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Marine GPS
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 07:52:34 -0400, (Dionysus
Feldman) wrote:
If you were going to get a new GPS system this winter, which one would
it be? Is it worth getting a marine version? Is color worth the
drastic extra cost?
I have a Garmin GPSMap76. I chose that model for several reasons:
* It's "mappable," meaning that I can download charts to the handheld.
* It's waterproof.
* It floats (not that I'd ever...)
I've been using it for about a year now and have been reasonably happy with it.
The negatives are the screen size (very small) and a very slow redraw time when
you scroll to a new area on the chart. For navigating the Northern California
Delta, I typically use the GPS along with a paper chart to get the bigger
picture.
I've just started using the spiffy new Garmin iQue 3600--a PDA with an integral
WAAS GPS. It also takes the Garmin Blue Charts.
I've found the iQue to be very usable, with a clear color display and instant
redraws. I'm not going to give up the GPSMap76, though, for several reasons.
First, the 76 is waterproof and floats.  Second, its functionality is still
superior to that of the iQue--working with waypoints, routes and tracks is
easier. And it has very good battery life compared to the iQue--15 hours on two
AA NiMH, compared to about 3 hours with the iQue.
I could do away with many of the disadvantages of the 76 by just running its
signal through a laptop, but I'm just not ready to schlep that much equipment
aboard just yet.
HTH,
Joe Parsons
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