I need help picking a GPS

[AlphaTea]

I would like to purchase a GPS in the near future.
Hopefully I can tap into the wealth of knowledge available here at CPF and narrow down the field some.
My requirements are simple:
I dont want to have to sell a kidney. $200-$250 is the most I want to spend, and I would rather spend less.
Color display is nice but not required.
I prefer mapping and return trip.
I will be using it in the car some, but mostly I will use it out doors (hiking, camping, fishing etc)

OK folks, what are your recommendations on what to get and what to avoid /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[paulr]

By far the most thorough site on this subject is

http://gpsinformation.net/

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I'd recommend getting a unit that includes WAAS augmentation capability. It increases the accuracy considerably, especially if Selective Availability is turned on.

 

[Overload]

I love the Garmin Etrex Vista. It's small, B&W, has good memory and a basemap of the USA. It also has an electronic compass, which will tell you what direction you're going while standing still, a useful feature.
It used to be a $300+ unit, but given it's a couple of years old, it may be in your price range.

Overload in Colorado

p.s. for fun with a GPS check out http://www.geocaching.com/

 

[TCG]

The vista is a good unit. I have one. Screen is small for use driving, but great for hiking. It can be had for about $250. The compass is overrated for what it is, the altimieter is nice thou. The 24 megs of mapping memory doesn't do you much good without maps, so figure another $100 or so for some maps.

I would recommend the Garmin GPSV Deluxe, $330 which includes the best street maps I have seen from garmin to date. Better form factor, works well both hiking and driving. PLUS auto routing which is very nice. Head and shoulders above the vista in that respect.

If my vista broke or was lost, I probably wouldn't replace it with another vista. If my gpsV broke or was lost, I would order another without a second thought. The same day.

I have owned about 8 different gps models to date, and am currently teaching a graduate level course on gps.

Todd

 

[MrMom]

Alpha follow this thread for more info on GPSR's. WAAS will not work well in your area as you are at 43 degrees north. The WAAS birds are too low in the sky for effective use where we live, besides it's not really needed for recreational uses. For some local information on Geocaching and GPSr's look here. They are Rochester based (good folks).

Todd, would you be able to send me some of your instructional material. I am on the board of directors for the New York Geocaching Organization and I'm in the process of putting together classes.

 

[RadarGreg]

I like the Magellan SporTrak Map and have been using it for about a year now. It might fall into your price range and have bought from The GPS Store, www.thegpsstore.com, before. It allows you to upload detailed maps for the area you are in and has a very nice user interface. It is WAAS capable for better precision when the WAAS signal is present. Selective Availability or SA, was turned off in May of 2000 so that shouldn't be a factor in your accuracy. The US DoD retains the ability to turn on SA whenever it feels the need, but even during the war last year it was not turned on. I hope this info helps, and enjoy whatever GPS receiver you decide to get.

 

[nullandvoid]

Depending on how much mapping capability you want I would consider the Magellan Meridian Gold, you can expand it's memory with SD memory cards, a little bit bigger screen than most of the others they've mention (at least I think so) so perhaps easier to use in the car. I've got the platinum which just adds compass and barometer, it's worked quite well for me.
Guess this thread also answers my question about whether or not there were any geocaching enthusiasts on this board.

 

[avusblue]

I'm very happy with my eTrex Legend which I've owned for over two years now. It has everything I need or want and the price is very reasonable. To me, it has the perfect blend of features -- not too many that it's cumbersome or overcomplicated, yet with sufficient detail on the mapping features. It's very easy to scroll thru the screens and set up & use the features. I've taken it all over the world, but most of its use is when it's clipped to the handlebars of my road bicycle, where it serves as my trip computer . . . its fun to watch one's altitude so I know exactly the vertical lift I just sweated through as I crest each hill!

One thing I appreciate is that the software is upgradeable, as new features are released you can bring yours up to current for free.

Good deals can be had on eBay, but I recently saw it also carried at a Target store.

Good luck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Dave

 

[jtice]

For outdoor stuff,,,, hands down,,, the Garmin etrex Vista is EXCELLENT. I LOVE mine, you will be happy with it.

 

[AlphaTea]

Well, this is a lot to consider!
It looks like I will need to spend closer to $300 to get a really good one
I really like the Garmin GPSV Deluxe...
The Garmin etrex Vista looks pretty promissing...
The Magellan Meridian Gold is a good value...
The Garmin Map 76S has a lot of features and I am kind of leaning that way. If somebody knows of one that is a better value for the money, PLEASE let me know before I dive in.
TIA

 

[nullandvoid]

Also Magellan recently released software that works on the meridian line that will offer the turn by turn directions much like the gpsV from garmin I believe. No voiced directions but it's supposed to beep at you for turns and such and be able to do routing, another good use I suspect for large SD memory chips. If anyone out there has actually used this I'd love to hear about it. BTW another thing about the meridians if you choose to use the more detailed mapping software and end up with both multiple map formats, ie streets vs topo, you can switch between different maps on the SD card. You can also swap between different routes and waypoint files on the memory card as well.

