GPS

[adriancorrea]

Hi all 8)
Ive been looking around at buying a gps

I have been looking at the Garmin gps128.
Has anyone got one or used one?
Any information would be a great help.
My price range would be 500 to 800 bucks.
thanks in advance ;)

Tight Lines
Adrian

[adrian]

g'day
where to start . firstly do you want hand held or a mounted one . a hand held one comes with batterys which are just manily aa size . get one that best fits your needs eg car boat or bushwalking . from there it gets a little easier a gps uses saterlites for finding it self so the more of them it can get the better off you'll be eg 4 , 6 , 8 ,12 . get one that will keep as many waypoints (marks ) as possiby and as many routes ( a number of waypoints put together to form track eg: beacons at you local ramp so at night youcan find your way home ) . a battery saver mode is also good or get a 12 volt plug .if you are after a mounted one don't forget the aierial and found out if it needs any extras to run also a look back will find that someone did a chat board on this . hope this helps


Anzac

[Big_Muddie]

Hi Snappy.

I personally don't use a Garmin GPS - I have a Lowrance handheld - but I do use a Garmin Fishfinder. Good quality equipment and I'm very happy with it.

Regardless of the brand of GPS you finally select, I recommend that you make sure it has a PC interface. The one thing I regret about mine is the lack of that. Management of waypoints and routes is a lot easier using PC software (and there is good, free software available) than it is trying to do the same on the GPS unit itself.

The GME site suggests that the GPS128 is capable of attachment to a PC - but make sure it is.

Good luck in your quest.

[Kerry]

Big_Muddie, ??? what type of Lowrance handheld do you have.

Cheers, Kerry.

[aquarius]

:)Hi Adrian....Mate i have a dash mounted gps with a large easy to read screen....just keep in mind the handheld ones have small screens and are a bit hard to read when travelling over rough water....thats my opinion.....My mate has a handheld model in his boat.....I suggest you wait until the boat show as im sure the price will be reduced slightly.
When you get one you will be amazed at the information thats saved on there....time, boat speed, time of arrival,different alarms,battery status etc etc...not to mention the fuel you can save by going directly from point A to point B.
Hope you find a model that suits your needs.
Cheers Brent
PS. Just spent some time today photographing all 30 or so way points with the digi camera then downloading them onto the computer for safe keeping....beats writing each one down on paper!!!!!!

[adriancorrea]

Me again
Im definately after a dash mounted unit and brent Ill be waiting by the mailbox for a copy of them photos lol
I think I will wait and have a look at the show.

Tight Lines
Adrian

[aquarius]

;D ;DNo worries Adrian.....The only problem is they don't put the fish on the hook for ya.....Mate when you get it i can give you some gps marks to get ya started.
Cheers Brent ;D ;D

[krazyfisher]

I have a garmin 126 which is the same as the 128 but internal aerial. I have had it for about 6 boat trips and find it great. I had a hand held for about a month before I resold it as it was to hard to use and read it was a lowrance but the 126 is easy to use good size screen man over board feature is great to use when looking for structure one push of the button and the spot is marked it does every thing that I want it to do the next step is gps/map but to dear for what I do. I got a quote of about $680 I think got mine in the end for $345 but I can't say where but it was legal ;D

[Big_Muddie]

Kerry,

It's a GlobalNav 12. I deliberately chose a handheld so I could use it in the car or on the beach. I had the mounting bracket on a gimbal fitting but now it is fixed on the dash of my side console (just had it built).

Re other comments regarding the small screen, I agree but I don't use mine for major navigation tasks so handheld is fine for me.

Brent's comment about photographing the waypoints for safekeeping illustrates my point about having a GPS capable of connecting to a PC. The GPS software can download and store the waypoints from the GPS and upload them back to the GPS if they are lost at that source. It generally allows you to record a lot of info about the waypoint - better than human memory (which I am rapidly losing - LOL).


Regards,


Michael

[nhoj]

Hi Adrian,

I have a Garmin 126 same as 128 except internal aerial for over three years now and have not had any problems with it. Easy to use and once you get one you wont know how you did without it. Great for comming back through the channels at the pin in the dark. I connect it to my computer and keep a copy of all my waypoints etc in case.
I prefer the larger screen. Easier to operate especially outside. If you are looking at getting one with an internal aerial be carefull where you are going to mount it. It likes to have a clear view of the sky. Mine is on the dash next to the windscreen and under a vinyl canopy and works fine. If you mount them under a solid structure you can run into problems receiving the signals. If you are unsure, better to go for the ext aerial. Hope this helps.
Rgds, John.

[Kerry]

Michael, who ever told you there's no upload/download software for a GlobalNav 12 got it a bit wrong.

There's also other freeware systems available but the following certainly will work

http://www.lowrance.com/Software/GPS_Data_Manager/gps_data_manager.asp

Cheers, Kerry.

[Lucky_Phill]

Yes Adrian, you going the right way if you're thinking Garmin. I have the old 120 and still going strong.

Only need to replace the online fuse when you buy the new ones ( with a PROPER water proof one ). I like the 126 with the built in aerial.

;D ;D

[Big_Muddie]

Kerry,

I found out late last night that there is in fact both software and hardware (cables) to allow me to interface to my GlobalNav12. I have already downloaded the s/w from Lowrance and got their US prices for cables.

However, when I called a Lowrance dealer this morning to check on Aus prices for the cables I nearly fell over! I was quoted a "I think this is the price (because Lowrance had just taken their price list)" of around $140 for the interface cable. That's simply outrageous! The USD price for the cable appears to be $33US. At that sort of markup I will just keep an Access DB of my waypoints.

I am calling back to confirm prices in the next day or 2 when the delaer expects to have the new pricelist. If it isn't reasonable, I may simply get the cable direct from the US.

Thanks for your reply - appreciate it.


Regards,

Michael

[Kerry]

Those prices sound a bit rough :o but most of the power cables have the data wiring already in them and normally just requires a 9 pin plug.

If you've already got a power cable and it has an extra 2 wires apart from the +/- then all it requires is the connector, a few $$'s from Dick Smith and a solder job.

Cheers, Kerry.

[Big_Muddie]

Kerry,


I'm interested. How ever, the only "power" cable I have is the cigarette lighter one. And it appers to be just power.


Regards,


Michael

[Kerry]

That's possible and several manufacturers make a "power" cable only.

However check it out closely just in case the other wires are tucked up/trimmed out of sight.

The other option is to check the price difference between a "normal" power/data cable (loose wires) as opposed to a specific PC/data cable complete.

If you can handle soldering 9 pin DB connectors then the price difference might be worth it?

Cheers, Kerry.