GPS Advice

[Bender]

Well my H2Oc has been shutting down for a while and now it will not stay on for more than 10 seconds. Anyway I need a new one and I need to buy it and install it on Sunday. I am traveling all week and will not have time to do it before the EBA on LSC Saturday.
I would like to stay in the $500-700 range. I don't know if any of these will fit into the same hole as my X125, but that would be ideal and I can move the X125 to the bow. Otherwise I can use the RAM mount for a bigger unit. Any tips on these?
Options: 527c, 522c, 520c, 480m, 5300c, or 7200c.
The catch is I need to be able to buy it Sunday morning and then I can install it that afternoon. I'm right between BPS and Cabelas, about 50 minutes each way so that is no problem.
Currently mine are all on the blue Lowrance network, not that it matters with a GPS only, but if I ever want to network them it might since it is a thru hull transducer and I ain't changin' it.

Here is my current setup:

[Slipkey]

Bender,

I would probably recommend the 520c for your setup.  Once you get used to the color sonar, you won't ever want to go back - even in split-screen (I usually make my sonar window about 1/4 the width of the screen and leave 3/4 for GPS).

The downside is that you're going to have to mount a GPS antenna externally.  Flush mounting the 527c or the 522c with their internal GPS is going to cost you line of sight signal and reduce your overall effectiveness and accuracy.  It isn't recommended. The dimensions of the 520c, 527c,522c, and 5300c are all the same and the bolt holes should match your x125 exactly (the 7200c has the larger screen and is going to be too big for flush mounting)

Here are links to diagrams of the 520c and x125:

x125 Dimensions

520c Dimensions

If your x125 has a transducer with the grey or blue connector it will match up fine with the 520c-527c units. 

Good luck and let us know on your decision.

[Slipkey]

On a side note regarding your H2Oc: 

Do you have a Navionics or other map chip in the unit?  If so, will it stay powered on without the chip in the unit?  If that's the case, you might just need to clean the contacts on the chip. 

When the unit starts to warm up, especially when it's hot like this and it's already warm to start with, sometimes the contacts will expand just enough to hit the bad spot.

A pencil eraser does the trick on cleaning these.   Just a thought.

[Bender]

Thanks, I do have a Lakemaster chip in there. I will clean the contacts this morning and see how it does. It would be nice not to have to get a new one right now.

[Bender]

I cleaned them up and it worked for 4 hours today in the heat and sun. My wife thanks you for the advice, now a bigger unit will go on my winter "to do" list and not be an immediate concern. I wouldn't have thought the contacts on the card would have shut it down like that. Thanks!

[Slipkey]

Sweet!   I had something similar happen to me one time and, in all fairness, I owe Scott Dobson the same thanks for giving me the info at the time.

It would boot up and as soon as it would try to read the card, it would just turn off.  I don't know why it causes the unit to crash.  Weird.

[djkimmel]

Now THAT is the kind of advice we all NEED more of!!!! Thank you so much for positive increase to the knowledgebase!