Hey there, I’m looking to purchase a handheld gps that could prove useful on land and on water. I’ve been looking for used units and came across a pretty cheap unit on ebay, the Garmin Etrex Legend. Would you guys recommend this handheld unit? And how has the lake maps worked out on it, contour and gps wise?
I help get the Garmin Lowrance debate started… 
It’s a good GPS. The main question I would ask is, what lakes or bodies of water do you plan to fish?
That’ll help us know what mapping you should get, which will help us help you know which GPS to get. 
My first GPS was an etrex, and that was years ago. From the etrex I learned what I wanted in a gps. So for your first question, Yes its a good GPS. However after you use the legend for a while you may find that the mapping downloads are a pain in comparison to plug and play MMC data card capable units. You’ll also find you want a bigger screen. Its no secret around here that the go to Gps is the H2O by lowrance. It comes ready with basemap, large screen, and its water proof so you don’t have to stick it in one of those plastic bags. Its quite easy to use considering its main format is close to that of a windows operating system on your PC. It seems you’re concerned with the price, So I’d recommend the grayscale H2O. You may find one for 130 to 160. If you do a search of this site for the H2O, you’ll find many people love them.
oh and welcome to the the best darn site around. Hope to hear from you. 
Welcome to IDA Jerry.
The H20 has a dual processor. Loads mapping chips very fast. And if you live outside of Iowa and order from Wade at Jolly Ann Marine, you dont have to pay sales tax and I believe he has free shipping.. Ive been burned too many times on electronics on E-bay so be carefull.
With a working schedule of 9-5 and sometimes over hours i hardly have time to get out. When I can I’m usually just around metro lakes. I’ve also managed to squeeze in a few millac trips. I was thinking of a handheld instead of a unit for boat because I’m looking to get into some atv/snow mobile action this fall.
I would suggest the Lowrance H2O, either black and white or color, depending on your budget for this purchase. I think it’ll allow you the best mapping option for metro lakes as well as mille lacs. I have the H2OC myself and love it. We just had a discussion earlier this week so you might look back and read that thread as well. The H2OC got the .
Jolly Ann Marine has special packages and discount pricing on Garmin or Lowrance GPS units. Feel free to shoot me an email or better yet a private message here if you think I can help or you want a price quote. I’ll do my best to make sure you get a GPS that fits your needs.
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With a working schedule of 9-5 and sometimes over hours i hardly have time to get out. When I can I’m usually just around metro lakes. I’ve also managed to squeeze in a few millac trips. I was thinking of a handheld instead of a unit for boat because I’m looking to get into some atv/snow mobile action this fall.
Heres your unit
If thats the case, You’ll love the H2O on your atv/snowmobile trips also. If you then pick up a chip with the lakes and roads/trails,….you’ll be proud as peacock!
Thanks for the input Matt, Wade, and Derek. I’m sure looking into the H20 now. When comparing the two, the H20 is a better “bang for the buck”. 3 peeps agreeing on the H20 certainly means its the better deal. I appreciate your help guys. Now one more question. I know the maps software and chips are pricey, how do i determine which one is better for the Minnesota area, maybe Wisconsin and Dakota too?
Thats kind of a whole new ballpark that we talk about on IDA all the time. The two choices are lakemaster and navionics chips. You had mentioned you want to use this for atv and snowmobile riding. The lakemaster chip includes very detailed maps of roadways. I was up snowmobiling up north last year and that Lake master chip saved me because it also has forest roads and firelanes on the map. Thats how detailed it is. You also mentioned you would like it to cover the upper midwest. Lakemaster chips go by state, whereas Navionics covers the entire region you described. I guess a person can’t have everything 
The chips are around 100 bucks. Without chip you’re on the lake blind in terms of contours.
Its not just 3 of us that recommend the H2O,….Theres hundreds of people from this site that would recommend it
Your best setup and best bet is to pick up an H2O or H2Oc, depending on what you have to spend,….And pick up one of the chips. Wade is the goto man for both. He offers packages which include a chip and the unit itself. Say no to tax and buy from wade!
Since you have interest in MN, WI, and the Dakotas, Navionics Hotmap Premium North is your best bet. It covers all of that for $99 (final cost after the $50 rebate). We have a special package on the H2OC with Navionics chip for $375. If you want the black and white H2O, we can help you there too. If you can swing it, the color is a lot nicer for reading the contour maps, as you can imagine, but the regular H2O will do the trick if you need to stick to a tighter budget. They both come with a power cord (cig. lighter type) which will be a big help in the truck or on the water.
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