Any GPS users/owners?

D

DaddyDett

Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Messages
825
I ordered a Garmin c340 GPS last night for the car.
My brother has an older one, and his g/f a Garmin c330.
Seems like a handy tool when out of my neck of the woods, or looking for addresses etc..

If things go as planned this summer, and we start getting out camping and hiking more, a handheld may be in my future as well.
Any of yall have any input on GPS?

DaddyDett
 
Who DOESN'T have one? Who has a backup GPS?

Essential for any boater, off-roader or anyone who spends time in the boonies. I bet we all do.

Street-level maps are great, but with me, the thing shines at keeping me out of shallow water. I'd rather get lost in a car than go aground.

Still keep a Silva compass and know how to use it- you can run out of batteries.

See www.geocaching.com for pure goof-off fun you can have with one.


Mike
 
I have the basic Magellan one. It has kept me from getting lost when hiking on trails before if I have waypoints I can enter for the turnoffs. Also helps cause you can mark campsites and water sources and then on trips you know whether you have enough time to make it to the next campsite cause you know the mileage.
 
Ad Astra said:
Who DOESN'T have one? Who has a backup GPS?

Mike
Click to expand...

I don't right now. Been wanting one, but one must operate by priorities.

Thankfully I learned how to navigate with a map and compass pretty well, so unless the wife has the map I rarely get too discombobulated.

So GPS, Ball Peen hammer, CB radio, what else must the anti-zombie mobile have?
 
45-70 said:
I don't right now. Been wanting one, but one must operate by priorities.

Thankfully I learned how to navigate with a map and compass pretty well, so unless the wife has the map I rarely get too discombobulated.

So GPS, Ball Peen hammer, CB radio, what else must the anti-zombie mobile have?
Click to expand...

Military radio, frequencies and call signs for nearest AC130 Spectre Squadron and AF Pararescue Det. sounds good to me. Oh yeah, and man portable foo-gas for perimeter defense.

DaddyDett
 
You guys already hit the issue with the GPS- batteries. I'm going to get one. Really. Way behind the learning curve. But just the other day I was informed by the One Man STore Owner that the GPS unit does not function reliably when the temperature gets to around zero and below. Why? Because of batteries- they don't like it.

Big question- are there any batteries that are more immune to cold?




munk
 
munk said:
You guys already hit the issue with the GPS- batteries. munk
Click to expand...

My problem with the batteries is that to leave the unit on so you can get your mileage the whole way or if you were going in an uncharted region and want to be able to hit backtrack and figure out the way out, that you have to have 2 sets of batteries (or more) for a 3 or 4 day trip cause at least in mine a set of AA batteries will only run the unit for 8 hours. I have actually had to replace the batteries in a single day's worth of hiking.

Another problem is that if you are in thick brush the unit I have might not put you right on the trail. There is a margin of error so it's probably not going to help you too much unless you are 50 feet or more from where you want to be.
 
for a 3 or 4 day trip cause at least in mine a set of AA batteries will only run the unit for 8 hours.>>>>>>>> Hollow

-Sidenote: If Hollow were my neighbor we'd do a lot of walking. Darn shame we can't move West Viginia closer.....(or wherever he is)

Not many folks can talk about wearing out batteries after a eight hour walk. And Hollow and I actually do chop wood with khuks.

He's so darn healthy he'll probably live to a hundred.


munk
 
As for the battery issue.....

Some of the Camera and flash companies make remote battery packs.
They hold a spare set of batts, and have a cable long enough to keep them in an inside pocket connected to a module that goes in the battery compartment. I have seen such a set-up from Nikon and Vivitar.
I don't see why someone like Garmin or Magellan can't do the same.

Once as a 12 y/o boy, I got lost in a snow storm in the Taunus mountains in Germany. My friend and I ended up 13 kilometers from where we thought we were. +/- 50 ft is pretty sweet compared to 13 klicks.

DaddyDett
 
Mine's pretty accurate (10-30 feet), but I wouldn't count on its altitude readings for tricky stuff like "will it flood here." Sometimes there are some oddities with the maps I can download into it. For example, sometimes it interpolates street numbers incorrectly and thinks a house is in the middle of the block instead of at the end. Also I have (rarely) had it just be confused about where a business is.

But yeah, they eat batteries. Makes me think an electronic compass is a bad idea.

Important: they must "see" plenty of sky to work because it needs a signal from several satellites. A handheld unit might need to be held close to a window in a car to work, and they'll lose the signal in tunnels or if left in a pocket. I actually had trouble getting it to work in NYC because of the buildings.
 
