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  #12   Report Post  
Steven Shelikoff
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 07:04:36 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:

Parallax wrote:

Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it),....

Ahhhh! Such memories.

For the last 13 yrs, I have had a Loran snip
I am planning to go to he Bahamas where Loran supposedly dont work so
am considering GPS but will still use my beloved paper charts so dont
need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
snip Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries?


I have and love the Garmin 48. (may no longer be made.) Main reason was
that it was the easiest to work one-handed. I primarily use it similarly
to you, but the included light list turned out to be much more useful
than I expected. VERY handy in strange places.

I have a 12v & data connection to hook up to the autopilot. Except for
that, I'd go with NiMH.

Be careful of the cheapest ones as they can take forever to lock and
lose signal more easily.


My favorite was my old GPS-45XL. It was a single channel and also took
"forever" to lock, which is about a minute or two. For what he wants to
use it though, even 3 minutes to lock (which is forever these days of 12
channel receivers) is more than good enough. Also, while the cheap
units lose signal more easily under adverse conditions, they have no
problem keeping the signal under the easiest conditions possible, on a
boat away from any obstructions.

Even my old Magellan GPS-2000 that I bought back in 1995 has no problems
whatsoever fulfilling his wants and needs. Yes, it takes a lot longer
to lock than my 12 channel eTrex Legend. But it gives good position and
velocity information. The Legend, BTW, is horrible at keeping the
signal under any sort of tree cover. Even driving down a tree-lined
road it looses lock sometimes. However, I haven't lost it once on the
boat ... where tree cover usually isn't a problem.

Steve
  #13   Report Post  
Jim Woodward
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

I own 600 paper charts and several sextants; I learned to navigate
racing in the dense fog in Maine with compass and stopwatch. I
wouldn't be without a GPS (actually, two different ones, for
redundancy).

We took two Garmin 45s (and an older Trimble) around the world. The
45 was a small handheld that had connections for external power, data,
and antenna and it sat on the chart table, connected by its cord
(actually two cords, antenna and power/data, in a common sheath) ready
to use.

I still prefer a handheld to a fixed unit. This is probably the
bifocal effect -- I find it easier to use a unit that I don't have to
peer carefully at it across the chart table.

I use a Garmin 12 now and like it, but it's no longer available.

It looks like the Garmin etrex will do the job. At the low end, look
at two things -- will it take an external power supply (I've never
gotten the battery life claimed by Garmin for AAs) and, if you race,
will it allow you to set a waypoint as a range and bearing from
another waypoint (weather mark is 2.0 miles at 350 degrees from the
start)? The very cheapest may not have either of these -- I once
bought a cheap Magellen for racing and found that it wouldn't do the
job.

The modern antennas will mostly work down below, but you'll want to
try that.

I don't think you'll be happy with any of the mapping or other higher
functions you can spend money on -- I would never trust myself with
such a data base -- far safer to actually lay off the course,
including range and bearings, on the chart and then enter the
waypoints -- if the range and bearing you've done on the chart don't
match the ones calculated in the GPS, you've made a mistake. And,
perhaps more important, this forces you to actually look at the chart,
and, when you draw the course lines, actually consider the possible
dangers along the way.

Jim Woodward
www.mvFintry.com

(Parallax) wrote in message . com...
Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it), I still use paper charts and think that navigation and
position plotting is aesthetically pretty, but I also admit to being a
geometry/trig geek. For the last 13 yrs, I have had a Loran that I
sometimes trust when it agrees with my plotting. I used to rely on a
"knotstik" to get my speed and then when I got the loran started using
its stated speed. Far from any recognizable markers or shore
features, I reluctantly rely on a Loran position but check it with
dead reckoning. I spose I just have a fetish about my hand compass.
I am planning to go to he Bahamas where Loran supposedly dont work so
am considering GPS but will still use my beloved paper charts so dont
need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
Waypoints just get me screwed up because I can never remember if I
really entered the correct coords last night or if those coords for
WP5 is for my last trip. Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries? Most of the hand
helds look too much like my cell phone that I purposefully leave at
home. I have even been tempted to forego GPS completely but I spose
it is a safety thing. Any ideas?

  #14   Report Post  
Lloyd Sumpter
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:49:55 +0000, Parallax wrote:

Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it), I still use paper charts and think that navigation and
position plotting is aesthetically pretty, but I also admit to being a
geometry/trig geek.

