Handheld GPS?

[elnutsmalljaws]

When my Garmin 76s works it is GREAT. The problem is that it only works when it can locate the sattelites and that is about 50% of the time. I can get service in pea soup fog one night then nothing in the same spot the next afternoon with high blue skies. I have hated it since I bought it 5 years ago. Adding an external gps Lowrance unit to my boat in a couple of months so my Garmin hand held unit will never leave the house again.

[markmac60]

When my Garmin 76s works it is GREAT. The problem is that it only works when it can locate the sattelites and that is about 50% of the time. I can get service in pea soup fog one night then nothing in the same spot the next afternoon with high blue skies. I have hated it since I bought it 5 years ago. Adding an external gps Lowrance unit to my boat in a couple of months so my Garmin hand held unit will never leave the house again.

Elnut, have you ever tried an external antenna for your 76S? Thirty-something bucks might just fix the only frustration that you have with your unit. Just a thought.

[Spider04]

Appreciate the help guys. Good feedback. I will definitely hit BPS and have them demonstrate it as markmac60 described. Have you guys with the Lowrance units had any trouble with the satellite feeds much? Do they go out as often as my Directv does (every storm)?

[flatpickinbasser]

Do you have to pay a fee for satelite access with a GPS unit? or do you just buy a GPS unit, turn it on, and you're good to go with no service provider fees?
Thanks

[MsgMills]

Do you have to pay a fee for satelite access with a GPS unit? or do you just buy a GPS unit, turn it on, and you're good to go with no service provider fees?
Thanks

No you don't have to pay a fee, buy a unit, install it on your boat and have a great time....I use one of my units in my truck as a road map unit when not on the water works perfectly.

[smuckey41]

Do you have to pay a fee for satelite access with a GPS unit? or do you just buy a GPS unit, turn it on, and you're good to go with no service provider fees?
Thanks

just turn it on and go. and i also have the h20 ifinder and love it but dont use it any more because i have two gps units in my boat, but the h2o is a good buy. but get the navionics hot maps chip for detail maping

[markmac60]

Appreciate the help guys. Good feedback. I will definitely hit BPS and have them demonstrate it as markmac60 described. Have you guys with the Lowrance units had any trouble with the satellite feeds much? Do they go out as often as my Directv does (every storm)?

I have the b/w screen on my Lowrance H2O because I didn't want to spend the extra $100. While I like the color version a lot more, the b/w works just fine. I have never had problems with satellite feeds, except in areas that you would expect such a problem. The kind of areas I'm talking about are shear rock walls on each side, which limits you satellite reception to directly overhead. As soon as I get out of places like that, the reception picks right back up. Never had problems on a lake.

[Spider04]

markmac60 - Thank you very much for the insight. Appreciate your time. I was kind of thinking the b/w might work alright for my use. Still considering all this though. I may go bigtime with some side finders w/ GPS too. Don't know yet.

[elnutsmalljaws]

Elnut, have you ever tried an external antenna for your 76S? Thirty-something bucks might just fix the only frustration that you have with your unit. Just a thought.

I don't have an external antena for my 76s, I have updated it repeatedly, called Garmin approximately 15 times and they have walked me thru doing this or that and it will "Fix" problems sitting at my computer on the phone but of course when I get on the lake it goes back to its problems. Garmin wants me to send in the unit and for a flat rate of $99, they will test, repair and fix the unit. I started calling them within the first couple of months of getting it and don't feel I should pay any extra. I will buy my new unit in a couple of months and continue to tell the truth about my piece of crap on public boards in hopes of keeping just one person from buying a Garmin. Chunknwind has spent more time in my boat than anyone and he knows first hand at what a piece of crap it is. One minute I am getting 10 sattelites at Ky Lake, litterally drift 15 feet and lose reception. I getter better service at Dale Hollow than Ky Lake, explaing that. Laurel Lake a couple of months ago in pea soup fog with DC Basser in the boat and LUCKILY I have service all night for it was my first night on the lake. The next afternoon at 2pm I put in to run and mark some waypoints to check out the lake, high blue skies and I can't pick up one sattelite at all from 2pm until I took out at 5am that next morning. So frustrating. Lowrance for me from now on, Garmin stinks

[Spider04]

Got to looking up prices on these things at Bass Pro, Ebay, etc and see that the difference in the color model (H20C) versus the b/w is about $100. Apextrail stated that the color is a worthwhile upgrade. Could you expand on that? One of the feedbacks on Bass Pro is that the color unit is hard to see in the sunlight while the b/w is much easier to see. I personally would rather have the color but wondering if it's really worth $100 more if I could have some trouble seeing it. What do you guys think?

[Spider04]

By the way, for anyone else reading who is interested in these, the feedback about the units that I read on BPS website and other places is that the satellite feed is really good. I only saw one negative response and that was about something in the Gulf of Mexico.

[ChampioNinKY]

Hey El have you updated the unit lately? I have a Garmin and have never had a problem just a thought.
Flatpick as a matter of fact there is a one time fee of $100 payable to ChampioNinKY so all you guys pay up....LOL