GPS choice

[Vince.D]

Hello everyone,
any suggestions for GPS?
Thank you

[K447]

For navigation or for loging top speeds?

[Vince.D]

Navigation only

[K447]

Navigation only

I currently use 9 inch Garmin chartplotter.
Previously used a 7” model, and before that a hand held Garmin.

http://greenhulk.net/forums/showthre...=1#post3125474

Depends on how big a screen you want, or are willing to tolerate.

http://greenhulk.net/forums/showthre...=1#post3058196

http://greenhulk.net/forums/showthre...=1#post3059351

http://greenhulk.net/forums/showthre...=1#post3062537

[Mr. GP1800]

That video looks familiar

[K447]

That video looks familiar

©

[Vince.D]

Great. Thank You!
Man, that is such a dense fog...

[K447]

… such a dense fog...

On another day we rode into even thicker fog while returning to base. Second rider used the glow from the Garmin screen on the lead ski to know where to follow. About 40 minutes later we rode out the other side of the fog back, back into sunshine.

100 feet away was beyond visual range. The Garmin told me where the shoreline and shallows were, while eyeballs looking forward were on maximum so as to not run into other things floating on the water.

Always amazing at how some other boaters will be running at speed despite no actual visibility forward. A GPS chart can show you where the land and immovable objects should be, but provides no info about things that move on the water. A fast boat passed us going the other way, on plane. No way they saw us on radar, if they even had radar. A few minutes later a paddle boat appeared out of the mist, crossing the wide channel at right angles.

[TimeBandit]

Man, that is such a dense fog...

Just beware that GPS is very much line-of-sight reception, and all them tiny water particles suspend in fog can filter-out the signals.
... "hey, fog, no big deal - I have my GPS plotter!" Well, if it is too dense (especially overhead), you can lose satellites - lose enough and you're blind.
My old plotter was an EchoMAP (I believe), that was many years ago so maybe current-day plotters are improved.

[K447]

Just beware that GPS is very much line-of-sight reception, and all them tiny water particles suspend in fog can filter-out the signals.
... "hey, fog, no big deal - I have my GPS plotter!" Well, if it is too dense (especially overhead), you can lose satellites - lose enough and you're blind.

My old plotter was an EchoMAP (I believe), that was many years ago so maybe current-day plotters are improved.

I suspect the sensitivity has improved over time, better GPS radio chipsets and so on.

I have seen GPS location updates become more ‘jumpy’ when the overhead weather is cloud dense or actually raining. Which means the location shown on screen may be ‘behind’ my actual current moving location. The more crappy the weather, the more important visual senses and human precaution become.

We have alternate methods if the electronics should fail. I suppose if we lost GPS signals entirely and for duration we would navigating using compass headings, stored charts (so cellular service not required to see the chart), distance traveled. And coastline recognition (which is often actually hard to do when the weather is poor).

This is what was done before chartplotters and smartphones were commonplace.

Speaking of which, how many of you carry an actual usable compass on board your PWC?
There is a compass app in your iPhone. Find it and learn how it works. But holding an iPhone while riding is not ideal. A small waterproof compass is something worth carrying.