SNIP

I still use paper charts and have (count 'em!) three compasses on Far
Cove. I looked at a charting GPS: I'm sure they're fine for the US, but
the chart put the port marker of Welcome Passage about exactly where the
stbd marker is, and the entrance marker for Secret Cove in the middle of
Turnagain Island. I promptly bought a GOOD, but non-charting GPS: A Furuno
GPS32. It tells me my course (so I know what tidal currents are doing to
me), speed, bearing/dist to waypoints, and of course Lat/Long, so I can
check on my paper chart where I am. What more do you need?

It's on www.furuno.com - just drill down through
Products-Navigation-GPS Receivers-4.5" Mono Display

And is has one display that displays a single reading (I usually display
speed) in HUGE letters so even a near-sighted old fart like me can read it
from anywhere in the cockpit.

Lloyd

  #15   Report Post  
Rosalie B.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

x-no-archive:yes
Jere Lull wrote:

Parallax wrote:

Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it),....

Ahhhh! Such memories.

I never got comfortable with a slide rule - I had a boyfriend who was
really into math and gave me a circular one which didn't make things
any easier. :-{

For the last 13 yrs, I have had a Loran snip
I am planning to go to he Bahamas where Loran supposedly dont work so
am considering GPS but will still use my beloved paper charts so dont


Please be aware that some of the Bahamas charts are not very accurate.
The Maptech chart we have a Bimini has the island displaced to the SE
about a mile. So get the better paper charts to use, otherwise what
you see won't match up with the chart. We have both the Explorer
charts and the Maptech charts, and we also use the various Bahamas
guide books. We don't have and have never considered a chart plotter.

need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
snip Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries?


Yes

I have and love the Garmin 48. (may no longer be made.) Main reason was
that it was the easiest to work one-handed. I primarily use it similarly
to you, but the included light list turned out to be much more useful
than I expected. VERY handy in strange places.


We also have two Garmin handhelds - one is the 12 and I think the
other is the 48 - I also like having the light list.

Both of these handhelds have the option of plugging into the boat or
working on their batteries. However, they both have internal
batteries which keep track of your waypoints etc, and if you don't
plug them in occasionally to recharge the internal batteries those
batteries will have to be replaced. In order to replace them, you may
have to send them back to the factory. Therefore I'd really emphasize
that you need to have a unit that plugs in.

I have a 12v & data connection to hook up to the autopilot. Except for
that, I'd go with NiMH.


Bob made a connection so that he can hook up the 48 to the computer
charts and also to the 12V battery source at the same time. That GPS
which is hooked to the computer is also hooked to an external masthead
antenna.

The 12 is clamped onto the binnacle and plugged into the binnacle 12V
plug and uses it's own internal antenna. This GPS is also the one I
use to do an anchor watch so that I can tell if the boat's anchor is
dragging. It is much easier to do this with the GPS than with a paper
chart. And it will need to be plugged in because otherwise the
batteries won't last very long. Although the screen will go off and
need to be lighted up again to see it that still doesn't save enough
battery power. I CAN if I'm not too worried, do this without my
bifocals.

The LCD screens cannot be readily seen with polarized sun glasses, and
you ought to have polarized glasses in the Bahamas - very useful for
seeing coral heads. I think maybe you just tilt your head to see the
LCD screen.

I do not hook the GPS up to the autopilot, but I do put waypoints into
it, and use the autopilot to get to them manually.

Be careful of the cheapest ones as they can take forever to lock and
lose signal more easily.


I'm pretty sure that both of ours are among the cheaper units.
Waterproof and floating would be good things to have I would think.

The 48 has been discontinued, but the 12 is still available.

From the Garmin website:http://www.garmin.com/marine/compare.jsp
comparing the specs of 5 GPSs including the discontinued 48 - it looks
like the 72 is about the cheapest 48 replacement. But I do recommend
the 12.

