Garmin 531S Question

[kenny]

My 178C has developed a round corner frame in the screen and has an aurora borealis on all four sides so it's almost impossible to see............SO, I'm going to have to get a new one.
I can get a 531S w/transducer, internal antenna & G2 charts for $650. or $550. without the G2 charts.
What do you think? Suggestions?

[Gater]

My 178C has developed a round corner frame in the screen and has an aurora borealis on all four sides so it's almost impossible to see............SO, I'm going to have to get a new one.
I can get a 531S w/transducer, internal antenna & G2 charts for $650. or $550. without the G2 charts.
What do you think? Suggestions?

Kenny unless you are going to be bass fishing that is the wrong unit. The 531 comes pre-loaded with inland lakes and waterways.
You need the 541s which comes pre-loaded with the coastal maps. One other thing is that unit is a lower resolution (234x320 pixels)
compared to the next level up the 546s which is 480x640 pixels. The difference is like watching a tube TV with rabbit ears or a HD plasma. The downside is the cost goes up. I purchase all my electronics online, you can save a good chunk of change.
Before you purchase, take a look at getfeetwet.com, marineelectronicsunlimited.com, and Ebay to start. If buying from Ebay make sure the unit is not refurbished. I like the folks at West Marine but they are high on electronics. If you wish to keep your business local Breakwater will match prices, at least they use to. Any more questions just ask and I'll try to use my limited knowledge to help.

Gater

[Gater]

My 178C has developed a round corner frame in the screen and has an aurora borealis on all four sides so it's almost impossible to see............SO, I'm going to have to get a new one.
I can get a 531S w/transducer, internal antenna & G2 charts for $650. or $550. without the G2 charts.
What do you think? Suggestions?

Kenny another thing I forgot to mention is that the G2 vision card has some neat features but none that I can't live without. I think it comes in most handy if you are visiting or fishing unfamilar ports. It also does not have a good clear screen with the lower resolution units especially on the satellite maps. Gater

[WestEndAngler]

Call Derek @ Breakwater

[45 ACP]

Im in the same boat. My 498 just went out, and wouldnt you know it, Garmin just stopped servicing that unit a couple months ago.

Ive heard conflicting reports about the newer 500 series Garmins. Isnt the set up and user interface completely different than older models (178 and 498)?? Thats one thing I liked about Garmins up to this point, between my father and I and a close friend, weve got 4 different Garmins and they all work exactly the same. Same buttons and everything. Now all the newer ones are different.

I may be looking into the 700 series. A slightly larger screen sure would be nice, but not a big fan of touch screen. Who ever thought touch screen was a good idea in a saltwater environment anyways???

[kenny]

Kenny another thing I forgot to mention is that the G2 vision card has some neat features but none that I can't live without. I think it comes in most handy if you are visiting or fishing unfamilar ports. It also does not have a good clear screen with the lower resolution units especially on the satellite maps. Gater

Thanks gater,
It is the 541S & 546S I have quotes on. Are you saying the resolution on the 546 is better than the 541? I'll also check out those links for prices.

[Root Canal]

Thanks gater,
It is the 541S & 546S I have quotes on. Are you saying the resolution on the 546 is better than the 541? I'll also check out those links for prices.

Kenny,
I was at Breakwater a year ago and the satellite picture on the units that didn't have 480x640 pixels was horrible. At that time it was the new G2 and Derek was very upset
at the quality of the picture. Breakwater has most of the units set up and running so you can see what you are getting. Just saying.

[aqua pimp]

Good info Gater! The new unit I just bought for my Gulf Coast I bought off of EBay. First time ever buying off EBay but it was brand new in the box from a Marine Warehouse in California. I saved probably $300 buying online. I will do this again when I upgrade in a few months.

AQUA PIMP

[kenny]

Good info Gater! The new unit I just bought for my Gulf Coast I bought off of EBay. First time ever buying off EBay but it was brand new in the box from a Marine Warehouse in California. I saved probably $300 buying online. I will do this again when I upgrade in a few months.

AQUA PIMP

So far, I haven't seen a better deal on eBay. Around $650. for the 541S w/transducer, g2 and accessories seems to be the price.

[JT]

Kenny ....aurora borealis sounds like something you might have picked up when you were over in viet nam.

[Gater]

Thanks gater,
It is the 541S & 546S I have quotes on. Are you saying the resolution on the 546 is better than the 541? I'll also check out those links for prices.

Yes Kenny that is correct, the 546 has a higher resolution than the 541. As Rootcanal mentioned, stop by Breakwater and compare the the lower resolution units to the higher resolution units, you will surprised at the difference. Gater

[kenny]

I went by West Marine and saw the 541S & 546S side by side. The 546 does have better color and map resolution, but I'm thinkong maybe not $200. worth!
The Lowrance HDS 5 has great resolution and a bigger screen than either Garmin.

[Mitchw123456]

For what it's worth, I'm running the 541s and didn't see the 200 difference either. I'm very happy with the unit also. I also couldn't justify the g2 charts either as I really don't need to see overhead map shots and a 3d nav screen. I would also recommend breakwater. He told me when I purchased it if I ever had problems with it I would get a loaner while mine was being repaired!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Root Canal]

Kenny,
When I was talking about the poor resolution, I was referring to the G2 card that Garmin
offers as an extra. It gives you a satellite view like Google Earth. Also with 3D. It is poor
on the cheaper units.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=9618

For a Lowrance, you would have the same option. Buy an extra SD card, but it would
be made by Navionics. The Platinum + would be similar to the G2. The Platinum + only works on certain models....So check compatability.

http://www.navionics.com/MarineFeatures_PlatinumPlus.asp

You may not want to spend money on the extra SD card. Just depends on how fancy
you want to get.