they have a free program called BaseCamp that works on your computer to interface with the GPS.

There's something to be said about the ease of use and simplicity of a dedicated handheld.

Mike

Good answer, thanks. Think I'm going to go with buttons vs touch screen.