[Rhodes22-list] GPS

[jbconnolly at comcast.net]

Vic,

I second previous comments.  Take a navigation course, learn the basics of navigation, buy paper charts for the area you sail in.  Have at least a hand bearing compass onboard.  If all you have is a GPS and the batteries are dead, the only position information you will have is that you are up S#!t Creek.  I learned (and later taught) navigation in the Navy.  On billion-dollar ships with the best navigation electronics on the planet, a human being still runs a constantly-updated DR plot at all times.

I have and use an old Garmin 48 GPS.  It does not plot but comes with a marine database of buoys.  I have safe and danger waypoints set up in the memory.  I always bring the local chart.  I have built an interface cable for my home computer and store the waypoint data in there as well.  

I am not a fan of plotters on small sailboats.  Most I have seen are hard to read in sun and there aren't too many good and secure places to mount them.  I have had them and used them on powerboats, ehere you can mount them on the panel at the helm in the shadow of the hardtop, they work fine.  If I could find a handheld color plotter, I might consider one if the price were right.

I'm not agains the idea of having them, per se.  For myself, I am considering (for next year) upgrading my Palm handheld to a new one with the color transflective screen and using Figawi software and the new NOAA electronic charts.  They can be interfaced either with my old Garmin or a new GPS on a card.  These would be fun, but I would still bring my chart.  Bottom line, don't rely on any one source of navigation information.  

Jim Connolly
s/v Inisheer
'85 recycled '03
> I'm getting a refurbished '87 from Stan next month. Since I've never been 
> sailing I'm a little concerned about getting lost while I'm trying to navigate 
> the Chesapeake Bay. In researching chart plotters, the only low cost one I've 
> found is the Garmin 176C color plotter. This is the older version of their 276C 
> and I think Garmin is trying to get rid of them. They're bundled with the 
> Metro-Guide for streets, the BlueChart for marine use, a blank card, a 
> programmer, etc. The internal antenna version is being sold for $445 after 
> rebate. Just the list price total of the accessories is more than this. They got 
> mostly good reviews except for being hard to read in bright sunlight. Also, they 
> use a lot of power so it's impractical to use batteries - a cigar lighter 
> connection is needed. I'd appreciate any comments you might have on whether or 
> not I should buy this system.
> Vic Huebner
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