Lowrance Buyers Guide:
If your looking into buying a Lowrance and want to know about thier units here is an overview.
Satellite Reception and Accuracy:
Accuracy is pretty much a fixed matter. Any GPS unit with WAAS in optimum conditions can have 10 foot (3 Meter) or better accuracy. Reception on the other hand is a different matter. A units ability to hold a good signal can vary from different brands and models. Lowrance Units rate high in this department, and hold their signal lock well in bad conditions like tree cover and urban canyons. The newer units are best, because they contain modern chipsets intended to maintain this signal lock even in heavy obstructions.
Screen size and resolution:
The i-Finder series have relatively large screens and great resolution. One problem I noticed is that with this detail features can be small, so it may be harder to interpret for vision impaired users. Overall though they are excellent.
Auto Routing:
Lowrance units do not feature Auto Routing (Automatic calculation over the road to your destination.) The discontinued i-Way 100 did feature this, and may still be found, but as of now current handhelds do not support this feature. This is not a necessary feature, but it is nice of you have a hard time reading maps.
Data and Waypoint Exchange:
Data transfer is done using SD cards, the same type used in popular digital cameras. In most units it is in the battery compartment under the batteries. You must remove the batteries in order to access the card.
Mapping:
There is one Mapping program, MapCreate 6.3 Topo. It contains all info, Topo data, Points of interest, and detailed streets. Using it I will warn it can be buggy, but it is worth the trouble, if any. Like the units it will not auto- route, but routes can be created by clicking the points on the map. In my use I have found it to be highly accurate, the Topo detail is right on and road detail is good, although I think an update for recent road changes would be nice.
Other Features:
Lowrance units have a ton of settings, the screens are fully customizable to show what you want, and the types of data available is large. There is a higher learning curve with these units, it may take a while to know it in and out. With that are many menus, so I suggest reading the manual at some point. Once you learn it's settings, you will appreciate the wealth of data better.
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