Internal GPS Antenna (IGPS) Question
As of late this month Lowrance LMS-337C DF GPS will be available as an
LMS-339C DF IGPS with internal antenna. It is recommended fro use on open
cockpit or center console boats.For cost and ease of installation reasons I'd prefer to use an internal
antenna unit. Seems to me that it would make little to no difference in
satellite reception on my center console boat. Do you agree? Thanks,
Butch |
Butch
Jan 10
2006
|
| John, Thanks for the picture. Nice looking boat, BTW. Looks like a pretty basic
standoff pipe mount just forward of the helm. Looks like something I can
do. Gotta think about it some. |
Butch
Jan 12
|
| It's the regular external antenna that came with the unit mounted on a
plastic base from West Marine, cost a couple bucks is all.
|
JohnH
Jan 11
|
| Butch, you can go to alt.binaries.pictures.sports.ocean and look for the
post titled Trolling.jpg. You'll see where I have my antenna mounted, on the console. When looking
for a place to mount it, I had the boat on a rack next to a Grady White
with the antenna mounted on his hardtop. I received one more satellite than
he could, with as good or greater signal strength. He immediately got on
his cell-phone and began whining at the Grady folks. Anyway, that's my two cents, FWIW.
|
JohnH
Jan 11
|
| i dont disagree - if it works it works. the question was is an external mounted antenna better and a
dedicated, external antenna is always better than an internal antenna.
nothing was said about the internal antenna not working properly. i
have a raymarine rc400 which an internal antenna that I think is the
best portable unit on the market. |
Shortwave
Jan 11
|
| The only difference I have ever noticed is that while inside a cabin, it
takes a GPS with an internal antenna only a few seconds more to lock on
to the satellites. Once it locks on, I see no difference in response time. |
Harry
Jan 11
|
| ive noticed that the difference under the t-top on my ranger bay boat
compared to the open princecraft tin boat. its more about the quality
of the signal than capturing or keeping a lock. |
Shortwave
Jan 11
|
| Wow!! Thanks for the incredibly numerous helpful replies. Chuck, your
Montauk console is very similar to my Dauntless console. My current GPS has
an external antenna mounted to the steel tube running across the top of the
windshield. If I use an internal antenna it would be abour 11 inches lower
than the external and about four inches aft of it. Based upon my preconcieved notions and the responses here I'll almost
certainly go with the internal antenna. I'm looking forward to a WAAS unit with a color display and Navionics
charts. Wish a larger display was in the budget. So far it looks like Tiger GPS has a competitive price at $671 delivered. I
spent more than that for my LMS-160 in 1999. Thanks again. Butch |
Butch
Jan 11
|
| I've not noticed any difference in acquisition of satellite speed
between the two, whether out on the open or in a cabin. |
Harry
Jan 10
|
| Yes. And I would go the same route with my open cockpit runabout if I was
in the market for a GPS and if the unit was within my budget for a GPS. |
Jan 10
|
| Once upon a time (1999ish) I switched from an internal antenna to an external
antenna on my 17' Boston Whaler Montauk center console. Same GPS. The
signal strength bars were noticiably better with the external antenna. A couple
of years later I bought a new GPS. I spent a few extra bucks for the external
antenna version. Maybe it was just that the external antenna was a better antenna. Maybe it was
the metal rail over the top of the windshield. Chuck |
Chuck
Jan 10
|
| No. dedicated external antennas are always superior... |
Shortwave
Jan 11
|
| If this is recently released technology how do you know? |
Jan 10
|
| because they can only be one kind of antenna for a variety of reasons.
the only improvements is in algorithms and transmitted signal quality.
plus quantity of available satellites of course. |
Shortwave
Jan 11
|
| I would like to see a field test of the unit before I jumped to any
conclusions. |
Jan 10
|
| == An external antenna will almost certainly give you a stronger more
reliable signal assuming that it is mounted in the clear. That said,
you may very well be happy with the internal antenna. If you have a
handheld GPS with an internal antenna you could temporarily put it in
about the same place as you are proposing for the Lowrance and see how
it performs there. |
Wayne.B
Jan 10
|
| My Garmin 162 has an internal antenna and has no problem getting fast and
consistent satellite locks with WAAS or without. If the only thing the
signal has to shoot through is a canvas bimini top, such as in my
installation, I wouldn't hesitate to go with an internal antenna. Sure
simplifies the installation. |
RG
Jan 10
|
| whatever... |
Shortwave
Jan 11
|
| i agree with wayne. the question was will it make a difference and it
does make a difference. how that difference effects the operation of
the unit is most probably minor, but it will affect gps performance. |
Shortwave
Jan 11
|
| Hey, as you know there are no absolutes in life Tom...and technology
changes everyday. |
Jan 10
|
| And it may be so minor as to be unnoticeable. Again, you do not know
without actually testing or using the unit. |
Jan 10
|
| On the other hand, over time, the internal antenna unit could turn out to be
more reliable since there is no antenna cable to flex and break (highly
unlikely) or antenna/cable connections to corrode from exposure to the
elements (quite a bit more likely). Yet another minor point. |
RG
Jan 10
|
| I have a Garmin with the internal antenna. Garmin 160 and I rarely have a
problem. Mostly on lakes with high hills around it. But does the job
perfectly well in the ocean. And I do not have to mount another antenna. |
Calif
Jan 11
|
| But an external antenna would use the same technology and be able to be
placed in the ideal location. Therefore better signal. |
Calif
Jan 11
|
