4 to 5 inch GPS/Chart Plotters

[petes]

My old GPS went south on me last season and I would like to purchase a new one (4 to 5 inch Diagonal measurement).

Is there any benefit to have the chart plotter feature along with the GPS, as I sail in Maine and I have a depth sounder?

Garmin seems to be the choice of many, but are there others out there which would perform just as well without the hefty price tag?

I will be mounting this on a pedestal steering platform and would need a GPS with a screen that would show up well in bright sunlight.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Huge benefit IMHO especially if you do not have radar. You don't necessarily need a fixed mount unit but a "transportable" unit might be the way to go. A step up from the handhelds but a step down and cheaper than the fixed mount units. The best values are those units will preloaded charts such as the GPSMap 640. I'm assuming it is still being sold. The 640 also has the added benefit of all US roads preloaded and you can easily switch from marine to street mode and get double duty in the car. Garmin has a good website. I'd educate myself there then by from an online discount seller such as GPS City, Abes of Maine, Tiger GPS. Amazon. All much cheaper than Garmin direct or West Marine. List $999, refurbished $650, new $750 just checked recently. It's not too bad when you consider you getting every US coastal chart available and all streets.

I have three units right now all discontinued but still very functional: a GPSmap 3006c without preloaded charts and a GPSMap 478 (trasportable with marine charts and streets preloaded) and an Oregon 400c only with marine coastal charts preloaded. I like being able to keep the waypoints and routes consistent between all units.

A big jump in price point comes if you think you might want to interface / overlay with radar down the road.

[rtbates]

chartplotter feature is what it's ALL about. Yes, it's really really nice to have. I have the Garmin 540 and love it..

[Evergreen]

We have depended on the Garmin units for years. They work very well; come loaded with coastal or inland charts; and accept additional chart memory chips if you want to go farther afield. I can't think of a negative thing to say about them. Expensive but worth it.

[David VanDenburgh]

Faced with the same question, I bought myself an iPad with internal GPS and loaded GPSnavX onto it. Works great and can be used for lots of other things. Of course, it's not waterproof and we keep the old Garmin 176 at the wheel.

[Brian2]

I sail extensively in Maine waters (Quahog Bay to Frenchboro, so far) and use the Standard Horizon color chartplotter. I have the 5" fixed mount external ant. model on a swing arm, and an internal ant. model as a backup. Standard Horizon is much less expensive than Garmin, and from what I have seen from friend's Garmin units, Standard Horizon work as well, and has better customer service. If you check with Hamilton Marine, I think Standard is the top seller among lobstermen. You will need to buy an electronic chart chip. I think one chip covers most of Maine.

[greg phillips]

I've had a small Standard 155C (?) for six years. Second year, and while in warranty, a quarter-sized fogged area appeared in the center of screen. Took it back to West and they had it fixed but the problem has reoccurred. If you are interested in the Standard, I would make a point to get a satisfactory answer as to whether this problem has been corrected. Otherwise it is a great unit.

[satu]

Picked up a Garmin GPSMAP546S last summer. Have some concerns about power consumption with extented use, which is substantial compared to the smaller units. The clarity of the screen is wonderful. Used a Garmin 76 for years, but as I get older, I appreciate the larger color display. Haven't used the depth/fishfinder feature yet. Bought a dual frequency tranducer this past winter to play with, but will continue to use my Corianthian S200 depth that uses less power for cruising.

The Garmin 546S turns on incredible fast compared to the older GPS units I've owned. This makes it convenient to turn on and off as needed to better manage battery power.

[Brian2]

My 155C also fogs (slightly, it doesn't obscure the display) a few minutes after startup. The fog area becomes smaller and smaller as the unit warms up. I have been told by customer service at Standard (they provide a phone number and you can get thru, and I always get one of two same guys year after year. I used to have many questions about integrating my Chart plotter, Furuno radar, and also trouble shooting my windspeed indicator) the fogging is due to a difference in temperature between the front of the unit and the rear of the unit. The temperature equalizes several minutes after startup. You can return the unti for installation of some silica packs which should reduce the problem. My friend has a Garmin 10 inch plotter with the same fogging issue. He returned it for the silica pack installation, nut it made no difference.

Brian