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| I am in the market to buy a GPS. Here is my situation! I currently have a Rayheon 365 fish finder on my dash.
I'd like to add a combo GPS/fish finder to either my dash or at the bow.
What are some of the better GPS/fish finders out there? I do want to save money!
I am also looking for a unit that will read fish in shallow water.
I may also just consider a hand held unit (what are some of those suggestions)
Any suggestions are appreciated.
CYA | |
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| Just about any of the new hand held units are fine! Look into the Raymarine, Garmin, Eagle, and Magellan.
As far as a sounder that will read fish in shallow water....
The transducer is the component of the unit that sends and receives the sonar pulse. The frequency of that signal at 192kHz allows for the cone angle, or 'circle of coverage' at the bottom, to be 1/3 of the total depth. So in 10', one gets about a 3.3' circle of coverage. Not much, to be sure. Lowrance and Eagle are set to 192, most of the other brands are set at 200. Some units are only 1/4 or less of the total depth in the cone.
The 'hooks' everyone looks for are created as the sonar cone moves over the fish. The outside edge of the cone will be slightly farther away from the transducer that the center, so as the cone travels over the fish, there is a lower, thin line moving to a slightly higher thick line to a lower thin line...the 'hook. That takes a nearly perfect center of the cone exposure.
A 'hook' echo reading can be very long if the fish is in the cone for an extended period of time, or short if the cone travels over the fish quickly. The 'size' of the fish can be determined by the thickness top to bottom of the hook at it's center. If one is ice fishing, and a fish comes in under the unit and stays put, there is simply a line running across the screen; the length of the hook means little other than the time in the sonar cone.
Many anglers have unreasonable expectations of what their 'fish locator' can actually do in shallow water.( Under 10') [:bigsmile:]
Hope this helps!! | |
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| Thanks Steve...This info does help.
My Raytheon picks up pretty well in shallow water, best in 6-10 feet.
Is there a GPS/fish finder combo? Or am I better off with just one fish finder and one GPS?
My goal is to keep my Raytheon and add another fish finder to the bow. This way, I can view my fish finder while working the trolling motor, and I'll have another while driving.
I am bassically looking for a cost effective set up that will make my time on the water more effective.
Right now, it is a pain to constantly quickly take a few steps away from the trolling motor to check my fish finder/depth, etc...I'd like to have that at my fingertips!
Are there set ups you all have that work quite well?
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| There are a lot of gps units on the market. I have a garmin etrex, which is the probobly the least expensive available and it does what I want it to do (mark points and tell speed and direction) If thats all you need then you don't need to spend money, but you can do a lot more with other units. Although I don't know much about it. | |
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| I use a hand held GPS on the dash with the bracket and 12 adapter. The bow unit can be nearly any brand, but I would stick with Raymarine if you are happy with your unit. There are a couple lesser $$ Raymarine units out there.
Make sure you get the trolling motor mount transducer for the unit. If you have a Minn Kota Power Drive or Autopilot, route the cable through the handle first. Use a big hose clamp to mount the transducer on the bottom of the trolling motor, close to the skeg for protection.
If you are not brand sensitive, the second best unit out there for the dollar is the Eagle Fisheasy. Not as nice as the Raymarine, but about $130. If you buy that and the handheld, you are looking at about $300 installed. | |
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| Tahoe: The combo GPS/Depth finder units are really nice but so is the price about $600 and up for a really good one, In my personal opinion if that means anything to you I would suggest seperate units that way if for some reason one fails you will still have the other
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| Thanks Guys...
Steve - On your handheld, which brand do you have? I did some research and came up empty for Raymarine handhelds. I would like to mount it in a holder on the dash and plug into my 12 volt outlet. I think that would be great!
As for features, just enough to mark hot spots and getting me back and forth when needed on a large lake.
I'll probably get another Raymarine for the bow. I have a Powerdrive trolling motor.
Thanks | |
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GPS