gps

[fishsniffer]

im debating what to do ..i have a garmin 276c chartplotter..it works great...but it has no charts loaded in it...ive been looking at buying the bluechart g2 cartography for it but i also would like to have a gps fishfinder combo you guys know of any good deals on a combo unit or do you think you would just buy the cartography?

Edited March 8, 2009 by fishsniffer
spelling

[Paulywood]

I would buy the cartography if I were you. I went with 2 seperate units in case of failure by one, I would still have at least one unit. I also have to Garmin maps and love the detail and ease of use.

[1mainiac]

My GPS76 handheld sits in a cradle on my dash and is connected to my radio so I can leave my fishfinder in fishfinder mode with gps data overlaid. This gives me position course speed on a small screen and most of the same info on the fishfinder. The fishfinder is a Lowrance GPS combo unit which will do all of it. I had the small garmin wired to the radio on the old boat so left them tied together on the new boat. Unless you need a new fishfinder just get the chart chip and add it. WHen I need the chartplotter I sw screens on the Lowrance and chart on the bigger screen with the maps chip in it. Once I am where I am planning on fishing I rely on the Garmin handheld for watching my track and marking waypoints and let the Lowrance hunt for fish with the GPS running in the background. I like multiple displays and since you already have that just improve on it. There is a lot to be said for not having to hunt thru menus to get what you want. When I can afford radar I will want it linked to my chart plotter as radar and plotter on the same screen is cool.

[fishsniffer]

i do think its nice to have dedicated gps and fish finder..ill probably just get the chip...thanks

[2UNREEL]

To save some coin I would buy the chip for your chartplotter. I would reccomend researching the software your looking to buy and use it first hand to make sure it does what you want it to do. Many software packages out there tell you they have depth contours for the great lakes but only in 10ft increments and 1 mile off shore. Make sure your get what you want and play with it at a show or store before you buy it. DO NOT RELY ON THE SALESMAN....I am using a Lowrance Fish finder/gps combo and a dedicated lowarance chartplotter to run a Lakemaster ProMaps Michigan chip. My fish finder stays on graph and I only overlay the gps if someone onboard is curious about our tracks.