BoatBanter.com - View Single Post

On 27 Oct 2003 18:49:55 -0800, (Parallax) wrote:

[...]
need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
Waypoints just get me screwed up because I can never remember if I
really entered the correct coords last night or if those coords for
WP5 is for my last trip. Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries? Most of the hand
helds look too much like my cell phone that I purposefully leave at
home. I have even been tempted to forego GPS completely but I spose
it is a safety thing. Any ideas?

If that's all you want, just buy the cheapest unit you can find. You
don't have to worry about the cheap antennas that don't work well under
tree cover or around buildings. You don't need or want the fancy
mapping units. Even ones for under $100 will give you position and
velocity. Buy 2 or them for the same price as one fancier unit and
you're in even better shape. Most of the handhelds can work off the
boat 12v with an optional car type power cord. But for the way you're
probably going to use it, i.e., just turn it on once in a while for a
position check to update your DR and maybe leave it on for an hour or
two if you come into an unfamiliar port, the internal batteries will
last a long time.

Steve