At the start of the season my yard gave me a Garmin 492
GPS/Chartplotter and a Furuno 1623 radar as part of my barter deal with
them. I never got around to installing either as we didn't do much
cruising.
I'll probably install the radar now since it's useful for spotting
T-storms here, but the GPS is another matter. Next season we have two
trips planned early in the season, so a better GPS will be handy and
fun. On board I have a Garmin Foretrex and the Garmin GPSmap76.
A few people have told me that the maps on the Garmin 492 are somewhat
weak, and not really very detailed compared to some slighty more
expensive models that take chart chips. Has anyone here used the 492
enough to confirm this? I'm ready to dump it and buy a better model if
that's the case. And no, the 492 is not for sale.

Thanks for any advice. BTW, the GPS will have a mount at the pedestal
and below, so I'll want a model with internal antenna and then add a
remote antenna for below deck.



Robert
35s5
NY

"Capt. Rob" wrote in news:1163209502.939415.46470
@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

A few people have told me that the maps on the Garmin 492 are somewhat
weak, and not really very detailed compared to some slighty more
expensive models that take chart chips. Has anyone here used the 492
enough to confirm this? I'm ready to dump it and buy a better model if
that's the case. And no, the 492 is not for sale.

Because you're a really smart fellow, anyways, and ALWAYS keep a paper
chart 'n pencil course plotted every hour in case the computers screw up,
does it really matter if the chart plotter has the finest picture money can
buy? You'll have a radar to plot your course down the canyons of buildings
and trees to watch. Only thing the GPS needs to tell you is your Lat/Long
to plot on the paper chart, anyways...right? Is that worth another
thousand dollars to have it on this little color LCD screen?....NOT.

We cheat on Lionheart. The fancy GPS receivers drive an old Yeoman paper
chart plotter I salvaged from the captain's trash can. I glued the boards
to the bottom of the chart table top. My pencil fits in the hole in its
puck so I don't have to haul the numbers in from the helm every hour. The
chart on the Yeoman looks just like a Maptech chart book....because it IS a
Maptech chart book...(c; Notice there are 3 keypoints on a Maptech chart
book to calibrate my Yeoman, which has the charts pre-programmed by number
into its memory for easy calibration. If you find one GET IT! Works great
and has a HUGE screen you can see in near darkness...(c;

http://www.yeomanuk.co.uk/


Thanks for any advice. BTW, the GPS will have a mount at the pedestal
and below, so I'll want a model with internal antenna and then add a
remote antenna for below deck.


You don't need a remote antenna in a plastic boat. Try laying your Garmin
handheld under the table or inside one of the wooden or plastic storage
bins under the seats. Let it run a while and see what kind of plot it
makes on its little chart. I mounted our antennas over in the corner of
the console under the hard top behind the windshield of the Amel Sharki 41
ketch. It sees the satellites just fine through the plastic top and lexan
windscreen. My old Eagle handheld got its button pressed in my baggage and
came on, dutifully logging itself onto 12 birds and plotting our course
until I found it running while looking for some dry socks....(c; As long
as there's no metal shielding over the dome, GPS works right through all
the plastic they keep calling "fiberglass".


Larry
--
My calendar must be wrong....
In all the stores, it's ALREADY Christmas!

Because you're a really smart fellow, anyways, and ALWAYS keep a paper
chart 'n pencil course plotted every hour in case the computers screw
up,
does it really matter if the chart plotter has the finest picture money
can
buy?



Larry. obviously you're correct. My little GPSmap 76 is all I need and
I really could just dig out my old Garmin 38 and even that would be
fine since I have paper charts.
But sailboats are not about "needs" so much as "wants." I love boats
and the fun associated toys that go with them. Now I have some kind of
safety valve that keeps me from spending 8K on a networked radar/GPS
system, but a small mapping GPS is really no huge expense and fun for
the "are we there yet?" crowd.
I'll probably just go with the Garmin with the pre-loaded blue charts
and be done. They are down to 599.00 now.


Robert
35s5
NY

"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com..
..

Because you're a really smart fellow, anyways, and ALWAYS
keep a paper
chart 'n pencil course plotted every hour in case the
computers screw
up,
does it really matter if the chart plotter has the finest
picture money
can
buy?



Larry. obviously you're correct. My little GPSmap 76 is
all I need and
I really could just dig out my old Garmin 38 and even that
would be
fine since I have paper charts.
But sailboats are not about "needs" so much as "wants." I
love boats
and the fun associated toys that go with them. Now I have
some kind of
safety valve that keeps me from spending 8K on a networked
radar/GPS
system, but a small mapping GPS is really no huge expense
and fun for
the "are we there yet?" crowd.
I'll probably just go with the Garmin with the pre-loaded
blue charts
and be done. They are down to 599.00 now.


cheap is as cheap does.

On 13 Nov 2006 07:13:24 -0800, "Capt. Rob" wrote:

I have some kind of
safety valve that keeps me from spending 8K on a networked radar/GPS
system

Once you try one you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. Get
the ARPA tracking feature with the RADAR, that's a real crowd pleaser.

Once you try one you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. Get
the ARPA tracking feature with the RADAR, that's a real crowd pleaser.




I agree. My friend's Tayana has all the bells and whistles...cost him
25K installed. It's sweet, but I'd feel silly with it when next
summer's longest trip will be to Block Island. I think I can have fun
with a smaller setup, though I'm still star-gazing at the lower end
Garmin with radar integrated. As someone pointed out...my GPS 76 is
fine.
Then again....lots of room left at Heart of Gold nav station if I move
some stuff!

http://hometown.aol.com/bobsprit/images/navnavyweb.jpg


Robert
35s5
NY

"Capt. Rob" wrote in news:1163467555.257945.43960
@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Then again....lots of room left at Heart of Gold nav station if I move
some stuff!


AHA! There's the problem! Blank panel space!....(c;

Larry
--
My calendar must be wrong....
In all the stores, it's ALREADY Christmas!

On Sun, 12 Nov 2006 20:18:18 -0500, in message

Larry wrote:

You don't need a remote antenna in a plastic boat. Try laying your Garmin
handheld under the table or inside one of the wooden or plastic storage
bins under the seats.

My Garmin GPS 76 has never failed to find and hold a fix in the
bracket at the helm. It has failed multiple times down below on my
plastic boat. It almost always works down below, but it is clear that
the signal is less than perfect. It lives in the bracket at the helm
and sends position data by cable down to the computer on the nav
station.

Ryk