I know this isn't a big deal for many of you, but it is for me. They specifically name GPS devices as "OK" on Southwest Airlines when over 10K feet.
I so enjoy this, as I love to mark waypoints of interesting things I see below, take the waypoints to Google Earth and find out what the stuff below was when I land.

I've never had a problem taking a GPS in carry-on and using it shouldn't be an issue to safety of flight. Why was this a concern?

Because the dammed airline industry is a bunch of paranoid fools and almost anything with an "on" switch was banned in flight on many of the flights I've been on for the last few years.

Interesting. I'll admit I don't fly commercial aviation much, but the few flights I've been on taking my GPS along and using it in flight was never an issue. The only issue was disabling the "lock on road" function

It sure is nice to be able to jump in a rental car, throw your GPS on the dash and drive straight to a destination in a town you've never visited. A lot of rental cars come with GPS units, but they aren't nearly as friendly as one that already has your destination programmed in.

On the subject of GPS, just received my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and I'm waiting for a 2 GB micro SD card to add additional road and topo maps.

Russ,

I actually have a brand new Garmin Dash Mount (P/N 010-10456-00) that is designed specifically for the Astro and all 60 series GPS units. I never used it, and no longer have a need for it, so shoot me a PM if you're interested. It's still in the original package with the instruction manual, although the edge of the package has been opened.

Jim

In Oct we will fly from Miami to Seattle at the end of a repo cruise. I plan on taking my GPS along, just to have it leave breadcrumbs the entire trip, and keep track of the distance we cover. So I really hope that whatever airline we use (don't know yet) will allow me to take the GPS on board...

OBG, what's a repo cruise?

"Repo Man" comes to mind. Hope that's not it.

Nurit

The cruise line, Norwegian in this case, repositions their Alaska boat to cooler climates for the winter. Ours will be going from Seattle to Miami, with stops in L.A., S.F., three places on the Mexican Riveria, thru the Panama Canal, Colombia, Aruba, Curacao, then up to Miami. 19 days. Repo cruises are normally less expensive than a "regular" cruise (the boat is gonna go, no matter how many people are on board). We have a friend sharing our cabin, which really helps us with the cost. Including airfare, it is now down to less per person per day than staying at Motel 6 and eating at McD's...

Thanks OBG, that's very good to know.

I used to dream of taking a cheap trip on a tramp steamer (or is it tramp freighter?). Did a quick search not long ago and was horrified to see how high the prices are now. Repo cruise sounds like the way to go.

Nurit

"...Repo cruise sounds like the way to go..."

They are unless you are rolling in money and can afford the owners suite or something. And having a third (or even fourth) person in the room can really save each person money. Of course there is no privacy in those little cabins, so all had better be able to handle that. Lucky me, our third is a gal...