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I know this is a question that is asked every year, but does anyone have any recommendations on handheld GPS units? Pros and Cons? Also lake Chips, where can I pick them up and are they compatible with just about all units? I'll use it mostly for ice fishing and bowhunting, (got lost walking out of the swamp at night one too many times) Thanks for any info.
Various things factor in here. For ice fishing or even for open water fishing the Lowrance H20C is tough to beat. It excepts map cards and is a 16 channel parallel receiver with waas. I little big maybe for carrying in hunting uses I think. Garmins are nice, I had a GPS12 and an Etrex Legend. Neither excepted map cards though. I am going back and forth with this as well, I have a Lowrance 522c I considered mounting on my wheeler for ice duty(gps) but I don't want to beat it up so I am thinking about an H20c. It would cost about $40 more after buying a portable outfit for the 522c versus buying an H20c but if I had to replace the 522c it would be triple the cost of an H20c. But then I'll have another item not being used for 9 months out of the year. What a dilemma! Oh yeah, you can't forget about $50 or so for a Ram mount too.
I second the Lowrance iFinder H2OC. Great unit. Color is worth the money over the black and white. Way easier to see map detail.
thanks for the info. and opinions guys.
I have an h2oc also, and like it. I used this solely as my gps on my salmon boat for the first year, it works well as long as you can see the small screen. If you're reliant on a bifocal for your near vision, this small screen might be harder to deal with. The color is great and helps to see detail, but keep in mind it also sucks power. I would think for ice duty in cold temps the battery life on the h2oc will be short. If you have an accessory plug in, like on your atv or sled, then no worries, or if you can rig an accessory 12v from a sonar battery.
I have used the lakemaster MI chip and navionics gold. Both are good imo, none I've seen are perfect, they're off in their depths in certain spots, but get you close usually.
have a garmin gmaps 60c i have every map that garmin makes lakes to roads to topos just upgraded to a full size if yer intrested let me know
Last winter i was in the same boat that your in on what GPS i should get? Well with the prices that these can get up to i ended up buying a Garmin Etrex Legend HcX. They go for around $250.00, it has color screen, picks up the signal very wuick, has all the features i think you would want or need, very easy to use and it has a micro SD slot so you can put a chip in it. Garmin has a Michigan LakeMasters chip that you can for it that is really nice. That is what i got also. it Contains
coverage of over 1100 lakes in Michigan.
Provides detailed shorelines and depth contours, including one-foot contours for many lakes
Includes high definition contours, structure and bottom information created from on-the-water surveys
Displays islands, reefs, points, bays, inlets, access points, boat ramps and aquatic vegetation
Includes many lakes with high-definition shorelines and bathymetric detail.
Provides data on tide prediction stations, U.S. Coast Guard aids to navigation, and wrecks and obstructions.
Includes rivers, streams, and river and creek channels.
Allows you to search by lake or by city.
Includes interstates, highways and general roads.
Well I went ahead and got an H2OC, along with the ram mount the whole thing set me back $260. Everything is mounted and functional, now I wait for ice.