Best GPS for the Buck

[Guest]

My Magellan though it is the lower end model is great! ifish2 and I went for about a 45 mile ride in the car, when we arived home it showed that we went in a loop as imagined but when I walked in the door I noticed an X on the screen I was right next to my couch and I realized that I had programed it on the couch! And not in the car. Good to within ft/in.

------------------
Don't worry you'll get the next one.

[NoodleSalad]

Garmin 76SMap. The best one on the market. It's way worth the price. Lakemaster software and all the Metroguides you can find on the net. I've gone through others and finally decided to go with the best. I will find the honey hole that has been snowed over this year. Maybe it's just me but I put my money where my passion is. -NS-

[mjhowe]

WAAS is needed to get within 3 meters, otherwise you get within about 10 meters. The WAAS satelites are low in east and west, so you will only get the 3 meter accuracy if you have a WAAS capable GPS and are in a position to recieve the WAAS link. It really only exists to help the existing sattelite to pinpoint.

To get the most out of any unit, realize that the closer you get to your desired spot, the longer it will take to REALLY pinpoint you. Be patient and let the gps work when you are close to your spot, say within 50 feet. I have routinely played with mine and get very close when i use it right. And on a frozen, semi-featureless lake, with bad visibility, nothing is gonna get you on the favorite spot better!

------------------
Mike
Kalispell, MT
<<><<
"LOOK ALIVE, MAGGOT!"
(Not you Pal, I was talking to my bait)

[Guest]

I'll add my .02.

I bought a Lowrance IFinder to use on a trip to Northwest Territories last summer and I couldn't be more pleased.

For my purposes, it was easy to use and the accuracy was stunning.

One day my partner and I graphed fish in a spot near the middle of a lake where it was difficult to see the shoreline from any direction. Unfortunately the lakers that were suspended there weren't biting.

A couple days later the weather had changed and we were having better luck with the bite. Using the IFinder, we went back to find the spot (using the waypoint we had logged the previous day). I was watching the GPS, he had his eyes on the graph. When we were getting close, I was telling him, "a little left....straight ahead, a little right..." etc. He was piloting the boat and watching the graph. When we got to the exact spot I said, "riiiigggggttttt HERE!" At that exact moment, he yelled, "FISH!!" The IFinder put us back to the exact spot and the fish were still there.

Happy ending: We both dropped our jigs down the 75 feet and pulled up a couple of nice Lakers. We both thanked the US government for providing us with this awesome technology. He went home and bought an IFinder.

I'm sure everyone has stories about their model of GPS and how great they work. I'm sure they all do fine. I'm sure the one I have is no worse or no better than any others, but if anyone is thinking about this model, it sure worked great for a couple of guys.

[irvingdog]

If you have any questions about just how accurate a GPS is/can be, go out and spend an hour finding just one geocache. (the main HSOforum for geocaching should not be hard to find) The are over 400 hidden around the TC metro area, and it is a great way to practice using your machine. It is also a good way to explain how accurate these things are. If you can find a small piece of tupperware filled with McDonald toys and other cheap trinkets hidden in a hollow log somewhere in a local park, you should be able to find a sunken reef or your car after a day of deer hunting. Just remember to take something and leave something. My kid loves this game, and it gets my lazy dogs off the couch when they are not hunting.

[bassman222]

A tip that you can use to get closer to a marked waypoint whether your GPS is WAAS enabled or not is to head towards a waypoint that you want to get to and when the GPS 'zeros out' mark that spot on the ground/snow/ice and continue to head in the same azimuth to which you were heading. When the GPS reads .01 miles on the other side of the waypoint mark that spot on the ground too. Repeat the same process at a perpendicular angle to the line you just walked. The actual location should be between all of the spots that you marked on the ground, most of the time.

Bassman

[ScottO]

I second the geocaching suggestion. It is a great way to get out and explore and spend time in the outdoors during "off" seasons. Also probably the best way to learn your GPS unit and get experience with it. Check out www.geocaching.com.

I have done 25+ caches and feel extremely confident with my GPS unit now. As was stated if you can find a coffee can hidden in the woods, your favorite fishing spot or your car are easy...

ScottO