Fishfinder w. GPS ?

[mike-munich]

Gentlemen, I don´t know if I´m posting this right. The "tech" section looks more like computer stuff and I didn´t know where else to ask this. If this is not the right place, could an admin please move it ? Thank you.

We just bought a boat, 15 feet with a 60hp Honda motor. We keep it in Greece, on the Peleponnes, at the Gulf of Kalamata.

I don´t know where else to ask this question but here, since there are alot of fishermen, hunters and outdoormen here.

Can you suggest a good fishfinder with GPS ? They are not very common here in Germany (and way to expensive), so I really don´t know what to get. There is too much around (like on ebay) and I don´t know which systems are good and which not.

We need it mainly to determine the depht, not so much for finding fish. It should switch to metric if possible, and should be detachable from the vessel (it´s open and we don´t want to leave it on there at the harbor).

Any input is welcome ! I am in a $250 to $350 price range. I saw Garmin and Hummingbird on ebay, but don´t know anything about these things.

I apologize if this is posted in the wrong section ! Thank you !

[Pete]

Go to

http://www.cabelas.com

and check out the Fishing section and then Boat Electronics. Good place to get some ideas and then shop around.

[Dominus_Potior]

Mike, I've just came from Germany. Now I'm in Italy. I have been carp fishing in Germany. Waiting for my license here in Italy.

Anyway, I have a Eagle fish elite 500c. I did have the 480 but it got shot when I was deployed. (Don't ask why I brought it with me, long story). The 480 worked great even though it had a black and white screen. The 500, to me, is the best option. It only comes with maps of the USA, but I found Germany, Italy and France online for it. A buddy of mine uses a Garmin, not really sure of the name, it has a noticiable amount of lag as targets are loaded.


Rob

[SFS0AVN]

There are several good fish/depth finders with GPS on the market, just search for GPS Fish Finders. When you decide on one, make sure you can get the software AND Mapping for the area your in! Some of the maritime software is not available in some units.

[Sacamuelas]

I have years of experience with Garmin GPS units and their Bluechart and topo electronic navigation charts. I have a simple old black and white Humingbird depth finder/fish finder that allows for plug and play compatibility with my handheld gps. The fish finder only cost me about $140 and is easily removed from the boat when I leave. The GPS is a mapping handheld and is an older model, GPS 76s, that has 24 megs of internal ram which is more than you will ever need. I think you can get its better brother ( the color screen 76cs) for around $200-300 these days. This was you can get what you need for fishing as well as having a handheld gps for other uses.

The garmin units have dropped DRAMATICALLY in the last few months as the older versions are being replaced by units that can utilize their latest nav charts,etc. The new chart features include actual satellite photos of your AO as well as much more versatile modeling functions like above and below waterline 3D charting. IF you are like me, then you don't really need that level of info for recreational fishing. In which case, you will save BIG bucks by buying one of the older units and the older software.

If you want a true dual purpose unit, I have used and played around while fishing with several different models of the Garmin fish finder/gps units. All were easy to use and functioned flawlessly. They should also be cheaper now that the new models are coming out.

Good luck.....

remember, a bad day fishing beats a good day at work!

[Ambush Master]

I got a Garmin GPSMAP 60SX from here:

http://www.offroute.com/

They had the best price I could find. Look at the package deals where you get the unit and software!! This particular unit was recommended in here by folks in the sandbox that claimed that they would keep sat-lock inside of uparmored vehicles. I can establish sat-lock in my livingroom!!!

[mike-munich]

Pete, thanks for the link ! That´s a neat site. I did see some things I really like...

Rob, I´ve seen the Eagle on ebay. Looks good to me. I have to gather some more intel on it. Thanks for the hint ! Next time you are in Germany let me know. I owe you a beer. (carp is good around here, rainbow trout and pike is even better !).

Sacamuela & Ambush Master: Thanks gentlemen ! I have looked at Garmins as well. As a matter of fact I use a Garmin Zumo GPS on the motorcycle and a Etrex Legend GPS for hiking and "other things". If I can get Greek mapping for it I might go for a Garmin fishfinder then... I like the idea of having satellite images of the AO (although I don´t need it either)...

SFS0AVN, thanks for the hint. I´ve seen units with locked maps for north America & Canada. They wouldn´t do me any good here.

I do want a dual purp unit for the boat since I only have MoWE (maps of western europe) with several POI´s on my etrex and don´t want to carry it down to Greece all the time.

I will do some research on the provided websites now and might be back with one or two questions shortly.

Thanks again ya´ll !

