We are thinking of purchasing a hand held GPS Device and were wondering if any of you could give us any advice on which one to buy or what features to look for or what to aviod when purchasing one. Also, how much do you use it - is it a really essential piece of equipment etc.

Don't ever buy anything from Magellan. I have had two of their GPS units that went T.U. and were SLIGHTLY out of warranty so the company told me to take a hike. Now I have a garmin e-trex summit which works great and has a built in compass, which is really handy for me. As to whether you need a gps or not, I can't answer that but I use mine plenty.

P.S. Did I mention to not EVER buy ANY Magellan product?

Judyo99, I to would suggest Garmin, either the E-trex or even better the 76/map76, a couple features the 76's have going for them is 1)bigger screen then the E-trex line, 2)they float, don't know of any other handheld that floats 3)they have a built in tide table 4)they have a better antenna then the E-trex and process a little faster 5)they're buttons are on the front where as the E-trex's are on the side, making it easier to operate.
One other thing to take into consideration is the download capabilities, the map76 will hold 8 megs (1 meg for the 76)which basically means you could buy the Garmin cd roms and download most if not all of Puget Sound into it. The E-trex Legend and Vista's will also hold 8 megs, the Venture and Summit hold 1 meg (way points only)and the basic yellow E-trex is not downloadable. Hope this helps a little, good luck.

I recommend Garmin units too. Their user interface, databases, and customer service set them above the rest. 1-800-GO-GARMIN, ask for a catalog. http://www.garmin.com/

I have the Garmin GPS 12 which is one of the lower end units. It works fine, but I would love to have the Garmin map76. Do you need one? I fished out of Sekiu in September and it was invaluable. Once you have one, you will never be without one.

One more thing to all my fishing buddies. You may want to consider GRMN as an investment. It appears to be a well run company and certainly the product receives rave reviews from fishermen in the know!

If you want a Garmin 12 get it quick, its about to be discontinued. For the same money you'll get more with the E-trex.

The Garmin map 176 c it has the largest color display on the market. What good is a $500 MAP IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT.

For x-mas I got a Garmin / map 76 and I also got MapSource Waterways and Lights....Does anyone have MapSource Topo?? Do you like it?

I have a Garman EMap and have been very happy with it so far. I have a DC apapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter on my boat or in my car. I bought the Garmen "Topo" software that has a combination of the entire US land map with lakes identified and some marine navigation. The only thing mine doesn't have is the tides built into it. The top of the line Garman 76 unit with a built in map is a better unit for marine;i.e. it is waterproof but also a bit more expensive. I really like having a map visual aid to give me a point of reference next to an island, especially on the water. Even with the adapter, you need to have fresh batteries in it or it will not work (2 AA's).

I got an Etrex Legend for Christmas and upgraded that to a Map76 and have been experimenting with that for 2 weeks. This is my first GPS and am learning alot. I am curious about the ability to share software. Is this possible? I was looking at Garmin BlueCharts but it is really expensive. I really like the size of the 76 over the Etrex. I am looking to learn more about the unit. Maybe get together with other users?

going to trade my e-trex mariner in tomorrow for the 76 which is a little more $, is the map76 a lot more $ and what is the diff? don't want to spend a hole lot more $ doug

GoForChrome, I just met with the Garmin rep for the west coast a month or so ago and he said the new software will not be transferable frm one unit to another, up until now it has been so I guess its going to depend on whether you've got new software or some that has been sitting in a store for a while.
As for the Blue chart software, best cd rom Garmin makes, it gives you the same detail as a NOAA chart, excellent shore contour, depth readings, all nav aids, as well as all islands, not just the major ones.

Doug Kelly, I'm not sure which E-trex you have, I have never heard of a Mariner, as for the 76 & map76 the 76 is just a data unit (no map) the map76 has a world map built in and will hold 8 megs of download, $219 for the 76, $339 for the map76, I would highly recommend the map76. Best selling handheld on the market.

Has anyone tried or seen the Garmin Vista? The built-in features look very similar to the 76map and it has a 24mb memory capacity. Seems like it could hold more charts with that much memory. And it's a little cheaper.

Thanks AK...I would like to learn more about downloading and using the software...???

well i did it, took the e-trex back and exchanged and paid for the map76 this thing is amazing i am glad i did, thanks akkings for the advice other wise i would not have looked into it, i'm a happy camper now. going to take a little bit to figure out but going to start by marking all my b doubble e doubble r un's, time to play

B. Gray, The Vista is a great unit that I would probably recommend to someone looking for a gps for both hunting and fishing, the 24 meg download is by far the most of any handheld and the electronic compass and barometric altimeters are pretty cool, the downside though is the smaller screen, no tide table/celestial chart (can be downloaded) does not float and the buttons are not as easy to use as the 76's. If your looking for just marine use the 76 has better features.