I already have two handhelds and a 'hockey puck' GPS.. (none are WAAS) but I
have a problem if I don't have an external antenna..

I can hook up one of my handhelds but have a problem finding a location that
gives a clear shot at the birds. I can run the handhelds off 12 volts but
the external antenna is no longer available (Raytheon/Apelco crap).

The 'hookey puck' works fine but happens to be a USB and The Craptian won't
talk to the Autopilot since it can only deal with the USB port while the AP
is on the serial.

I looked at the RayStar 120 but don't want to be totally reliant on the
Laptop..

A fixed mount GPS w/ WAAS with a serial port is kinda my idea of an ideal
arrangement since if I want to turn off the laptop, I can dump the routes
and waypoints back into the GPS and go from there.

I'm sure they are available, but I haven't found anything else I liked that
would let me work out my routes and WP on the laptop nav program and then
upload them to the GPS.. Or, if I prefer, navigate and direct the AP from
the laptop nav program.

I like to do my navigation directly on the laptop while in close quarter
(Puget Sound, Pac.NW.) but once I get offshore a I want to just load the
route and WPs into the GPS and work off paper charts to plot my daily
positions.

BTW. The WAAS isn't all that important to me since I will be doing most of
my cruising in Central America and So Pacific. But since the Furuno GP32 has
it already, I can't complain. It will come in handy when I do the Inside
Passage.

Everyone has a different idea of what they want at the nav station or at
the helm.. All I want, in view at the helm, is a display that tells me the
xte and maybe my spd.

Just my thoughts. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions