Free GPS Guidance
Archive for the ‘Fishfinder GPS’ Category
Turn by turn directions for marine GPS? That’s a new one on me! I was talking to someone who asked for that just recently. That sounds pretty slick, but can’t say I have ever seen that before. After all, on a river or a lake the maps are going to show you where there are obstacles and where it is safe, deep enough for the boat to navigate safely. Nobody sticks to just one particular route unless they are navigating white water or other treacherous situations, working around shoals or sandbars or whatever.
Anyway, GPS chartplotters or GPS fishfinder combos are meant to show you the lay of the land, the obstacles and the channels which, if you actually use their aid, will help you to navigate safely and to find where those big fish actually live, but won’t give you a strict street map setup. After all, in my book that is much of the magic of spending time on the water, the ability to wander freely and enjoy the ride. Again, turn by turn directions? Not really, but marine GPS will still certainly help you to find your way and bring you home again.
Turn by turn directions for marine GPS? That’s a new one on me! I was talking to someone who asked for that just recently. That sounds pretty slick, but can’t say I have ever seen that before. After all, on a river or a lake the maps are going to show you where there are obstacles and where it
Turn by turn directions for marine GPS? That’s a new one on me! I was talking to someone who asked for that just recently. That sounds pretty slick, but can’t say I have ever seen that before. After all, on a river or a lake the maps are going to show you where there are obstacles and where it is safe, deep enough for the boat to navigate safely. Nobody sticks to just one particular route unless they are navigating white water or other treacherous situations, working around shoals or sandbars or whatever. Anyway, GPS chartplotters or fishfinder combos are meant to show you the lay of the land, the obstacles and the channels which, if you actually use their aid, will help you to navigate safely and to find where those big fish actually live, but won’t give you a strict street map setup. After all, in my book that is much of the magic of spending time on the water, the ability to wander freely and enjoy the ride. Again, turn by turn directions? Not really, but marine GPS will still certainly help you to find your way and bring you home again.
is safe, deep enough for the boat to navigate safely. Nobody sticks to just one particular route unless they are navigating white water or other treacherous situations, working around shoals or sandbars or whatever. Anyway, GPS chartplotters or fishfinder combos are meant to show you the lay of the land, the obstacles and the channels which, if you actually use their aid, will help you to navigate safely and to find where those big fish actually live, but won’t give you a strict street map setup. After all, in my book that is much of the magic of spending time on the water, the ability to wander freely and enjoy the ride. Again, turn by turn directions? Not really, but marine GPS will still certainly help you to find your way and bring you home again.
Well, I was talking with a friend recently, possibly getting a little giddy talking about fishing now that the weather is finally turning around. We are experiencing Spring! About time! Anyway, he got a new GPS fishfinder combination to celebrate the season and made an amazing discovery – whether you have a GPS fishfinder combo or not, if there are no fish in the area you will still not catch any! Well, I tell you, that was pretty disappointing, but the fishfinder GPS is helping him locate a new spot to fish, this time where the fish actually live. Pretty funny actually, as all this time he has been trying different lures and different bait thinking he was doing something wrong. I guess he was doing something wrong after all, but certainly not what he was thinking. This weekend should be gorgeous, so I am sure he will be out on his boat looking for a much better fishing hole. His fishing should improve greatly this summer once he finds where those fish actually live. Mine will, too, if I join him in the search. Happy Spring, Happy Fishing!
Wow, here’s a tough comparison we were recently asked to make. Which GPS fishfinder combo should I buy, the Humminbird 587ci combo or the Garmin GPSMAP 441S? Ooh, that one is tricky. Those are two very good options to fit his needs, but which is better for him? Okay – let’s try.
First, they are a close match on screen size 4-inch diagonal for the GPSMAP 441S compared to 4.5 for the 587ci Combo. Both have built-in maps, Garmin GPSMAP has the worldwide marine basemap, and the Humminbird 587ci has a UniMap. Both have card slots for maps and saving waypoints – that’s handy. Also, both use either a Tilt & Swivel quick disconnect mounting system or can be flush mounted – flexibility. Each will hold 3,000 waypoints, and the 587ci holds 50 routes versus GPSMAP 441S with 100 routes. The GPSMAP 441S will accept a couple of external antenna choices, where the Humminbird 587ci has no port for external antenna so you want to be sure it is used in an open boat, not from a cabin unless it is near the windshield – good to know. As for cartography; the Humminbird fishfinder combo uses Navionics maps, and Garmin GPSMAP uses BlueChart g2 Vision cards.
Of course, there are even more differences and similarities between them. Now do you see why it is tough to help someone choose which GPS fishfinder combination to choose? I definitely prefer to help folks find the information, but to make the final decision themselves as the differences between them can be a non-issue for one boater, but critical to another depending on their boat and situation.
Whether fishing is your profession, you pursue fishing as pure fun and relaxation or even if you compete in fishing tournaments with your local fishing club, make this activity more productive as well as safe with a GPS fishfinder combo. The use of this system makes fishing easier in many ways and at the same time makes it safer so you can enjoy a bigger haul and a hassle free fishing trip. If safety is a concern for you, then your answer lies in marine GPS technology.
These devices steer you safely back to your starting point in case you hit upon rain, fog or darkness. As soon as you start, you can mark your location by longitude and latitude, and your system keeps a record of your travel route. This allows you to return safely to your home point, in case of any confusion due to bad weather or visibility.
