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I am looking at the above mentioned unit and noticed that in the description it says GPS antenna: external. Does this mean I would need to buy an external antenna and mount it on my boat? I don't want a GPS antenna mounted on the boat. I like this unit for the larger screen but if I have to mount a separate antenna I may go down to the 798, smaller screen or not. Thanks for any replies.
Might consider an HDS-7 or 8 then. Internal antenna. Or buy a ram mount that has a spot for the unit and the antenna.
An external antenna has some benefits. First, it's often more accurate. Second, you can mount it nearer to your transducer, so the waypoints you mark in SI will be more accurate. For instance, if your transducer is 10 ft from your antenna, all your waypoints are off by 10 ft plus whatever error is inherent to your gps position fix. The external antenna with the HB units is simple to mount. I actually mounted mine in my starting battery compartment just a foot or so from the transducer. In the compartment it's out of my way and out of harms way. This might be a problem in an aluminum boat but works fine with fiberglass.
Well, I looked at the HB antennas and they are not as large as I originally thought. I guess I could hide it fairly easily....thanks for the replies guys.
Kenny, the external antenna comes with it. You don't have to buy one.
If your worried about mounting the puck on your boat you can do like I did and buy two sided velcro and just velcro it to the boat. Mine's been there going on two years and rides to and from the lake and while running on water.