Lowrance iFinder GO2

Weighs:5.36 oz/151.9g with 2 AA batteries
Size: 5.15×2.12×1.24 inches / 13.1×5.4×3.15 cm

The iFinder GO2 is Lowrance’s latest entry in the consumer grade, handheld GPSr market. At $99, it’s targeted towards entry level GPSr users. The GO2 is a 16 channel, WASS enabled receiver with mapping, which is unheard of at this price point. It holds a generous 1,000 waypoints and 10,000 trackpoints and comes with 64 megabytes of built in map memory.

All this sounds pretty impressive for any GPSr, let alone one that sells for under $100. So what’s not to like about the GO2? In short, no PC connectivity. Despite the 64 megs of map memory, you’re stuck with the Lowrance base map. This map is sorely lacking in detail, making it nearly useless. It shows major roads, cities and bodies of water, but little beyond that. While this is no different from the base maps provided with Magellan and Garmin mapping units, that fact that the user can’t download detailed maps is. The lack of PC connectivity also reduces the usefulness of the 1,000 waypoint capacity simply because they would all have to be entered by hand.

The GO2 has a city and body of water database, but lookup is very slow. It took 64 seconds to find the nearest town and 53 seconds to pinpoint the closest body of water. They can also be accessed directly by keying in the name, which is almost instant.

First impressions of the GO2 were mixed. It’s a compact unit that reminds me of a Garmin Geko on steroids. It’s about as wide as a Geko, but an inch longer. The case is solid, the screen is recessed for protection and the unit is bright red, making it hard to lose. The battery door lock is flimsy and a candidate for early breakage. The display fonts and graphics are unusually small and the screen resolution is poor, making the unit harder to read than most. The buttons are small and a bit “sticky”, as they don’t always respond to normal pressure. Using the unit wearing gloves is difficult.

One feature of the GO2 that just misses the mark is the dual operation mode. For novice GPS users there is a basic mode that allows you to find your home waypoint and waypoints from the database. It will not however allow you to mark your own waypoints, nor will it allow you to find user-created waypoints. I don’t understand why marking and navigating to user created waypoints is not included in the basic mode. This limits its usability for geocachers when in this mode. For those who are a bit more GPS savvy, there is an advanced mode that allows you to access all the features of the GO2.

Out of the box the GO2 received an initial 2D fix in an impressive 1 minute and 45 seconds with an EPE of 544 feet. It received a 3D lock in 2 minutes and 34 seconds with an EPE of 53 feet. It did take almost 10 minutes to find the WAAS transmitter. Once the GO2’s almanac was populated, the 2D sat lock came in a lightning quick 18 seconds with an open view of the sky and it took another 23 seconds to lock in 3D. Under heavy a heavy leaf canopy the lock was slower, taking 56 seconds to obtain a 2D lock and 74 seconds for a 3D lock. Still pretty impressive.

I tested it by marking a waypoint under heavy tree cover, walking 100 yards away and using the GO2 to navigate back. When I returned to ground zero it showed me to be 54 feet off. Not particularly accurate. Under clear skies the same test resulted in a much better 11 feet.

I used the GO2 to search for a cache in an area that is notorious for signal bounce. I had it side by side with a Garmin 60CS and a Geko 201. The GO2 seemed to be more susceptible to signal bounce, than the Garmin units. Both the Geko and 60CS pointed towards the cache most of the time, while the navigation needle on the GO2 was pointing every which way. At the cache site the 60CS read 24 feet, the Geko read 35 feet and the GO2 read 76 feet. After letting it settle for 2 minutes it came more in line with the Garmins, showing 31 feet.

At another cache, under more normal conditions, my partner was using the GO2 and I was using my 60CS and a Lowrance iFinder H20. The latter two directed me right to the cache, while the GO2 sent my partner searching over 100 feet away. It eventually led her towards the cache but it took nearly 5 minutes for it to do so.

One major positive about the GO2 is the outstanding battery life. The unit uses two standard AAs and I was able to get 38 hours out of a pair during normal operation, including occasional use of the backlight. The unit is waterproof to IPX7 standards.

Pros: Price, very long battery life, ease of use, compact size, good reception.

Cons: No PC connectivity, poor screen readability, accuracy issues in difficult conditions.

Bottom line: The iFinder GO2 is an impressive unit for its price. It’s a good choice for beginner geocachers and those who hunt a cache every once in a while. Anybody who is even slightly serious about geocaching will find the unit wanting and should consider something else.

This article is collected entirely from- http://www.todayscacher.com/2006/mar/reviews2.asp