On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 09:19:15 +0000, Shaun Van Poecke wrote:

cross posted to rec.boats.electronics

Hi all,
Im looking at getting a cheap(ish) setup for my boat, i have a couple of
laptops with navigation software and charts, so what im looking at is a
couple of GPS units to hook up to them. Ive seen GPS receivers with
serial or USB connections that plug straight into a laptop, but these
things cost as much as or more than a basic hand held GPS. are they any
better?

What im probably thinking is one basic handheld unit (maybe garmin GPS
72) and one receiving antenna to plug straight in to the laptop. any
ideas on this setup?

Get a handheld GPS with NMEA output. That way you'll have a backup if
your computer dies. You can use the GPS by itself, with a normal
chart.

Make sure you get a GPS that runs from a 12V socket. The last thing you
want is to have to worry about batteries.

Matt O.