Winter Storage for GPS??

[jimq26]

I couldn't find this in the archives, so thought I would ask what the rest of the sailing community does for winter storage of the boat GPS. I know that the handheld comes home.Garmin says in their manual - "do not store in places where temperature extremes may occur". They then go on to say that - "temp. range is 5 deg. F to 158 deg. F".I have just removed my new GPSMAP 172 from its bulkhead mount on the boat, and have brought it home for the winter. Simple to do with an allen key, but was it necessary?You now see Garmin GPS units mounted on snowmobiles and RVs which are exposed to extremes in temp. GPS units are now found in many motor vehicles as well, and they sure as hell are exposed to extreme temperatures.Any thoughts?

 

[Warren Milberg]

Winter Storage

Other than martini's, nothing much is improved by extreme cold. If possible, I'd take as much of your electronics home for the winter as you can. I even have friends who take the VHFs off the their boats in winter, although I do not and have never had any problems. Other built-in electronic devices, like knotmeters and depth sounders, seem to winter over fine on most boats. Yet if removing the device is not an onerous chore (like on your boat), why not tuck it away in some place warm and dry for the winter? One of the plusses of having your GPS at home in the winter is putting it on simulator mode and playing with it. It's also a time to get more familiar with all the things your unit will do that you never get around to learning during the sailing season.

 

[Jeff Bacon]

Hone your skills....

.... over the winter with Geocaching.Believe it or not, there are legions of people who hide stuff all over the USA and then post Lat / Lon info on the web. Then you go find the "stuff". Usually it's a waterproof container with minor little goddies in it. Take something and leave something.try www.geocaching.com for one of the web sites. It is far more difficult to find a location in a car than it is on the water.... not so many straight lines on land.You will be a better GPS'er next yearJeff