Opinions on GPS upgrades?

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j_schoenfeld

j_schoenfeld

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Oct 4, 2007
81
Oday 28 Great Salt Lake Marina
Help! I have a boat on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. I have (had) a Humminbird NS10 gps that has done very well for me. On startup this spring I encountered an NV ram error and all my waypoints and alarms are gone. Seems the unit has given up the ghost after 17 years, and I am sad. So I started looking at new systems to upgrade to, and most of them are dual fishfinders/depth as well as the GPS. The only thing that lives in the lake is brine shrimp (SEA MONKEYS!) and I can catch them in the head when I flush so I don't need the fish thing. I already have a depth/speed in the cockpit and don't need it on the GPS. I do need waypoints and alarms though, as the lake is at a twenty year low and I draft enough that I have to use what we call the deep water channel that runs east from the marina to a turn buoy that leads to the open water "gate" buoys. I keeps alot of us out of trouble. But at night it is sure nice to have a route and waypoints to make it home without spotlights and worries. The lake is 55 square miles, and it's great to set a route home and know you are straight on. The other problem is that a railroad trestle was built across the lake in the early 1900's and it still contributes "deadheads" to the lake in the spring and the harbormaster publishes a list of these with gps coordinates so we can track them. So I just need a good basic chartplotter. If anyone has a NS10 they no longer use i would love to buy it, or get all your opinions on a good upgrade.

thanks!
 
B

blue noser

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Sep 27, 2008
77
Macgregor 25 petpeswick harbor nova scotia
just google cp180, i just got that one, seems good, but my first purchase, so either way let me know if i got a good unit lol

wade
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,353
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Another "what's the best..." question

These are almost impossible types of questions to answer.

Possible answers could well include: "I love our Garmin handheld GPSMap 76Cx, Sam loves his Whatchamacallit CVFR345,87976.xc, Harry likes his Cp89, and Mary adores her Humminbird 134."

There are SOOOO MANY options out there, that what anyone else may like may not work for you, unless you're only looking for a Humminbird unit.

I appreciate your attention to detail in the question, but the approach to the answers remain the same.

You could do a search on Humminbird (can also be spelled Hummingbird for searches) here on this website and read last week's Hermit Scott long running saga - a great and fun read.

Really, while trying to be helpful as much as possible, it just seems that with these "what's the best..." questions almost always, and repeatedly, can only end up telling you what other people already have and like, because they went out, did the process and found something THEY liked. That's kinda what you have to do.

Handheld, battery powered, plugged in, nav station, big screen, radar interface, daylight viewing (you said it seems OK during the day but you really need it at night), size of screen...????????...the feature options available and the ones YOU think you need could go on forever.

Good luck in your search. I still recommend my Garmin GPSMap 76Cx - I really, really, really like it and think you should buy one!:):):)
 
T

Tim C350 April IV

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Dec 2, 2003
392
Catalina 350 Seattle
Waypoints and alarms are oftentimes maintained in these types of electronic units by a small backup battery - so that when you cut ships power to the unit it will be able to keep that memory. 17 years is a long time for that sort of battery to last without prior trouble. Many times, they are soldered into the board and it (probably) takes trained service folk to replace.

A 17 year old GPS unit is pretty ancient by today's standards, and some careful perusing of the offerings available should be able to find you a reasonably priced replacement without breaking the bank.

Good Luck!
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle
 
j_schoenfeld

j_schoenfeld

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Oct 4, 2007
81
Oday 28 Great Salt Lake Marina
Hey Stu, I agree that it is an impossible question. But, these impossible questions do have a little value for me. For instance, the first reply was a CP180 that blue noser seems to like. And I guess what I was really looking for was for someone to pop up and say " I bought brand X and it's a (*&^(%^ POS!" Seems most systems do what they state they will do, and now it's just a matter of what features I need and how much $$ I can get past the wife. And sometimes I just don't know what I don't know, and it always seems someone on here can give me a better perspective. Thanks very much for your input, and ON WITH THE SEARCH!!!
 
j_schoenfeld

j_schoenfeld

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Oct 4, 2007
81
Oday 28 Great Salt Lake Marina
I want to thank you all for your input. Here is the rest of the story! Having read Tim Brogan's comments lit a spark in my brain! Hey, I can solder on a battery if I can find it! So I went looking, the battery is right on top of the board, found the battery at Radio Shack (it looks exactly the same as the 20 year old one) and soldered it in. It works PERFECTLY!! Thanks so much Tim! For less than $20 bucks I am back in business and happy as a clam! And that's why I love this forum, sometimes I just dont' know what I don't know. LONG LIVE THE NS10!

Thanks Guys!
 
T

Tim C350 April IV

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Dec 2, 2003
392
Catalina 350 Seattle
Glad that worked out for you, thanks for the kind words!

(Continued) Good Luck!
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle
 
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