Also, if you are part of a fishing event where you work in a group you can send the coordinates of your location to your friends if you like. You can also use this system to increase your catch. In all probability, you will end up with a bigger haul than the next guy. Your GPS fishfinder will help you locate the fish easily. Once you catch fish at some particular spot you can mark the spot in the GPS device and collect locations of such points in the device. Use these coordinates for your next trip. You could also mark a circle using the point in the middle as center for deciding your fishing zone for future trips as there is maximum probability of catching fish in this zone.
So what are you waiting for? Invest a nominal amount on a GPS fishfinder combination and get a lot in return.
Too funny. Recently our 15-year-old went camping with a friend of ours, trying to make the most of the end of summer. They really like to get together to hike and fish, have plenty of cookouts and just hang out together. Anyway, after one long day of tramping around in the wooded trails and cooking hotdogs on sticks over the fire pit they decided to relax out on the lake with fishing poles in hand. After a while of just floating around casting his line and reeling it in, our son started complaining that he caught a snag. They both worked a little to try to get it free when they finally managed to begin reeling the snag back toward the boat. I am thinking if they had bothered to bring the GPS fishfinder along they would have known that “snag” was one of the largest large mouth bass our friend had ever seen! Now there’s a fish story to remember, certainly a memory to last a lifetime.
A common question that you hear is “is there a site that one can go to for a profile to fit a GPS to the person and needs?” Generally you can go to any of the major manufacturers’ web sites and find comparison charts on their models. Most manufacturers have comparison functionality on their web sites that could help determine what to look for. It looks pretty basic, and you may have already determined what you are looking for, now you just need to find the right unit. First you must decide what type of unit are you looking for – automotive GPS systems, motorcycle GPS, marine GPS chartplotter or fishfinder, handheld GPS units? I especially like Garmin’s site for doing comparisons of features. There you can pick your interests (basic handhelds, mapping handhelds or on the side there is a link to geocaching). You can learn a lot from their site, and they have a wonderful comparison feature. This would be a terrific place to start. If you like geocaching there are also sites such as geocaching.com which teach you a lot and are a lot of fun. I generally like helping you find answers to your questions, but at the same time a feature which makes great sense to one person will sound like a waste of time and money to someone else, so you really need to do the final homework yourself to be sure you really find the GPS unit which suits your needs and that you will love for some time to come. I hope this helps to simplify things a little for you.
We got a call recently from someone wondering whether he would be able to use the existing transducer that came with his boat with new GPS fishfinder combination. That opened a conversation about compatibility. Not all brands of ducers will be compatible with all brands of GPS fishfinder combination. You really want to do your homework on that one to be sure that you have the correct match. Also, his old fishfinder was set into his boat, permanently affixed; and he wanted to be able to drop his new model into the same slot. We did the homework and found the GPS fishfinders that would meet all his criteria. That was an interesting exploration, but we found some great options that would fit perfectly. During that search it brought out the fact that, although some GPS fishfinders will work permanently affixed to the boat, some will actually get much better reception and give you better screen visibility if they are on a swivel mount which gives clearance all around. These are all important things to consider when shopping for a replacement GPS fishfinder combo for your boat to give you the best fishing possible. Happy fishing, and I hope you catch the Big One!
Whenever I bring up the topic of marine GPS units with my fishing buddy Grover, he dismisses the topic out of hand. According to him, fishermen should be able to anticipate hotbeds for angling without any outside assistance. Of course there were plenty of points I could have made to poke holes in his position. For instance, is it “cheating” to check the weather report before heading out to the lake?
Besides that, I always remind Grover that Garmin chartplotters are good for much more than finding fish. In fact, I rely on them as navigational tools on dark nights when clouds obscure the stars overhead. When you’re out in the middle of a lake in pitch darkness, there’s no way to guarantee you’ll miss rock outcroppings and other debris that’s just waiting to run your boat aground. Grover couldn’t help but admit that I was right.
Anglers tend to take one of two approaches to a fishing trip: either they’re in it for the relaxation and camaraderie or they’re deadly serious about reeling in a trophy fish. Family fishing trips seldom become competitive; it’s usually enough to catch a few bass or trout in an inland lake while spending the rest of the time shooting the breeze and enjoying a cold beverage or two.
Fishing competitions are another matter entirely. Serious anglers often realy possess keen fishing instincts that have been honed through years of experience. Still, they accept help wherever they can get it. An Eagle fishfinder features a combination of sonar and GPS mapping technology, allowing anglers to pinpoint the likeliest location where a school of fish might be hanging out. When pride and prize money are on the line, a fishfinder is practically as essential as the boat itself.
What are Gimbals, and Why do I Need Them?
Gimbals are used in mounting systems, especially for marine vessels, which consist normally of two concentric rings mounted such that their axes are able to pivot at right angles from each other such that one swings freely within the other. They work much like a gyroscope and are used as a mount for equipment such as a compass or other nautical equipment (even stoves, lamps, etc). Gimbals operate in such a manner that objects are permitted to swing freely between them so that the object will remain suspended in a level manner regardless of any motion of their support. Gimbals are commonly used for sea-faring instruments so as to counteract the motion of the vessel.
There are several parts to a gimbal mount. Normally it is made of a set of rings, but sometimes is a ball and socket arrangement, attaching ultimately to a bracket which will support the equipment and another part which will attach to the vessel. In this case, we would use them to attach our GPS fishfinders and/or chartplotters as important and useful marine accessories.