Thread: Suggestions for handheld GPS!

how vcan you have fun with ml

If you "chunk" the afformentioned FF/GPS's, chunk em my way.....Just sayin....I'll download my best coordinates to your new HDS 8.....deal?

Maybe it was the Miller lights I drank sunday but I actually UNDERSTOOD THAT from BillBob. I like 'em BillBob, not to bad and better than the natural Lights I used to drink. LOL

OK, Pstone has dibbs on my old equipment when the time comes. Not because I like him or nuthin', but because he showed some measure of restraint in not taking the opportunity to cheap shot me........this time.

So, here's the deal, follow along DD if you can.

I had a 19 ft stratos. The electronics were crapped out when I got it. So, I purchased an Eagle 480 and mounted at the bow. Next, I saved up my pennies and got an Eagle 320C for the bow. Wow, color is the bomb, I thought, but it was small and still no GPS. So, I scrimped up enough $ and got a Garmin 178 FF/GPS. Cool. Trouble was, it was black and white and I couldn't see it from the bow.

About this time, I bought a tin boat, a little 12 footer. So, I ram mounted the 178 installed a ducer on the TM and when I'd stop, I'd move the 178 from the console to the bow for fishing. I took the 320C and moved it to the tin boat. The 178 FF flat stunk, bu the GPS was good. The 480 was about as good as you could get for a FF in black and white. I then purchased a handheld so I'd have GPS in the tin boat and could mark stuff during the winter draw down.

OK, so I decided to sell the tin boat and got a War Eagle 542. Moved the stuff from the tin boat to the WE. Liked fishing the WE so much I moved the 178 to it.

Then I decided the WE was too small, I never used the glass boat (because it was so gosh awful to operate a 200 with carbs) and sold all 3 of 'em and bought the current G3. In the mele, I sold the 480, 320C, purchased an X102C and found a smoking deal on a 797SI. Put the X102C up front, the 178 next to it so I could have a full 5" of FF and 5" of GPS. Discovered the 797SI GPS is basically unusuable, so I found another smoking deal on a Garmin 530s GPS only, but in color and mounted next to to the 797.

So, when I'm on the bow, I've got color FF in 5", Black and White GPS in 5". When I'm at the console, I've got color GPS - 5", Color SI and FF in 5".

This all works great except none of it is networked and I have to manually move my waypoints from unit to unit to unit and I have trouble with the numbering scheme tripping over each other since all of the units sequentially pick the next number available.

I haven't tallied up what I could chunk everything except the hand held yet.....lesse.....$400 for the 797 (but there's a reason for the cheap $), Maybe $300 for the 178....Garmin 530s let's say $250 and the X102, maybe $200. Ok, that would give me a budget of $1,150.

HDS 8 with lake insight - $1,899

HDS 5 with basemap - guessing I could use the lake insight from the 8 - $749

MSRP of the side imaging - $599

Assume some miscellaneous network cables - $ 200

So that'd be $3,447 less $1,150 puts me out $2,297. Ouch, not as close as I thought. Hmmm, going two 7s would knock off approx $300. Dunno....gonna have to noodle on it a while I suppose.

Guess it depends on how flush Pstone is when the time comes.

Wannabe...

you've had 3 boats and 6 fish finders

Tin boat with
1 B & W Eagle 480 (Bow)
1 Eagle 320 C (Bow)
1 Garmin 178 color at drivers seat

War Eagle
with only the 178

G3 with
X102c abd a 797 thats a P.O.S. next to it
then you lost me.

Basically and in a nut shell you have 4 fish finders and or GPS's and SI's on your boat. Two up front and two at the console and still can't catch a fish

Yes, but I'm pretty and I'll always have that.

What's your excuse?

Wannabe...

I just can't catch 'em no matter what I try

HUMMINBIRD 1197CSI COMBO FISHFINDER & GPS 10" SIDESCAN PRELOADED WITH GPS ANTENNA & TRANSOM MOUNT TRANSDUCER
The 1197c SI Combo NVB features a massive 10.4" display, Side Imaging and DualBeam PLUS sonar with up to 8000 Watts PTP power output, GPS Chartplotting with built-in UniMap, and advanced Fishing System capabilities. Includes unit cover and in-dash mounting kit. Includes Navionics Gold and HotMaps Premium Charts pre-loaded.
for only $2,669

regular price is 3,000