Help Me Pick A New Hand Held GPS

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Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I want..

Good sunlight visibility
Large screen (similar in size to my 176C)
Ability to plug into the vessel
Decent battery life
Waterproof or highly water resistant (iPhone, Droids and car units need not apply)

Price $500.00 +/- (less is always good)

Thinking Oregon 400C, Colorado 400C etc.

Looked at the new 78sc and was not impressed. Have not yet seen an Oregon or a Colorado. I do know the Colorado has been discontinued but there are a bunch out there..
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Do you want it with maps or just a basic lat lon unit? I have the latter and love it. I always keep the map out to reference anyway and trying to read a map on those tiny little screens is not very effective for real navigation. More like a toy. You aren't navigating unless you have a set of parallel rules, dividers, compass, and a pencil. Just like in my drafting days. Only thing missing is a t-square and a slide rule.
Why not just splurge and get a Northstar integrated unit with the GPS, Radar, and everything else all interconnected. Cost about 6 grand maybe. I went fishing on a center console out of Charleston that had one, it was awesome. You could have it at the helm, totally waterproof. I think you could track foreign satellites on it, it could do anything. Maybe not cook or make coffee.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Why not just splurge and get a Northstar integrated unit with the GPS, Radar, and everything else all interconnected. Cost about 6 grand maybe. I went fishing on a center console out of Charleston that had one, it was awesome. You could have it at the helm, totally waterproof. I think you could track foreign satellites on it, it could do anything. Maybe not cook or make coffee.
Already have a full Garmin integrated system with radar, plotter etc. etc. all at the helm. This unit is just for back up and gunkholing in the dinghy. I do want charts though as my dink has no depth sounder.

P.S. Already owned a NorthStar system and won't do that again any time soon...:doh::doh: More problems than good...
 
Oct 18, 2007
707
Macgregor 26S Lucama, NC
MS - I like my Garmin Colorado 400C. It has been discontinued, but that also should mean you should find some good deals. This is my first, so I can't compare it to anything else, but I like the features I've learned to use so far (still learning). I haven't found a cable to let me plug it into the boat yet, so I just keep a handful of rechargeables. Good luck on your replacements. -Paul
 
Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
Garmin GPS12. No color, why use color, cost more? No maps, don't need maps on the open water. Very bright screen in sunlight, soft green backlit at night. Has a port on the back to connect to 8vdc and I/O for NMEA0183 2.0 4800 baud data.

I use this on my boat at the helm. I don't need anything else. Yes, I have a PC with charts but that is below if I really need it.

You can get them on evilbay for a reasonable price.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
I stand by my Garmin 76..... long battery life on 2 aa, data/power cable, floats, ... proven over time.... inexpensive. no charts.
 
Sep 27, 2008
95
Catalina 30 Lake Champlain
Maine, we bought the Oregon 400c on sale last winter with all coastal and inland waters charts preloaded. It has worked great. Used it a lot when we moved our C30 from RI to Lake Champlain last month. Initially I was skeptical about the touch screen, but I'm used to it now with no complaints.

Bob
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
No maps, don't need maps on the open water.

Brian,

If I sailed off the coast of CA I would not care what it had for charts but up here..:doh: Have you looked at a chart for Maine? Kind of hard to bring large charts in the dink when we go gunkholing & exploring for the day so often wind up with a crumpled waterproof version and a boy scout compass. I like color because I can set the depth contours to show different colors at certain depths thus knowing how deep it is just by the color.

I have a couple of older non-plotting HH but just don't use them for what I want this one for.
 
Dec 4, 2008
264
Other people's boats - Milford, CT
Check out the 76cx. I just bought one at WM with the entire US coastal chart chip for $380 total. They were on sale.
 

dew

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Apr 18, 2010
16
macgregor 26x lake martin
I use a gps 12, and a grmin 76, have used them both. The 76 is better, but the gps 12 is very good also. Depends on waters, and how much info you need
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Wound up buying a GPS MAP 378 AND a 76cx cause it was on sale for $179.00.....;) The 76cx is going in a Farraday Cage!
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
How are you constructing your Faraday cage? The ones we had at depot in the Air Force were simple rooms with bronze screen cloth on walls and ceiling the floors were reinforced concrete.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
How are you constructing your Faraday cage? The ones we had at depot in the Air Force were simple rooms with bronze screen cloth on walls and ceiling the floors were reinforced concrete.
I am thinking of starting with a military ammo box and then lining it with lead sheet and aluminum. If that does not work then I give up....;);)
 
Apr 8, 2010
1,606
Frers 33 41426 Westport, CT
good friend of mine has the 76CSx, not sure what added feature comes with the S, but he likes it, and uses it as his only nav tool besides a paper chart.

I've used it a few times and have no compaints aside from the somewhat small and low resolution screen (compareing to the screen of the GPSMap 540s mounted in the cockpit of my boat, or my Android phone loaded with the Navionics USA East charts)
 
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