Garmin 3000C or 172C and 178C

[FASTFJR]

My new boat will be here Feb or March. I have started looking at Chartplotters and Fish Finders. My dollar fund will be around 2 grand. I like the size of the 3000C. I also like the 172C and 178C or 320C. I'm also not sure about having a "all in one unit". My personal thoughts go like this. Buy the 172C for chartplotting and buy the 178C or 188C for fish finding and with a chart plotting as a back up. Make sense??? Should I be looking a Navman??? Any thoughts or other input would be helpful. Or will their be all new units in 6 months?

[Glen E]

the 3000c will break your budget of 2G once you get it installed with gds 20 - I like seperates - if your're not gonna take advantge of the 3000c networking, weather or radar get the 2006C and one of the others for a FF...

[sea_slueth]

When you describe the 3000c, do you really mean Garmin's new 3006c and 3010c?

I too am looking at the 2006c and contemplating the 3006c.

I figure the 3006c gives me the option to build it up with other current and future components for networking.

The XM satelite option looks pretty cool, but that component is anothe2 600 bucks.

The 3006 and 10 will also be able to use Garmin's radar which is due out in 2005.

If you have the room for these components and plan on keeping your boat for awhile, perhaps the 3006 may be worth it. If not go with the 2006.

As far as fishfinders are concerned, the majority of this board leans towards the Furuno over the GSD20.


Here is my question as I am still researching and new to the chartplotter/radar stuff.

In regards to interface with chartplotters and radar units. I currently have a Furuno radar. Can that interface with the Garmin's 2006c or must I stick with the brand of radar I have?

A friend told me they all talk to each other, while West MArine indicated I had to remain with the brand (Furono radar speaks only to the furuno chartplotter for purpose of overlay).

What gives........

[yachtjim]

You must remain with the same brand as west said.* The radar signal is not a NMEA signal.* NMEA signals are interfacable between furuno and garmin but radar signals are not.

I would go with a big combo unit over seperate units.* I don't subscribe to the whole redundancy thing when it comes to GPS and Fishfinder.* I say have them both in one big beautiful screen instead of two smaller ones.* You seldom use FF and Chartplotter at the same time anyway, and even when you do it is only one push of a button to go back and forth between the two.

If you want GPS*redundancy carry a handheld with you.* I do.

[Glen E]

Jim -

I have a 2010C and a 320C and like it much better than a total combo unit. The reason is pretty simple; I like to show three views at once:

1.my data that comes in as the sqaures on the 2010c (bearing, voltage, DTW, etc)

2. Depth view

3. The actual GPS and chart

If Garmin was able to shrink the squares of data it might be different but when I get all 3 of the above on one screen, even the 2010C screen seems crowded....my firend has a 2006C with gds20 in it's totally crowded to me...

Just my .02...

[yachtjim]

If you have the $ and real estate to mount a big 2010 and a 320 then I think you have a great set up.* I was saying I would rather have one big display than two small ones.*