I Finder H20!

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

Well, I jumped off the fence after much advise from many of you here. I went ahead and joined the ranks of the elite fishing squadron equiped with a GPS advantage. Bought it at a local boat & tackle show for $189. :D

I have read the unit's entire manual already. I am now fully confident that I will become completely lost just trying to navigate out to my driveway! Manuals remind me of why I've had to do so much "manual" labor all of my life! :rolleyes: Good grief! Thank God that I've got this board, and some of it's member's wisdom to fall back on!

I didn't realise that it didn't come with a starter MMC card. Can I run this unit using just it's internal memory to any degree? I haven't even turned the unit on yet because the manual said I have to have a card installed 1st. I'm chomping at the bit? How big of a card does everyone suggest I get? Remember, I will be fishing in 11 different states this year?

Please help, a GPS is a terrible thing to waste! :rolleyes: (I know, that was bad!)

<,"}/>{ Rippa

[duane]

Well, I jumped off the fence after much advise from many of you here. I went ahead and joined the ranks of the elite fishing squadron equiped with a GPS advantage. Bought it at a local boat & tackle show for $189. :D

I have read the unit's entire manual already. I am now fully confident that I will become completely lost just trying to navigate out to my driveway! Manuals remind me of why I've had to do so much "manual" labor all of my life! :rolleyes: Good grief! Thank God that I've got this board, and some of it's member's wisdom to fall back on!

I didn't realise that it didn't come with a starter MMC card. Can I run this unit using just it's internal memory to any degree? I haven't even turned the unit on yet because the manual said I have to have a card installed 1st. I'm chomping at the bit? How big of a card does everyone suggest I get? Remember, I will be fishing in 11 different states this year?

Please help, a GPS is a terrible thing to waste! :rolleyes: (I know, that was bad!)

<,"}/>{ Rippa

When I went looking for GPS that was one of 2 or 3 I was interested in.

[BeauxBeaux]

I have a Magellan Meridian gps and I love it. Mine came with a 16 mb card & it holds south Louisiana from the gulf to about mid-state. You should be able to run the maps already loaded into memory on the H2O gps, but to load more maps you will need a card. Some systems can only run a certain mb card; say a 128mb runs normal but a 256 mb may cause it to run slower. The Lowerance web site has updates and help for the user. Go to louisianasportsman.com and go to , 'ask Capt Paul' and he can tell you a lot and maybe provide some waypoints. Also ; buy your cards at local stores like Walmart as they are cheaper. Good luck and its not as bad as it looks, beaux

[Moose1am]

Tim:
I would try to find out how much memory the maps you will be using take up. I am not familar with that particular GPS unit. Not sure if you can download new information to those cards or not. If you can reprogram the card then you would not need a big card.
Some of the units I know about have the data preprogrammed on the cards. The cards are ROM not RAM cards and can't be changed easily. In that case you would want to get a card that covers all the lakes that you fish in all the states or multiple cards. Hope this makes some sense.

My unit has RAM memory that I can reprogram so I am not going to be that much help in your case.

Hopefully some others will jump in here and offer more help.

Well, I jumped off the fence after much advise from many of you here. I went ahead and joined the ranks of the elite fishing squadron equiped with a GPS advantage. Bought it at a local boat & tackle show for $189. :D

I have read the unit's entire manual already. I am now fully confident that I will become completely lost just trying to navigate out to my driveway! Manuals remind me of why I've had to do so much "manual" labor all of my life! :rolleyes: Good grief! Thank God that I've got this board, and some of it's member's wisdom to fall back on!

I didn't realise that it didn't come with a starter MMC card. Can I run this unit using just it's internal memory to any degree? I haven't even turned the unit on yet because the manual said I have to have a card installed 1st. I'm chomping at the bit? How big of a card does everyone suggest I get? Remember, I will be fishing in 11 different states this year?

Please help, a GPS is a terrible thing to waste! :rolleyes: (I know, that was bad!)

<,"}/>{ Rippa

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

BeauxBeaux & Moose, thanks. I really appreciate all of the pieces to the puzzle everyone gives. The place for the card is right under the 2 aa batteries, and is about the size of a postage stamp. Whether it's RAM or REM, I still SOL, cuz I don't have a clue, and so far, Vanna won't sell me a vowell! LOL.

Another board said I can turn it on without a card in place. Said it will still work, but won't be able to work all of it's goodies. The manual gave some warning that I could possibley erase any plug & play cards if I am not careful So I guess I could record over old stuff, but I would want to save everything for future refference instead wouldn't I?

