GPS recomendations

[nhincher]

Looking to get the little woman a GPS for Christmas, (she likes to hunt rocks/minerals by herself in the woods) only problem is she tends to pay to much attention to the rocks and not enough to where she's at...



I prefer the old compass and dead reckoning thing myself so I am not really sure what the hot units are now, good brands, etc. been a while since I looked into them.



I would like one that can be interfaced with a laptop and transfer maps, waypoints etc. between the two for road trips, 4 wheeling, and what not



I'm looking to stay under $300 or so,



thanks for any input.

 

[skobylenski]

I've been looking at these Garmin eTrex GPS's for a while now. They seem pretty nice, and they are small enough to pack without being a hassle.



http://www.garmin.com/products/etrex/



Hope this helps.

 

[Jacobs]

I have used a Lowrance Global Map 100 for several years. Works good in a vehicle and on the boat where 12v power is available. Also works well in the woods. Only drawback is battery life. It kills 4 AA batteries in about 4 hours. If you are going to do a lot of hiking, you may want to check out the battery life of the units you consider. There should be power improvements since the GM 100 was made.



good luck.

 

[jrobinson2]

I have a garmin 12 map, I mostly play with it in the truck while traveling. If your loading maps memory can be an issue. I think Garmin's can only load maps from Garmin software, I don't know about other brands. The street maps are about $50, topos about $100. I found the Garmin easy to setup, understand and use. Battery life is an issue and the 12 volt adapter was over 30 bucks! I like mine, my 12 year old son and I fight over it when mom drives

 

[Camara]

Last Christmas my wife got me a Garmin GPS76. I've used it all over the place in the boat. We've been out past Nantucket, which is 25 miles out from the mainland and we always come back. Just be prepared as it does EAT batteries.

 

[klenger]

I have a Garman 12XL that is 4 1/2 years old. I use it all the time when I'm hiking, snowshowing, etc. I would look at the new Garman eTrex units. They have several models at or less than $300. REI sells them, if you shop with them at all. For hiking, etc. keep it small and lightweight.

 

[wcjp]

Does anyone know of a way to scramble all GPS signals within a 20ft perimeter?

 

[Wayne M.]

I have a question about GPS functions- measuring roadspeed. I hear of people using GPS's to get an accurate roadspeed. Can any GPS perform this function? if not, what feature is needed? do they display in MPH?

If this can be recorded, I bet it could be used as pretty stong evidence in the defence of a speeding ticket.

 

[jrobinson2]

My Garmin 12 map shows instant mph, but only records peak mph. The peak is usually higher than I expect it to be.



Jared

 

[nhincher]

thansk for the replys.



did a little research and they are not as complicated as I thought. just slight differences in features, memory etc.



wound up getting a Garmin etrax vista, lots of extra memory, detailed display and is very small. was also considering a Magellan Meridian Gold but Garmin seemed to have a better following (sold more places etc... )



hopefully I can get her to use it, or maybe I don't, then I can have it!!

 

[TboneMan]

Wayne M. most handheld GPS units can measure speed. THe user usually select the units of measure (MPH, KPH... ).



As for recording... not likely with a handheld. There isn't enough memory. The unit receives satellite information (called an epoch) every 1 to 5 seconds. Saving this type of information would limit the units ability to store useful things like maps way points, etc.

 

[Jammar9082]

Does anyone have comments about CoPilot 2003 or other brands that use a laptop? It sounds like a product that would be useful while RV'ing.

 

[HavinFun]

Bummer that you already bought the Vista. I have one and love it except for two things, Battery life and street directions. I have experience with the III plus and like it. If I was buying now, I would but the V plus, it comes with road software and the batt's last much longer. , side by side with my Vista. The V or III is easier to navigate with gloves on. The V will also give driving directions. Both will accomadate Forest Service maps, but memory on Vista is bigger.



Just my . 02

 

[nhincher]

"... I have one and love it except for two things, Battery life and street directions... "



I've heard this quite a bit, according to Garmin they should last 12-14 hours, didn't seem unreasonable (considering how fast a portable CD player eats batteries).



are you guys seeing a lot less than 12 hours of operating time?



Does it take a long time to boot up, I mean could you mark where the truck is, turn it off and then 4-5 hours later turn it on a see what direction it's in? without waiting a 1/2 hour???



the V+ was a few hundred $$ out of my price range right now, if this one works well and looks like something I would use a lot I will consider upgrading.



thanks again

 

[jrobinson2]

On my Garmin 12 map Battery life is about 8hrs, I'll bet your e trex will be better. Mine takes about 2 minutes to find itself unless I have moved over 10 or so miles, I think even a "cold start" is less than 5 minutes.



Jared

 

[Camara]

Batteries in my GPS76 last just about 10 hours without using the light for the screen.

 

[HavinFun]

I mostly use mine with the 12v adaptor. The times I have used it on battery power, I have had the backlight off and electronic compass off, power has lasted less than 8 hrs of continuious duty. Steady use could be my fault for short battery life. Boot up is fairly rapid, less than 3 minutes to full map drawing. My ***** about battery life is in comparision to my friends III, he has 4 AA batts, Vista has 2, side by side, his lasts longer, but not twice as long. I prefer the Vista for boating, camping, and dirt biking, but prefer the III, (want a V) for the truck.

 

[Dennis Garrett]

Bought both my boys Garmin Vista's for Xmas, and I was surprised to find they had bought me one too!. The one they got for me is the Garmin GPSmap 76s. Both give instant or constant MPH to the tenths. The thing I love to watch as I travel with it is the Altitude. Both the Vista & 76s have an altitude chart page, plus you can set up the other screens to give MPH and altitude on almost any screen you bring up. I can walk out across the yard, and watch the altitude change a foot at a time, while reading about 2. 7 mph! The Vista is fooled when on an airplane, because barometric pressure is different in a pressurized cabin. The 76s computes between barometric pressure, and the distance between the GPS unit and the sattelite, so is supposed to be accurate in an airplane too. MY son already flew with the Vista, and it recorded highest speed of 604. 4 mph. The vista has to be near the window, the 76s has a plugin for an antenna with a 9' cord for outside mounting. It works fine in the Ram without the external antenna. Go to Google.com, type in Garmin GPS, and you'll find a bunch of low priced retailers. Search for new-in-the-box units on eBay too.

 

[MLee]

gps

jammar 9082

i have a copilot 2002 up grade, but have not really used it yet. the 01 showed my mph . 4 faster than my speed-o- with a 265/75/16 tires, with no speed-o- correction done for these tires, over stock. but the radar unites show me going 3 mph slower than my speed-o- so who is correct? and you can save your your trip data, and follow it in reverse. the down fall is that to really make it work, a co-pilot is needed, or, plug in Cassite into your radio to follow the audio directions, it will pin point you within 3 meters. enjoy the ride.

just my penny's worth.



Marv.

 

[TomGolden]

What do you all think of the Magellan GPS units? I'm interested in a handheld unit. The SportTrak Pro unit is getting my interest. The reviews comparing the Garmin and Magellan units say they are quite similar, except the Magellan units supposedly have far better "trackback" capabilities, much better at allowing you to back track to your starting point. Sounds kinda nice for hunting use... .



Tom