I am trying to figure out what GPS would be best for use with my Humminbird Matrix 17 and for the road. Any brands welcome and preferably a low a price as possible.
Mtrproblems,<br />My brother has the Matrix 27 with the optional gps added for $100. He seems to be happy with it but just uses it with his Hot Spot maps. He only has the base map on it. He boats mostly on the ICW near Edgewater Florida which he knows well without a gps.<br />I'm looking at the Garmin Quest for both boat and auto use. From all the research and a friend owning one it's really a good unit at doing both without the depth sounder though and is waterproof. It's Blue Chart compatable. Check them out online. Amazon has them for $500.
The Quest is a good choice if you have microscopic vision.<br /><br />I chose the Garmin 276C and am very happy with it, hiking, boating or driving. Takes Bluecharts, City Select, Fishing Hotspots and many other Mapsource detail firmwares.
Garmin gpsmap 76 has my vote, its a little more expensive than some other garmin map models, but has a larger screen. Don't know the model J.B. is refering to, but he does seem to gps.<br /><br /> Jim
I also use a Garmin 276C for both driving and boating.<br /><br />I went for the 276C because it has separate "Auto" and "Marine" modes. It will save your settings from one mode to another so you can set it in "Auto" mode for driving and have a completely different setup in "Marine" mode.
If you want to read more about the 276C see here<br /> garmin.com I am considering a GPSMAP 76(S) or the Lowrance iFinder H2O. <br /><br />How do you like your MAtrix 17? Have you ha dit ou on the water yet. Most of the comments I have read lately about Humminbird Fishfinders in that the they don't register very well while on plane.<br /><br />EDIT: Please don't post direct links to businesses. Referrals are okay, but no direct links. Thanks.
Last year I picked up a garmin 76C - so far pretty impressed with the on road capabilities and marine use. Screen is pretty easy to read - nice color screen, controls are for the most part easy - batteries last for quite a while also. Waterproof is a definate plus. Probably on of the more useful things I have bought in a while...
I have a Matrix 17 and use a Garmin 76S with it. I have the Matrix on the bow and mainly use the gps for marking crappie beds. I have found both very easy to use after a few days of getting use to them. I went with this set up because I use a different boat to put out my beds so I can take the handheld with me no matter what boat I use. Another great feature of the Matrix/handheld combo is when they are connected the power for the handheld comes from your 12 volt source instead of using the AA's in the handheld.
