the USGlobalSat BU 353 usb gps is very inexpensive and works well with expedition

i always bring one in case the instrument system goes down

i have also used a variety of garmin handhelds.., and while they work with expedition, it is more common to have driver issues with them. on some of them you have to go into the settings, and chose the nmea mode, and it's a bit of a pain. 

 

Last edited by us7070 (11/25/2019 11:46 am)

Thanks for the feedback. USGlobalSat BU 353 usb gps ordered see how we go.

I used a Garmin 76CX for two trips to HI.  I didn't use any of Exp's analysis tools (no AWA, AWS, etc) but it worked great just for position, speed, COG, SOG, VMG, etc. and setting up weather and routing.  I plugged it into the laptop directly with USB/USB mini.  I also used the auxiliary antenna for the GPS with the suction mount to an appropriate fixed porthole and suction cup mount.

It's a good solution for a primary GPS but it's a bulletproof and foolproof backup/secondary.  I just recently learned how to connect the boat's instruments to Exp and it's great, but I'm not so confident in my skill so I still carry the handheld.

Added bonus: Handheld GPS works great in an RC whaler for setting marks (without the laptop, of course.)

It should appear as a serial port to Expedition.

Just select NMEA 0183 as the instrument type and make sure you tell Exp to use that port for GPS data.