Marine GPS suggestions ?

[String]

Anyone on here got experience of fixed marine GPS systems with plotters?

Been given the task of researching possible GPS solutions for a boat and a potential budget.

Looking around it seems the Garmin models are most popular.

Has anyone got experience of the GPSMAP 176 or 182 (non colour) and the bluecharts software ? If not, any similar price range alternatives by any manufacturer?

Is the bluecharts software on CDROM and buying a blank data card more flexible than buying a pre-recorded card? If so, what size blank card is recommended?

Anyone with GPS plotter solutions with max budget of roughly £550 please feel free to add an opinion

 

[Tom Winters]

Garmin has some fo the best technology out there. That said, the boat I just got came with a Lowrance LCX-15MT which is a GPS/dual frequency sonar/nav plotter, which is roughly comparable to the Garmin GPSMAP 178. When I replace it, I'd go with either Furuno or Garmin electronics. The Lowrance is nice, but I'm just plain partial to Furuno and Garmin.
It came with charting software and takes two MMC cards that I haven't gotten around to messing with yet.
I used to use an old Garmin 148XL handheld when I drove a dive boat in Hawaii - the stuff today is unreal. I'll probably pass on color (colour to you over there) and stick with a monochrome display. The 176 looks like it has a smaller display than the 178 also, plus it appears small enough to use in a car as well. I want the biggest display I can get out there.
On the chart chips - see what's available for over there - for diving, you're going to want to annotate your electronic charts with local knowledge. If you use radar over there on your boat - get everything from the same manufacturer. Even though everyone adheres to the universal NMEA 183 interface, you can run into a nightmare of interconnectivity mixing different companies.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

String: You didn't say how much area you need to cover.
The BlueCharts aren't very big (About 250K or less per
chart). I can get everything I need in the 3M internal
memory in my Garmin 162.

An advantage of the CD-ROM is that you can plan trips
on your computer.

 

[String]

Whoops forgot that bit. Basically the "usual" operation area is maybe 30nm radius usually smaller.

 

[_Kurt_]

String-
I have a Garmin 176C, which is no longer made. I have a 128 mb data card. One of the advantages of the data card/software setup is that you can pick and choose exactly what areas you want to download to it. If you are going to use this unit exclusively on a boat, I recommend getting the remote antenna unit and mounting it away from any overhead structure on the boat (you can also get a car antenna). I seem to have had issues with mine when the bimini is up, but it appears to be better now that I have dowloaded the new software/operating system for it from Garmin. Garmin is continually improving the operating systems for their units and is fantastic about helping to resolve issues you may have with a particular unit or software program. The data cards are not too much more for the bigger sizes. You can get some good buys- use Froogle on Google or ebay- I found it cheaper with Froogle. Get the biggest card you can afford- you don't have to fill it up now, but you may want the extra memory in the future. If I can answer any more questions, feel free to PM or email me. Kurt

 

[String]

A bit more info, its for a RIB so being covered isnt an issue, external antenna is a must and will be mounted to the A-frame. We've already got a decent sounder so dont really want or need the extra expense for an integrated unit. The unit has to be splashproof as spray and rain are going to hit it and its going to take a fair pounding as the ride on a RIB over here can rarely be described as smooth. For this reason a fixed mount not a handheld is essential. The unit is never going to be used anywhere except on this boat so portability other than occasional to/from a pc isnt an issue.


Ive noticed a huge variation in price from different suppliers for the same unit but all of which far above what the price is in the US for the same thing as per usual.

£550 is an absolute maximum budget so as bluecharts is about £150 leaves £400 max for the GPS and card and external antenna. This appears to be fairly restrictive but ive found one supplier that sells the 176 and 182 for slightly under this price. If the offer is genuine its probably worth investigating.

Its to replace an Eagle UltraII system that hasnt worked from the day we aquired the boat (second hand).

I take it the Garmin datacards arent simple compact flash or similar and are their own standard/connection meaning i cant use a cheaper manufacturers?