Mike in Munich

P.S.

remember, a bad day fishing beats a good day at work!

I absolutely second that !!!

[Dominus_Potior]

Mike,
I'll be there the end of September. Oktoberfest!
We can have that beer then.

Rob

[mike-munich]

Originally Posted by Dominus_Potior

Mike,
I'll be there the end of September. Oktoberfest!
We can have that beer then.

Rob

Rob,

affirmative. Will PM you my phone # so we can hook up. Let me know if you are interested in a tour of the Munich PD and I´ll arrange for it.

The first Mass of Beer is on me !

Mike

P.S. Looking into a GARMIN GPSMAP 298C right now. Goes for around $400, but it´s niccccce....

[kachingchingpow]

Mike. I've been involved with tournament bass fishing for around 15 years off and on. First job as a teen ager was working on a crab boat in the Chesapeake bay... basically I've been around the water and electronics all my life.

Depending on what you need GPS wise, you might be able to get some pretty good deals on e-bay (looks like you're already finding that out). For your purposes, I would imagine color isn't necessary. Would a plotter be fine? 1st gen GPS type system, that basically shows your route, waypoints, etc.? If that's acceptable, then you can probably get a really high-end sonar with a plotter.

I've fished tournaments as guest boater on dozens of different boats and have seen many different brands of electronics. Lowrance (Eagle is their bargain brand) is where I would focus my search. There *are* other good products on the market, but Lowrance is definately the front runner. I've owned 4 different Lowrance units... LMS-350, X-70, X-703d, and 2 X-85's, a couple Hummingbirds, and a BottomLine (I was friends with a Hummingbird, and Bottomline rep). Lowrance quality is top notch, very durable, and they have excellent customer service (I've had to send mine in for servicing a time or two. In one case, their tech's were able to save all of my offshore GPS numbers (wrecks and private honey holes that took 10 years to aquire) and transfer it to the new unit... and this was in the days before PC interfaces were popular on sonar/gps units).

Currently I have a 21' Skeeter Bay Boat. It's rigged with a Lowrance LMS-350 on the console and an X-85 on the front casting deck. The plotter on the 350 works just fine for me, and has for years. I'll have to admit though, that I bought a Garmin E-trex a couple years ago for hunting that I now use as a companion. They actually work well in conjunction. I just spent 7 days in the Panhandle of Florida fishing for Kingfish 5-10 miles offshore with this setup. The 350 has incredible resolution for the sonar, and the GPS features allow me to monitor my route and speeds while trolling. I use the handheld map to pinpoint cuts and canyons and general bottom relief.

If I had to go with a new unit, I'd concentrace on the Eagle products. New Lowrance stuff will be well outside of your pricepoint... heck I think my LMS-350 was over $800.00 in 96, and the X-70 $500. Funny thing is though, other than the mapping features and some other bells and whistles not much has improved beyond a 96 vintage 350. The resolution and screen size are more than what most need, and new units really haven't advanced beyond it. In some cases their worse because with the units getting smaller, so have some of the screen dimensions.

Unless I had money to burn and was rigging a brand new boat with electronics built into the finance package of the boat, I would get a working used Lowrance.

All that said, if you're just looking for a sonar, and a way to keep yourself from getting lost just go with a flasher unit and a handheld. The flasher has the most immediate feedback as far as depth is concerned, and the hand held can be mounted into a gimble bracket at your console... not to mention you can remove it for other uses With a black and white handheld, your probably looking at a setup that would cost less than $200 new out the door.

[mike-munich]

kachingchingpow, thanks for all the info ! I could live with a plotter, or even my handheld etrex legend. My father bought the boat, so he will be using it as well as my older brother (former air force type...). These guys need some sort of mapping on the GPS, since they have never used gen. 1 equipment. What I like about the Garmin is that they have worldwide shorelines preloaded, so there should be some of the Greek coastline on there as well. I´ve checked out other units (on ebay) and even looked at a few earlier this month at Outdoor World in Denver, CO. All of them have only North America installed and I couldn´t find any information about additional maps to upload.

I´ve pretty much focused on the Garmin now. Seen them for around $460, including the ducer and stuff. I just get my father and brother to chip in, so the price will be divided by 3.

Thanks for all the information you provided ! It´s highly appreciated.

Good fishing,

Mike

[x SF med]

Raymarine makes really good fishfinders with temp and GPS...

[mike-munich]

Originally Posted by x SF med

Raymarine makes really good fishfinders with temp and GPS...

Thanks x SF med ! Just checking them out on ebay. Pricewise there are a bit outta my range though...