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GPS Systems: I need some feedback

Budbeater

Budbeater

Broken Down and Smokin'
Location
Ogden
I really have a thing about not getting lost and finding places again once I have been there. I am wanting to put together some maps using GPS information. I realize that sometimes the best trails aren't marked and some serious obstacles need to be identified and marked, and a very useful tool is GPS. I don't have a unit yet and I have only started looking. I would like to be able to map out trails, mark waypoints and take notes about the waypoints.

Do you have a unit? What is it? Do you like it? Hate it? Why? What features could you live without and what have you found useful? What do you really wish it could do?

I think that with some proper mapping we can protect our trails and recreation areas. Up until recently radical environmental groups could claim that certain areas were roadless/trackless because there wasn't anything on a map, or there was no proof that it existed before XX date. I believe that by charting my favorite or useful pathway I am protecting access in the future.

Budbeater
 
Greg

Greg

Strength and Honor!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
A good starter GPS would be one of the Garmin E-Trex units. You can do all the things you listed & much more. I have an older Magellan and while it works, I found it harder to use than the E-Trex. I was lucky enough that I had to learn how to use the E-Trex for work though, so I had all the time & wanted to figure out how to mark way points, set go-to locations, etc.

I've been thinking about selling my Magellan & getting an E-Trex instead. :)
 
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mbryson

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Location
Bountiful, land of rocks
I've had two units. Both Garmin. One an E-Trex (that was lost in a rental car in Dallas) and my current one, an E-Map. There's good and bad features of both. Most newer mid-range GPS you can upload maps to. I'd get one of those even though the buyin price is about twice what the budget price is. I've bought both of mine off E-bay and have been very happy with them. I also have found it handy to have power unit (cigarette lighter) and dash mount in the vehicles you will be using them in.

The most important thing is knowing how to use YOUR GPS. My dad has a Magellan and I can't/won't figure that thing out. My Garmin is WAY easier to use (IMHO) but his is accurate to about the same level mine is.

A good way to learn how to navigate is to get out and geocache a little. www.geocaching.com (?)
 
gijohn40

gijohn40

too poor to wheel... :(
Location
Layton, Utah
I have three units... all garmins that I love... first is the old GPS III+ that I use alot due to it works with my Topo 5.0 mapping program on my laptop... second is my GPS V that I bought as a upgrade but it doesn't work with the Topo so I have it in my sons XJ.... and third is the Rino 120 which works my sons Rino 110... these are FRS/GRMS radios with a GPS in them... they have a few fun games to keep the kids happy while we are out playing in the outback...

I love all the features on the III+ but wish it had the 5's backlighting... and I also wish it had waas capabilities which helps get the locations closer to the real point by taking info (error correction data) that is sent down by the sat and and calculating the difference and giving a closer reading. This is something that all the newer GPS have.

Both my III+ and V have external antenna ports so I have run antennas up on the roof of the trucks which helps get more sats so it can calculate better averages. This is something that the E-trek do not allow....

For the past 3 years I have been teaching Land Nav for the military to troops that are going overseas (Iraq, Afganistan) and have seen many different GPS units used and for basic GPS use the E-trek does a wonderful job.

Again if you get any GPS make sure it has a power cord that plugs into the cig lighter AND has another cord that will plug into your laptop so you can upload and download info... or like me you can have them in the truck as your out playing and have the mapping program traceing your location as you drive....

Any more questions you can PM me and I would be happy to help!
Oh yeah I got all my GPS on Ebay as well....:cool:
 
TimB

TimB

Homesick
Location
Weatherford, Tx
I have two units in my Jeep - one is a Lowrance Globalmap 100, and the other is a PC running Topo USA, Streets 2006, and a couple other relatively unknown databases of information.
The Lowrance is nice for on the trail navigation because its easy to scroll around and zoom in and out to find where you are and how far you have to go. It is older and the mapping software is out of date - and my old eyes have trouble seeing the grayscale display.
The PC is nice because I run a 7" LCD display that is easy to see and the maps on it are great. I also have data on all the mines in the B of Mines records - including names and what they were mining in some cases. Great info for exploring. The bad part is it's power hungry, requires a mouse to navigate, and I have to stop to zoom in/out.

If I was buying a new system now I would probably get this one:
http://www.offroadoverstock.com/sto...eturn_product_id=&makeid=&modelid=&modelyear=

I think it would do everything I'm getting out of 2 units.
 
R

RWH

Let's Roll For Justice
I've got a Magellan SporTrak Pro, I haven't really found anything i don't like about it thus far, it's proven fairly accurate everytime i go caching. It's waterproof and even floats. It took me a week or two to learn how to use and i still don't know EVERY feature.. But THe pro's have outweighed the Cons...
Another thing i like about it is that the Dash Mount and carpower were waaaaaaaaaay cheaper then my buddies garmin. With the Pro my memory is big enough to fit the entire detailed topo and roadmaps of Utah and Colorado.

Here's a Link to The Geocaching Forum on MoabJeeper where Everyone posts up their GPS's.. http://www.moabjeeper.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2973&st=0
 
Budbeater

Budbeater

Broken Down and Smokin'
Location
Ogden
I found this site: http://www.gpsexplorer.com/ that seems to NOT help in narrowing down the obvious choices :D I guess now I have to figure out a budget.