Product Comparison (look at this in a fixed font)

GPS II Plus GPS 12 GPS 48 GPS 72 GPS 76

MSRP $309.07 $231.80 $182.86 $170.65 $228.56

Receiver 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel
Number of Waypoints 500 500 500 500 500
Built in Memory N/A N/A N/A 1 MB 1 MB
# of Routes / # of waypoints per route 20/30 20/30 20/30 50/50 50/50
Database or Basemap City Pt N/A GPS 48 Marine Marine Pt Marine Pt
Additional map options N/A N/A N/A Pts of Interest CD Pts InterestCD
Battery Life 24 HR 24 HR 24 HR 16 HR (2 AA) 16 HR (2 AA)
Display Size 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.6 2.2 x 1.6
Display type B&W LCD B&W LCD B&W LCD 4 level Gray LCD 4 level Gray LCD
Area Calculation No Yes No Yes Yes
Pixels (H x W) 100 x 64 100 x 64 100 x 64 160 x 120 240 x 180
Standard GPS Antenna Detachable Built in Detachable Built in quad
helix Built in quad helix
TracBack Mode Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
# of Tracklog Points 1024 1024 1024 2048 2048
Unit Weight 9 oz. 9.5 oz. 9.5 oz. 7.7 oz. 7.7oz.
Audible Alarms No No
Anchor: No No Yes Yes Yes
Arrival: No No Yes Yes Yes
Clock: No No No No No
Off Course: No No Yes Yes Yes
Waterproof Standard IPX7 IPX7 IPX4 IPX7 IPX7
Unit Size (H x W x D) 5 x 2.32 x 1.62 5.8 x 2.1 x 1.2 6.1 x 2.0 x 1.23
6.2 x 2.7 x 1.4 6.2 x 2.7 x 1.4
Screen Orientation V& H Vertical Vertical N/A N/A
Map Storage N/A N/A N/A Internal Memory (Points of Interest only)
Internal Memory (Points of Interest only)
Backlit Display 3 level 3 level 3 level Single level Single level
Ext. Ant. Hookup Yes No Yes No Yes
Internal Differential N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
WAAS capability N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Loran TD position format Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MGRS position format N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes
Hunting/Fishing calculator N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Celestial Information Page N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Proximity Waypoints N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tide Prediction N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Voltage Range 10-32 5-8 10-32 8-35 10-40
Waypoint Icons Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes


grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id2.html


  #16   Report Post  
Glen
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

On 27 Oct 2003 18:49:55 -0800, (Parallax)
tempted fate with:

Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it), I still use paper charts and think that navigation and
position plotting is aesthetically pretty, but I also admit to being a
geometry/trig geek.


In one of his books written in the 50's Robert Heinlein said that
anyone who couldn't use a sliderule was a cultural illiterate. I
guess the equivalent nowadays would be the PC. Interesting thought,
that. The one was mostly used to solve amazingly complex mathematical
problems with just a couple of sticks. The other is mostly used to
download porn.

I have even been tempted to forego GPS completely but I spose
it is a safety thing. Any ideas?


I've always been something of a luddite, myself. I love plotting. I
find it scary how quickly you can become dependent on electronics if
you let yourself. That said, your primary navigation tool is always
your brain. As long as you don't let it get rusty, using the best
secondary tools available is only common sense. These things are
insidious, though. It's very easy to find yourself navigating by
looking at the screen, instead of looking around you. Not trying to
lecture here, this is just a subject I'm interested in.

I use a Garmin GPS 48, for my money the best handheld ever made for
marine use. It has an excellent antenna, so it even works down below
on rainy days. They aren't made anymore, but you often see them pop
up on Ebay, as well as cables for attaching to 12v and computers. I
don't have much use for mapping handhelds, the screens are just too
small. I get frustrated trying to keep the big picture in focus even
on fullsize chartplotters.


__________________________________________________ __________
Glen "Wiley" Wilson usenet1 SPAMNIX at worldwidewiley dot com
To reply, lose the capitals and do the obvious.

Take a look at cpRepeater, my NMEA data integrator, repeater, and
logger at
http://www.worldwidewiley.com/
  #17   Report Post  
matt colie
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

Parallax,

One more to wade in here with nothing new....

A Garmin 48 can be had on E-bay for about 100$us. It is a very good
unit and (IMHO) easier to use than a 76.

You can load it with waypoints or just use the information, but it is
faster at start-up and more capable in bad conditions than most others.

If your slide rule siezes up, call me, I have a spare.

If you want to hook it to a computer - you can - either just to load
waypoints or use it with ploting software (the waypoint software is free
- go find Peter Bennette's site). I was once a coastal pilot, and when
I think about how hard I used to work just to know where I was..... I
still keep track on paper because that will work when the lights go out.

