Gps/chartplotter Options

[salty fil]

Ive wanted a unit for a while now and now that im going up to QLD to do some fishing i thought i may aswell look into it now.
Im after one of the ones that comes with the cards that show the contours of the bottom of the ocean from all over OZ.
Dont know much about these things so advice would be appreciated.
Maybe even an estimate of what il be paying.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

All depends on wot ewe buy

Furuno are my choice but they're dearer than the rest

Screen size also factors into the price, dont waste $$'s & go with a small screen you'll regret it

Sum units come with a card included in the package, be wary & pay the extra to upgrade to a good card

They make a hell of a difference when szz'n out new reefs as contours are alot more detailed

[poly]

salty, garmin a well worth a look, this site will give you an idea of price in us dollars add about 10% for the same unit in ozz

i like the look of the 3006c my self matched with the g2 mapping system.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&ra=true

[Fed]

I've got a small Furuno GPS Salty and I find it very difficult to use, by that I mean very difficult to navigate through the menus etc.
I'd imagine Furuno use the same or very similar menuing system on all their units but I don't know this for sure.
The unit works fine it's just not intuitive to me, perhaps I'm going a bit senile too.
You should definitely try one out on dry land before you buy one, pick what you think you want then find someone who has one & go for a visit to play with it.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Wot ewe on about Fed ??

Tings a bloody shite easy to use

Then again dont tink ewe have a chart plotter in yours

Getting back to wot I was talking about earlier, I picked up the card for my new plotter the other day geez the brurry tings are expensive

Opted to go top of the range aust wide gold card did get a discount but still alot of $$'s card I got retails around $380

[Fed]

No I don't have a plotter Jumpy and I only use my GPS as a speedo now but with all the talk about Merries Reef I might see if I can figure out how to put coordinates into it.
I'm not trying to put you off Furuno Salty in fact I think Furuno is top shelf stuff just try one out first.

This post has been edited by Fed: Nov 29 2009, 05:15 PM

[quintrex101]

Lowrance make those HDS 5 systems there very goood mate

They cost around $1200 i think but worth it ! Very east to use .. Good Features .. Go have a looky at them !

[salty fil]

Ive heard the Furunos are tops, but alittle more difficult to play with.
The Lowrance are quite simple so ive been told.
I havnt heard nothing about the Garmin as yet.
Im not very educated with technology, nor do i have heaps of patience to learn everything about them while out on the water, so so far im kinda leaning towards the Lowrance.
But nothing concrete yet.
I do have the Furuno sounder and i love it, but looking at cost, i dont think i can splurge on the chartplotter.
Someone even told me something that makes a little sense, that is to but the Lowrance chartplotter/fishfinder combo.
That way if my Furuno shi7s itself one day i already have the back up.
The combos only a little more expensive than the single unit itself.
I know what Jumpy thinks of the combos, but what you all think about it under the circumstances?

[salty fil]

Quick q.
I understand the differences between sounders.
But is there really THAT much difference between chartplotters?
If your buying something around the $1200-$1500 mark wouldnt they all be similar?
Isnt the maps you put in them what makes the difference?
Dont they all give you direction, contour sights, etc. pretty much the same???

Remember that im asking this question without ever playing with one of the buggers.
Its alot of cash to spend so i want to get as much info as i can.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Quick q.

You'll have 2 get in the far q 2 have that q answered

Unless Spud has a word to maxy & can get sum i q

But is there really THAT much difference between chartplotters?

Screen size, type of lcd screen ,pixels/colours on screen all factor into the equation & $$
I get annoyed when peeps try passing on bullashitta nonsense sum time back had had wun turkey trying to tell evllybloody that the lowrance combo was the same as the furuno wun @ 1/2 the price.

Wot he should've said was

I'm a tightarse with $$'s & dont want to pay the money for the better more expensive unit

Isnt the maps you put in them what makes the difference?

yes & no

the more expensive wuns just give ewe a few more options like icons on map which ewe can click on & up comes an arial picture of that area
wot ewe need to be aware of with cards is the area they cover

eg] map of aust may be double the price of a card that covers say JB - pt stevens & if ewe go outside that area ewe'll need to buy another card & another & another in the end the cheap card ends up costing ewe 10 times as much if ewe intend travelling to fushing spots

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Lowrance make those HDS 5 systems there very goood mate

They cost around $1200 i think but worth it ! Very east to use .. Good Features .. Go have a looky at them !

Danial I wouldn't recomend wun of those to a Jap on ANZAC day that's how poorly I rate them

Pretty sure I had a whinge about the poor lowrance screens a year or so back after I'd driven Jimbooky's cruisecraft on a days fushing out wide.

