GPS for the wheeler

  • kooty
    Keymaster
    1 hour 15 mins to the Pond
    Posts: 18101
    #1238229

    I’m looking to buy a GPS to mount on the wheeler to run a Lakemaster chip in. I do NOT want a hand held device. I’m looking for something with a 4-5″ screen. I haven’t decided if color is a requirement yet.

    A couple I’m looking at are:

    Humminbird 365i

    or

    Humminbird 385i

    or

    Garmin 421

    ???

    I’m not spending the money Lowrance wants for an HDS5. What else is out there? Am I missing a product I should look at?

    nic-habeck
    Lake Mills, WI
    Posts: 831
    #920917

    Exactly. Find a used one from someone who is upgrading to the new units.

    bigcrappie
    Blaine
    Posts: 4330
    #920970

    I do not know what you have on your boat, but I take My 332c from my boat and use it. I use a Ram mount and made a plug for the power works out slick. Gives you a reason to get a new unit if you do not have a mapping unit in your boat.

    fish_any_time
    Champlin, MN
    Posts: 2097
    #921022

    This morning I just finished mounting my LMS522iGPS to my wheeler.

    I am anxious to use it Saturday. I was getting tired of the H2o, but it has been a great hand held for me. I wanted a lerger field of view that the large screen of the 522 will allow.

    kooty
    Keymaster
    1 hour 15 mins to the Pond
    Posts: 18101
    #921023

    Those are also more than I care to invest for this application. Right now the 385ci is leading the pack of choices. I need to speak to someone who is running it to see if it has the same features as the more expensive models like highlighting depths etc…

    g-no
    Minnesota
    Posts: 52
    #921056

    Just FYI: Last time I checked on the 385 it wasn’t lakemaster compatible…only Navionics.

    NVM…just checked Birds site and see they must have upgraded…good luck on your decision!

    slabstalker
    St.Paul Mn.
    Posts: 36
    #921074

    Looks nice ,but you had to take of the mount from your boat right? What about your power harness, did you steal that off your boat too? Also i didnt see where you mounted your antena does your unit have an internal antena? If so i would have to figure out how to mount that and to see if i can buy a extra mount/power cables/antena. I have the same unit w/external antena on my boat and hate my H2O since the batts dont last for nothin. Any info would be helpful.

    fish_any_time
    Champlin, MN
    Posts: 2097
    #921086

    Quote:


    Looks nice ,but you had to take of the mount from your boat right? What about your power harness, did you steal that off your boat too? Also i didnt see where you mounted your antena does your unit have an internal antena? If so i would have to figure out how to mount that and to see if i can buy a extra mount/power cables/antena. I have the same unit w/external antena on my boat and hate my H2O since the batts dont last for nothin. Any info would be helpful.


    I took my unit, arm and the plate the Lowrance gimbal mounts to from the boat. It’s all one assembly with an 1.5″ ball. I purchased a RAM-231U ball that attached to the handle bar using a U-bolt made of stainless.

    My 522 has an internal GPS module, but still needs to be powered. I purchased a new power cable and additional 18 gage wire as the cable is a little short to reach my battery. The cable runs down the handle bar into the headlight assembly. From the headlight assembly it continues down into the body and out again near the gear shift and follows a frame rail back to the battery. I have an in-line fuse holder with a 3 amp fuse on each hot wire.

    Clear as mud?

    PM me if you have any questions.

    fish_any_time
    Champlin, MN
    Posts: 2097
    #921087

    Also, my wheeler has an accessorie outlet that I plugged my H2O into. Saved on batteries. Not sure if you have that option.

    reddog
    Posts: 803
    #921996

    Quote:


    Those are also more than I care to invest for this application. Right now the 385ci is leading the pack of choices. I need to speak to someone who is running it to see if it has the same features as the more expensive models like highlighting depths etc…


    The 386ci has all of the menu items available as my 997, except for the side imaging.

