GPS + Mapping
- This topic has 9 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated Jan 12, 2007 at 3:15 pm by
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Can you set it to warn you when are about to drive off the side of the road, then lean back, close your eyes and take a nap, that sort of thing?
I what you are looking for is out there, I know someone with one, but I don’t know enough to recommend anything.
For outdoor use, the cat’s meow IMHO is the Garmin Rhino 530 – in addition to the mapping software, it has a two way radio, and if you fishing partner has one, it will display not only your location but your partner’s location as well. Very nice for spreading out on smaller fishing waters. Plus altimeter, barometer, etc. Not sure but I bet there is some sort of holder to fix the thing on your dashboard. Good price on Amazon, but still high. The 520 is similar with a b & w display.
Zach,
I sell most of the units at Gander Mtn. so I have a good handle on what’s available and what works
Heres my two cents.There is a big difference between the auto GPS systems and the portables in mapping and direction finding. The auto versions have much better maps and screens and you can easily input an address and the unit will direct you with voice prompts and/or arrows on the screen. They also have detailed maps of the entire US or North America built in and the only thing you have to do with software is a yearly update.
The TomTom and Garmin units are the best, with the Magellan’s, most require a zip code for your address which can be a real pain if you don’t know the area in the first place.
I use a hand held unit in my truck, currently a Lowrance iFinder. With all the hand helds you have to build maps using the manufactures’ or third party software, which can be time consuming but is easy once you have the hang of it.I bought the TomTom One.
This is the newest version from TomTom (slim design) complete with whole Europe map on a SD card! TomTom sells more maps, incl. whole USA & Canada on one SD card as well!TomTom is a Dutch company and the best selling navigation system in Holland and maybe in Europe.
What I like TomTom is the ease of use & user interface. I’ve seen others which weren’t as easy to use as this.
Take a look at: http://www.tomtom.com
Hey Zach,
The uses for a gps are limitless. I use mine to mark put in and take out information on new rivers. Like previously mentioned, you can mark your vehicle, tree stands, cool places, or whatever…..and return to them in the dark. Anyway, enough about all the uses.
When picking a unit that can fit both automotive and handheld uses, you’ll find yourself caught between easy to carry and easy to see in the car.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the garmit units. They are very user friendly and customer support is pretty good as well.
The etrex series are great units for the money and I used one in my truck for years. The screen is a little on the small side but they are still functional for the ride. The size on the etrex units are also some of the best for packing a long in your fishing vest. I would reccommend the color screen, as they are much easier to distinguish roads from streams etc. If you pick one of the upper models you’ll also get the goodies like auto routing, barometric altimeter, electric compass etc.
Last year I updated to the Garmin 76CSplus model. The color screen is a little bigger and is sunlight readable. It also supports auto routing which is a feature you’ll totally love if your traveling a lot. It also has all the other bells and whistles you’d want. The unit is a little bigger than the etrx series which makes it a little more cumbersome to pack a long but it’s still manageable. In my opinion it’s a great unit. Now Garmin has updated it to accept memory cards which is a cool feature I wish mine had. Mine has 115 MB internal memory which is enough to hold Driving and topo maps from Lexington to Atlanta and memphis to Asheville.
One thing about Garmin though. You’ll want to purchase two different mapping programs. First off will be the City Navigator series, this will make your autorouting feature complete as it list all roads and features over 6 million points of interest. The second program you’ll want is the Topo USA. This program does not support auto routing, but it does show all your topographic needs, bluelines, great shoreline detail, and most trails. I use these two programs on my unit and like I said, the coverage area is quite wide. The memory cards would be nice, but you can always just plug up to your computer and download whatever maps you need.
You can usually find a great selection of Garmin and other GPS units on ebay at great prices. The new Garmin GPS 76CX (the one that takes memory cards) has been listed for about $325. Almost $200 dollars less than retail. You can also find the map programs as well as vehicle mounts and cigerette lighter adapters for fairly cheap.
Either way you go, I’d look for a unit with a color/sunlight readable screen, electronic compass, barometric altimeter, waterproof, autorouting (this is so awesome), good mapping programs, and easy to use.
Hope this helps.
Quick question for all you GPS experts out there . . .
Can all, or most, GPS handheld units have latitude and longitude co-ordinates input into them?
Sometimes I play around with Goole Earth and locate water I may want to fish. Since they provide these co-ordinates, it would be nice to be able to put them into a GPS and get the directions on how to get there.
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