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#461272 03/29/13 05:44 PM
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 18
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I am bringing down a garmin gps for my boat. Was wondering if any one knows how the details are for gps in Belize. It has the SW carribean chip.

speckfish #461282 03/29/13 09:06 PM
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Very limited, some chips can be off by up to 1/4 mile. There is little to no detail in many areas. They are a tool to be used only as a guide in conjunction with the Belize Cruising Guide and it's charts and your eyes. There is almost no detail around Ambergris Caye.

SimonB #461320 03/30/13 06:00 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
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The best thing going is an iPhone with the Navionics carribean app. It has a google earth overlay. The Garmin Bluechart G2 Vision charts are a joke by comparison. I have both and reach for my iPhone every time when going back and forth to the atolls. I felt pretty suckered buying a fancy touch screen chart plotter for big bucks only to have my iPhone blow it a way, in detail and accuracy.
Simon is right that none can be relied on for navigating channels ,avoiding navigational hazards, etc.. Great for marking spots, zero visibility and dark overcast nights (when no other aids exist) Belize is funny sticks are the main navigational markers, but be careful some you follow and some you need to avoid.

Liza Lou #461323 03/30/13 06:33 PM
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Liza you think purchasing the chip is worth it for the gps? Does it show anything that the gps does not have preloaded?

speckfish #461324 03/30/13 06:58 PM
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Speck, I don't know. My Garmin plotter did I not come with a preloaded base map. The fancy Bluechart G2 vision charts I bought do have really cool satellite overlays with fairly high detail, but unfortunately they used images with LOTS of cloud cover. This is the case for most of Belize. My handheld Garmin base map gives a decent representation of major landmass but little else. I wish I had bought a far more basic unit considering the poor quality of the Bluechart chip. I cannot say enough about the Navionics level of detail with similar sat images. Contrary to Bluechart, the Navionics images are near perfect. Thinking about it more now, you will probably be fine with the base map. You can always buy the chip later. PS the Navionics app is only 49USD and will work on any iPhone 4 and higher.

Liza Lou #461325 03/30/13 07:03 PM
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I also agree with Simon, the Belize and Mexico cruising guide by Freya Rauscher is invaluable. It can be purchased online at Landfall Navigation.

speckfish #461331 03/30/13 09:04 PM
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It depends on your cruising grounds. If you are cruising the entire country you need it for reference. I log a thousand or so miles a year but I still use a chip just as a tool. Navionics on my iPad is better than the chips on plotters but it's just a backup.

SimonB #461393 04/01/13 08:58 AM
Joined: Feb 2008
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I have a lowrance elite 5 w/ the navionics chip. Works fine for me. Course like most of my gadgets, I use maybe 40% of its potential . :


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