| Shopping for boat electronics
I was shopping last week for a fixed mount GPS/Color Mapping system to be used as the backup gps/map on my boat. Everybody who has been on my boat knows I have 2 of everything. Everything except a 2nd mapping unit. I've always had a backup GPS, but it's been a handheld, and it's ok for determining position and getting a heading, but for mapping the handheld just plain sucks. Of course without the mapping feature, some handhelds don't account for things such as islands that might be in the way. I had a GPS antenna failure on my main unit last week, and had to pull out the handheld unit. That prompted me to look for a mounted backup unit (no, I did not hit an island). I wanted a unit that was easy to use for even the most novice person that might be onboard, color LCD, compact but still very usable. I tinkered with a whole bunch of units. The bottom line was that the Garmin 440 GPS/Map was the hot ticket. Easy to use, compact, and nearly idiot proof. It's not anywhere near the size of my Lowrance LCX26HD, nor is it as crystal clear, but it is every bit as easy to use, maybe easier. The Garmin 440 is an impressive little GPS/Map, and for the price of about 600, it's hard to beat. They also have the 440s which incorporates a sonar, but it is low power and did not look terribly user friendly compared to other good high powered sonars. Definitely would not be a good all in one unit. I'd opt for a Furuno, Lowrance, or Raytheon sonar.
For those of you looking for a good backup GPS/Color Map unit, check out the Garmin 440. I found it to be a great stand alone GPS/Map.
__________________
. | 
Linear Mode
