Gps

[rholcom2]

Guys, I know you know this. What is the best and most affordable GPS system. I have been looking at the Garmin EMap. What are your thoughts on this. I dont have 600 or even 1K to spend. But I do have a couple hundred. I didnt know if I bought a low end one if I could load maps, and if they were readily avaliable, or not. Also, I would like to have Speed, elevation, and compass on it. Thanks for all your information.

 

[Patriot Diesel]

emap is nice for the money...

I have an "emap" on my motorcycle. Based on its price I think it is a very nice little GPS. Yes you can add memory modules to it. I also have Garmin Streetpilot in my truck. I really like both and would buy either one again.

 

[Dennis Garrett]

I bought my two boys Garmin Etrek "Vista"s for xmas, & I got the 76s. Nice units. The 76s also has altitude. I bought them all on eBay. Can load "Mapsource" info into all three. Make sure they are "new in box" If that's not stated in the auction or the "Buy it now" they may not be. Cheap accessories there too.

 

[mcoleman]

I've got the Legend model along with software for streetmaps and the topo software. I just download the portion off the topo cd I need into my unit, saddle my mule up and hit the trail. I've never used the streetmaps software. It will tell you current speed. average speed of your trip, miles traveled ect. . Check the net out I've seen them around 200. 00 with a rebate. Maybe even cheaper. The altitude option is neat. My easy chair sets at 1463 feet.

 

[JGK]

rholcom2,



I just recently bought the GPS V. It has built in maps, plus you can download more detailed maps from the MapSource City Select CD that is included with the Deluxe kit.



The unit retails for over $500, but Amazon is selling the Deluxe kit for $390, plus Garmin has a $75 rebate if purchased by 7/6/03. That drops it to $315 before shipping.



Pretty good deal for a real nice little GPS. The screen isn't the biggest, but you can use it both on road and out in the back country.



-Jay

 

[BadDNA]

My solution is a little more cobbled together than you are looking for I would guess, but the functionality is great.



I bought a Palm M130, the GPS reciever for it (comes with software but I wasn't thrilled with it) and DeLorme X-Map Handheld.



Palm ~$150

GPS ~$250

X-Map ~$40



With X-Map you can create and load maps on your PC to load to the Palm, the sixe of the map you can use is limited only by the memory in the Palm (you can add more) and you can also create driving routes to superimpose on the maps in the palm.



A bit pricier than some stand alone GPS units, but the Palm is also useful in itself.

 

[KLockliear]

Originally posted by JGK

I just recently bought the GPS V. It has built in maps, plus you can download more detailed maps from the MapSource City Select CD that is included with the Deluxe kit.



The unit retails for over $500, but Amazon is selling the Deluxe kit for $390, plus Garmin has a $75 rebate if purchased by 7/6/03. That drops it to $315 before shipping. -Jay

That's a screamin' friggin deal. I paid $450 for mine about a year ago... but I LOVE it. A very nice step up from the 3+ I had.



Auto-routing is the BEST.

 

[San Felipe Bob]

Garmin V

works great on and off road and on the water.

the street map cd is amazing!

I wish it could store more than 19. 0 Mb of map info though .

I need to get the topo cd.



SFB

 

[BrittonTurner]

garmin streetpilot colormap

i've got a garmin streetpilot colormap in my truck and i love it. i just checked on ebay and you can get one with a bunch of extras for around $300 which is a screamin deal. it comes with a mapsource memory card and all you need is the mapsource cd's to load all of the detail on the unit. it comes with all of the major roads and hwys already installed.

you could go all out and do what i did and hook it to a laptop in the console of your truck. this gives even more detail in real time on the laptop.



i know you were looking for something more simple but if your anything like me then you will always want to upgrade



#ad




gps sitting on top of the dash

 

[JoeBioDiesel]

I've owned two GPSs. I had a Garmin GPSMAP76. Loved it. It got stolen, along with my CD player and wife's pocketbook. It had all kinds of nice features, including top speed and a really nice trip meter. Very accurate with the WAAS feature. Price is around $400. 00 or so.

Now I've got a Lowrance GlobalMap 100. Nice unit, but not like the Garmin. It's not as accurate, loses the satelites on occasion. Nicer basemap. Trip meter does only mileage. Got it for $75 on ebay. They sell regularly for about $200. 00



Joe

 

[jponder]

You can get an etrek legend for 189 at Getagps.com and get the 50$ rebate. 139$ if I remember the prices correctly I dont think you can beat that for bang for the buck. I bought 2 at christmas. It can download mapsource but I use it with my laptop and Maptech topos

 

[nixter]

My vote also goes to the Garmin V. The deal mentioned earlier, is just that a screamin' deal. My only gripe is amount of memory (19 Mb) for downloadable maps. I would like to find a cheap laptop for use on long trips.



Nice size for hiking, put it in the boat for marking your secret spots, set it up in for your hometown and put it in the vehicle of your guests for a touring aid. I guess I'm trying to say it's a very versatile unit.



Nixter

 

[slo-ryde]

I have the Garmin GPS III+ and it still gets the job done quite nicely. It was replaced by the GPS V which has more features and memory for downloading map data. I'd like to upgrade to the GPS V one day for the increased map data feature.



I like the size of my GPS which is important if you take it on hikes. It also has long battery life, another thing to think about.



If the unit is going to spend all of it's time on the dash you might want to go with the larger Garmin units with the color displays. They're much easier to see and understand while tooling down the road.



I use Delorme's Topo USA on the laptop, it's great if you like to go exploring for old mines, hot springs, ghost towns, etc.