Mike Simpson said he'd help me out, if I needed it. Yep!!! Iza needn it! :rolleyes:

<,*}/>{ Rippa

[Moose1am]

BeauxBeaux & Moose, thanks. I really appreciate all of the pieces to the puzzle everyone gives. The place for the card is right under the 2 aa batteries, and is about the size of a postage stamp. Whether it's RAM or REM, I still SOL, cuz I don't have a clue, and so far, Vanna won't sell me a vowell! LOL.

Another board said I can turn it on without a card in place. Said it will still work, but won't be able to work all of it's goodies. The manual gave some warning that I could possibley erase any plug & play cards if I am not careful So I guess I could record over old stuff, but I would want to save everything for future refference instead wouldn't I?

Mike Simpson said he'd help me out, if I needed it. Yep!!! Iza needn it! :rolleyes:

<,*}/>{ Rippa

[Moose1am]

What Brand of GPS is this? Most GPS units will let you mark waypoints and show you your location without displaying a detailed map of a lake.

I would think that the memory card is for showing maps of lakes etc with topo lines etc.

I would think that you can use the unit just for basic navigation and learning without having a huge map.

ROM. Read Only Memory. Can't change the data on this type of card without a flash burner. These type of card are produced at the factory and should retain the information unless you put them near a magnet or in a fire or something

RAM. Random Access Memory. This is the type of memory you use in your computers to work the programs. It can be read and updated easly by your computer or your GPS. With a GPS you would connect your GPS to your Computer. The computer would get a disk CD and copy the data off the Fishing Hot Spots or Navtronice CD and store in in the computers ram or on the computers Hard Drive. Then using a special program on the computer you can tell the computer to send this data to your GPS though a USB. You hook up your GPS with a special connecter that connects to the GPS unit's output port and then into the back of your computer though it's USB or Serial Port. Once you connect to two deviced together you run the special program on the computer while the GPS is turned on. This should transfer the data in the computer to the GPS unit. Now to do this you would need the Data Card inside the GPS unit.

But to just do basic navigation such as to get the GPS Satellite signals and tell you where you are located you should not have to have a big memory card installed. I could be wrong as I am not familar with the I finder H20 Unit.

Check out the web site from the manufacture of your unit.

Let me know who makes it and I may try to find out more information.

[Tugaloo]

I have a Lowrance iFinder handheld GPS that I bought about a year ago. It has never had a memory card installed. It has a map of the entire continential US, but some of the smaller county roads are not on the map. I have used it to navigate on the highway and on the water. It is able to save a lot (I don't know how many, I've never entered that many, waypoints). If you want to buy the Mapquest accessory pack & make detailed maps of local areas, including all the points of interest, you will need a memory card, but just for driving down the highway & knowing if there is a McDonalds at interstate exit 38, all that memory is built into the unit just as it comes out of the box.

I also bought a VHS instructional tape at Wal-mart for a $10- $20. It has been very helpful in getting to know the features of my unit.

I must say tho, that I am not familiar with the H20 part. But it is probably just a newer version of the one I have. I really enjoy my iFinder.

Tugaloo

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

That is what the Rep said- it's basically just a newer version of the I Finder Pro, which is being discontinued for 2006, plus it is water proof too. Said everything else will work the same between the two, including cards & info packs.
Sounds like yours might have Map Create already on it Tugaloo?

Man, I am anxious as a boy at senior prom to use this thing! <,"}/>{ Rippa

[Tugaloo]

No, Rippa, the Mapcreate software and card reader/writer is an additional $100. All I have on mine is just the stock software that comes on it from Lowrance.

Don't wait! Stick some batteries in it & turn it on. If you can go outside for a few minutes it will acquire its position faster. When it first comes on, it will have a map of the USA. Use the arrow keys & the "Zoom in" key to get it to your location. After you have acquired your position, save your home location.

Turn it on in the morning, put it on the map page & watch the cursor move as you navigate to work. When you leave tomorrow, turn it on, wait for it to acquire its position, hit "Find" then "My Waypoints" & "Home." Another page will come up & hit "Go to" & it will navigate you back home. It will tell you what direction you are traveling, how far you still have to go & what speed you are traveling. Do all this on the map page & you can watch the arrow travel down the roads on the map that you are driving.

You don't have to wait. It's ready to go, as is. Get busy & start learning to use it.

The "Quick Save" feature is great. Just hit "Enter" twice & it will save wherever you are at the time & tell you that your current position has been saved as 001 or whatever. It will be saved in your "My Waypoints" setting.

Tugaloo