let's try again...help with electronics

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Woodsong

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Well, I posted this last week in the engine/electric forum and din't get a lot of response. Maybe I just smell funny though or talk too much. :) Anyway....
I am not an eletronics nut and really am an eletronics idiot. I've never had GPS, etc. on my boat so I don't know much about thhem. However, we want to put one in our new boat, specifically one that also is a depth sounder. We don't want to break the bank but would like a good decent unit for inland lakes.
So first things first...what do you all think the differences are between major brands (garmin, lowrance, raymarine, northstar, etc.)? Where would you rank each brand in regards to quality?

Note I think I'd like to be around $800 mark, +/-.
Ones I am kicking around based on what I see on the net (no actual experience though which is where you all come in):

Lowrance 7300C:
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Marine/GM7300CHD.asp

Garmin 492 (this is a smaller model and less money though):
http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap492/

Also, I saw somewhere that raymarine had an 8" screen GPS for around $900 but I can't seem to find it again.

Surely you gear heads have some great ideas for the electronics idiot!
 
I do not have the 7300C --- but I do have the Lowrance LMS 339C-DF-IGPS --It is a combined unit tith GPS /Chartplotter and Dual Frequency depth finder with Internal GPS antenna. I bought the combined unit to get a lot of information from a small space on a 24ft bowrider. I have had the unit operating on the boat only for about a month and have been out three times into the intercoastal and up several long rivers. The accuracy and informaiton was amazing. I chose Lowrance over Garmin because of several features I liked. The unit has worked flawless. Installation and startup was easy. I am using the Nauticpath software for coastal charts. The depths and detail has been good. I am getting ready to add a fuel senser and use the LowranceNet capability so I will have GPH, MPG, fuel used, miles remaining -- etc -- all on my Lowrance GPS Custom Gauges screen. (the cost of adding the LowranceNet and fuel senser is only about $150 for the single V8 on my boat.)

I am sure others will chime in about Garmin -- Garmin certainly has it's supporters as well.
Sorry I could not comment on the actual Lowrance 7300 unit.
 
I have had garmin and standard horizon. While the Std. Horizon has alot of features, the Garmin has a much better user interface.

I am not a GPS expert.....just a casual user. $500 for a GPS gets you a nice unit. Add $150 for a sounder on top of that.
 
Might want to check out some of the newest Garmin line up too. This one is well within that range, includes all the map data and sounder capable:

Garmin 530s

BoatFix doesn't have any info yet on the page, so you'd need to go to Garmin's site to get product details for the 2007 products.
 
i don't see the point of having a combo GPS/sounder... there are many inexpensive sounders that will do a good job, cheaper than the black box for the plotter and also that won't take valuable screen space. split windows are "cool" but space is more limited on the screen than it is on your helm. i have an inexpensive Garmin sounder, i think they cost around $150 (check boatfix) that does the job.

I don't know if anyone can really say Garmin is better than Lowrance or worst than Ray... personally, i like the interface on Garmin's products. VERY intuitive, the menus are logic and easy to use. never had to read the manual. go take a look at your local high price convenience store (aka WM) and order the one you like from BF.

i also like the fact that you can buy the blue charts on CD and use it in your computer (linked to the plotter, great with a lower helm) and burn them to chips or upload to the plotter
 
I can't comment on your specific selections.

However, I had a Furuno GP7000FNT on my last boat and am having one installed on this boat as well. I thought the chart detail was good (C-Map) and the fish finder worked well in high and low power modes. For me, it also has a wide screen, so splitting the screen doesn't reduce the size to something you can't see. It also will fit in my overhead electronics box so I'm going with that unit again.

It is pricier than what you wanted to spend (2x) but you have a great new boat, so buy something you will be happy with.

IMHO. Moving parts break, so I'm not too crazy about the longevity of a hard drive inside the Lowrance chartplotter considering it will be subject to getting bounced around and to high temperatures.
 
I don't think the Lowrance 7300 does sounding. But the LMS models do gps and sounding, starting around $699. for a lms-527. I have A lowrance product and really like them, there earsy to install, easy to run and good for the price. those modles should have the water speed wheel, fishfinder, and gps antenna. all good things for boating, will let up figer speed over water,speed over land,what lake do you boat in? If you do a online search on lowrance lms527 , sure you will find one cheap. On A 24 foot boat the cables chould be ok without haveing to et a extenion cable, my cable was about 10 feet to short so I had to get one. good luck
 
I was out looking at the same units this past weekend.
I looked at the Garmin 492 and it looks fine. Good price too. The retailers are trying to move the 492 because all of the new (500 series) units are coming out in a few months and are really being pushed. Best price I found was $479. I'll probably go with that one.
The other option was the 172c which seems to be fine as well...although with a bit smaller of a screen.
 
If you want the sounder in addition to GPS then the Garmin 498c should be just about right.
john gov.
 
