Lowrance internal vs. external GPS?

[hogtown_usa]

I am looking at Lowrance FF/GPS combos. I will probably get the LMS-520C OR LMS-522C. The only real difference is one is external GPS antenna and one is internal. I have read reviews that say the internal works fine. Other reviews say it doesn't pick up as good as the external. I would love to not have to mount the antenna somewhere. The GPS will be mounted on top of the center console. Only thing that will be between it and the sky will be the grab rail.

Does anyone have any experience with these units? Any reception problems with the internal model? 006

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

I never had one with internal, but i heard people like them up to the moment they installed a t-top or bimini top.If the one with the internal antenna give you the option for external also, go for it, if not, you should do some more searching.There is no way though that internal and external will function the same way, even under an open sky.

[Loki]

I have the Eagle FishElite 502C iGPS which is made by Lowrance and a Garmin 498C. Both have internal antenna; I have not found any difference with either one when I have my bimini up.

[yellowdog]

I've got the extennal on my Lowrance. The hockey puck just sits on my dash beside my unit. I've had it cover with hats, gloves, etc and it still picks up. I did this on the advice of someone that had mounted their antenna on the side of the grab rail. He said every time someone reached for the grab rail, they go the antenna instead, so he moved his to the dash also. I recently had a t-top installed and it hasn't hurt the performance a bit.

[samurai361]

Go with the internal. I have a Lowrance with an external antenna and I've had several problems with it all but 1 were related to connecting it when I take it out of the boat to keep it from getting stolen. The pins on the connector bent and broke off, and I had to replace the connectors, and now I think the antenna is bad (and expensive).

[lakebiker]

Garmin, internal, no problems with bimini up. thumbsup

[Dave]

Hummingbird 787c2i (the "i" stands for internal antenna). Works great anywhere, always. I even bring it in my home and shop (under a roof and 4 walls) and hook it up to a battery to work with it and it picks up just like I was outside under the clear blue. Before I bought it, several folks said it wouldn't shoot through a t-top. Some said it would but only a rag top - said most hard tops have a metal plate running through them that the internal antenna would't penetrate. Still another dealer said it didn't make any difference, the internals would shoot through any t-top. Well, I have no plans to put a t-top on my boat so I got the internal antenna model. If you think about it, there are a lot of portable GPS units being used in automobiles (as I do) with internal antenns and I have yet to have mine not work, even when it falls off the window and is setting on console beside me. Maybe there was an issue with early generation internal antennas but the one I have is rock solid, day on, stay on.

Dave

[hogtown_usa]

Thanks guys! thumbsup I put in my order today for the Lowrance LMS-522c. With your assurances, now I feel confident that it will work fine. 013

[redfish74]

When I was shoping for my gps, did alot of research and you will be fine with the internal. I have a t-top which the external was a must.