Hummingbird GPS question?

Heres my question, the new HB’s will have 50 channels, how important of a improvement is that? the way I understand it each channel covers 1 satelite, at any given time there are only 8 or 9 visible? 27 to 30 in the sky around the whole world? Maybe I am missing something but surely 16 is adequate? Just wondering because I will be purchasing one to replace my Lowrance before ice out

Room for expansion! Think back to a few years ago, when if you locked 5…you were amazed!

Hi,

I believe there are 31 satellites available in the Northern Hemisphere. There are probably 15 to 20 good satellite connections available in our part of the country. The Humminbird uses the strongest of those connections to create a position declaration (depending on the signal quality). If you watch the GPS Diagnostic View you will see the status of the satellite connection: 1) the satellites connect to (and their strength), 2) Est. Error Position (showing the triangulation quality of the satellites connected to (Position Error in feet – the lower the better), and 3) HDOP – Horizontal Displacement of Position – basically indicating the accuracy of your altitude value (1.0 or less is the best).

As I understand the idea, as your boat moves around, the quality of your satellite connections are continually changing. The Humminbird is continually looking for additional satellites to link to. It creates a list of available satellites to bring into the GPS positioning section if the quality of a given satellite it is using becomes too weak. Because you already have gone thru the arbitration phase, less time is wasted searching for a new connection when a satellite becomes too week. The box already has the new satellite available to switch to when this event happens. This keeps your Position Error as low as possible – your waypoint settings and your position on earth are more accurate.

If you limit your self to the 12 or 16 strongest satellite connections to make your position declaration, WHEN you loose one of your satellites your position quality (Error Position value goes up) decreases while the box searches for a new satellite.

Does this make any sense??

Roger

Makes sense, but at any given time there are only 8 or 9 satelites available to lock in on, no more or less I think, maybe its equivelant to varying degrees of acquiring high speed internet signals and how quick you connect. When a satelite goes over the horizon one of the many channels can lock on quicker? Anyhway I am anxious to get one, I have had lowrance gps’s and they have served me well, its the sonar end of lowrance that has thrown me over the edge! The new updated lakemaster chip for the bird will suit me just fine.

I don’t know how many have already seen this,But this compares the 3 humminbird gps receivers for accuracy.Kinda interesting!

http://www.idofishing.com/forum/files/photos/1264200510_GPS-Performance-Comparison.jpg

What is the scale on those pics? It is very blurry & hard to read. How does that compare to an LGC 2000 or 3000?