Marine Electronics

Garmin Marine GPS

Garmin GPSmap 540s

Garmin marine GPSunits include both simple gps units and more advanced chartplotters. Deciding which is best for you, naturally depends on your needs.

Marine gpsunits are identical in use to the gps units that are in your car. Using satellites to detect your position (and direction of motion), and then projecting that position onto a map, in this case a nautical map and not a road map, you can see exactly where you are. The view from the middle of a large lake or in the coastal waters may all look the same on the surface (pretty much nothing but water from horizon to horizon), but nautical charts are more valuable for their detailed bottom information, especially water depth. For avid anglers, knowing the habitat of your favorite sport fish makes them much easier to locate when you actually see where you are in relation to where they live. Depending on the model of marine gps unit you purchase, it will come preloaded with nautical maps of either the interior US Lakes or US coastal waters. SDmicro card slots allow you to load additional maps at minimal cost.

You should also be aware that there are also handheld gps units that perform the same functions as the more expensive, larger display versions, that are perfect for smaller crafts where space is at a premium.

chartplottersare the next step in gps marine navigation technology. Not only do chartplotters display your position onto a nautical map, but they will also plot your course in the same way your car’s gps plots your course to whatever address you enter. Of course on the open water you can’t ask to plot a course to the nearest school of blue fin tuna (that would be too easy), but you can plot a course to a well known fishing location, then turn on your fishfinder and go from there. The best feature of the chartplotters is their ability to store waypoints.

Waypoint are simply favorite locations that you record and store in your chartplotters memory. This is the electronic equivalent of dropping a buoy overboard to mark a location in the ocean that you want to return to. The best part is that the electronic waypoint records your exact gps location (based on satellite positioning) so it will never vary (unlike the buoy which will drift with the tides). Now, the next time your going out for blue fin tuna, all you need to do is call up the waypoint you labeled ‘250lb tuna’ and have your Garmin 5015 chartplotter set your course. It’s not quite the same a shooting fish in a barrel, but it makes finding the barrel a whole lot easier.

Still looking for more information on marine gps systems? check out Garmin Marine GPS.Org. You can thank me later.

Eagle Fishfinders

Eagle fishfinders from the most basic Cuda line, to the highly versatile Seafinders, all provide outstanding performance, rugged reliability, and are affordable.

Don’t think that just because Eagle fishfinders are affordable, that they skimp on features. Eagle’s entry level Cuda fishfinders have a powerful transducer that is capable of detecting fish at depths of up to 600 feet, and at boat speeds of up to 70 mph.

Advanced models, like the Fishmark, have more powerful transducers that can not only detect fish as deep as 800 feet, but they are also capable of detecting fish hiding among surface clutter, weed beds, and other underwater cover. Their patented technology also separates fish from the bottom, displays different size fish with different symbols and displays their depth above their symbol.

Moving up to the SeaFinder series, you’ll find a powerful transducer capable of both freshwater and saltwater operation, with an increased sensitivity and a wider detection angle (allowing you to see not only what is below your boat, but also slightly to the sides).

Also, the displays have more color and better resolution than other manufacturer’s fishfinder displays of a comparable size.

On a cost per feature basis, Eagle fishfindersmay be the best overall value of all fishfinder manufacturers today.