GPS question
I dont know much about these units either so have a question. I like the looks and features of that DeLorme PN20. I won't be using it on open seas or large lakes anytime soon BUT do hit rivers and streams often.
Are ALL rivers included in the unti I buy or do I have to add maps manually? I'm just wanting to be sure that if I slap down a few hundie for this unti, I will be able to take it out on a river expedition within a few days.
gutwrencher
not sure about your question, but ill know in a couple days. I just ordered the PN 20 and it should be here in a couple days. Ill post up my thoughts.
THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE HELPFUL REPLIES
garmin 72
$100 You can program speed and distance on same screen. It is great to have control buttons on front. Most gps are set up to find camp. the garmin 72 is the only one I could find with speed and distance on same screen. I like big screen
Another happy Map76CSx user
I am a seriously directionally challenged person who gets lost going from the bathroom to the bedroom–so I enjoy the virtues of a GPS. Having the speed output while paddling also gives me feedback on my form, etc.
I had a Map76 for a while and moved up to the Map76CSx a few years ago. The color display is much easier to read while paddling. We paddle coastal New England and I have found the BlueCharts more useful than the topos. the detail is great–showing even big rocks. The upload/download to computer feature is nice too. You can set up your trip, enter waypoints, etc and upload to the GPS. After the trip, you can download the actual trip to the computer.
There is a smooth surface mount for the Garmin, so i have that on the deck (with a safety clip onto deck rigging). There is also a mount for my bicycle, so it does double duty for that. It could do the car nav, but is totally out of the league of the voice car units.
I keep different map sets on the memory chips so I can switch from road to topo to marine. The memory cards are cheap now, under $10 for a gig.
good info
While the Lowrance does have a nice color screen and speed and distance on the same page. (you can choose what you want to display… I use average speed, trip distance, and time) the Garmin is better for uploading trips and way points to your computer. I’m on a Mac, which Lowrance doesn’t support anyway. So, I just bought the unit on sale $120 plus the nautical maps $70, and use it for kayaking and even road trips. (its nice to know where your next turn is). It also has SD cards and I need to format a few for the topo maps that was included.
Hope this helps anyone trying to figure out the pros and cons of each unit. The main issue was how Garmin sells their nautical maps with unlock codes. While Garmin is better for uploading trails to your computer.
this thread has come full circle…
my PN-20 showed up via ups today.
within 20 minutes of having the unit out of the box (including time to browse the manuals and contents of the package) i had downloaded maps of my area to the sd card and had the unit 100% functional.
without studying the manual I turned on the unit and started playing with it. the buttons and functions are easy to use and i had no issues figuring out basic functions.
i was planning on paddling today anyway and I took it with me. i was able to see trip info like time, pace, etc etc easily and cycling between street and topo view i discovered many roads close to the river I had never known were there because they are out of sight.
literally, 20 mins after opening the box I was up and running with it. I cant believe how easy it was and how useful of a tool this is. cant count the num,ber of times this wouldve been useful paddling.
great buy, im very pleased so far. and I havent even got into the more advanced (or even comfortable with the basic funtions for that matter)