H20 and Expedtion C GPS

[fishinalot]

Hello

I have a Garmin 76 that is an awsome unit and the only reason I upgraded to a Lowrance Expedtion C was to use the same chip, waypoints etc in both the Expedtion unit and my Lowrance 522c that I run on my boat.

My question is this..... does the H20 units have a place to store the depths data when you lock in your waypoints?

My Garmin hand held did, but the Expedtion does not. Its dissapointing to pay that kind of money and no place to save that important data for ice fishing.

If the H20 does, I will be getting rid of the Expedtion and picking up an H20.

[fishinJohn]

Just a thought, maybe you could include the depth in the name of the waypoint. Unless you like to use the numbering to show how long ago you saved it. Could include the date in the name of the waypoint also. Not convenient though.

[magnum mike]

AS loing as the lake you are on has a topo map with depths, why would this matter? Depths change due to water levels so how acurate are they anyway?

[fishinalot]

I have had to add the depth to the waypoints, but it gets to long of a word when viewing.

Most maps are not that accurate and I like to know the depths I was fishing when I saved the waypoint.

Sometimes you can be 30' off with the GPS and you maybe 10' shallower then you fished last time, thats why it is important to me to be able to save the depths like the Garmin has to offer??

I'm not sure that I have the right unit that I need. I may go with a Garmin next time for Ice fishing.

[fishinalot]

Can anyone tell me if the H20 has the feature of storing the depth?

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

Not that I have seen, only in the Waypoint. i use A differn't icon for each main depth. Example 12' 17' 25' the important ones.

[farmfishing]

I think the i hunt has that feature.

[jigeye]

I wouldn't rely on any GPS point to be that accurate where you would drill a hole and be in that exact same spot you plugged it in. Your best bet is to verify with your Vex or Marcum once you get in the vacinity.

[fishinalot]

Its just a nice feature to have when you come back a few years later to fish the same area/depth you caught them at before. I think without it, you would be guessing at what depth you caught them at.

Again, Does anyone have a H20?????

I have heard everyone say how good of a unit they are!! do they have a spot on the data entry to include the depth????

Come on.... someone has to know something about this!!

Thanks!!

[Bigtime22]

yeah, i have the h20c from lowrance. maps are pretty simple unless you buy the additional chip. i have the lakemaster chip for minnesota and shows the depths of all major lakes in the state. also has bullets at each location (mainly mille lacs) that tend to be hot spots. i have had mine for a little over a week and i couldnt imagine going without it again. the h20 color is 269 and the black/white is 169. the lakemaster chip that i would definitely recommend is selling for 99. if you are ok with getting it mailed to you there are some places on the web that package the 2 together for less. i definitely recommend checking this out, cant speak for any other models or brands though.

[redbandit]

I have a H2O and as far as being able to do exactly what your other gps could do on saving depth with a waypoint. No you cannot and all the Lowrance iFinder are this way. One way you can accomplish saving depth info is to name the waypoint whatever depth your at. Then I like to go into map catagories under waypoints and "uncheck" the Names option. This allows you to have the icon showing on the map without the depth info cluttering it up. So then you just drag the cursor over the waypoint icon and the depth info (which is what you named the waypoint) pops up. Hope that helps.

[Bigtime22]

Also, you can store the depth if you dont have the chip. All you would have to do is hit enter at the location that you are at, input the depth that you are reading and it would be stored at that location. I dont know why the depth would necessarily matter though, isnt the structure that you are over more important. let me know if you have any other questions, i am not a master of the gps but i can answer some questions that you may have.

[Hotspotter]

I own an H20C, and its an integral part of the way I icefish. I'm with the rest in thinking that you can only store depth as part of the naming convention of each waypoint. Which shouldn't be a problem, as there's ample space, just put it at the end, e.g., gills16, or even crappies 52-26, with the last part being the depth that they suspended.

Even if you don't care for this, it should really not be a dealbreaker. The various chips with these units are astounding, and even though the accuracy is ~+/-3m, the fish don't necessarily "lock" into that depth range or peice of structure. Each time I fish a spot, even an old spot, it still involves many auger holes to pinpoint their location at the current moment.

The lone exceptions are extremely small patches of sand/gravel I've found in lakes like Mille Lacs amidst mud, and/or small brushpiles. That said, just drop down an underwater camera to confirm.

Joel

[minnbowhunter]

I borrowed my h20 to my brother last year to fish winnie (with the lakemanster chip) and both him and his buddy bought one on the way home. If you knew how cheap my bro is you would know how impressed he was with the unit. I will not fish without it. why the big problem with entering depths, mark your waypoints, bring up the map and they will all be on the contour lines, some of the maps in the chip don't have contour lines so enter the depths as part of the name. Don't let such a small problem stand between you and such a great tool.

[fishinalot]

The Big Deal is..... Winnie, Mille lacs etc with the 1' intervals are right on.

The other lake maps with the 3' intervals or the DNR maps are not even close to beeing accurate.

You may be in 22' of water and on a 3' interval lakemap you might only be in 10' There are several lakes I fish with those maps not showing any of the smaller humps etc, that I know about.

So when you have a waypoint locked in, it would be nice to show the depth so you would know this when pulling it up on the GPS.

Not slamming the unit... but it could have had this feature for ice fishing.

Until all lakemaps are 1' intervals I feel it would be a good feature to have.

[minnbowhunter]

ok I see your point and have a suggestion. I started a note book that I keep in my fishhouse.(I have a wheelhouse) I have sattilite tv and need to keep track of zip codes to set my dish to. My notebook soon got filled with all kinds of info that I gathered as I was fishing around the state. I take off work for 2 weeks every winter and travel with 2 other wheelhouses from lake to lake. I can look in my notes and tell the closest propane store, bait store, what I used for bait, and how succsessful the fishing was. I write suggestions to my self to try things on the next trip. If you need more info than the h20 can store for you maybe that would help. It's not the answer that you were looking for but it would give as much as you want to have. My method may seen a little overkill but one of the other guys that I fish with brings along a laptop to store info.

[schweady]

I like this: Of all the great toys and gadgets we bring along, a pencil and little spiral notebook is always in my parka's front pocket. Latest note: watch out for 10" holes! They're murder on the ol' shinbone...

[hamms-scooter]

an unrelated subject : would you h20 users say the color is better. Is it worth the hundred extra or is there more to this one then that? thanks this chat is great!