gps

Since there seems to be quite a few experienced users on the board, what would ya'll recommend as an "automotive" unit ? I'm looking for something to supplement/replace good-old paper road maps, preferably with one that has maps of major cities (I go on an awful lot of road trips, and have a talent for getting lost, I don't mind it myself as it usually makes me end up at some pretty nice and unusual places, but my passagers/navigators generally don't seem to share my sens of adventure), will give me things such as road maps, average speed, ETA etc...

I took a good long look at Garmin's GPS V some time ago but it seems to be discontinued, and online reviews did say that uploading mapping information was a major PITA with that unit ...
 
RobSmith:

Garmin Nuvi series (350, 360 and 660) are portable and good for the road. Depending how much functions you want on it the price ranges from $600-$900. Do your research to find out what you want and need.

I just got the 660 for the road. The 10 year old GPSIII+ (earlier version of GPS V)is still good for hunting. My advice is to buy a high end product and stay with it a longer time.

Danny
 
And to add to my original post Fog, the Legend is only $25-30 more. Not talking big bucks here.

And a friend might even lend you a copy of the software.
 
Here's another recommendation to check out the Garmin Rino line. These units are really handy if you can talk your hunting buddy into also picking one up. They have built in 2-way radios, plus a "Peer to peer positioning system" which allows your position to show up on your buddy's GPS and vice versa.
 
Did not read all of this , but tell the wife it will tell you where you are anywhere in the world within 3 meters. That their are 24 or so Satellites in orbit providing directional and position information to you on the ground.
How it works is triangulation, a straight line from several satellites to the GPS unit will intersect , thats where you are, and from that point you can move anywhere knowing which direction to go in ,how high above sea level, and how long its gonna take. :D
 
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Rino's are good, but don't (yet) have the Sirf chipset, which is the most sensitive. The eTrex and 76 series highends do, but are $600.00.

+1 on the Legend Cx - good mapping, battery-life, and swappable memory, but no polling or radio like rino.

I use Legend Cx for all my trips, good bang for the buck.
 
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the_big_mike said:
Slightly wrong, the GPS would locate your current position with the long/lat and thus draw a straight line to your first waypoint.
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yes. that is what i meant. i said if it was turned off it would take me back to the way point as the crow flies ( straight line ). but if it was on the whole time it would record my wondering / crooked path i took zig zaggin through the hills.
sorry, i didnt explain that part too well as my brain was going to explode cuz i couldnt type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts :D
 
I have a Garmin E-trex foggy. For about $125.00 at Walmart. You can't go wrong. IMHO! Very easy to use. If a stupid fool like me can figure it out. You shouldn't have any problem with it. Well worth the $$$ I think.

Dave.
 
wow......thanks for all the replies:D ..so it looks like the garmin is one of the popular ones....at least now i have a brand name i can start to look at.....
cheers all
 
RobSmith said:
Since there seems to be quite a few experienced users on the board, what would ya'll recommend as an "automotive" unit ? I'm looking for something to supplement/replace good-old paper road maps, preferably with one that has maps of major cities (I go on an awful lot of road trips, and have a talent for getting lost, I don't mind it myself as it usually makes me end up at some pretty nice and unusual places, but my passagers/navigators generally don't seem to share my sens of adventure), will give me things such as road maps, average speed, ETA etc...

I took a good long look at Garmin's GPS V some time ago but it seems to be discontinued, and online reviews did say that uploading mapping information was a major PITA with that unit ...
Click to expand...

I don't find it a problem at all. I transfer waypoints to and from my GPSV all the time and it takes seconds. Loading the maps of your area might take longer, but once they're loaded your done. If you travel a lot, then you probably want one with more memory, but I have all of Van. Isle. on mine with room for more. For the price I paid($189.00) I'm happy. It has WAAS and autorouting and built much more rugged then the etrex versions.

And "factory refurbished" ones are usually brand new old stock that they haven't cleared out. Mine was "factory refurbished" and it's brand new with the latest software included. John
 
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well with out looking at a cost......the wifey was just snooping here....looks like im getting a garmin legend...were is a decent place to get one in toronto???
and once i get one...:redface: get ready for the bombardment of dumb questions...
thanks again people....
cheers to all of ya
 
My father just picked up A GPS theo ther day at Crappy Tire. It was around $200 but that was with a 55% discount. I think the sale is still on this week.
Not sure of the brand, but I did recognize it as a brand name.
 
lupus said:
take thier advice and get any garmin. i cheaped out and bought a lowrance and there is no software anywhere for the darn thing. spend the extra 30 -80 and get a garmin.
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Ah hmmmmmm My Lowrance GlobalMap 100 has a computer port. I used it to map out my whole bush. I exported all my trip info and imported them into AutoCad. I then overlaid all this on an arial photograph of the area.

Turned out to be a pretty slick little map.

DO NOT EVER RELY ON A GPS AS YOUR SOLE NAVIGATION TOOL!!!!

Always, as the bare minimum, have a compass!

There are a lot of GPS's out there. Some are just there to catch the eyes of young yuppies. You'd be best served if you did a lot of research and found the one that serves your purposes the best. There are a lot of slick tricks out there, like coloured screens, but they are not neccesarilly what you need.

I keep on thinking of these people who keep buying bigger ATV's, just because they are out there and/or have more gimicks on them. Yet most fatalities are from riders getting crushed under these newer bigger fancier and Heavier machines.

Figure out your needs first and then take them time to reasearch/find the GPS that fits those needs.

And if you are afraid of loosing your GPS have your wife sew some of those dummy strings into your coat, the kind kids have so they dont loose their mittens, you should be OK

ps just dont take of your coat!!:D

One of my created maps

bitmap-map.jpg
 
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trouter-chris said:
I've had an Etrex(Garmin) for 6-7 years when they first came out. They are certianly more affordable today then they were back then. If you're just looking for something to mark waypoints(geographic locations that you might want to return to then an Etrex base model will do this. If you're looking at mapping etc then a legend model will accomplish this. I use mine mainly for marking and mapping out deer scrapes, rubs, places I'd like to re-visit that I find in the woods. I have even used mine to find a couple of secretive fishing holes....good luck with your decision.
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I have used my gps in a simular manner for 5-6 years. It is a simple easy to read and operate unit, that uses common AA batteries. I mark way points and locations that are combined with a topo map and compass. The combination is great because sometimes the gps signal may be weak due to weather or leaf canopy. The gps needs to see clear sky to get a decent reading and the compass back up adds to the safety factor.

I think simple and versatile is the answer.

Most important is learn how to use the unit and practice.

mb
 
cdngunner said:
Ah hmmmmmm My Lowrance GlobalMap 100 has a computer port. I used it to map out my whole bush. I exported all my trip info and imported them into AutoCad. I then overlaid all this on an arial photograph of the area.

Turned out to be a pretty slick little map.
Click to expand...

I see you got the good one :) I got mine through airmiles and its the bargain basement Lowrance Rangefinder 40 or somthing and is good for some positioning but mostly as a paper weight.
 
lupus said:
I see you got the good one :) I got mine through airmiles and its the bargain basement Lowrance Rangefinder 40 or somthing and is good for some positioning but mostly as a paper weight.
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Well. I guess they old saying goes

"You get what you pay for"
 
damm my wifey is such a sweety:dancingbanana: ...i have a brand new garmin legend at home now:D :D .....
now for my first dumb question.......were do i get the cd,s of the maps??
 
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