Handheld GPS

[MarkN]

I've looked through the archives and found little on this subject - as a newbie to sailing (bought an Allied Greenwich last summer) I'm looking for a hand held gps for navigating the Chesapeake (as well as kayaking). Looking at Garmin, Lowrance and Magellan. Any advice/experience with any handhelds would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Carl Thunberg]

Mark,

I have a Garmin GPSMap 76CX and it does everything I need it to do. The "C" stands for color and the "X" stands for expandable memory. It's worth the extra few dollars for color. You can purchase "Blue Charts" on a secure data (SD) card for whatever part of the country you sail in. The down-side is, if you cruise outside of this area, you need to purchase another SD card and manually remove the SD card and insert the new card for the new cruising area. This has never been a problem for me because I don't sail south of Cape Cod or north of Bar Harbor. Chances are, if this is an issue for people, then they wouldn't be using a hand-held anyway.

It is very easy to become dependent on a GPS. Remember, electronics can and do fail. It is very important to keep your manual navigating skills fresh. A paper chart and a reliable compass will not fail you. As a self-proclaimed newbie sailor, you may want to join a local Power Squadron chapter and take a few classes.

[Joe Myerson]

Mark,

I've got to agree with Carl on the Garmin handhelds.

For four years--until last week--I used a Garmin GPS76. It's a plain vanilla handheld that's programmed to show navaids and give you your speed and coordinates and help you navigate from point to point, but it doesn't include any actual charts.

I always used paper charts, and used the GPS primarily to determine my speed-over-ground and to help me record coordinates in my logbook (I'm a bit anal).

But West Marine just finished a sale on the GPSMAP 76 (it ended yesterday), and I upgraded. I saved $100 on the GPS unit, but had to purchase a CD-ROM of charts for $130. Still, it is a great unit.

It has a grayscale screen, but costs a bit less than the "CX" unit. And programming the maps into the machine via a cable from my PC is a bit more complicated than replacing a chip.

If you've got the bucks, I agree with Carl, go for the expandable, color-screen version. But in any case, the Garmin handhelds of the 75 series will do everything you'll need for coastal sailing and kayaking (and possibly driving--although the idea of having a screen to watch while driving scares me).

And, if you have questions, Garmin has a very good customer support system.

Good luck!

--Joe

P.S. I'm promising myself that I'll keep up my paper-chart navigational skills. I hope I can keep that promise.

[Steve Laume]

Go with the color if you are going to add blue charts. It was very hard for me to read all the information provided by the blue charts with the gray screen. I initially purchased mine for kayaking. The Map 76 was the overwhelming choice amongst the many people I asked about which unit to purchase. Its a very cool toy. One of the best features is having your speed over the ground. This year we installed a chart plotter and it is pretty amazing. The Garmin unit continues to serve as a back up and for use in human powered craft. You will not regret spending your money on a Map 76, Steve.

[Bill Michne]

If your handheld will be your primary GPS unit, don't even think about the gray scale, as it is too difficult to read in daylight, and nearly impossible in sun light. The color is much easier to read under those conditions. On the other hand, I use the handheld when I'm racing smaller boats where navigation isn't a problem. We use it for timing the start of the race, and to figure out where the next mark is when we can't see it. It all comes down to how you're going to use it. Having said that, in my experience, Garmin is a most satisfactory product. I've had 3 of them in various boats and all performed well. I had less than stellar performance from another major brand. I still have that unit and tried to give it away. The fellow I gave it to brought it back and said he was going to buy a Garmin.

[Joe Myerson]

Bill & Steve:

I've just finished loading the appropriate Blue Charts into my GPSMAP 76, and I've got to agree with you about grayscale.

The charts are very nice, but the visibility is not very good in daylight. It was much easier for me to read the screen on my older GPS 76, which only showed navaids.

That said, this looks like it will be a great addition to my navigation. I've got it mounted on a removable board that slips into the grooves for my drop boards inside my companionway, and from there, I've hooked it up to my 12v system and my DSC radio.

But getting back to Mark's original question: Buy a unit with a color screen if you can.

--Joe

[Parfait's Provider]

I have driven thousands of miles with the Garmin StreetPilot III on the dash and find that it is not an issue. When you want info it is there at a glance and that is more than you can get from a navigator or a road sign. If you are totally confused or lost, pull over and get re-oriented. The voice commands are quite good and if you miss it the first time around, push the "speak" button and she will repeat the instruction. if you are concerned about whether the turn is "now" or the next possibility, glance at the screen to see how far away from the intersection you are. It will tell you graphically and in distance down to a few feet.

Now then, it is sort of addictive, but after the first crash, you'll get the hang of it.

[drb9]

Costco has this on their website for $340 + $8 shipping, in case anyone was wondering.

[Carter Brey]

Count me as another vote strongly in favour of the colour screen. I just bought a Garmin eTrex Legend Cx to replace the eTrex Legend that stayed with my CD25 when I sold it. The difference, I find, is well worth the extra money. Reading B&W, especially on these tiny screens, is a challenge. I much prefer paper charts for navigation so I went with the smallest unit possible as a backup. The anchor dragging alarm feature, though, is very nice. It sounds like the pet racoon I had as a boy.

CB

[MarkN]

Thanks to all. As my first GPS I'll start with the handheld and then move up as I gain experience and sail futher from home and using paper charts as primary. Some local input favors the Garmin Legend which is what I'm leaning towards at this time and if $ permit I'll go with the color screen. Thank again, Mark