How do you use your GPS???

[kwiggy]

Well, it looks like the H2O is the recommended GPS, but what I would like to know is... how have you guys used your GPS? Some guys talk about mapcreate software. Some talk about sharing info on PC with others. The only thing I know about GPS is that it tells you where you are and how to get to a waypoint. What are some of the extra things a GPS can do? I know you can save your super-secret hotspot, but what are some of the terrain features, route features, etc... and how do you utilize them?

Thanks! You guys are full of it... information that is

[grousehunter]

Kwiggy - I havnt really used my ifinder i just bought yet...but i used to use my friends garmin(which was really nice, just way more expensive then i could afford). One of the main things i would use it for was to find promising grouse hunting areas. It showed me where swamp edges were, which likely means dogwood and a little more fertile soil which is good for grouse and woodcock. It was nice to show me where elevation changes are which also will help determine what kind of trees etc are there before you even start the walk. It was also nice to know where certain trails were if you decided to just go off walking in the woods and then wanted to reconnect with a trail. It does not show all trails, but will show more used ones such as snowmobile trails. Im sure you could use it the same way for scouting for deer hunting. It will also show you all the roads you need to take to get to a certain spot such as a wma or a certain piece of land in the stf you want to hunt. I never used that one for fishing, but will use my ifinder for fishing a lot and thats why i went with lowrance because i heard they have better lake map options. Theres a few things i used a gps for.

Blake

[late night]

Did you get the lake map chip? If so, you dont have to down- load anything. I read the instruction book for the better part of three days to understand the unit. Basically turn it on and zoom in and out to get better detail of the area you are in. The triangle marking your position should leave a trail where ever you have been with the unit on. If not you have to go throught the menu. To mark a spot hit enter twice and it should leave a waypoint. To get back on the spot zoom in closer and closer the closer you get to your marked spot until the number in the lower left of the screen says .02 mi or until the unit beeps.

I could go on for a long time. Best thing to do is sit down with the unit and the instruction book and learn. There are lots of features I don not use. Just the basics of how to find my way back from where I came and marking waypoints. Thats about all I need

[Powerstroke]

I have a Magellan thats a couple years old. It doesn't use the lake chips, but I do have topo software that I can use for land maps and for analyzing hunting areas. I use it to save routes on land and water and I like it for marking boundaries of property.

Probably my biggest use is to make my own maps. I mark property corners, roads and trails and special terrain features. I've also blended these details with aerial photos.

[kwiggy]

I have not bought a GPS yet, but when I do I will get a lake chip too.

Powerstroke... do you get your aerial photos from the net? Are they free? This is an example of something I have no idea on what a GPS can do.

[Craig Plummer]

One sweet feature that I found was if you press "find" then goto map places, POI-Restraunts (or any of the other POI's on the list) It will bring up a list of all the nearest restraunts with an option to locate it on your map or even give you there address and telephone #

[Steve Foss]

kwiggy, I can't help you on all the bells and whistles because I just use my basic Garmin ETrex to mark fishing spots and come back to them later.

I have paper maps of all the lakes I fish, and when I find a key spot I want to mark, I give it a title as a waypoint and pencil in that title on the paper map. I enter waypoints both summer and winter, and I typically refine summer waypoints with winter hole drilling because summer waypoints aren't quite as exact sometimes. Wind drifts a person here and there, or trolling does, so I like to go back to those places in winter, drill a ton of holes and look for that spot on the spot, then edit the summer waypoints to reflect the slight changes.

I know that's now considered "old school" when it comes to everything GPS can do nowadays with integrated lake maps and all, but it works for me.

[anyfishwilldo]

I have an H2OC and do not mess around with the map create or the PC. Once you dive into it you will find out how simple it is to use and some of the questions you have asked will come to light. Some of the handy features are the goto and find. When you are moving around it will mark a trail for you which can help getting off a new lake at night.

[GoFish4]

I use it for all of my outdoor activities. Hunt on a farm and waypoint all the stands. Its with on the boat so I can follow break lines and find mid lake humps. Same for the winter, find humps, breaks ect. I have the h2oc with lakemaster and it shows me where I am going or have been!! In the truck it shows the roads to the back lakes and shortcuts. Darn things do just about anything once you learn to use all of their functions which took me awhile and time with the manual

[BobT]

How do I use my GPS? Man that is a loaded question.

