Let Talk GPS's

[Graphic man]

i am thinking on getting a GPS... ... .



i don't know much about all the features so what should i look for?... . what do i need to get and what do i need to stay away from



i won't be using it much, 6 times a year maybe and i don't need to break the bank for one either



so whats a good bang for the buck ???





Thanks

Scott

 

[PSU-CE]

I have the Garmin eTrex Legend. I primarlily use mine for hunting/hiking. I don't know enough of the techinical to tell you what the "good/bad" features are, but I can do everything I want with this unit. I can walk an unmarked trail, record the data, and then go back and download it to my PC onto a topo. I bear hunt with about 20 guys and usally pre-season I set up our drives and I can pinpoint where I want everyone to be and set them off for perfect drives, no more lost hunters or missed terrain. The unit guides you to each point or it can guide you to a trail downloaded from the pc to the handheld. And if you do get lost the unit also has a "backtrack" feature where it will reverse your route back the way you came.



Being able to downpload to a pc and print off the maps is a very nice feature, as well as being able to program the unit from a pc. I would maybe like a color display. On two AA batteries, the unit will stay on for a day or two depending on use. I don't know if it's possible to get better "reception" from other units, but sometimes in the mountains, rough terrain, or rainy/snowy days the reception lacks a little. A 3D display would be pretty nice to have at times also. This unit probably wouldn't be the best for an in-car driving unit.



All in all I'm satisfied and like mine, but I'm still a novice with GPS hardware.

 

[WDixon27]

if you have a laptop you can get a delorme for 100-150 depending on the level of software you want (the extra 50 doesn't really change the map, it just adds phone numbers) i just got the new 2008 edition and the new gps receiver and it's precise, i was watching it as i rolled up to a light and stopped, when it registered no movement i let off the brake and rolled back maybe a foot and it logged a direction change

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I just bought a Magellan 'Crossover'. It has road maps for NA and topo maps of the entire US pre-loaded.



I've had it for ~2 weeks and have been quite impressed with it. It's a little slow at changing modes between car/topo/marine navigation modes since it has to reboot, but that's a minor annoyance. Battery life is VERY good and the speaker/'human' voice instructions are loud and clear. I find myself almost not having to look at it at all - it tells you when turns come up and then absolutely nails the actual location of the turns. It finds satellite signals very quickly and has no trouble keeping up with 8 different birds in the sky.



Important facts to consider, IMHO:

1) For use in the US, unit *MUST* use NAVTEQ maps - TeleAtlas is great in Europe, not so much in the US. Assume nothing - find this out for certain!

2) SiRFstar III - SiRFstar III - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

3) Maps pre-loaded - SD card or HDD - doesn't matter



I bought mine since it is capable of use in a car, handheld outdoors off the paved roads, marine nav, etc. Screen resolution and multimedia capabilties are not important to me and many GPS units won't let you use audio playback and navigation at the same time - make sense, but it's a bit annoying that you can't navigate on a long trip whilst listening to Led Zeppelin MP3's.



Beers,



Matt

 

[rotohead]

Good info above... I'm a Garmin fan. Have a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx handheld and a Garmin in my Kenwood flip up 7"screen (combination Sirius sat radio, mp3 player, nav, rear view camera). The 60CSx is a fine unit with compass and altimeter, ability to load maps on a microSD card. The gps units that have come out over the last year are higher sensitivity which can make a difference if you're going to use it in your truck. Some older units won't pull in enough signal strength to use in your cab. The Kenwood/Garmin nav unit is nice with the voice prompt and 2D map view.
In any event I was on the fence about getting a gps for years and when I finally got one I was very glad I did. Very handy device to have vs traditional maps, etc.
Chuck

 

[BILLVO]

Which units can give your actual speed readouts while driving? I would like to get one for boating on big lakes.

 

[daytripper63]

I recently bought the Garmin NUVI 360 and love it but the NUVI 350 is alot less on EBAY and just has no bluetooth

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Dad and 3 of his friends have Garmin NUVI 350's. It's a very impressive little unit.



On my (botched) recommendation, Mom bought Dad a top-of-the-line tomtom this past spring. He liked the GUI, but the mount was horrible and the TeleAtlas maps were WAY off in some cases out in MA. He returned the tomtom and got the Garmin and really likes it.



Had I not wanted to use my GPS outdoors, I would have got the Nuvi 350.



Matt

 

[The patriot]

I have a Magellan sport track. It's an older unit (3-4 yrs old) hand held.

Just like WDixon27, if I move more than a few inches, it will track.

I have no problem with sat reception with a windshield mount.

It's nice to know EXACTLY how fast youre going.

BTW I am a novice. Mine will work in conjunction with a computer (has the data cable) but I dont know how to do that... . :{

 

[cap-n-cray]

I have a Garmin GPSMAP 276C and use it for both truck and boat navigation. You can load different map into it. If you want to compare GPSs go to GPS City. They have good prices and lots of information.



Cary

 

[Alan Reagan]

Which units can give your actual speed readouts while driving? I would like to get one for boating on big lakes.

I have the Garmin 478. It is a street or marine unit. Coastal charts and highway maps are preloaded. You can by the "lakes" program for about $100 and the lake charts plug into a compartment in the bottom of the GPS. Without the "Lakes" charts, you can still see the basic features of a lake but not the topo and marina details.



One thing I like about the Garmin is that when you buy it, they do the periodic updates to maps and charts via the internet. You are prompted by email to hook up the cable and the download is quick and painless.



My wife bought it for me back in August and I really like it. It is a 2D display that allows a lot of preference setup. A very powerful unit and built tough. Good display and intuitive controls. It even has a simulator that is useful for setting up routes. It also has a detour function so that if you are driving and come to a road closure (accident), you can request "detour" and it will route you around the problem and back to your intended route.



If you have XM radio, the unit will interface to XM for traffic and real time weather downloads including weather maps and warnings. That's nice on the water.



It will also interface to many of the electronics on boat including radar,depth sounder, water temperature, etc.