 

[6pOriginal]

I have the basic meridian (picked up at fry's for $99), it's a great value. I just drove back to CA from MS, a 4400 mile trip, the gps was a great tool. I suggest the meridian color if you plan to use in a vehicle, since the color screen is little bit easier to read. The beauty of the meridian series is the ability to use SD card and MMC cards, you can pick up a 128mb card for like $30ish and put a few states of detail maps on it (that depends on your location, some states have more "stuff") I haven't check out the new software yet, but it looks promising, so far I only see some high end unit that calculate routes by itself. If this new software works as advertised, it will be a huge improvement. It will be great for a $99 unit to be able to perform something usually only a $1000 unit can do.

 

[gadget_lover]

There are two basic types of maps, topo and road/street.

The topo maps are supposed to be great for hiking, as you can tell in advance if topping the next ridge will bring you to a mountain meadow or simply put you at the edge of a pit, crevasse or the like. Of course, you may be looking for pits, crevasses, etc. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The road maps are just what they sound like, but most units only include major roads in the built in map. Street level maps are very handy when you navigate a strange city, even if it's only 10 miles from home.

The maps are extra, and will cost you every few years if you want to update them.

Another variable is memory storage. Older Garmins use proprietary memory chips that are fairly expensive. Newer units (all brands) use compact flash, SD cards, etc. It's sometimes more economical to chose one brand over another because you can share the memory cards used in your camera or MP3 player.

I have the Garmin E-Map and the Street Pilot III. Both came with the basic US Roads in memory. Both share the same memory cards and maps. The Street Pilot III has color, auto routing and talks to you. It sit's on my dashboard. The E-map is B&W, fits in my pocket and has worked well when geocaching. I like them both, but Magellin has some nice models too!

I hope this has helped some.

Daniel

 

[d'mo]

I'm not sure if this will help, but I've been using laptop-based GPS for quite some time. The major advantages are all the maps can be stored on the hard drive and the screen is much larger than a dedicated unit or PDA. I have three map packages loaded on my "primary" laptop and two on the "secondary." I can also play tunes while I drive and can still hear the voice prompts when used with a radio transmitted or cassette adaptor.

The drawbacks are mainly mounting and power. For power, I have a small 70 watt inverter and the power adaptor that came with the laptop. Mounting is not a problem when I travel alone - I just put it on the passenger seat or on the floor (the screen is still big enough to see clearly). When I'm traveling with family, my small Toshiba Libretto rides on the dash.

 

[BobVA]

A good place for the CPF mantra: Buy both.

I've got a Garmin GPS V+ which is great for driving but, imho, waaay to power hungry for use hiking (unless you are just taking occasional "snapshots").
For extended outdoor use, I really like the Garmin Geko series - I've got the 201 which allows computer upload of routes and waypoints. It will run for 12 hours on 2 AA batteries. No mapping, though.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[PhotonBoy]

I shouldn't really being posting this, but I learned very recently that some cell phones have some type of GPS capability. I'll be checking this out on my own in the next while. In the meantime, please feel free to open fire.

 

[HunterSon]

[ QUOTE ]
Poster: PhotonWrangler
Subject: Re: I need help picking a GPS

I'd recommend getting a unit that includes WAAS augmentation capability. It increases the accuracy considerably, especially if Selective Availability is turned on.


[/ QUOTE ]
WAAS won't do anything for SA (not like it will be turned on again) it is used to correct for the errors introduced by the ionosphere, certain RX clock errors and satellite health. DGPS like the coast guard maintains will improve accuracy is SA is ever active again because it corrects for pseudorange errors (SA alters the broadcast satellite orbits and timing to introduce errors, thus changing the pseudorange calcs done by the receiver).

 

[PhotonWrangler]

[ QUOTE ]
HunterSon said:
WAAS won't do anything for SA (not like it will be turned on again) it is used to correct for the errors introduced by the ionosphere, certain RX clock errors and satellite health. DGPS like the coast guard maintains will improve accuracy is SA is ever active again because it corrects for pseudorange errors (SA alters the broadcast satellite orbits and timing to introduce errors, thus changing the pseudorange calcs done by the receiver).

[/ QUOTE ]

Very interesting. I'd assumed that SA had been turned on again since the beginning of the war on Iraq, but apparently it wasn't?

Thanks for clarifying the function of WAAS. Is there any significant doppler shift in those birds that it compensates for?

 

[Glow Bug]

Before SA was turned off, the military developed a way of jamming GPS signals in a specific area (theater of war)if the need arose. This way, SA could stay turned off and the military could still have their adapted receivers that would receive the signals. We would have our signals un-altered, and the enemy would not.