If you do go so far as to hook it to an autopilot (I did, I love it.) DO
NOT use aids to navigation as waypoints. You will "Hit The Mark" with
out considering tide, drift or windage.

Well, that is my .02$us. I set these things up for owners all the time.

Matt Colie A.Sloop "Bonne Ide'e" S2-7.9 #1
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner and Congenital Sailor

Parallax wrote:
Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it), I still use paper charts and think that navigation and
position plotting is aesthetically pretty, but I also admit to being a
geometry/trig geek. For the last 13 yrs, I have had a Loran that I
sometimes trust when it agrees with my plotting. I used to rely on a
"knotstik" to get my speed and then when I got the loran started using
its stated speed. Far from any recognizable markers or shore
features, I reluctantly rely on a Loran position but check it with
dead reckoning. I spose I just have a fetish about my hand compass.
I am planning to go to he Bahamas where Loran supposedly dont work so
am considering GPS but will still use my beloved paper charts so dont
need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
Waypoints just get me screwed up because I can never remember if I
really entered the correct coords last night or if those coords for
WP5 is for my last trip. Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries? Most of the hand
helds look too much like my cell phone that I purposefully leave at
home. I have even been tempted to forego GPS completely but I spose
it is a safety thing. Any ideas?


  #18   Report Post  
James Johnson
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 15:20:03 GMT, Rosalie B. wrote:

x-no-archive:yes
Jere Lull wrote:

Parallax wrote:

Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it),....

Ahhhh! Such memories.

I never got comfortable with a slide rule - I had a boyfriend who was
really into math and gave me a circular one which didn't make things
any easier. :-{

For the last 13 yrs, I have had a Loran snip
I am planning to go to he Bahamas where Loran supposedly dont work so
am considering GPS but will still use my beloved paper charts so dont


Please be aware that some of the Bahamas charts are not very accurate.
The Maptech chart we have a Bimini has the island displaced to the SE
about a mile. So get the better paper charts to use, otherwise what
you see won't match up with the chart. We have both the Explorer
charts and the Maptech charts, and we also use the various Bahamas
guide books. We don't have and have never considered a chart plotter.

need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
snip Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries?


Yes

I have and love the Garmin 48. (may no longer be made.) Main reason was
that it was the easiest to work one-handed. I primarily use it similarly
to you, but the included light list turned out to be much more useful
than I expected. VERY handy in strange places.


We also have two Garmin handhelds - one is the 12 and I think the
other is the 48 - I also like having the light list.

The Garmin 48 has its memory cell recharged by the penlight batteries that it
uses. If you get a low memory battery message put a fresh set of penlights in
and it will recharge itself in 2-3 days. It is on Garmin's website somewhere.
So the 48 I think is one of the few that doesn't need the system memory battery
replaced every 5 years.

JJ

Both of these handhelds have the option of plugging into the boat or
working on their batteries. However, they both have internal
batteries which keep track of your waypoints etc, and if you don't
plug them in occasionally to recharge the internal batteries those
batteries will have to be replaced. In order to replace them, you may
have to send them back to the factory. Therefore I'd really emphasize
that you need to have a unit that plugs in.

I have a 12v & data connection to hook up to the autopilot. Except for
that, I'd go with NiMH.


Bob made a connection so that he can hook up the 48 to the computer
charts and also to the 12V battery source at the same time. That GPS
which is hooked to the computer is also hooked to an external masthead
antenna.

The 12 is clamped onto the binnacle and plugged into the binnacle 12V
plug and uses it's own internal antenna. This GPS is also the one I
use to do an anchor watch so that I can tell if the boat's anchor is
dragging. It is much easier to do this with the GPS than with a paper
chart. And it will need to be plugged in because otherwise the
batteries won't last very long. Although the screen will go off and
need to be lighted up again to see it that still doesn't save enough
battery power. I CAN if I'm not too worried, do this without my
bifocals.

The LCD screens cannot be readily seen with polarized sun glasses, and
you ought to have polarized glasses in the Bahamas - very useful for
seeing coral heads. I think maybe you just tilt your head to see the
LCD screen.

I do not hook the GPS up to the autopilot, but I do put waypoints into
it, and use the autopilot to get to them manually.

Be careful of the cheapest ones as they can take forever to lock and
lose signal more easily.


I'm pretty sure that both of ours are among the cheaper units.
Waterproof and floating would be good things to have I would think.

