GPS

[calfguy56]

hi all,
I was wondering what would be the best handheld gps unit, I want to be able to use it in the summer and winter, more in the winter to find the humps.  Also, was wondering what if any type of chip i would have to buy to get good detail on the lakes of nw wisconsin.  Would greatly appreicate the help
thanks

[DasRottweiler]

Clikity clik on dat>>>http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=110330.0 if that doesn`t help ya out use the SEARCH option and yall find more GPS stuff than ya gut time to read!

[Skipper]

Garmin GPSMAP76csx or GPSMAP60csx are great choices. Use the lakemaster chip with both of them.

[ice 45]

I have the lawrance h20 c  with the lake master chip and it is the second best investment i have made flasher is first.

[TravP]

Another vote for the H20c. You might want to wait unitl September, thats when the new models are supposed to come out.

[ice 45]

Are they doing anything new to them?

[TravP]

I cant be 100% positive, but I thought I heard something about a touch screen model. Maybe someone else has some more info for ya.

[ice 45]

That would be cool.

[Skipper]

My biggest suggestion is to shop for your software first.

You will have to choose between two great manufacturers, Garmin and Lowrance. I like Garmin for many reasons, and the biggest is SOFTWARE. Go to the Lakemaster website with a good idea of what lakes you fish and the lakes that you do not. The Garmin and Lowrance lake lists are not the same, so you will need to review what software offering covers more of the lakes you fish. In my case, the Garmin chip has nearly 2000 more MN lakes on it than the Lowrance chip. The Lowrance chip had few of the lakes I fish, the Garmin chip had ALL the lakes I fish. It looks like The WI chip for Garmin has around 825 lakes and the Lowrance has around 525 lakes. Make sure you check this out.

Beware of other companies lake chips. I have seen them very inaccurate and nearly useless on some lakes. If the maps are generated by DNR surveys, stay away! Some of those DNR maps don't even give a good estimate of lake structure, let alone any real accuracy. I have friends who use Navionics and like it, but I have no personal experience with it.

Before you buy anything....TAKE IT OUT IN THE SUN!!! Many GPS units look great in the store, but you cant see them a bit in the sun. You don't want to end up with a unit that you need to stick your head in your jacket to read. TFT screens can go either way. You will want to stick to a TFT screen because they are much faster in cold weather.

With GPS, you get what you pay for. Prepare to drop over $300 for a good one. Some units float, this is a nice feature.

[ice 45]

Curious are you saying that the garmin unit will get more lakes with the WI  lakemaster chip than the lawrance? Just curious because i will look into it if that is the case. i didn't know that.

[TravP]

 Excellent point Skipper, I've never looked into that since I have never used a garmin. The WI lakemaster for the garmin has about 300 more lakes then the lawrance chip.

[Skipper]

The difference in lakemaster MN is ridiculous, the Garmin chip has nearly 4000 lakes and the Lowrance chip has less than 2000. I am not so sure of WI. There is definitely a difference in the lake lists.

A rep from Lakemaster told me that Garmin leases the information on the chip, and writes their own product. You will notice that LM MN comes in a Garmin branded package. Lakemaster supplies the HD 1 foot contour lakes, and Garmin does the rest. That is why the product for Garmin and Lowrance are so different. Lakemaster makes an aftermarket product for Lowrance, and the garmin product is a dealer item. Lakemaster has an agreement with garmin to distribute it, but they do not own the software.

Stay away from Garmin Inland Lakes chip, It is about useless.

Check out their website...http://www.lakemap.com/, under digital GPS maps.

[TravP]

I take back what I said, the WI chip has about 500 more lakes on the garmin then the lowrance. If you live in WI you probably are gonna want to buy a Garmin.

[ice 45]

Sorry guys for sounding dumb her but are you talking about the gps unit it self or are you talking about the difference between the lakemaster card that i have and the navionics card.

[bigbucky1]

The way it sounds to me is they are telling you you would be better off to get a garmin because the software would give you more info than the lowrance software would.

[Skipper]

Sorry guys for sounding dumb her but are you talking about the gps unit it self or are you talking about the difference between the lakemaster card that i have and the navionics card.

A Garmin Lakemaster chip will not work in a Lowrance unit, and a Lowrance Lakemaster chip will not work in a Garmin.

The Garmin chip and the Lowrance chip are different products with different lakes programed on them, even though they come from the same company.

The Garmin Lakemaster MN and WI chips have more lakes on them than the Lowrance Lakemaster MN and WI chips.

If you choose to use Lakemaster software chips, you are better off with a Garmin unit than a Lowrance unit due to the expanded lake list.

Navionics chips are NOT compatible with Garmin, only Lowrance and some other models.

