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I have been considering adding an external GPS antenna to my HDS system. Does anyone have any input on this? Is it worth spending the additional money and will it enhance the operation of of the GPS feature. Currently my unit seems kind of slow to update when trying to navigate to a waypoint which makes it kind of hard to use. I actually have better luck locating waypoints with my hand-held Garmin.
I added the Lowrance 4000 external GPS puck to my system last year. I like to longline troll and think it updates my speed more quickly. It is my understanding that the 4000 updates 5x's every second compared to the 3000 (which is that same as your HDS unit) updates once every second. It feels to me as if the 4000 is more real time, if you will. I'm personally glad I changed mine out.
If that is incorrect I'm sure some will correct me.
John
:hesaid
I believe Lowrance is coming out with a newer version that has mag compass/gps combo.
It is a high-precision, fast-update rate GPS antenna with and integrated heading sensor, all for a very attractive price, $199 retail. This product will replace the current LGC-4000 GPS antenna.
The Point-1 is an NMEA 2000 device and uses the same size housing as our previous LGC-2000 and LGC-3000. The housing is slightly larger than the LGC-4000, but still utilizes the from-the-top mounting design with integrate mounting holes through the casing.
Hopefully you are all aware of the value of an external GPS antenna. The internal antenna of Lowrance units is very high quality and sensitive enough to acquire position in all but the most extreme installations. The reason why customers want an external antenna, is not because the internal antenna does not work for them, it is because the external antenna adds additional features and benefits. The first two features of the external antenna that adds value to the user is its enhanced sensitivity and increased update rate. The external GPS antennas, including the LGC-4000 and now the Point-1, are more sensitive than the internal antennas of the Lowrance units. This means they will acquire position faster and have tighter position data, i.e. less position error. The increased position update rate is also very valuable to these users. The internal GPS antenna update rate of most Lowrance products is 1Hz, i.e. one update per second. This is the industry standard. The LGC-4000 has an update rate of 5Hz. The Point-1 Antenna has an update rate of 10Hz, i.e. ten position updates a second, the highest we have ever produced. The increased update rate makes for smoother position movements in the maps especially when turning and smoother speed-related data, like Speed Over Ground, Fuel Economy, Fuel Range, etc.
The most important feature of an external antenna and the reason it is used by serious fisherman is that it allow the GPS antenna to be placed directly over the sonar transducers. This perfectly correlates the GPS data to the sonar data.
EXAMPLE: If the head unit’s internal GPS antenna is used, the GPS position data source and the sonar data source are several feet apart, e.g. the distance from the helm to the transom. This means that any GPS data created from sonar data, like waypoints created from sonar or StructureScan Trackback, will have that same offset. This is especially noticeable when approaching a sonar-made waypoint, like a brush pile, from a different direction than when the waypoint was created, meaning the GPS-Sonar offset is in a different direction.
When the GPS antenna is placed directly over the sonar transducers, the GPS-sonar offset is greatly reduced and those sonar-created waypoints are much more precise to their actual location. This feature is one that professional and more-serious anglers have been exploiting for years.
Where the Point-1 antenna adds even more value than previous external GPS antennas, besides its greater sensitivity and update rate, is its internal heading sensor. The Point-1 contains a solid state heading sensor that allows the vessel to stay correctly oriented, even at low speeds and when stopped.
EXAMPLE: When using a GPS antenna for both location and orientation, the orientation is only based on movement. This is fine when the vessel is under way, as the vessel will be moving forward and the unit will orient the vessel as such on the screen. But, when the vessel is stopped or is drifting, the movement of the vessel does not necessarily match the actual orientation of the vessel. When drifting the vessel will be pointed in one direction, but actually moving in another, see image below. If only using a GPS antenna, the vessel orientation on the display unit is only based on Course Over Ground (COG), so when drifting, the vessel would be incorrectly oriented on the screen in the direction of the drift of the boat, i.e. its COG. This problem also exists when the boat is stopped and the GPS antenna has not movement to calculate COG. The misalignment of the actual orientation of the boat and the display unit can cause great confusion. The brush pile waypoint you know is in front of the boat, now might appear to the side of the boat because the orientation is incorrect.A heading sensor on the boat will ensure the orientation of the vessel is always correct on the display screens, no matter which direction the vessel is actually moving. This maintains the correct orientation on the charts and ensure intuitive use of the maps and map data. This is the reason why pros have been using compasses for the last few years. <*)}}}><
Wow!! Thanks Crappie Chatt that is a great post.
John
x2Quote:
Originally Posted by lostdog
The blurb I read said it works with Gen2. Wonder about Gen1??? Gen1 is a no show on Lowrance site. Kinda sucks.
That Point-1 sounds like autopilot, but the blurb I read said not to use it as autopilot.
It works with all HDS units. Kinda 'un-sucks'.:biggrin<*)}}}><Quote:
Originally Posted by Cane Pole
Requires an upgrade to the firmware. That sucks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Chatt