From what I am seeing in this thread I should really make sure that the unit is compatible with some great software to be able to get the most out of it.

It there anywhere in Northern Utah that you would recommend going to, to handle a variety of systems? I want some hands on time before I lay out several hundred in cash.

The Garmin Rhino was mentioned. There are several levels of Rhino, and they have one feature that I really like, the ability to see where others in your group are, just at the push of a button. Does that work like it sounds or is it gimmicky?

Budbeater
 
onetuff76

onetuff76

Guard Rail Tester
Location
Lehi
If you're looking for something good and have a laptop already. Buy a reciever and some good 3D topo software. My friend's dad runs this setup and its nice!
 
Todd Adams

Todd Adams

Grammy's Spotter
Location
Salt Lake City
onetuff76 said:
If you're looking for something good and have a laptop already. Buy a reciever and some good 3D topo software. My friend's dad runs this setup and its nice!
Click to expand...
Done that but not really practical on the trail. It is real neat to have scrolling USGS maps on the screen but where do you mount the laptop? A dash mounted GPS with map software is the best way to go. No hassle on the trail and you can up load the tracks to another program like Utah TOPO or Delorme once you have time back at home or in camp. I personally use a Garmin e-map with US TOPO loaded and works great except for the small screen.
Todd
 
gijohn40

gijohn40

too poor to wheel... :(
Location
Layton, Utah
Budbeater said:
The Garmin Rhino was mentioned. There are several levels of Rhino, and they have one feature that I really like, the ability to see where others in your group are, just at the push of a button. Does that work like it sounds or is it gimmicky?

Budbeater
Click to expand...

The polling feature works great... if you all have it turned on... in which it will every 10 seconds send out your location... there is a game on the rino where you attempt to send artillery shells down on your friends as they move about... and they are doing it to you as well... my kids love it!

I have both the 110 and the 120 rino and they work ok.. but I would invest a few extra bucks and get the 130 if possible.. that is if your going that route!
 
waynehartwig

waynehartwig

www.jeeperman.com
Location
Mead, WA
I've had two Magellan's and have used Garmins, and I prefer the Magellan's! I find they are more sensitive to movement = more accurate. The Magellan's do have a different learning curve, though. But once you understand the basics, they are very easy to operate. Even if you don't want to learn, general GPS usage is easy - zooming in/out, moving maps, waypoints and tracks around, etc. A friend of mine is an ex marine and he swears by Magellan's!

I also have a Delorme USB one that plugs into a laptop. This thing is really trick and VERY accurate - more so than my Magellan. Only problem is locating a place for the laptop! Practicallity is way gone. But it does seem to work better in the mountains/forests, too. They do have a bluetooth version that will work with your pocket PC. I've thought about doing this, but eh. I already have three GPS's as it is....:rolleyes:

I am selling my SportTrak Pro and US 3D Topo software for $150 if you're interested....Also comes with computer cable and cigerette lighter power adapter.
 
Budbeater

Budbeater

Broken Down and Smokin'
Location
Ogden
Laptop only versions are not really looking like an option for what I need to do. I am going to be using it on an atv and on foot far about half its time in service so it needs to be "pocket" mobile, while it should be able to hook to a laptop when I am back to the truck, or at my home computer.

Since it needs to do alot of stand alone time... What about memory? What do I need to be able to download maps etc. It was mentioned earlier that they had enough memory to download Utah and Colorado maps. That sounds about right for me.

I really appreciate the input so far. This is making me think of things that I hadn't considered yet.

Budbeater
 
waynehartwig

waynehartwig

www.jeeperman.com
Location
Mead, WA
Budbeater said:
What do you think about this unit? It seems solid with some decent extra features like barometer and altimeter, compass, WAAS...
http://www.gpsexplorer.com/Garmin-eTrex-Vista-C-P161.aspx

Budbeater
Click to expand...
Now compare it to this one....
http://www.gpsexplorer.com/Magellan-SporTrak-Pro-P320.aspx
This is the one I have for sale.

Go here and check out their prices.... Cheaper than the place you found I think... This is where I bought my last two GPS's. The most recent I had sent overnight for like $5 in shipping. Magellan Explorist 600 is the new one I bought...Just looking, I guess it's not on sale anymore. I paid $329 with a $50 rebate making it $279.
http://shop1.outpost.com/search?cat=-45034&pType=pDisplay
 
aRedRocker

aRedRocker

Designated Texican
Location
N. Texas
I just got a Lowrance Baja 480C, still learning how to use it, being it's the first one I've owned, it's a long learning curve. I think I'm gonna like it, really like the big screen.
 
K

kirk86CJ

Registered User
Location
Riverton, Ut
I was under the impression that the much of the software available is proprietary -Can only use Garmin software of Garmin GPS's. You guys that bought these non Garmin/Megallan - Is this an issue? What mapping software do you use?

Another question - I have an Ipaq with removable storage. Does anyone know if I can just get a GPS receiver and use it with the Ipaq? (I am looking at Bluetooth specifically) I want to use Topo type off-road maps, not as interested in the City type maps. - Again, I thought it wouldn't work because I didn't think I could use any good off-road maps.

Thanks
Kirk
 
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