    Shaded depths is in the charts menu.

    dandorn
    M.I.N.N.E.S.O.T.A.
    Posts: 3207
    #922021

    Lowrance sells a cigarette plug in power cord ( CA-8 ) that is
    less expensive than a regular power
    cable and will also give you more flexiblity to use in
    other applications.

    turkeynate
    Iowa
    Posts: 187
    #922277

    I have the cig plug DanDorn is talking about and it works great! Only negative is the GPS shuts off when you turn the atv off. So if you want to keep the gps running should you turn off the atv, you are out of luck with this plug. If you wire directly to the battery this won’t be an issue.

    kooty
    Keymaster
    1 hour 15 mins to the Pond
    Posts: 18101
    #922379

    The positive side of that equation is you won’t run your battery dead when you forget to shut off the graph out in the middle of Mille Lacs.

    turkeynate
    Iowa
    Posts: 187
    #922442

    Quote:


    The positive side of that equation is you won’t run your battery dead when you forget to shut off the graph out in the middle of Mille Lacs.


    Very True! But that’s what the pull start is for! Wouldn’t be any fun if everything went “right” out on the big pond!

    By the way have you made a decision yet?

    dandorn
    M.I.N.N.E.S.O.T.A.
    Posts: 3207
    #922458

    Quote:


    I have the cig plug DanDorn is talking about and it works great! Only negative is the GPS shuts off when you turn the atv off. So if you want to keep the gps running should you turn off the atv, you are out of luck with this plug. If you wire directly to the battery this won’t be an issue.


    I used to run my H2Oc/520c simultaneously off of my ATV with a 2 to 1 12v plug in. When I shut down the ATV the H2Oc would stay lit off of the batteries and I wouldn’t have
    to wait for it to lock in to use it.

    I also had a backup set of trails back to the truck if ever one of the units failed.

    kooty
    Keymaster
    1 hour 15 mins to the Pond
    Posts: 18101
    #922480

    Quote:


    By the way have you made a decision yet?


    No, I haven’t. I’ve got a nice bunch of Cabelas gift cards now and they would cover the cost of the HB unit. However, there are 10,000 other items I’m trying to weigh the priority to purchase in that store. A nice digital smoker being the biggest contender on the list.

    nick
    Lakeville, MN
    Posts: 4977
    #922721

    Quote:


    Quote:


    By the way have you made a decision yet?


    No, I haven’t. I’ve got a nice bunch of Cabelas gift cards now and they would cover the cost of the HB unit. However, there are 10,000 other items I’m trying to weigh the priority to purchase in that store. A nice digital smoker being the biggest contender on the list.


    Ahh yeah I think digital smoker pulls priority for me too

    My 332 is on a ram mount on the handle bars, I added a 12v power source fused. , and my wheeler has a pull start just in case

    Really I think a handheld is more than you need, it’s not like you’re really going to be going that fast that need a bigger screen. It takes a lake chip and will put you on the spot, I use my 5 inch screen because I already had it, if I had to buy one and even if money wasn’t a factor, I’d still get a hand held, it’s way more then enough for the winter season.

    Then I got a little more for $ the smoker

    kooty
    Keymaster
    1 hour 15 mins to the Pond
    Posts: 18101
    #922775

    That is probably one of the other biggest factors in not getting a unit right now. Do I REALLY need something like this vs. a handheld?? I guess it’s a good problem to have.

    turkeynate
    Iowa
    Posts: 187
    #922941

    You will really like the bigger screen over a handheld even when parked. I had a handheld on my atv before my 5 inch lowrance and it worked ok but the bigger screen is so much easier to see and use. It allows you to see so much more of the depth contours. It’s just like driving in the boat on the ice.

    In this case bigger is better. If you can use it in the boat in the summer I would get it. If you don’t have a boat maybe the smoker is the way to go.

    Look at it this way if you don’t catch fish that digital smoker isn’t going to do you any good because you have nothing to smoke…

    One last thing… Go with the color unit you will thank me later… Why watch black & White tv when you can watch in COLOR!!!

    Good luck on your decision!

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