The 48 has been discontinued, but the 12 is still available.

From the Garmin website:http://www.garmin.com/marine/compare.jsp
comparing the specs of 5 GPSs including the discontinued 48 - it looks
like the 72 is about the cheapest 48 replacement. But I do recommend
the 12.

Product Comparison (look at this in a fixed font)

GPS II Plus GPS 12 GPS 48 GPS 72 GPS 76

MSRP $309.07 $231.80 $182.86 $170.65 $228.56

Receiver 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel
Number of Waypoints 500 500 500 500 500
Built in Memory N/A N/A N/A 1 MB 1 MB
# of Routes / # of waypoints per route 20/30 20/30 20/30 50/50 50/50
Database or Basemap City Pt N/A GPS 48 Marine Marine Pt Marine Pt
Additional map options N/A N/A N/A Pts of Interest CD Pts InterestCD
Battery Life 24 HR 24 HR 24 HR 16 HR (2 AA) 16 HR (2 AA)
Display Size 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.6 2.2 x 1.6
Display type B&W LCD B&W LCD B&W LCD 4 level Gray LCD 4 level Gray LCD
Area Calculation No Yes No Yes Yes
Pixels (H x W) 100 x 64 100 x 64 100 x 64 160 x 120 240 x 180
Standard GPS Antenna Detachable Built in Detachable Built in quad
helix Built in quad helix
TracBack Mode Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
# of Tracklog Points 1024 1024 1024 2048 2048
Unit Weight 9 oz. 9.5 oz. 9.5 oz. 7.7 oz. 7.7oz.
Audible Alarms No No
Anchor: No No Yes Yes Yes
Arrival: No No Yes Yes Yes
Clock: No No No No No
Off Course: No No Yes Yes Yes
Waterproof Standard IPX7 IPX7 IPX4 IPX7 IPX7
Unit Size (H x W x D) 5 x 2.32 x 1.62 5.8 x 2.1 x 1.2 6.1 x 2.0 x 1.23
6.2 x 2.7 x 1.4 6.2 x 2.7 x 1.4
Screen Orientation V& H Vertical Vertical N/A N/A
Map Storage N/A N/A N/A Internal Memory (Points of Interest only)
Internal Memory (Points of Interest only)
Backlit Display 3 level 3 level 3 level Single level Single level
Ext. Ant. Hookup Yes No Yes No Yes
Internal Differential N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
WAAS capability N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Loran TD position format Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MGRS position format N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes
Hunting/Fishing calculator N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Celestial Information Page N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Proximity Waypoints N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tide Prediction N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Voltage Range 10-32 5-8 10-32 8-35 10-40
Waypoint Icons Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes


grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id2.html


James Johnson
remove the "dot" from after sail in email address to reply
  #19   Report Post  
James Johnson
 
Posts: n/a
Default Which GPS?

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 15:20:03 GMT, Rosalie B. wrote:

x-no-archive:yes
Jere Lull wrote:

Parallax wrote:

Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it),....

Ahhhh! Such memories.

I never got comfortable with a slide rule - I had a boyfriend who was
really into math and gave me a circular one which didn't make things
any easier. :-{

For the last 13 yrs, I have had a Loran snip
I am planning to go to he Bahamas where Loran supposedly dont work so
am considering GPS but will still use my beloved paper charts so dont


Please be aware that some of the Bahamas charts are not very accurate.
The Maptech chart we have a Bimini has the island displaced to the SE
about a mile. So get the better paper charts to use, otherwise what
you see won't match up with the chart. We have both the Explorer
charts and the Maptech charts, and we also use the various Bahamas
guide books. We don't have and have never considered a chart plotter.

need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
snip Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries?


Yes

I have and love the Garmin 48. (may no longer be made.) Main reason was
that it was the easiest to work one-handed. I primarily use it similarly
to you, but the included light list turned out to be much more useful
than I expected. VERY handy in strange places.


We also have two Garmin handhelds - one is the 12 and I think the
other is the 48 - I also like having the light list.

The Garmin 48 has its memory cell recharged by the penlight batteries that it
uses. If you get a low memory battery message put a fresh set of penlights in
and it will recharge itself in 2-3 days. It is on Garmin's website somewhere.
So the 48 I think is one of the few that doesn't need the system memory battery
replaced every 5 years.

