Which GPS unit should I get?

[grsboats]

I have tried all kind of GPS units cheaps(HK,Skirc,etc) and expensives ones(Garmin) but not can't beat my Stalker Pro radar gun. I agree with Daris the Eagle tree sistem is what I would consider to get to have accurate readinds for top speeds in terms of GPS. Gill

[Fluid]

The problem with most radars is the need to have the boat aimed directly towards the gun. Even a few degrees off will affect the accuracy of the reading. Too, some guns don't pick up a small boat until it is pretty close....a safety concern if a human holds the gun on a fast boat. They often pick up the roostertail rather than the boat itself until it is close. IME a GPS will give more consistant, accurate readings.




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[Cooper]

I agree with the eagle tree. It is probably the better for install and ease of use for a one person setup. Some of the GPS units like forerunner are of a considerable size for some applications. A smart phone is risky if it is still used as your phone. The hobby king one is small, simple and easy but its that type of product with no warranty or basically disposable if broke. Radar guns are very accurate at the time of trigger pull but I can't get someone to sit in the kayak when I'm heading at them in excess of 100mph. (Best results with radar gun are with minimal angle). The traps are the ultimate but usually only offered at clubs or events. (Lots of effort to set up). So it's kind of up to personal preference and accuracy of application.

I have a cell phone (used and new ones) that I have used but don't. I have the hk GPS that I've used but don't. (GPS doesn't fix through carbon fiber [well]) like I said a radar gun too. But what I end up using on saw boat (catamaran) is my smaller garmen nuvi (or something like that?). I ziplock bag it then use some high traffic carpet protectant tape to cover basically the whole topside of the deck. It's pretty sticky stuff and very pliable, it's on a roll about 24" wide by ?? 100+ feet. Lots of it from work. Has kept the GPS attached through even the most violent 100mph+ crashes (so far :). And I can still turn it on and off and use the touch screen through the Baggie and tape. It's what works for me when I just want top speed. But for some greater data information and plotting on a map the et is hard to beat. Can show speed at certain locations, useful in knowing what corner speed is verses straight line speed on a course.

[capnswanny]

I can vouch that the Garmin Foretrex 301 works well. Submerged this 8 feet for 15 minutes until I could retrieve my DF26. Still working when I got it out of the water. I pulled the 4 screws when I got home and it was wet inside. Dried with air and reassembled, still works like a champ.

Garmin 301.jpg

[SloHD]

Once I get into higher voltage boats I will definitely get an eagle tree setup. For now I just picked up a forerunner 201 for $55 total. Thanks for all the insight and links guys!

[grsboats]

Fluid is right but as I only run saw my radar gun is Always positioned in the the end of the straight.Gill

[Cooper]

I can vouch that the Garmin Foretrex 301 works well. Submerged this 8 feet for 15 minutes until I could retrieve my DF26. Still working when I got it out of the water. I pulled the 4 screws when I got home and it was wet inside. Dried with air and reassembled, still works like a champ.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]105060[/ATTACH]

It's been a bit since I've looked at any GPS devices, I did not realize how small that bugger is. I forget how fast technology is evolving!!! Thanks for that pic!!

[bracka69]

Ok thanks for the input guys. I think I'm just going to get a forerunner. Are you guys sure the 201 measures max speed? I don't see it in the specs for the 201...

I have a forerunner 201 and yes it does record max speed.

[bracka69]

RE:Which GPS unit should I get?

Here is my gps displaying max speed.

[tlandauer]

This is not meant as a review of any product, but I thought I will report back what my comparison showed:
http://www.keithbradleyboats.com/?wpsc-product=gps-unit I bought this more than a year ago from Keith Bradley. At the time I was busy with some of my builds and I forgot I have this little until till the other night when I was reading this thread.
I remember this unit has been called a piece of junk and among many other things.
So today I decided to verify if this works or not. First you need a mini USB cable to charge the internal battery, and I assume at this price it is either NiCad or Ni-MH. The cable is not included.
Yes, the plastic case looks/feels cheap and is not water proof. You will need a small ziplock bag to use it near the water.
Now the good news:
After turning it on and acquiring satellite signal, this unit is ready for business.
I have a Garmin etrex to verify the accuracy along with the speedometer of my car. ( CTS V)
Speedometer 35mph vs. 34.17 ( Garmin=35 )
Speedometer 39 vs. 38.5 ( Garmin=39.2)
Speedometer 45 vs. 44.7 ( Garmin=45.3)
Speedometer 50 vs. 50.9 (Garmin=51.6 )
Could not drive any faster thanks to So Cal traffic!
This is enough for my sporting use. I bought the etrex but ultimately it is too big and heavy. I wish I knew the Garmin Foretrex 301, but at $150 a unit, I will stick with this little one for now. Perfectly happy with the performance so far.

[Steven Vaccaro]

I had one of those and it was great in the car but had lots of strange readings and issues in rc boat trials. I gave up and bought another used Garmin.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[tlandauer]

I had one of those and it was great in the car but had lots of strange readings and issues in rc boat trials. I gave up and bought another used Garmin.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for the feed back, guess I have to build a bigger boat for the Garmin and this to see how the electrical system affects this unit.

[grsboats]

One thing that I have learned is when use a GPS unit just accelerate the boat in the straights and slow it down in turns to avoid misreadings..... whatever is the brand.Gill

[tlandauer]

One thing that I have learned is when use a GPS unit just accelerate the boat in the straights and slow it down in turns to avoid misreadings..... whatever is the brand.Gill

Thanks, Gill.
I also realized that any sudden lateral acceleration would cause erroneous readings sometimes. Also I remember reading somewhere on the Forum that if the chops are sending the boat flying, the readings can also be off.

[iop65]

i have the same (keith bradley)
checked it with my car ;seemed ok
giving constant readings in my boats so ok for me
one thing perhaps : it's a 1hz measurement

this means that it only measures one time every second
so you will need a rather long straight line for a reliable measurement ( depends on the speed your boat is doing)

more expensive devices measure a couple times/second ( higher hertz) so they don't need such long constant straights