Garmin 740 Questions

[AirBoyzT]

Looking at getting the Garmin 740 for use on my sailboat. I currently have a black and white Garmin GPSMAP 182 that I believe I can no longer get maps for. How much power draw am I looking at for the Garmin 740, is it something that I'll be able to keep on all the time or something I should use sparatically (don't plan on having radar just yet and use a depth gauge already.

also, I keep seeing that the Garmin 740 and others need to be approximately 32 inches away from a compass because of a magnet in the SD door, has anyone had a problem with helm mounting?

Thanks!
-Aaron

[AirBoyzT]

actually after further research, it seems the magnet is a bigger problem than I thought. I think I better stay away from the new garmins, anyone have any luck with other Chart Plotters? Standard Horizon maybe?

[Vasco]

It depends on the size of your battery bank. The Garmin draws less than 1 amp.

[CarlF]

The GPS derived heading on the chartplotter will be much more accurate than your current compass (although it's easier to steer to a compass)

You might also want to wait until February when the huge new set of Garmin equipment ships. The new GPSmap 820 is cheaper than the 740 (although prices on old models may fall with the new gear).

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-t...rod138029.html

You also get almost the same functionality in the 5" screen chartplotters for about half the price of the bigger units. I suspect (but don't know) that they draw less power too.

[CarlF]

Most chartplotters are mounted within 12" of a compass and I've never heard a complaint.

I'd be very surprised if another brand of chartplotter is much different.

[svseachange]

We have a Garmin 740. It is pretty good with power, I would guess about 1/2 to 3/4 Amps most of the time, a little more as it starts up. I think the specs say 0.7A.

When we are anchored in a new place we leave it on during the night. It has a good anchor alarm. Standard Horizon had good instructions for connecting it to our GX2150 AIS receiver.

We only have 190W solar and a 280Ah battery bank so we are sensitive to power usage.

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by shanedennis

We have a Garmin 740. It is pretty good with power, I would guess about 1/2 to 3/4 Amps most of the time, a little more as it starts up. I think the specs say 0.7A.

When we are anchored in a new place we leave it on during the night. It has a good anchor alarm. Standard Horizon had good instructions for connecting it to our GX2150 AIS receiver.

We only have 190W solar and a 280Ah battery bank so we are sensitive to power usage.

Is yours mounted at the helm? If so can you hear the anchor alarm inside the cabin from the helm?

[AirBoyzT]

I may also just be wishful thinking, may not even have room for such a large chartplotter.

[bahamarich]

We bought the Garmin 740 and only paid 749.00 for it as the new 741 is out at 1699.00. We have mounted it about 12 inches from our compass and no problem. I do not know how many amps it uses as we have only used for about seven days of travel down the intercostal so always under power. It comes loaded with the US and Bahama charts so no additional expense.

[svseachange]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

Is yours mounted at the helm? If so can you hear the anchor alarm inside the cabin from the helm?

No, it is mounted to the nav table.

Our boat is 34 feet and tiny down below compared to most cruising sail boats. It wakes me up.

[AirBoyzT]

Yea i think I'm gonna get a small one for the helm. Looking at standard horizon 5" screen...it's also not touch screen as mine would be exposed to rain if I was out in it and figure the touch screen wouldn't work.

Also found a cool iphone app called "Drag Queen" that is an anchor alarm and since I have an iphone 5 it will work without cell and data reception as the gps still works. Tested it at the house, quite a loud alarm.

[Opie91]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

I keep seeing that the Garmin 740 and others need to be approximately 32 inches away from a compass because of a magnet in the SD door, has anyone had a problem with helm mounting?

I had a 545 with the same door 10" from the compass. No effect. I think this is overstated by many people.

[Opie91]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

Is yours mounted at the helm? If so can you hear the anchor alarm inside the cabin from the helm?

The alarm is weak, but there is an external alarm wire built into the power cable. Add a relay and you can run any electrical external alarm you like. Radio Shack has plenty for around $10. This feature worked great on my 545. When anchored we would leave the 545 powered in the cockpit with the external alarm down below.

I also bought a 740s. They are going cheap right now. I paid less than $700 for mine.

Regarding the 820: If space is at a premium the 820 is 2.7 inches wider and 1.8 inches taller. It does have some nice buttons and I am sure it is has a faster processor.

Good luck

[svseachange]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

Also found a cool iphone app called "Drag Queen" that is an anchor alarm and since I have an iphone 5 it will work without cell and data reception as the gps still works. Tested it at the house, quite a loud alarm.

We tried several smart phone anchor alarms over a period of about four months.

The smart phone GPS reception was not as reliable as the Garmin GPS reception. This caused way too many false alarms (and a lot of lost sleep).

The rock solid GPS reception of the 740 was a relief. It is useful to watch our bread crumbs. The bread crumbs show you if your anchor dragged a little while resetting due to a wind or tidal shift, for example. If you are really dug in the bread crumbs color in a circle.

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by Opie91

The alarm is weak, but there is an external alarm wire built into the power cable. Add a relay and you can run any electrical external alarm you like. Radio Shack has plenty for around $10. This feature worked great on my 545. When anchored we would leave the 545 powered in the cockpit with the external alarm down below.

I also bought a 740s. They are going cheap right now. I paid less than $700 for mine.

Regarding the 820: If space is at a premium the 820 is 2.7 inches wider and 1.8 inches taller. It does have some nice buttons and I am sure it is has a faster processor.

Good luck

Garmin 545 looks like I can obtain one for a good deal and at least they use the newer charts