So let me ask a stupid/basic question (my specialty). How do I tell if the unit I am looking at shows the lakes I will have my boat on? Specifically, lake lanier, lake allatoona, and possibly the TN River? I assume the river and lanier would be no brainers but allatoona is a smaller lake so not sure if it is on the maps??? I assume it is but how do you find that out? It looks like some, i.e. the garmin 498, etc. have built in maps and then some say you have to buy a separate chip....what's up with that?
If you buy one with an internal antenna then you don't also need the dome up on the radar arch, correct?

Pascal, I went to the local high end marine store today to look at the show floor (WM)...they did not have anything above the garmin 498...would love to see the lowrance 7300. For my current boating situation I just can't see spending $1,500-$5,000 on gps, etc. as I just don't it. However, I also don't want to be squinting at a screen the size of a fly speck!

I will be glad when this is over so I can go back to worrying about more important things like whether to buy red stripe or becks for the weekend (red stripe fits REALLY well into the boat refridgerators!), whether to buy a tuna steak or beef steak for the grill, that kind of stuff.
 
In addition to the coments about the user interface on the Garmin, I also liked the information available. I now have a Raymarine C-80 and, while I love the screen size, I liked the data and settings on the Garmin better. Next boat will have to really test all before committing to a make/model. Just my $0.02 (what ever happened to the "cent" sign?)

Barry
 
For the amount of money you are spending, the screen size will be small. I'd recommend you look at the Lowrance combo units.

I have a Ray C-80, but was on a boat with same Lowrance unit I had previously, a LMS-337. It had a Navionics chip and looked better than my Ray.

To answer your question about the charting detail, you should have the selling store demo the chart chip for you, so you can see the detail and maybe even compare brands/chips. Many will not jump at demoing a brand new chip, but be persistent.

A chart chip is extra and cost 100-195 additional.

A small screen is OK if it's going to mounted very close - if you have it mounted quite a ways away, it will be that more difficult to see.
 
I have the 492 on my 212 and like it a lot. Does everything I need on that boat.
 
I have a Garmin combo and it works great. Being an express I sit pretty close to it so the smaller screen isn't much of a problem. Up on your bridge I would assume you would be back away from it some. I checked Bluecharts for the lakes you mentioned and it didn't list either. It did list the river systems. The GPS will still show you where you are at but you won't have the chart info that I have for the Great Lakes, unless I missed something on their site.

Good luck
Niles
 
Woody:
Why not go with a laptop.....navigational software......c-maps......cheap handheld GPS...
I'm sure you already have a laptop.
If yo do have the laptop you can be ready to go for $300.00 plus any C-Maps that you need...
Thats what I did and I now have a 14 inch color chart plotter with real time navigation with all the chart details..
 
laptop could be an option and I do already have one though I don't have a pilothouse/lower helm. Only concern I would have would be whether it would end up getting trashed if the weather got bad....??

You weren't able to get your laptop to show your GPS position were you? I assume you just use the handheld GPS for that and just look back and forth between that and the map on the laptop screen?
 
I have my GPS hooked into the laptop and it shows my GPS position in realtime...As the boat moves the boats position on the screen moves..I can zoom from 1200 miles into 30 feet.
Try here http://www.digiboat.com.au/
It's a free program, but only accepts C-map.
I keep my laptop down in the cuddy and have it wired to a screen. That way the laptop is not exposed to the elements.
Sorry It's not free anymore.It costs $20.00..after 180 days
 
I'll also chime in here that I like the Garmin units. Very easy to use, good screen layout, good customer support. I haven't compared them to Lowrance because I like neither the feel of the buttons nor the "feel" of the map options.

I used to have a 192C for my express. It is very similar to the 492. I'd say that this size unit is good where it is mounted close to your view. If it is some distance away you'll be squinting at it. If you want to add a sounder to the 492, assume it's readable only in full screen mode, not split, because of the screen size. But it is easy to toggle between chart and sounder modes. The upcoming units have much improved resolution that might be worth considering.

Regarding the inland lakes, the 492 series has a couple pre-loaded map options designated by the leading digit (x92). As I recall 292 is world base map only; 392 is inland lakes and rivers, and 492 is US coastal waters. You could look for the 392 unit if that's the hardware you like. Also, look for the 398 unit if you want built-in sonar - it bundles the function for an easier installation and has all the features of a 392 unit.

To check if it will include the area you need, look up the inland lake map coverage on Garmin's site. They get pretty detailed listing the waterways covered.
 
You could consider the Raymarine A65. A fairly new unit that includes Raymarine's well-regarded sonar functions.
 
Hi all,

My wife is the technical one in the family and she has told me I can buy a Wireless GPS Card for our laptop (just plug it in the slot) that will do the same job as connecting a GPS to it (just like Carver2557 has recomended). Does anyone have experience with that type of setup?

In a recent thread, TheOtherGary points out that there is FREE software available for download with up to date chart information available. Anyone else tried this?

Bcat
 
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