Garmin Chartplotter/Fishfinder

[Leonard Atkins]

Close to purchasing a Garmin ECHOMAP Plus g3 94sv Fishfinder/Chartplotter Combo with GT51 Transducer and Bluechart G3 US Coastal Charts with 9" screen for a XMas gift to our 2000 Rosborough RF-246. This will replace an old SiTec chartplotter using C-Maps with a 5.5" screen. The processor in the SiTec is slow to show new images.

West Marine (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/garm...rt-g3-us-coastal-charts--19386614?recordNum=1) has a nice sale $700 vs $1,100 which is matched by GPS.com.

Has anyone purchased a new Garmin chartplotter recently and willing to share their thoughts? After checking websites/marina not seeing any bad news on Garmin. Curious how their WiFi app with Active Captain works including purchase/download of charts.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Leonard

 

[LaBomba]

I installed the Garmin ECHOMAP 942xs in the spring along with a new transducer and a new VHF radio and later in the summer the Reactor 40 Autopilot was installed. With the NEMA 2000 network installation and integration was a breeze as was downloading charts. I have not used Active Captain on it as I run it on an Ipad separately.

 

[rgano]

This may have nothing to do with the unit you are looking at, but while helping a friend attempting to connect his DSC VHF radio to his Garmin GPS unit, we discovered that some Garmin units with the same model prefix numbers do not have as many options for various data connections as others with different model number suffixes.

 

[Airstream345]

I self installed a Garmin ECHOMAP 942xs with their XD Radar and an in-hull transducer in our last boat. Easy to install (after running the radar cables) and very easy to use.

The new boat has fairly extensive and recent Furuno otherwise I'd be looking at Garmin again.

Also, Rich is correct, not all units support the same capabilities. So, if you plan to add something like XD radar in the future or one or more of their specific sonars, make sure you get the correct MFD up front.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Garmin_products#Chartplotters_and_Sonar

 

[jleonard]

2 years ago I purchased a Garmin 74 series chartplotter/fishfinder combo for my 17 ft boat in Florida.
Awesome unit, works perfectly, never had a problem with it.
I'd buy it again.

 

[jimdavi]

Have all Garmin, 7600 plotters reactor 40 autopilot, AIS. All works great with active captain.

 

[Moby Nick]

Considering same purchase for our Albin-25. Appreciate the input, all.