i need some advice on what gps/fishfinder/depthfinder etc. to buy. i am willing to spend up to $500. i have done some research on the eagle 480, garmin ff 400, and the hummingbird 383c. these have what i am looking for, but i don't know which one is "the choice". please help. i was also looking at all of the lowrance models. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Since most Electronic's go down and Lowrance is coming out with a complete new line for 2007 (this year now) You might want to wait and see what the 332C does. It's one of the best models out there period. they are $599-649 now and should drop. Also if you are BASS Federation member check with your state federation. Lowrance offers a great program with huge discounts that you might be entitled to.

I have the Eagle 480 which is a good unit and an Eagle 502C which is a nice color unit with a gps/mapping unit built in. It does have a built in antenna for the GPS and it does not work well. I will be adding an external antenna. When it locks on  I LOVE IT and would highly recommend it. It is the most bang for the buck. I bought the Navionics Gold Lake Maps with the 1' topo lines. For me it is mandatory and you can find them on EBAY worth the money. Good luck and let us know what you get

8-)