Soooooo,

If you prefer Navionics software, purchase a Lowrance unit.
If you prefer Lakemaster software, purchase a Garmin unit.

Like I said: choose your software first, because this may sway your decision between Garmin and Lowrance units. It would suck to buy a GPS unit and not be able to get the software you want.

I hope this makes some sense.

[ice 45]

Definately sorry about that I guess i thought a lakemaster chip was a lakemaster chip i didn't know they were between units sorry

[FISHFORPIKE]

A Garmin Lakemaster chip will not work in a Lowrance unit, and a Lowrance Lakemaster chip will not work in a Garmin.

The Garmin chip and the Lowrance chip are different products with different lakes programed on them, even though they come from the same company.

The Garmin Lakemaster MN and WI chips have more lakes on them than the Lowrance Lakemaster MN and WI chips.

If you choose to use Lakemaster software chips, you are better off with a Garmin unit than a Lowrance unit due to the expanded lake list.

Navionics chips are NOT compatible with Garmin, only Lowrance and some other models.

Soooooo,

If you prefer Navionics software, purchase a Lowrance unit.
If you prefer Lakemaster software, purchase a Garmin unit.

Like I said: choose your software first, because this may sway your decision between Garmin and Lowrance units. It would suck to buy a GPS unit and not be able to get the software you want.

I hope this makes some sense.

Right on with the recommendation there Skipper.  I have also found the differences between units and software to be vast and varied.  I think most of it is due to the copyrights the companies have with the different map-makers, etc.  Ever get tired of the "nagging" on the screen when you fire up the gps unit about the copyright issues?  What a pain.  Besides - they make it just about impossible to copy those chips or export maps anyways.

[michianafisherman]

Don't forget that you probably won't fish most of the lakes on that card. It is best to make sure the lakes you do fish are on the card. Then it will be most important you learn how to use whichever one you purchase. Just having one that does all the lake won't put you on the spot if you can't figure out how to use it! Get the one you can learn the easiest. Hold both of them in your hand and start pushing buttons. See if any of it makes sense to you. Make sure the place you buy it has both cards so you can compare. Or you will just buy what they have on the shelf and be disappointed later.

[Skipper]

A question for you Lowrance users....

1) Is the base programming on the unit supported by Lowrance? Can you go to a website and download updates for your unit?

2) Is the Navionics software any good? Does it have all the back roads and trails on it like Lakemaster?

[mud_n_fun]

A question for you Lowrance users....

1) Is the base programming on the unit supported by Lowrance? Can you go to a website and download updates for your unit?

2) Is the Navionics software any good? Does it have all the back roads and trails on it like Lakemaster?

Yes you can update a lowrance straight from their site.  I haven't used lakemaster so I don't know.

[FISHFORPIKE]

A question for you Lowrance users....

1) Is the base programming on the unit supported by Lowrance? Can you go to a website and download updates for your unit?

2) Is the Navionics software any good? Does it have all the back roads and trails on it like Lakemaster?

I have a lowrance Baja 480c. (not a handheld unit)
1.  Yes the base software/firmware is updatable.
2.  I use the chip from Fishing Hotspots.  It covers all of the NE in detail (back roads, lake depth contours, etc.).  I can work with the software on my laptop and export the customized maps to my unit.  (this is by no means a simple operation)  My disappointment came when I went out into the St. Lawrence River and there was no data (not even on the US side of the border)  even-though they advertise it to be there.  I called and emailed and got a response that they were not licensed to include that data.    In my opinion, they have gone to great lengths to protect the data from being copid.  (that's OK but it is done in such a way as to hinder, what should be, an easily operated unit.

I think you can get on the hotspots fishing maps website and get a list of chips and compatible gps units.

[Mainehazmt]

I have the H2O with the lakemaster chip   it is only good on one lake I go to once a year  soooo  I use my other gps take the state maps (that are from the 50- 60's )   blow them up  and try to transpose the data from them on to my explorist

[sonar man]

Garmin GPSMAP76csx or GPSMAP60csx are great choices. Use the lakemaster chip with both of them.
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the 76csx is better it floats and if you are like me if its lose it falls down the hole!!

[michianafisherman]

The H20 will float if you put in different batteries.

[Skipper]

the 70 series garmin units float like a cork with standard AA batteries. My old GPS was a 72, and it took a swim.

I would have bought the MAP76, but I liked the external antenna of the MAP60. They are very similar in features, but the MAP60 will work in places that the MAP76 wont. I had problems with weak signal on my 72, my 60 works inside my house! In a fishing situation, signal strength is never a problem. I use mine inside a vehicle often, if I add heavy tree cover it creates signal problems.

If all I did was fish, I would have bought the GPSMAP76csx in a second...no brainer!