JJ

Both of these handhelds have the option of plugging into the boat or
working on their batteries. However, they both have internal
batteries which keep track of your waypoints etc, and if you don't
plug them in occasionally to recharge the internal batteries those
batteries will have to be replaced. In order to replace them, you may
have to send them back to the factory. Therefore I'd really emphasize
that you need to have a unit that plugs in.

I have a 12v & data connection to hook up to the autopilot. Except for
that, I'd go with NiMH.


Bob made a connection so that he can hook up the 48 to the computer
charts and also to the 12V battery source at the same time. That GPS
which is hooked to the computer is also hooked to an external masthead
antenna.

The 12 is clamped onto the binnacle and plugged into the binnacle 12V
plug and uses it's own internal antenna. This GPS is also the one I
use to do an anchor watch so that I can tell if the boat's anchor is
dragging. It is much easier to do this with the GPS than with a paper
chart. And it will need to be plugged in because otherwise the
batteries won't last very long. Although the screen will go off and
need to be lighted up again to see it that still doesn't save enough
battery power. I CAN if I'm not too worried, do this without my
bifocals.

The LCD screens cannot be readily seen with polarized sun glasses, and
you ought to have polarized glasses in the Bahamas - very useful for
seeing coral heads. I think maybe you just tilt your head to see the
LCD screen.

I do not hook the GPS up to the autopilot, but I do put waypoints into
it, and use the autopilot to get to them manually.

Be careful of the cheapest ones as they can take forever to lock and
lose signal more easily.


I'm pretty sure that both of ours are among the cheaper units.
Waterproof and floating would be good things to have I would think.

The 48 has been discontinued, but the 12 is still available.

From the Garmin website:http://www.garmin.com/marine/compare.jsp
comparing the specs of 5 GPSs including the discontinued 48 - it looks
like the 72 is about the cheapest 48 replacement. But I do recommend
the 12.

Product Comparison (look at this in a fixed font)

GPS II Plus GPS 12 GPS 48 GPS 72 GPS 76

MSRP $309.07 $231.80 $182.86 $170.65 $228.56

Receiver 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel 12 channel
Number of Waypoints 500 500 500 500 500
Built in Memory N/A N/A N/A 1 MB 1 MB
# of Routes / # of waypoints per route 20/30 20/30 20/30 50/50 50/50
Database or Basemap City Pt N/A GPS 48 Marine Marine Pt Marine Pt
Additional map options N/A N/A N/A Pts of Interest CD Pts InterestCD
Battery Life 24 HR 24 HR 24 HR 16 HR (2 AA) 16 HR (2 AA)
Display Size 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.5 2.2 x 1.6 2.2 x 1.6
Display type B&W LCD B&W LCD B&W LCD 4 level Gray LCD 4 level Gray LCD
Area Calculation No Yes No Yes Yes
Pixels (H x W) 100 x 64 100 x 64 100 x 64 160 x 120 240 x 180
Standard GPS Antenna Detachable Built in Detachable Built in quad
helix Built in quad helix
TracBack Mode Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
# of Tracklog Points 1024 1024 1024 2048 2048
Unit Weight 9 oz. 9.5 oz. 9.5 oz. 7.7 oz. 7.7oz.
Audible Alarms No No
Anchor: No No Yes Yes Yes
Arrival: No No Yes Yes Yes
Clock: No No No No No
Off Course: No No Yes Yes Yes
Waterproof Standard IPX7 IPX7 IPX4 IPX7 IPX7
Unit Size (H x W x D) 5 x 2.32 x 1.62 5.8 x 2.1 x 1.2 6.1 x 2.0 x 1.23
6.2 x 2.7 x 1.4 6.2 x 2.7 x 1.4
Screen Orientation V& H Vertical Vertical N/A N/A
Map Storage N/A N/A N/A Internal Memory (Points of Interest only)
Internal Memory (Points of Interest only)
Backlit Display 3 level 3 level 3 level Single level Single level
Ext. Ant. Hookup Yes No Yes No Yes
Internal Differential N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
WAAS capability N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Loran TD position format Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MGRS position format N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes
Hunting/Fishing calculator N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Celestial Information Page N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Proximity Waypoints N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tide Prediction N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes
Voltage Range 10-32 5-8 10-32 8-35 10-40
Waypoint Icons Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes


grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id2.html


James Johnson
remove the "dot" from after sail in email address to reply
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