gps speed

[whitedevil]

does any body have a gps speedometer or a gps with speed posted how does it work and what should i pay for a gps uint.

[DonCig]

I have both a handheld and a Livorsi dash mount. They read within 3% of each other. I think the handheld was around $300 and the Livorsi dash unit was around $400?

DonCig

[GKricheldorf]

There are tons of GPS units on the market for just about any sport. You can do a search on google for then. Garmin i believe is the biggest mfg, but there are others like Magellan.

I use a Street Pilot and once you turn it on and it finds the signal and starts working. With mine i am able to load a location into memory for about any waterway in the US. I always know where i am.

[whitedevil]

does the gps tell you how deep the water is and will it tell you if you will run aground or shollow waters ahead.for example if i am running in the bay and i am heading for a sandbar will the gps system alert you and tell you you are fixen to be in deep sh''.i have been told that these systems will do that but can not find some one in miami to help. thanks for any info

[TuxedoPk]

What you are describing is called a 'chartplotter', basically a chart of the water showing water depths with an indication of where you are located via the built in GPS.

When you step up to a chartplotter you are going to be increasing the investment considerably. Color and larger screen are two of the biggest costs in the difference between units. Another cost you may incurr at some point will be additional charts (maps) if you intend to boat in different areas.

Think of the chartplotter as a map of the water to help you plan routes between locations and show you where you are at any given point. This should help you avoid known shallow areas if you plan well. If you want to know what the actual depth of the water under your boat is, you will need a depthfinder. This is a simple device that bounces a sound from your boat to the bottom of the water and determines the depth based on how long it takes for the signal to bounce back up.

Since electronic charts come from the paper charts it will make sense for you to purchase a paper chart of your boating area and begin to learn to read it. Get a copy of Chapman's piloting and read the appropriate area on charts. An inexpensive handheld GPS will give you your speed and longitude/lattitude so you can see your location on the paper charts.

By the way, based on where you are boating you may have tidal waters which you will need to use to combine with the depths shown on the charts. You'll find information on tides and tidal currents also in Chapman.

Sorry it isn't as simple as a Holy SH@% warning system as you mentioned in your post. But when water depths can change dramatically and you're doing 50+ mph you wouldn't have enough time anyway from the red light and beep to grounding.

[ChromeGorilla]

If you woul like to keep the cost reasonable and still have a a color chart plotter go with the Garmin E-trex Legend C. Under $300 and it is a handheld GPS/chartplotter. Has a color LCD screen. Has a lot of features. I also bought US lakes and recreational rivers EAST software as well. Which has almost all lakes and rives in the eastern 1/3 of the US. Every place I have traveled with it it has had detailed maps to include depth contours, markers, ramps , fuel etc....


When going to new area, I plot where i want to go on my PC at home, or just load the chart for that area. Then I load the info right to the garmin unit with a usb cable and I'm ready to go. Lots of nice features, like highway mode, reverseable routes...yadda yadda yadda.....

[Rootsy]

I have the garmin Legend (not the C - Color). I can store the entire state of michigan topography and most of the great lakes bluewater charts in it with the 8 megs of memory. The bluewater charts are the set of maps that give you the topography below the waters surface. IT WILL NOT tell you when you are in dangerous water though.. that is up to you to decipher from the map on the screen.

JR

[Dalelama]

Garmin 76C... get the discs... shows most channel markers, then you add your own waypoints for your specific routs.

I use mine.. WFO... no moon, in Biscayne Bay... and hit the channel EVERY time....

Good idea to run around and mark dangerous areas that you might re-incounter.........up/down load from the PC is really handy!

Yer liikng at about $400-500 for unit, mount and discs. More memory, more $$.