Re: [Paddlewise] Garmin comparisons (was GPS & Mapping Software)

Hello all,

I have used a Garmin 48 for the past several year, and while I can't 
talk about the water resistance (mine stays in the Aquapac), I can 
say that overall this is a great unit. It has the antennae which 
makes it a bit bulkier than the 12, but the antennae does not need to 
be vertical to work and the Navaids really come in handy. Almost 
everything is on there, and not just for the US. The city database is 
kind of nifty, but for the paddler doesn't really come in that handy. 
The marine navaids though are really nice. On a trip to Voyageurs 
National Park over the 4th of July weekend (trip report to come one 
of these days) I was surprised to see that almost all the buoys from 
the large lakes there were in the database.

I also believe that the 12 is a bit more of a battery hog than the 
12XL (?) and the 48. The original 12 is several years older than the 
48 which came out the year I bought it ('98?).

As far as ease of use, I think that like any new tool, the user needs 
to spend some time using the interface until it becomes something 
that you can do without thinking too much about it. Garmin makes a 
pretty straight forward interface, but getting into some of the more 
complex functions (zooming, then panning around a map) can take a 
little bit of practice in order to commit to memory.

-Patrick

At 8:43 AM -0400 7/14/00, JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote:
>The consensus seems to hard over in Garmin's favor, so a follow-on question.
>
>Anyone want to offer a value comparison between the GPS-12 at about 
>$145 and the GPS-48 at about $210?  The -12 appears to be a good, 
>all-around system with all the basics and some bells'n'whistles, 
>while the -48 includes an updateable marine database of cities and 
>navaids in the U.S., plus a few added features including "water 
>resist[ance]" --- but after the totally disappointing performance of 
>the eTrex in that department, I'm not about to accept any water 
>tollerance specs from Garmin!  It goes in a bag.
>
>Bottom line, does the marine database and the other "marine" 
>features in the -48 warrant the additional 45% in cost over the -12? 
>
>Jack Martin
>
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