Electronics.....

peter 24/7 · 12 January 2004, 21:40

Looking to get Garmin 182C.

Require a seperate sounder, has anyone got experience of new garmin 120.

Any recommendations of alternatives ?

Radios, Icom M601 V Icom M503 & DS100.
The M503 looks a more robust unit, but double the space with the DS100.

Michael · 12 January 2004, 22:02

Don't know the 120 but I'm not impressed with its predecessors. Try searching this forum under Garmin - others have had similar problems.

Mike

Hightower · 12 January 2004, 23:18

I was also looking at the Garmin 182C, but I won't be buying a sounder from them!

Humminbird, Eagle and Navman seem good value for money, I'll be getting one with a Speed/log tranducer though.

With reguard radio equipment, the Icom DSC stuff is a bit bulky for my RIB (if only they sold the 402 in the UK), I'll be looking at the Silva S10 (good value I think, at £200).

Andy

Rupert Bear · 12 January 2004, 23:52

I have the 182 BW and am very impressed with it, I assume the colour is even better but for the money I am happy with the BW. I also have the 240blue sounder and can sum it up in one one *@/?*?!
The silva s15 is a really good piece of kit, a lot simpler to use than it looks at first and if you have room has integrated NAVTEX.

jwalker · 13 January 2004, 00:42

Rupert, I think you'll find it needs a navtex engine to drive it.

Rupert Bear · 13 January 2004, 08:23

The active Navtex aerial just plugs straight in the back and you have NAVTEX. I was quoted £65 on top of the radio price to have this but the aerials were not available at the time(they are now).
You don't need anything else as the aerial does it all.

Garygee · 13 January 2004, 12:09

Hi Peter

Think other people sum up what I think of Garmin sounders, Great GPS's/Plotters, S**T sounders.

I use a Lowrance X51 and find it great. Small display but high res and good detail, which suits me as I am not looking for fish but trying to avoid rocks/bottom.

After many many trys to get a previous Garmin 160Blue relialable, and never got it to work past 5 Kts, I slapped the Lowrance transducer in the engine bay with silicone, first place I found and it works at all speeds, never loses lock and shows good detail.

For my money I would buy Lowrance again.

As for VHF's I use the ICOM 503/DSC100and like it. If your short of space though what about the Simrad RD68. Not heard bad reports about it, does anyone use the RD68 and can comment.

Regards Gary

Brian · 13 January 2004, 12:48

I have had RD68's on my last 3 boats.
The only (small) problem I have EVER had is that my current set has wandered very slightly off frequency, in transmission mode.
The display is small, but hey, you are not trying to read a novel on it are you?
In practise, you set it to Ch.16 and your Dual Watch channel and forget about it.
Must admit I have not used any of the DSC functions AT ALL.

For my next purchase I would definately go for one again or perhaps look in detail at this new ICOM DSC set which has a loudspeaker capability ("WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING, YOU MISERABLE SNOTTY YOTTIE") which people have posted good reports about. Is it the ICOM 601?

David Hickman · 13 January 2004, 14:00

I have had RD68's on my last 2 ribs. Sets are great but the buttons are a bit small if you are wearing gloves. We always put an extensions speaker on to make in loader at high speeds.
DSC function works fine. I have used it a number of times for routine calls.
Brian, if you want to use DSC, Brixham CG are always happy for you to call them using it.

Off shopping at the show for a Garmin 188C and an Icom 601. (well thats what I have in mind anyway).
Anyone have any experiences of them?

jwalker · 13 January 2004, 15:48

Quote:

Originally posted by Rupert Bear
The active Navtex aerial just plugs straight in the back and you have NAVTEX. I was quoted £65 on top of the radio price to have this but the aerials were not available at the time(they are now).
You don't need anything else as the aerial does it all.

Yes and no. It's a navtex aerial + receiver ( commonly called an engine ) which plugs into the back.
I'm pleased to hear they are available now. I need one, so thanks for that.
I believe the NASA ones work fine too, but they cost more.

---------------------------------
Garmin sounders are crap..... Ho hum, I don't want to hear this

I have a 160 blue waiting to be fitted along with all the other electronics.

David Hickman · 13 January 2004, 16:32

Well I had a Garmin 100Blue on my last rib. It worked well without any probs.

Michael · 13 January 2004, 22:02

Originally quoted by J Walker:

Quote:

Garmin sounders are crap..... Ho hum, I don't want to hear this I have a 160 blue waiting to be fitted along with all the other electronics.

Its possibly the Airmar transducer that is at fault. A number of Garmin FF users report no problems with older models which used a smaller TDCR than the brick that is supplied with the 160.

Mike

Suzuki416 · 13 January 2004, 23:13

I have a Garmin 100 that works perfectly up to 25 knots.

Haven't yet gone faster than that as am waiting for a Rev Counter but it works very, very well.

As a side note, I was under the impression that the 100 'Blue' was a new model. Yet this is discontinued on the Garmin website? I wonder why?

Oh, I use a Garmin GPSIII Pilot which is equally excellent!

Pete

Rupert Bear · 13 January 2004, 23:21

I know the receiver is part of the aerial, the statement seemed to put across that it was a seperate entity.
They are pictured on seamark nunn at £99.
I would also be prepared to be disapointed with the sounder, in fact I would be go as far as to recommend that you don't fit it and either return it or put it on ebay as they are useless. I fitted a 240 blue two months ago and am now seriously considering taking it off and selling it to fit a lowrance or similiar (it is that bad)

I have the 182 plotter and think it is fantastic, don't know why the sounders are so cr**

jwalker · 14 January 2004, 00:02

In what way is it poor, Rupert?

Rupert Bear · 14 January 2004, 08:33

It doesn't track the bottom reliably, losing it at varying speeds. When it does lose the bottom it takes ages to pick it up again and displays nothing bar a flashing number.
The picture that you do get of the bottom is very poor and, as I use it for diving, picking up large wrecks is impossible. I find that driving over a bouyed wreck that I know of at 4000grt and standing 15m off the bottom that I cannot even pick that up reliably and if I didn't know it was there I would never find it.
Other sounders I have used have been much more reliable and easy to use, I reckon that if I cannot get this thing to work by next month then it will be off and on ebay so I can find one that does for the summer.

Mike B · 14 January 2004, 09:16

I wonder if Garmin have changed their software / Transducers.

I had a GPS125 Sounder and this gave faultless bottom tracking at all speeds. In fact the only time it dropped out was in the lock at Cardiff which I put down to air bubbles in the water. Although the low resolution screen was a bit poor (but it was a bit long in the tooth). If it hadn't been drop tested on to concrete I wouldn't have changed it.

I have a GPSMAP 168 sounder on the way (fingers crossed for delivery today) thanks to the boys from Garmin and intend to try this with the old Transducer. I am hoping it performs to the same level but I'm starting to get a bit worried.

Could it be the transducer or the transducer location that is at fault for those getting poor performance rather than the Garmin unit itself ?

Cheers

Mike

Rupert Bear · 14 January 2004, 10:27

I suspect that the transducer being on the port side of the boat may have some effect but it doesn't explain why it sometimes cannot find the bottom in 3m when stationary!
The bottom drops out at varying speeds and although it works a bit better now I have dropped the transducer lower than the instructions recommend, it is still poor.
I thought it was just my unit till I started reading here and found it was a common problem.