Can anyone confirm the GPS+card+antenna+chart is all thats needed for a 100% working system with no extra hidden costs or things to buy? (Technically its not my money im spending, its on behalf of a club therefore have to give a proper justification and breakdown).

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Beyond GPS+card+antenna+chart, you MAY some marine grade wire, etc to power it
if the power/data cable isn't just right for your boat. Antenna will come with the unit,
but I don't think the the 176 comes with a cable to remote the antenna. I'm pretty
sure it's just a BNC cable of some specific type. The Antenna normally just clips to the
back of the antenna. If you got the 176, I'd start out with the antenna on the unit
and see how that works.

THESE Garmin chips are propriatary. I think some of the more recently units use a
standard CF card. Beware if you start chasing this stuff on e-bay. Garmin has used
three different propriatary chart chips over the years, but BlueCharts have only come
on the most recent (the earlier ones had an early chart product).

When you get it, do some homework on the status of EGNOS, which is the Euro-version
of US WAAS, which improves accuracy to about nine feet, which is more accurate than
I can hold the boat as the anchor goes down.

All the marine-grade GPSs are reasonably watertight. The best are rated JPS-7 or
IPX7 -- both specs are essentially 3', 30 minutes. Both of the Garmins you are
interested in are IPX7. I won't put anything that's not JPS-7 or IPX7 on my Boston
Whaler.

You might want to check http://www.tvnav.com and see if he'll ship across the pond.
Daryl who runs it has very good prices and very knowledgeable and reputable, even if
he isn't a web artiste (you'll know what I mean when you see the site).

I think it will be cheapest to buy a pre-programmed card if it's available for your area.

 

[jchaplain]

Anyone on here got experience of fixed marine GPS systems with plotters?

Been given the task of researching possible GPS solutions for a boat and a potential budget.

Looking around it seems the Garmin models are most popular.

Has anyone got experience of the GPSMAP 176 or 182 (non colour) and the bluecharts software ? If not, any similar price range alternatives by any manufacturer?

Is the bluecharts software on CDROM and buying a blank data card more flexible than buying a pre-recorded card? If so, what size blank card is recommended?

Anyone with GPS plotter solutions with max budget of roughly £550 please feel free to add an opinion

I don't know a lot about the various brands of dedicated chart plotters, but what I do is I go with the cheap but flexible solution. I use a Garmin E-Trex. Then I use Ozi-Explorer software on my laptop with scanned and calibrated charts to plot courses before I go on a trip, and upload the courses (tracks) from my laptop to the handheld Garmin.
Cheap, easy, flexible, and works great if you have a laptop to hook up to your handheld GPS. Plus, I can see my real time position as I'm underway if I leave the handheld gps hooked up to the laptop to act as a chartplotter.

The other option I would think of going is a pocket pc also running software like Ozi-Explorer. The pocket PC ( about $300) can be hooked to a handheld GPS to act as a real time chartplotter as well. This way you're getting a handheld computer instead of just buying a chartplotter device that mounts in the boat and thats all it does.

Boat mounted chartplotters are nice to have too though.....I dunno...different stokes for different folks and budgets.

John C.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I don't think he wants to take a laptop out on a RIB. And pocket PCs aren't submersible
either.

And I've tried using an eTrex (Vista) on a boat, it's darn hard to read that little screen
underway.

 

[OE2X]

I've got a Garmin 182C on my 7 meter Zodiac. It works like a charm. I have the antenna mounted on an A-Frame on the stern. The unit sits out in the open and uncovered. I've launched this boat in 10' - 15' swell with no issues to the Garmin. It has been pretty bombproof.

I looked at the black and white monitor and decided to spend the extra money for the color. I'm glad that I did. I have three Blue Chart chips that cover the whole west coast of US and Canada. The extra ones sit in small pelican case.

FYI - If money were no object then I would get the new Garmin chartplotter that will have the radar overlay to it. I believe it will come out sometime in '05. It is the same size as the 3006C and will run $5,000 or so complete.