Any GPS users/owners?

I don't have better ideas than the Lithiums or the shirt-pocket trick. However, I looked up the official operating temperature range for the Garman Map 60, and they claim it's only good down to 5F/-15C. I'm not sure if it turns into a pumpkin or what below that.
 
T. Erdelyi said:
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.
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I don't believe it's a matter of "sense" enough, it's a matter of training.
I do great with roadmaps. I can use compass, watch, and or sun to get general bearings. I have very little experience, and no training in bushwacking using compass and topo map.
Math is NOT my friend, and orienteering has some how left an impression of being rather math intensive. It's danged hard to get me interested in math intensive pursuits.

DaddyDett
 
GPS is a must in the gulf for marking grouper spots as there are no underwater structures or reference objects just miles of sandy bottom. Its also good in the ocean for marking small coral reefs or sudden drops in depth. Works fair in the everglades since it all looks the same but a few miles in any direction and your back out.

Have not gotten around to getting one for the car I use a map on long trips as I still feel the GPS is like asking for directions.
 
I've got a Garmin Gecko 301 handheld, good mid range hand held gps, dont get one without a magnetic compass in it or else walking backwards or in circles will confuse it.
 
GPS systems have been a large part of my job for the past 5 years or so, though I have little experience with most of the kinds you guys are talking about. We use them in agriculture for mapping fields, recording locations of various stuff, guiding implements to keep them driving straight, applying inputs, etc., etc. Once I got spoiled by the accuracy (usually within 5 to 8 inches) and reliability (have only lost signal 3 or 5 times in all those years, even in thick wooded hollows, etc.) of good GPS equipment, I get fed up with the cheaper models pretty quick.

For the past hour or so, I've been making up a detailed overview map for one of our customers with the field info we collected. These kinds of programs were created because there simply is no better way to organize and display spatial data. (i.e., data that occurs in space/geography; not just detached numbers)

Not sure about the battery thing, as our equipment is usually mounted on a 4-wheeler. The only thing I've noticed in cold weather is that the older liquid crystal screens can get dim and funny looking.

Digitized and geo-referenced aerial photos and topographic maps are available for free download through the US Geological Survey. Depending on your equipment, these photos can be put in the background of your screen. Sounds like some of you are already doing this. I generally trust the accuracy of the photos more than raster or tiger road files that were traced in from other sources. "Raster is faster, but Vector is Korrecter." :)

Nowadays, we mostly use iPAQs from HP for collecting GPS referenced data. There are several good programs that you can load onto any iPAQ to record with. Also several different GPS recievers that plug into iPAQs.
For those of you who carry your GPS units in vehicles and stuff, you really aughtta check out getting a Ram Powered Mount. I had my doubts about them at first, but they have really taken a beating on our 4-wheelers. They're really handy and are made for just about any electronic gadget you can think of. You can get bases to mount them on your handlebars, bolt them to any flat surface, suction cup to the windsheild, and even on the yoke of an airplane.

RAMB138GA12.jpg


www.ram-mount.com
 
Thanks for the Garmin Quest review Bill!!!

I've been considering that model for both vehicle and carrying when Hiking, Hunting and fishing. :D :thumbup:
 
DaddyDett said:
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
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i like garmin, i like being able to change the batteries in the field, and weather proofness - which means a lot of models, and pdas are out.

garmin just introduced a new 60cs unit with SD slot - i supposed a 1-2 GB card could hold most street level maps for the country - no more reloading, and one could also load the topo set as well for extra goodness. uses AA batteries.

i also saw recently on techbargains.com that amazon is having a $500 special on the garmin 2610 - uses CF cards, again 1-2 GB card pretty much holds the entire USA, very nice. good for cars, no batteries, so not portable, but has a sweet touch screen, and better for driving around.

bladite
 
I looked at several models, including the 2720 before choosing the c340.
4-8 hrs battery life, sd card, internal speakers.

Battery is important to me because I dont want to have it plugged to the lighter socket all the time. Also, I can install it, not pay to have it done.

It's a bit big to take on a nature walk or day hike, but as I said in my opening post, that sort of activity is something I will be getting back into as spring rolls in, and I'll have a better sense of what I want in a hand-held by then.

A hand-held would be handy to take when riding my observed trials bike.
There are some old Civil War emplacements and infantry trenches near my house we play on with the bikes. It would be neat to map those, and correlate them with Burnside's Corp HQ etc from the old maps.
My house is very near the artillery positions ( Union) from the battle of Fredericksburg.

DaddyDett
 
i don't think it's the batteries that fail below zero, it's the lcd display. mine (garmin gps12) goes black if it gets too cold. the gps is still working, just can't read the durn thing till it warms up again. i keep it in an inside pocket & only pull it out when needed to check against my mark one map. the batteries only last about 6-8 hrs, i use rechargeables & keep a spare set handy. solar recharger works ok on sunny days if not mobile. have a cable that lets me hook it up to the lighter socket in the car to recharge also...
 
cliff355 said:
Last year I left my Legend on the dashboard on a day when it was 95F in the shade. The dashboard was in the sun, and when I picked the unit up the plastic housing was on the verge of melting. It wouldn't turn on and I thought I was out $200. So, I threw it in the cooler on some ice and 15 minutes later it was working like a charm.
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Thats the one I've been looking to add to the pile.

Do you like yours?
 
My bro gave me the cheap Garmin for Chrimmus. It's pretty simple to operate and has good basic instructions. I remember when my military unit first acquired a GPS. The platoon commander thought we'd break it so he wouldn't let us use it. So we kept using map and compass to lay in the mortars and kept on dropping short rounds or having to adjust fire constantly. Once that particular officer left, we figured out the GPS and were on target much, much quicker. That thing was huge, awkward to use, and severely expensive compared to what is out there now. I believe it was a Trimble product.
 
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