Garmin GPSMAP 430S 4-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter

by Garmin

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5 x 2.7 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000M9PL8K
• Item model number: GPSMAP 430S
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Garmin GPSMAP 430s Chartplotter with Dual Beam Transducer provides big capability in a small, sleek package. With plenty of built-in functionality and compatibility for upgrades or expansions, the 430s is the perfect companion for any boater looking to get out on the water and start exploring, or to simply plot a safe course from point A to point B.

The Garmin 430s chartplotter uses a crisp, ultra-bright, full-color 4-inch QVGA display with 320 x 240 pixels of resolution and over 800 nits of brightness that lets you easily distinguish bottom detail and fish from background structure. The 430s lets you view your position with pinpoint accuracy to within less than three meters via its powerful, WAAS-enabled GPS antenna, and comes with a built-in, satellite-enhanced worldwide basemap, as well as detailed maps of inland U.S. lakes. What's more, compatibility with the optional BlueChart g2 Vision card allows you to further enhance this unit's mapping capabilities with features such as high-resolution aerial reference photos for help navigating tricky harbors and channels, or locating spots like area marinas or fuel stops. The g2 Vision card also lets the 430s provide graphical depictions in a true 3D mariner's-eye topside view, or fish-eye underwater perspective.

The Garmin 430s features intuitive navigation with fewer buttons to push and operational steps to traverse, and a simplified menu format that makes it easier for you to see and select the data you want to access on-screen, as well as a tilt and swivel mount bracket that lets you set it for optimum positioning. The 430s also features a backlit keypad for easier operation at night, and a new night mode function that provides optimum readability in low-light conditions. The 430s can also provide auto guidance via the optional g2 Vision card, which searches all your chart features in order to suggest the best known charted route for navigation, so you always have a knowledgeable guide to local hazards and waterways on deck with you.

The 430s is designed to be easily adaptable to various conditions with a choice of dual-beam or dual-frequency sonar to clearly portray depth contours, fish targets, structure and more. This unit comes with dual-beam, transom-mount transducer with a wider coverage especially suited to spotting more fish underneath your boat in fresh water. Made to be upgradeable and expandable, the Garmin 430s includes built-in CANet connectivity that enables its sonar data to be shared with other chartplotter displays on your boat. This unit weighs 1.5 pounds, and measures just 5.7 x 5 x 2.7 inches (W x H x D) allowing it to be placed virtually anywhere.

What's in the Box
Garmin 430s chartplotter, dual-beam transducer, tilt/swivel mount bracket, power and data cables, protective cover and owner's manual.

Product Description

These sleek 430-series Garmin plotters pack a lot of value into their space-saving formats. They feature ultra-bright 4" QVGA displays and come ready to launch right out of the box with built-in cartography, worldwide satellite imagery, and a new streamlined user interface. The 430-series comes preloaded with coast-to-coast cartography for inland U.S. waters, of which over 5000 of these lakes and navigable waters include invaluable details such as extra resolution, depth contours, boat ramps, mile markers, hazards, marinas, campgrounds, area roads, and more. (Contiguous 48 states only) The powerful built-in analog sounder found in the 430s and 430sx can scan as deep as 900' (in dual beam mode) and features UltraScroll for high-speed screen updates. The 430s and 430sx also offer split-screen viewing of map and sounder data for easy, continuous reference. The 430x and 430sx includes the GXM 31 Smart Antenna. With a subscription to XM Satellite Weather, the 430x and 430sx can provide continuously-delivered weather on the unit's high-resolution sunlight-readable display. Vital weather data, such as NEXRAD radar, forecasts, and current conditions is graphically displayed directly on the chart - so you can spend more time enjoying the water and less time worrying about the weather.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Works well but expected more for the money., November 23, 2007

By 

S. A. ROBBINS "shirley_rw" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 430S 4-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter (Electronics)

We installed this unit on our boat and got it working immediately, no problems whatsoever. We bought it for all the inland lakes in Michigan and it has details on all the ones that we boat on. However, we are going to have to pay an additional $130 for Lake St. Clair! Granted it is not an inland lake.
The included lake maps do provide useful outlines of the lakes.
The depth sonar and gps both work well on the lakes and we have had no problems.
However and but... Here are the reasons why I only rated it 3 stars and not higher.

1) Garmin customer support is seriously lacking. It is way too difficult to get a straight answer out of Garmin if you can even get an answer!

2) Garmin's advertising is misleading. We have found this to be true on every Garmin unit we have bought (and returned some for that reason). If you buy a Garmin unit, be absolutely certain what the Return Policy is from where you bought it. One place wanted a 15% restocking fee (which was NOT clearly displayed) but I discussed this with the manager, stating the the salesclerk said it was returnable and did not state that there was a restocking fee and the unit itself did not perform as advertised. In that case the manager acquiesced.

3) The biggest problem with this particular unit is that the detail displayed for the inland lakes is insufficient for navigation! Many of our lakes have very shallow areas (less than 5 feet) and you do not want to be at speed when traversing those areas. This unit will NOT show the lake depths, on the Navigation display screen, to any degree of usefullness even if you zoom in/out! I carry both printed maps and satellite views of any of the lakes we go out on. But with Garmin's statements, descriptions and pictures, I was led to believe that I would not have to refer back to paper maps!

If you want some good printable lake maps, go to Sportsman's Connection https://www.sportsmansconnection.com and they have some very good topo lake maps at a reasonable cost.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars as good as promised, May 6, 2008

By 

Wally Kawasaki - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 430S 4-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter (Electronics)

the product does what it claims to
the mapping is excellant with many icons for personal spots and it brought us back to within 3 ft of the center of the channel on our return trip
the fish finder works in a little as 5 ft of water so far but i havent been deeper than 90 ft so far but it seems to be just fine out there also
and the tide tables, and moon phases is a nice extra.

all in all for the price you get a lot of product

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Be leary of pre-loaded lake details!!, July 17, 2007

By 

Tracy P. Kaminer "treykam" (Lake Murray, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garmin GPSMAP 430S 4-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter (Electronics)

I specifically purchased this marine GPS so I wouldn't have to buy any additional maps. I live on Lake Murray, SC and don't plan on taking my boat to any other lakes or rivers. I choose the 430S because it came pre-loaded with inland lakes with contour lines. After instaling the GPS and trasducer I discovered it showed the same level of detail as the Lawrance GPS that was a hundred dollars less.
I called Garmin and was told that the contour lines for Lake Murray should be on the pre-loaded software. Garmin's customer representative told me to send an email stating what was not shown and that Garmin updates the software annually and would send me an email when the updated software was availabel.
All I will have to do is give then a $200.00 deposit and thewy will send me a SD Card that I can upload the current software. Then I send the SD card back and they will refund me $125.00. So I pay $75.00 to cover Garmin's oversite!
I just ordered Inland Lakes card from Amazon for $75.00 to get what I thought I was getting in the first place!! At least I can use auto-guidance with the card, which is a function you can't use unless you purchase additional maps.