Guess I'd 4gotten how poor that screen was untill 2day when I was asked to play around with the exact combo ewe'er refering to

Guess I'm spoilt having the Furuno gear aboard my goats & it all boils down to how much ewe want to spend.

But in all honesty dont fork out chookens feed for sumting just to say you've got.

Save sum $$'s till ewe can afford sumting you'll be happy with.

And dont listen to 1/2 the clowns on sites hu talk out of their arseholes claiming gear like lowrance is quality stuff
I have owned them many moons ago & can vouch the units are crap [bear in mind that commentrelates to offshore fushing]

Lowrance are a yank unit design for the big following of freshwater fushing over there.

If you're a serious offshore fisho over here ewe wouldn't look twice @ them

[Fed]

I think plotters are just a little toy to play with and all anyone really needs is a normal gps.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Ewe R so wrong Fed

Out wide they give ewe contours to follow when trolling, if ewe have a big screen like my unit ewe can blow up a certain area that looks like holding fish
Ewe can mark wayward points as ewe go alongesp GooDarus if you've come across baitfish etc & want to come back to that area later in the day

Everything ewe do is right their on the screen, even it shows where ewe've been & can cross back over any point etc & it's all visual.

Looking for new spots or reefs in close ??

This is where a plotter comes into the equation untouchable
A sounder will show ewe depth but wont give ewe a layout of the bottom, ewe may think you've anchored spot on but a plotter will pick up on a sounders Porky Telling Skills

[kkw]

ewe may think you've anchored spot on but a plotter will pick up on a sounders Porky Telling Skills

Lying @$$%**& sounders. What can you trust these days. I have to disagree with you though Fed I have a good sounder and a handheld GPS. I also have a good mapping programme, but if that programme was available on the boat, and on a good screen (plotter) it would be soooooo much better. O.K. for you, as you now only fish picnic point and georges river, around Flower Power. I would take you out in my boat, but the rubber has melted into the driveway and the birds have nested in it.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

, but if that programme was available on the boat, and on a good screen (plotter) it would be soooooo much better.

Bingo !

A plotter allows ewe to zoom out the waypoint & ewe can end up 100% on top of it unlike the other type fed has not uncommon to be 10 meters off the mark when alarm goes off.

Just to give ewes an idea how good a plotter is ???
I've been fushing the bommy in the Bay 4 nearly 30 years & thought I knew it like the back of my hand
Well I did till I got a plotter little kinks even a horse shoe type formation revealed itself b4 then I had no idea it existed & boy have I pulled sum fishy's from that spot.

Once ewe get the hang of them plotters open up a whole new concept of how to find & fish spots best of all they take the guess work factor out of the equation

Just ask Maxy

[Fed]

I take it all back guys, never realised that plotters showed bottom contours, that changes everything.

[kkw]

Well, it is the mapping programme which has the bottom detail and the plotter shows it. (I hope that is correct) I have BlueNav maps on my handheld gps and it shows the same detail, except on a smaller screen.

[salty fil]

Went down to Whitworths for some bits and pieces today and while i was there asked some q's about the plotters.
I was given some info on a few. I told him i can spend up to $1500.

RAYMARINE A-50 CHARTPLOTTER $1199.
Preloaded with NAVIONICS SILVER cartography.

Or,

For an extra $200 i can get the RAYMARINE A50D COMBO.

I dont know much about Raymarine, so if anyone has played with them, or understands the technical talk in the description some advice would be great.

There is also the option of the GARMIN GPS MAP 556 for $1499,
But im not really leaning towards the Garmin, unless they are proven to be a decent unit.

The same goes with the NORTHSTAR EXPLORER 657, which is only$1149 and has a larger screen.

I was told that for the budget i have, RAYMARINE would be the best option, also their screens are a much better quality.
Are they user friendly?

I want one of these things before Christmas, and unfortunately dont have the time to go around playing with other peoples to get ideas, so any knowledge of these units would be great.
Thanks.

The prices i put are obviously more than i would pay.
Whitworths are more expensive than other mobs, but they are a guide none the less.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

I installed the RAYMARINE A65 on my new wittle goat

It is a combo but I opted not to get transducer or the module to allow it to operate as a sounder as I have the Furuno on board & dont like the idea of using wun screen for both sounder & plotter.

The unit has a built in antena sum ting I really liked as it saved having to chase cables to the roof of the goat.

Turned it on today for the 1st time & the screen is exellent easy to view etc etc etc unlike that crappy lowrance unit I refered to in another reply

[salty fil]

Im looking through the brochure but i dont see the A-65 here.
Do you remember how different it is to the A-50?
Is it just a bigger screen?