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I am looking to purchase a handheld GPS unit. There is no need for anything fancy. The only catch is that I need it to work outside the US. I am going flyfishing in Eleuthera, Bahamas in May and then to Belize later in the summer. I have tried a couple of the local marine shops in Tallahassee and they all told me that their units would only be programmed for locations in the U.S. Any ideas?

jmlockwood wrote:I am looking to purchase a handheld GPS unit. There is no need for anything fancy. The only catch is that I need it to work outside the US. I am going flyfishing in Eleuthera, Bahamas in May and then to Belize later in the summer. I have tried a couple of the local marine shops in Tallahassee and they all told me that their units would only be programmed for locations in the U.S. Any ideas?

They are idiots or they didn't realize what they were talking about. All GPS's work all over the world for navigation. The Bahamas would be considered part of the Americas. If you want detailed water maps of that specific area get a garmin gps with mapping and get the Blue charts software. You can buy the America's CD and here is the coverage map...


Then you can purchase the unlock codes for the regions you want.

Thanks Tom. I am not even sure that we need water maps. We will have a Jeep in Eleuthera. I just want to make sure than we can pinpoint certain flats and then get back to them later. Our fishing will be in the skinny water.

I have the Garmin 498 (not a hand held of course). It has the Bleu Charts on it and has the Bahamas on it, for what it is worth. I assume you can get the same on some hand held.

One of those little yellow eTrex's by Garmin would probably do the trick. They cost a little over a hundred ($109 at Boater's World I think) or you can probably find a better deal online. For years, this was the only unit I ever had and it reliably got me back to dozens of offshore spots. I'm not an extensive traveler, but it has worked everywhere I've ever been, including the Mexican Carribean on a cruise one time.

It pretty much lacks all the bells and whistles. No maps and its black and white and a pretty small screen. Still, it is a very solid and reliable little unit that easily fits in your pocket. They take two AA batteries and you'll use up a set in a long day of fishing. I would take a good supply with me if I were going to a pretty remote place. I now have a Garmin 498 that is really nice with the nautical chart but I still carry the eTrex as a backup.

I hope you'll post a report when you get back. Good luck!

Yep...I concur the Etrex is a great little machine. Used mine for years til I bought a 172c Garmin.

Thanks for all the advice. It looks like the eTrex will be the ticket.

Thanks