Because mine is a mapping GPS and Garmin offers mapping software for my PC, I can start a fishing trip by opening my MN Lakemaster on my PC and review the lake contour. I can then mark waypoints and name them. Sometimes I'll name them numerically and use this to plan my fishing route around the lake. Next, if it's a lake that I have not been to before I can plot a route from home to the landing. Next I can select the map sections (up to 8Mb) that conatain the route and lake contours. I can now connect my GPS to my PC and download my maps, waypoints, and route. I can now use the GPS to follow my route to the lake and back. Once on the water I can tell it to go to the waypoints I marked in the order I choose and it will take me to within about a 9 foot accuracy most of the time, sometimes within about 7 feet.

I can use it while fishing to mark locations where I've been successful or mark structure if my mapping software doesn't have details for the lake I'm on. I use it to create tracks so I can get myself back home even after dark. This is very handy if you are out on a larger lake after dark. By backtracking a trail I created on the way out I can safely return at night knowing that I will not likely hit anything.

I've used it to mark hazards so I can avoid them at night.

I also have USTopo software that works nice for hunting situations. It displays low wetland and rough changes in elevation. Many trails are marked that I would never have thought were there. I've used the tracking feature to mark trails while riding my ATV. I can then download these to my PC for future reference.

I use mine for vacation travel to find addresses, wayside rests, gas stations, hotels, etc. as many are stored in my POI (Points Of Interest) database.

I've used mine to mark the perimeters of my farm fields and accurately measure the acreage of my various fields.

Mine is a Garmin Rino120 which also has a FRS/GMRS radio built in and so that too comes it quite handy. If I had two of them I could see the other person's position on my screen because the GPS can be configured to transmit position data via the radio. I'm thinking of doing this for my daughter when she starts hunting alone next year. This way she can see where I am and vise versa.

I could go on and on.

The best advice I can give you is to use it. The more comfortable you get with its features and capabilities the more uses you will find.

Good luck!

Bob

[PerchJerker]

There's lots of good info in this thread already.

I troll a lot, in open water a lot, and a gps is invaluable for that. The most basic thing is that it shows you your speed. It also shows waypoints or icons that you've set (set them when you catch fish, or when you mark good fish or bait), shows trails where you've been, and shows where you're heading. With this info you can either cover water where you're marking fish / bait or catching fish, or you can troll through an area you haven't been before. If you save this info in the gps, over time you will start to see areas that tend to produce on a more regular basis.

All the same applies to contour trolling also, but the addition of map chips has taken this to another level.

As others have mentioned you can mark and find underwater structures. With high definition map chips you can set up on the most promising places on those structures. This applies to open water or ice fishing. One thing you can do when ice fishing is use your atv / sled / vehicle / footprints to trace the contours in the snow, for example the top and bottom of the break on a Mille Lacs mud flat or a Winnie sand hump. Then you can put the gps away and use your tracks in the snow to visualize the structure beneath you.

I've also used mine to program safe travel routes on large Canadian lakes (lots of islands and bays) that I didn't know - build a route before you leave or on your way, and follow the route back home. You can do the same thing by following your backtrail (as long as your unit saves the trail info long enough to get you back).

On big open lakes like Mille Lacs and Winnie, I navigate to the cursor quite frequently. Scroll the display to where you want to go, then hit the option for Go To cursor.

I also use mine for hunting. I've mapped trails on my property and measured the size of my food plots. Taken coordinates for my cabin to help my guests find the place. The lakemaster chip gives some great info for grouse or deer hunting in the woods up north, with roads, trails, bodies of water, etc. When grouse hunting in the thick woods, especially when I leave the trails, I mark a few key spots along the way that will tell me how far I've gone and help me find my way back out.

Lots of guys use them when traveling. I've done it at times to mark roads or find POI, but usually I find this to be more hassle than it's worth. To each their own I guess.

Good luck with your gps and getting the most out of it for you.

[_FearNoFish4:20_]

Look at the lowrance expedition C. excellent gps. It has many functions you can take advantage of such as barometer,scouting areas,multiple icons for raod and land nav. I also have a Lowrance lxc27 for open water fishing With it having a split screen and a sonar you can effectively cover a designated area. You are only as good as your electronics. Dont short change yourself. For all the money you put into catching fish between,bait,your time,beer money and GAS you owe it to yourself to have everyadvantage possible!