Yep....GPS has it's limitations....

still gotta use yer head. ;)
 
FallingKnife said:
Mine's pretty accurate (10-30 feet), but I wouldn't count on its altitude readings for tricky stuff like "will it flood here." Sometimes there are some oddities with the maps I can download into it. For example, sometimes it interpolates street numbers incorrectly and thinks a house is in the middle of the block instead of at the end. Also I have (rarely) had it just be confused about where a business is.

But yeah, they eat batteries. Makes me think an electronic compass is a bad idea.

Important: they must "see" plenty of sky to work because it needs a signal from several satellites. A handheld unit might need to be held close to a window in a car to work, and they'll lose the signal in tunnels or if left in a pocket. I actually had trouble getting it to work in NYC because of the buildings.
Click to expand...

Mine can be very accurate or not very depending on how many sattelites it can line up with. It has a display that shows the error margin in feet.

Munk I can walk a long way but I have to take my time and bring my little trail poles. If I could lose 40 lbs I'd be way better off;)
 
Falling Knife, Pan Tau, Firken, N2, anybody: can any of you scientific fellows let us know if there are any batteries that will function below zero and if there are not if there is an emerging technology that will?


thanks,
munk
 
If I could lose 40 lbs I'd be way better off....>>> Hollow

Yes, I also take my time now, enjoy where I am as I go. I've seen your picture, of couse, and know about your spare tire. You'd still haul past me on the trail- I'm not in shape with housebound youngsters. That will change shortly. Hollow, in your case, instead of the traditional 'spare tire', let's call it the "Cosmic weight."

I've got some too.





munk
 
My version of a GPS

Good compass

Plastic coated map

Sense enough to know how to use 'em

BTW I have a Garmin GPS2+, I've had it for about 6 or 7 years, it's a nice crutch and I use it mostly to mark waypoints when I'm out on the road to remember places I want to return to.

Also when I'm too lazy to pay attention to where I'm going I'll use the trackback feature to get back home.

A GPS is a lot like a sharpening system, it's great to have and use , but no substitute for freehand sharpening, or in the case of the GPS, good orienteering and map reading skills.
 
T. Erdelyi said:
A GPS is a lot like a sharpening system, it's great to have and use , but no substitute for freehand sharpening, or in the case of the GPS, good orienteering and map reading skills.
Click to expand...


The coolest aspect of GPS for me is say I am going on a trail that is unmarked. Not only can I usually find a map someone has DRAWN using their GPS, but I can usually email them and they will send me the coordinates for the turn off's and such so it cuts down on a lot of missed turns.

My friend Mike is the Bodhisattava of hiking with many home drawn accurate topo maps of hikes and stuff. Check out his site:
http://www.midatlantichikes.com/wv.htm
 
munk said:
Falling Knife, Pan Tau, Firken, N2, anybody: can any of you scientific fellows let us know if there are any batteries that will function below zero and if there are not if there is an emerging technology that will?


thanks,
munk
Click to expand...


"Energizer® AA Lithium Batteries offer Superior Performance in Digital Cameras and any other device that requires AA size batteries. Energizer AA Lithium Batteries perform even in the most extreme temperatures -40° F to 140° F. ( Non-Rechargeable ) and will last you about 5-7 times longer than standard alkaline batteries. "


Mike
 
I LOVE my GPSs! Have a Garmin Street Pilot III and a Garmin Quest. Awesome machines. Like something from a science fiction story. The StreetPilot stays moored in my Astro Van. I have the entire Southeast USA in it. You do have to download the areas you want, but it is really simple. Later models have all the stuff loaded already.

When we travel, we take the Garmin Quest which otherwise stays in the Eldorado. Small as a cell phone and very powerful. We program in the areas wew want to visit, such as new England or San Francisco. Then when we get there, we stick the Garmin to the windshield and go to the hotel and anywhere else we like. We program in several places we want to visit before we leave and can easily program in other places when we arrive.

It is absolutely unreal how this device finds things. Just yesterday it led us on a shortcut through a cememtary. Shortest and fastest distance!

The Quest has a built-in battery that has about 20 hours life, so when we park the car in an unfamiliar place, we just set a point and it brings us right back.

It is also waterproof so I can take it on my motorcycle or walking. Don't know how I ever did without one before.

One word of warning however there is a real POS GPS called a Vcom. This is totally done with voice recognition. It is a real joke! Whatever you do, DO NOT GET ONE OF THESE!

If you want to know more read this in Epinions:

http://www.epinions.com/VCommand_Voice_Navigation_System_by_Vcommand_GPS_Receiver/display_~reviews

Written by some guy using the name Amitayus. Hmm, that is the Tibetan god for Long Life...... Can't imagine who it might be, but I am er, that is HE is right on with his review!

But you can't go wrong with Garmin.
 
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