Topic: Brand New 898C SI Installed!

[Weekend Warrior]

over the weekend and today in western PA, we are having a major winter storm.  Coincidence?  I think not.   I posted a few weeks back about transducer mounting on a pontoon and decided to try simple first and mounted on the rear of the starboard toon.  As soon as I can get out on the water, I'll find out if I can make side imaging work to port by trimming my outboard up.  I did come across another minor issue though; placement of the GPS antenna.  If I mount it somewhere on the driver's console, it will be undercover when the Bimini top is up.  Is it ok to just not permanently mount the GPS puck and move it around the boat depending on the situation with the Bimini?  Or will the Bimini not effect the GPS anyway?

Thanks,
Mark, watching the snow fly and dreaming of fishing....

[sonar2000]

The bimini top should not cause a problem with the GPS receiver.  The new 50's are fine.
Just remember that you will have some distance (feet) difference in actual and the displayed corrdinates..
You could if you have a place put the gps near the back of the pontoon..

Chuck

[Weekend Warrior]

Thanks Chuck!  Good to know about the Bimini.  Regarding mounting the puck in the rear, I was worried that the pontoon's rear seat back (3 feet high) could block reception.  I can only mount it maybe 1.5 feet behind that.  Non-issue?  If not, I will mount it there.

[sonar2000]

As long as it does not get blocked. You could mount it on PVC pipe. Or an aluminium or steel or...that way it would be raised a bit..
The GRS50 is a bit more reliable but some things can block the signal.
Although I can say this. In our garage which has two floors and a roof above it we get a good signal and lock on..dont know why we dont see signal loss..

Chuck

[Weekend Warrior]

Thanks for the great info!  I didn't give it any thought, but my iPhone's GPS will literally pinpoint me in my easy chair in the den of my house, so it makes complete sense that it takes an awful lot to block the signal.  I will have plenty of time to fool around with placement to see where it will work best.  Now if I could only get out on the lake.....

[sonar2000]

I think most of the trouble we have seen on here is with the internal antenna. That seems to be subject to signal strength (or blockage). The GRS50 seems to pick up very well.

After you get this done take a picture or two and post here. There is a section called media at the top.
Go there and put your pictures in under installations..

Chuck

[Humminbird_Greg]

Easiest way to know if it will make a difference is to test it.  Get your boat out of the garage (weather permitting) into an open space.  This can be done on dry land.  Look at the GPS Diagnostic View with the GPS Receiver mounted higher than anything else on the boat (can hold this up with your hand.  Make a Screen Snapshot of this and with it placed in other mounting locations (including with the bimini top up).  Than compare the screen snapshots and look at the number of satellites in use as well as the HDOP number and Estimated Position Error number.  This will give you a sense of how these other locations and such can affect the GPS accuracy or not.

[Weekend Warrior]

Thank you for the reply Greg.  I'll be honest and admit that at the moment, I have no idea how to make a screen snapshot, nor do I have a clue what HDOP number or Estimated Position Error numbers mean.  LOL  I have just finished printing out the operations manual and will start perusing tonight however, and hopefully it will shed some light on the meaning of your comments. hahaha  BTW, I WISH my boat was in the garage, because when I get up tomorrow morning, I am going to have to get on a step ladder and sweep the snow off so the cover doesn't collapse.

On another subject, I want to let everyone here know that the existance of this forum and Greg's participation in it was a MAJOR factor in my purchase of a Humminbird. I am a long-time(Multiple Platinum)member of the Egghead forum(Big Green Egg Ceramic Cookers) and am keenly aware of the value of such a forum.  I plan on contributing as soon as I feel able to assist others.  With my very best regards to all......

Mark

[Humminbird_Greg]

I’ll make it a little easier on you here Mark:
 - Screen Snapshot is a picture of whatever is on your unit’s screen when you make the snapshot.  To make one all you need to do is install a blank memory card into one of the memory card slots (make sure the memory card is not locked – if it has a lock) and than go to the Accessories menu tab in the main menu system and set the Screen Snapshot menu to “On”.  Thereafter (until you turn it off), your unit will save an image of what is on the screen whenever you use the MARK button. 

 - HDOP stands for Horizontal Dilution of Precision.  Basically it is a measurement of how accurate the GPS Receiver thinks it is.  The lower the number the better the accuracy should be.

 - Estimated Precision Error is the same as HDOP but it expressed in feet (or meters for International units).  Again, the lower the number the better the accuracy should be.

 
Sorry to hear about the snow on the boat – I thought everyone up North had a garage?  LOL! 

I’m a Primo-man myself.  I chose it over the Big Green Egg due to the larger capacity.  Still you can’t beat a ceramic cooker for a juicy bite of meat!

[Weekend Warrior]

No need to apologize for the Primo Greg. It's a fine cooker and I won't stop talking to you because of it . .  Seriously though, thank you so much for your help. I literally cannot wait to test drive this thing. 

We will have to get together offline and talk cooking some time.   

Mark