GPS Information.net Forum >

I have searched the internet high and low looking for information on the Lowrance Baja 480C but have found zip! I can't understand this as it looks like the perfect GPS for automotive, motorcycle and especially ATV use. It's big, topographic, and rugedized. Does anybody on this forum have any personal information on the Baja 480C? Are there any independent reviews? I'm particularly interested in it's reliability and accuracy. I know what the specs say on the Lowrance site, but I would like to hear what any owners (if there are any !!) have experienced.

I, also, have been "eyeing" this unit for use on an ATV to map out club trails using Terrain Navigator. I would like to see some comments/reviews be fore investing in this unit.

Wow, I'd given up on any response. I thought either nobody is reading this forum, or Lowrance has never sold a single Baja 480!

I have looked all over, posted to a couple other forums but have not found any reviews or even anyone who admits to owning one. It sure looks good from it's specs. From the research I've done since I posted this plea for help a month ago I think the question boils down to the difference between the Lowrance MapCreate Topo and Garmin's Mapsource Topo US. If I knew they were comparable I think I would take a chance on the hardware. Problem is I've seen comparisons of Lowrance software to Garmin's, admitedly a couple years old, but it appears Lowrance's is less detailed. I don't know about the accuracy.

First post for me! Hey guys I am an avid ATV trail rider. I make an annual trip to the Colorado Mts. I get worried about getting lost in the mtns. I looked and looked and almost bought a Garmin 60CSx, then looked at the Magellan Explorist XL. I wanted a BIG screen I could actually see on the move! I know that Garmin and Megellan units are a LOT more popular it seemed. But I think that is because of advertizing and making a but load of the cheap(er) hand held units. Lowrance has always been in the high end fixed equipment. I called a few shops that equip Baja, SCORE race teams with radio/GPS equipment. They said they used Lowrance Baja because it was ruggedized, easy to use, and accurate. They said it was a very fast updating unit. I ordered a 540C Baja Friday for $475 new. I did some research on the software and the new Topo 7 is supposed to be a lot better than the 6.xx versions. One thing I didn't like is the damn proprietary formats everyone has. There is GPSbabel to convert Megellan and Garmin formats, but not Lowrance from what i have seen. So I am not sure how I will import my treks into Google Earth. Also mounting the 540 is going to be a project the unit is large. A lot of folks also complain about the 20' cables that come with the unit but it is intended to go in vehicles. Maybe Lowrance should offer a motorcycle kit with 5' cables. I will let you guys know how the project turns out.

GPSBabel: Lowrance USR (lowranceusr)

GPSBabel will do this but you might like to try GPS TrackMaker which is also freeware.

I saw that I wasn't sure if it worked for all Lowrance and their website is a bid cryptic to me. I am not a code hacking C developer so if it isn't in pretty drang and drop windows I get confused, thanks for the propt reply!

Try the new HDS-5 baja unit. You won`t find a 480 or a 540 anywhere.