Advice on Best GPS

Tank151 · 02-16-2008, 02:30 PM

Looking for advice on best GPS for Winnipesaukee...

Thanks
Tank

Dave R · 02-16-2008, 02:55 PM

Navman or Standard Horizon chart plotters both take C-Map charts, are reasonably priced and are easy to use. The best electronic chart is the Bizer on C-map.

trfour · 02-16-2008, 03:11 PM

Tank,

Heres a link that should help you out.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...8255#post58255

Grady223 · 02-19-2008, 11:42 AM

I am in the same boat (ha, ha) trying to decide which chartplotter to install, my old hand held Garmin (circa 2001) is long outdated. I am looking at the SH CP500 because these old eyes need a big bright screen, anyone have any experience with them?

jrc · 02-19-2008, 01:02 PM

Navman is now part of Northstar and sold under the Northstar name in the USA.

Dave R · 02-19-2008, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grady223

I am in the same boat (ha, ha) trying to decide which chartplotter to install, my old hand held Garmin (circa 2001) is long outdated. I am looking at the SH CP500 because these old eyes need a big bright screen, anyone have any experience with them?

No experience, but plenty of lust. It would work perfectly on my helm due to its wide screen and low height. My helm limitations are vertical so I went with their smallest screen and opted for SH instead of Navman/Northstar, which are taller. Mine works perfectly fine, but it lacks the soft keys placed along the bottom of the 500. Those soft keys are really nice for quickly accessing often used features.

Edited to add:

My mistake, it's the CP300 I lust for. It's got a wide screen. The 500 is way too big for my helm.

codeman671 · 02-19-2008, 08:40 PM

Overall quality is better on the Standard Horizon. I have a CP155C and have had the CP175C and loved both. My uncle is a manager at Boat/US and specializes in electronics. He has in the past informed me to stay away from the Navman products. They were more of a price-point unit and did not offer the higher end features found in other brands.

Flotnjr · 02-19-2008, 10:12 PM

If you are looking for just a straight GPS, (not a combo fishfinder) I have heard good things about the Standard Horizon. A basic unit with internal antenna (easy install!) runs for right around $500. The C-Map card is available for about $115, and is a great chip! Good Luck!!!

codeman671 · 02-19-2008, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flotnjr

If you are looking for just a straight GPS, (not a combo fishfinder) I have heard good things about the Standard Horizon. A basic unit with internal antenna (easy install!) runs for right around $500. The C-Map card is available for about $115, and is a great chip! Good Luck!!!

The FF520 black box can be added if you want fish finder capabilities.

Also, there is a CP180I (internal antenna, 5" color) on Ebay for $395.

Webbsatwinni · 02-20-2008, 08:45 AM

We bought a Garmin 376c last year and loaded the Bizer Garmin chart and it worked great. I liked the Garmin as it was portable, had really long battery life, and an integrated antenna. There was nothing to mount in the boat (unless you want to). But we chose to leave it portable and use it for day trips.

The 276c was cheaper and the only difference is the XM weather tracker. I don't use that function as it is a subscription service.
I found mine at West marine as an end of season deal, it looks like they are now going for around $600 for the 376c and $450 for the 276c.

The screen is small, but it offers various view options and the portability made this the perfect unit for us.

The Bizer chart was great and easy to load. It shows most of the hard copy information. Here is the link to the Bizer garmin page:

http://www.bizer.com/garmin/index.htm

NHskier · 02-20-2008, 10:30 PM

Similar to Webbsatwinni, I bought a Garmin 276C unit last year and used it with Bizer's Garmin chart and was quite happy with it.

You can also find more details on this at:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...highlight=276c

Lakepilot · 02-21-2008, 09:24 AM

We have the Standard Horizon in our boat and love it. We use a Garmin Etrex Vista HCX in our Kayaks with the chip and it works good. I prefer the SH, but the Etrex is waterproof.

02-16-2008, 02:30 PM	#1
Tank151 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Boston, MA & Laconia, NH Posts: 148 Thanks: 14 Thanked 11 Times in 10 Posts	Advice on Best GPS Looking for advice on best GPS for Winnipesaukee... Thanks Tank

02-16-2008, 03:11 PM	#3
trfour Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The Lakes, Central NH. and Dallas/Fort Worth TX. Posts: 3,694 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 3,069 Thanked 472 Times in 236 Posts	Tank, Heres a link that should help you out. http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...8255#post58255 __________________ *trfour* Always Remember, The Best Safety Device In The Boat, or on a PWC Snowmobile etc., Is YOU! Safe sledding tips and much more; http://www.snowmobile.org/snowmobiling-safety.html

02-19-2008, 11:42 AM	#4
Grady223 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New Hope, PA & Barndoor Island Posts: 464 Thanks: 93 Thanked 24 Times in 18 Posts	Standard Horizon CP500 I am in the same boat (ha, ha) trying to decide which chartplotter to install, my old hand held Garmin (circa 2001) is long outdated. I am looking at the SH CP500 because these old eyes need a big bright screen, anyone have any experience with them?

02-19-2008, 10:12 PM	#8
Flotnjr Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 51 Thanks: 2 Thanked 9 Times in 7 Posts	GPS Question If you are looking for just a straight GPS, (not a combo fishfinder) I have heard good things about the Standard Horizon. A basic unit with internal antenna (easy install!) runs for right around $500. The C-Map card is available for about $115, and is a great chip! Good Luck!!!

02-20-2008, 10:30 PM	#11
NHskier Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 284 Thanks: 40 Thanked 33 Times in 30 Posts	Similar to Webbsatwinni, I bought a Garmin 276C unit last year and used it with Bizer's Garmin chart and was quite happy with it. You can also find more details on this at: http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...highlight=276c __________________ NHskier

02-16-2008, 02:55 PM	#2
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,974 Thanks: 246 Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts	Navman or Standard Horizon chart plotters both take C-Map charts, are reasonably priced and are easy to use. The best electronic chart is the Bizer on C-map.

02-19-2008, 01:02 PM	#5
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	Navman is now part of Northstar and sold under the Northstar name in the USA.

02-19-2008, 08:40 PM	#7
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,360 Thanks: 209 Thanked 764 Times in 448 Posts	Overall quality is better on the Standard Horizon. I have a CP155C and have had the CP175C and loved both. My uncle is a manager at Boat/US and specializes in electronics. He has in the past informed me to stay away from the Navman products. They were more of a price-point unit and did not offer the higher end features found in other brands.

02-20-2008, 08:45 AM	#10
Webbsatwinni Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Lebanon Ct and Rattlesnake Island Since 2007 Posts: 610 Thanks: 180 Thanked 137 Times in 72 Posts	We bought a Garmin 376c last year and loaded the Bizer Garmin chart and it worked great. I liked the Garmin as it was portable, had really long battery life, and an integrated antenna. There was nothing to mount in the boat (unless you want to). But we chose to leave it portable and use it for day trips. The 276c was cheaper and the only difference is the XM weather tracker. I don't use that function as it is a subscription service. I found mine at West marine as an end of season deal, it looks like they are now going for around $600 for the 376c and $450 for the 276c. The screen is small, but it offers various view options and the portability made this the perfect unit for us. The Bizer chart was great and easy to load. It shows most of the hard copy information. Here is the link to the Bizer garmin page: http://www.bizer.com/garmin/index.htm

02-21-2008, 09:24 AM	#12
Lakepilot Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 446 Thanks: 70 Thanked 57 Times in 40 Posts	Gps We have the Standard Horizon in our boat and love it. We use a Garmin Etrex Vista HCX in our Kayaks with the chip and it works good. I prefer the SH, but the Etrex is waterproof.