#107220 - 09/28/07 03:19 AM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: OldBaldGuy]
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Journeyman
Registered: 05/03/07
Posts: 60
Loc: USA
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If you’re willing to go the used/ebay route the Garmin GPS 12 is all you really need.
More waypoints than you will ever need, tracking function and good battery life.
Spare batteries are a must as is a back up compass.
The issue wrt to being able to receive a signal in cover is a function of cover interfering with signal reception and satellite coverage. If you’ve got good satellite coverage you can get a signal through pretty heavy cover, but if the satellite coverage is poor the ability to receive a signal is impaired.
Just a general comment on using GPS, I’ve always treated the unit as back up even though I’ll use it as a primary means of wayfinding. Knowing which direction the trailhead is mandatory. Batteries dying and lack of coverage follow Murphy’s law.
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#107231 - 09/28/07 01:37 PM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: OldBaldGuy]
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Journeyman
Registered: 09/27/07
Posts: 76
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Check out the iFinder Hunt C Plus (I used mine every time I am near the deep coastal forest) It has hunting specific icons for creating your waypoints like deer tracks, tree stand, scrapes... It has a huge screen, too. The plus comes with the Mapping software CDs! It not only has all the Topos in the US - It also has all the hunting units! That is a HUGE bonus when you are near the edge of your unit. The iFinder Hunt C Plus from Lowrance is geared to Hunters due to its rugged, waterproof design, electronic compass and barometric altimeter . The iFinder Hunt has a 2.83” diagonal display with a 320x240 high-resolution color screen with a backlit keypad. It contains a 16 channel WAAS* antenna for exceptional accuracy. The iFinder Hunt C+ has a built-in US basemap showing highway detail and a general coastal outline of waterways, lakes and rivers. The basemap can be further enhanced with the included MapCreate mapping software or an optional detailed marine chart from Navioincs. The Hunt Color has an impressive built-in memory for up to 2000 waypoints and 100 savable plot trails with up to 10,000 points. There are also 42 different icons you can use to help identify your waypoints on screen. The iFinder Hunt is waterproof to IPX7 standards, so it is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts. The map has 40 zoom ranges from 0.02 to 4000 miles and the iFinder Hunt has dedicated zoom in/ zoom out keys. Other features include RealTree Hardwoods HD camo case, Built-in Microphone, audible alarms and backtrack feature to retrace your path. 1 year warranty. * While the regular GPS signal is available worldwide, the WAAS signal is currently available in the US only in open areas or on the water. You can also drop in the NAV chip which may be used to navigate/fish the North American waterways! I'll admit it... I have used it on the way back from a trip to find the nearest 7-eleven (worked very well too). So let's see... - Mapping software
- storage of maps
- works well under tree cover and in valleys
- color screen
- doesn't do the turn by turn but does have hunting units on the maps
- uses standard AA batteries
- tough and waterproof
Edited by OutdoorDad (09/28/07 01:42 PM)
Edit Reason: added photo
_________________________
If people concentrated on the really important things in life... there'd be a shortage of kid's fishing poles.
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#107232 - 09/28/07 01:45 PM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: xavier01]
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Geezer
Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 5695
Loc: Former AFB in CA, recouping fr...
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Here, here , and here are a few sites that might help you...
_________________________
OBG
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#107236 - 09/28/07 02:03 PM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: OldBaldGuy]
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Journeyman
Registered: 09/27/07
Posts: 76
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That last one is fun and a great way to get the hang of using your GPS!
_________________________
If people concentrated on the really important things in life... there'd be a shortage of kid's fishing poles.
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#107256 - 09/28/07 04:43 PM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: JohnnyUpton]
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"Be Prepared"
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 2211
Loc: NE Wisconsin
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The issue wrt to being able to receive a signal in cover is a function of cover interfering with signal reception and satellite coverage. If you’ve got good satellite coverage you can get a signal through pretty heavy cover, but if the satellite coverage is poor the ability to receive a signal is impaired. True, but a receiver with a high sensitivity chip can hear and interpret signals much fainter than a regular receiver. The newer high sensivity GPS's are amazing. Mine can get a 3D lock from the middle of my basement - not always, but quite often. While at summer camp with my son's troop I was chatting about GPS's with Scoutmaster in the adjacent campsite. He said rather routinely "well of course we wouldn't get a signal under these trees ...". I said "I think my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx would." So we each got our receivers (he had a nice little Magellan unit with a color screen & maps). Mine got a real strong 3D lock fairly quickly. His did get a 3D lock after a while, but it would fade in and out of 3D as he turned around and walked a bit.
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#107288 - 09/28/07 11:38 PM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: KenK]
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Addict
Registered: 03/20/05
Posts: 410
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I have an older Garmin ETrex that I'm not at all impressed with. It loses it's fix in pine forests, or if you are holding it so that it's sideways, it loses it's fix. There's no good way to hold it while you're hiking.
If the newer ones have better sensitivity, that's good. I would not buy another unless it had a better receiver. And I would still bring along a map and compass, and the skills to use them.
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#107290 - 09/29/07 12:02 AM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: sodak]
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"Be Prepared"
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 2211
Loc: NE Wisconsin
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I would still bring along a map and compass, and the skills to use them. Good point. No self-respecting GPS thread should go without a warning that GPS's don't take the place of a good map of your area, a decent compass, and the skills to use them together. I see a GPS, map, and compass as a set that belong together. People wandering about outdoors should know how to use a GPS with a paper map and a compass.
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#107299 - 09/29/07 02:50 AM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: KenK]
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Journeyman
Registered: 05/03/07
Posts: 60
Loc: USA
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True, but a receiver with a high sensitivity chip can hear and interpret signals much fainter than a regular receiver.
The newer high sensivity GPS's are amazing. Mine can get a 3D lock from the middle of my basement - not always, but quite often.
While at summer camp with my son's troop I was chatting about GPS's with Scoutmaster in the adjacent campsite. He said rather routinely "well of course we wouldn't get a signal under these trees ...". I said "I think my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx would." So we each got our receivers (he had a nice little Magellan unit with a color screen & maps). Mine got a real strong 3D lock fairly quickly. His did get a 3D lock after a while, but it would fade in and out of 3D as he turned around and walked a bit.
I don't doubt that for a second, but IME if I couldn't pick up a signal and get "locked" in with my 12, the guys I'm with (Mostly have H20's) couldn't pick up a signal either.
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#107300 - 09/29/07 02:52 AM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: OutdoorDad]
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Journeyman
Registered: 05/03/07
Posts: 60
Loc: USA
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That looks like the H2O with a camo face plate. Personal preference but I'm not a fan of color screens. Glare makes them very hard to read Vs regular LCD.
Edited by JohnnyUpton (09/29/07 02:53 AM)
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#107312 - 09/29/07 08:48 AM
Re: Do's and Don't for purchasing a GPS
[Re: KenK]
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Veteran
Registered: 03/31/06
Posts: 1355
Loc: United Kingdom.
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The newer ones may indeed work under trees but I would not personally rely on it. Its good practice to get out into the open for a position fix.
The inherent weakness of a GPS with on board maps is that if you loose the unit, you loose your maps.
Don't get me wrong here, I think that built in maps are an excellent idea. But committing yourself to only one source of information strikes me as an excellent way of getting yourself Darwined..
Belt and suspenders time.
_________________________
I don't do dumb & helpless.
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