Garmin 492 chart plotter on sale at WM

thataway

I don't know if this is true of all West Marines, but our local store has the Garmin 492 (5" GPS, internal antenna hard drive preloaded with all of the US coastal waters with the Blue Chart G2) being phased out at $499. These are listed in last years catalogue for $880. Gamin is not my first choice for cartography, I compare it with C map Max, Nauticapath (Lowrance), NOAA charts on DVD/download, and Navionics. It is accurate, not quite as high resolution as some,--but adequate for many of our uses. The GPS is accurate, and probably the easiest to use--very intuative in its functions.

oldgrowth · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject:

Bob – I went to WM with the intent of getting that unit or an equivalent Raymarine unit. I leaned towards the Raymarine but ended up getting the 3205 Garmin networked with sonar and radar for a little over $2300. Couldn’t pass it up for that price. I know I probably could have beat the price on the internet but I figured the convenience of WM and my time was worth the difference.

Now if I ever get my boat flipped over, I can start installing the stuff.

_________
Dave

Bill3558 · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:24 pm Post subject:

I'm looking at the Garmin 540S. Its brand new, should be available in March. What I like about it is it comes loaded with all the charts I need and a transducer. $735 online.

thataway · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:30 pm Post subject:

The new Garmin 540 S has a screen resolution (640x480) which is better than the 492. (234x320). The 540 has a sounder built in the 492 does not and one would have to add a sounder module if you wanted the sounder function in the 492(I did not)--Both of these have the same maps of the entire coastal US on their hard drives. The 540S is a good unit--and that price is a typical online price for the unit with dual frequancy transducer.

I felt that the 492 was a very good buy since the online dealers still list it at discounted at the mid $560 range and it is unusual to find this degree of discount at WM.

I had to laugh at Old Growth--all of this started when I saw the 3210 Garmin on sale a couple of days ago--but I just needed a GPS for my 18 foot Century which already has a good fishfinder...The 3205/06/10 is an awesome machine.

mikeporterinmd · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:40 am Post subject:

Indeed...this deal is right up there with the one I got on the Lowrance
LMS-337C DF ($550). Also, I picked up a NauticPath chip from Boaters
World (at a boat show) for $55.