GPS questions

[TJ aka Teej]

I want one, but I don't know much about them other than what I've read on the Garmin boxes at the store.
I'd like to type in coordinates, and be directed to that point. I'd also like to find out where I am (a 'waypoint'?) several times during a walkabout and keep a record of the hike on the gizmo. And do they do record altitude? Work in cloudy weather? I don't need city road maps and fishing info, just topos of Maine and NH - that means I need to buy mapping software of some kind too?
Thanks for the help,
TJ

[Flatpicker]

I want one, but I don't know much about them other than what I've read on the Garmin boxes at the store.
I'd like to type in coordinates, and be directed to that point. I'd also like to find out where I am (a 'waypoint'?) several times during a walkabout and keep a record of the hike on the gizmo. And do they do record altitude? Work in cloudy weather? I don't need city road maps and fishing info, just topos of Maine and NH - that means I need to buy mapping software of some kind too?
Thanks for the help,
TJ


I use a Magellan Meridian Yellow. I ordered it with a TOPO map of the US. I can put maybe 2 -3 medium size states on it at a time using a 32 Meg card. It works fine in cloudy weather but dense wet foilage is another story. It will show elevation but I do not think it stores this info. It will tell you how fast your walking, how far you have walked and how much farther you have to walk. It will store the route you walked but you will need to save it periodically to an SD card. For a few bucks more you can get the Plat version which has a built in compass. The compass on the yellow only works when your moving. Also, if you buy a Magellan you have to buy Magellans TOPO map. If you buy a Garmin you must use their TOPO maps. No interchanging formats. And even though the National Geographic TOPO map product says it is compatiable with Garmin/Magellan it isn't. It will only work to upload/download waypoints not maps. I have really enjoyed using this unit and would recommend it highly FWIW. GeoCaching is the best part of having the GPS and is worth the purchase price just for this activity.

[Moon Monster]

Re use for peak-bagging: I got a Garmin Gecko 201 to help in bushwhacking some of the notable NC peaks not having trails. I've used it on two 3 day trips with co-ords taken from americasroof.com. I don't have a lot of experience with it yet, but I can give a couple newbie observations. The 201 does not have a barametric altimeter, but it still registers elevation, apparently from lag time from the satelite signals when at least 3 or 4 satelites can be 'seen.' The elev. is usually off by 5-100 ft. from survey, but it is generally better than my barametric Timex Helix watch. The positioning, even with WAAS (which is a separate radio calibration that supposedly can tune the accuracy of the GPS signal) can still be up to 200 yards off my entered co-ords. But, a lot of that may be from the fact that the co-ords I took from americasroof only go to tenths of a degree and the 201 can be much more accurate than that. Also, co-ords found on the internet are presumably taken from someone else's GPS reading or from a mouse-click on an electronic topo, which itself may be inaccurate. For general measuring only to tenths of a mile, it is very coo to track a day's hike. For continuous tracking all day, I would need a change or two of batteries. The 201 is not good enough to take me right to the listed summit of a wooded NC peak, but it has gotten me close enough to find the summits on my own. One of the coolest things it has done for me is show me what the peaks in any given view are. I sat on Sam's Knob and used the 201 to tell me where the Plott Balsams were and the IDs of each of the Great Balsams around me (which I laboriously entered co-ords for beforehand). My Garmin has had serious trouble under tree canopy (spruce and frazier fir) when in my pants or pack pocket. When in my hand, it usually gets 3 or more satelites which is enough for 3D positioning. The Gecko series are dern tiny a light--way cool. I have no experience with loaded maps.

[captleo]

I use a Magellan Marine with BlueNav CD Rom 32 SD card. I guide in the backcountry of Florida for fishing charters. I use it mainly on Lake Okeechobee, Charlotte Harbor and the Everglades. I live with the thing! If you get to know how to use it, as a backcountry tool it can be trully amazing! I've found some of my clients bring theirs with them on their fishing trips wanting to mark the hot spots. Only problem is most only know how to turn them on and off. Get a Magellan Meridian and use it untill you trust it like a compass, you'll like it. However, you should always know how to use a compass and land/sea navigation basics first. Gps's do sometimes break!!

[The Solemates]

If all you want is the basic functions, like putting in coords, etc. then I would just get the basic GARMIN etrex. These days you can buy this guy for only $90 or so at retail prices. A lot of times you can find one online for half the price.

As an avid "geocacher", I can tell you this is really all you need to enjoy yourself. If you want it to use for other reasons, you could pay extra for added features, but its still not necessary. For hunting, perhaps downloadable topos may be nice. For driving directions, downloadable roadmaps. Some of the higher end etrex models (the Legend is a good one) have city coordinates as well, which is nice if you are in the middle of nowhere on some country roads and dont know how to get back to anything that resembles a city. Not knowing, however, can also be part of the fun.

[Mountain climber]

I want one, but I don't know much about them other than what I've read on the Garmin boxes at the store.
I'd like to type in coordinates, and be directed to that point. I'd also like to find out where I am (a 'waypoint'?) several times during a walkabout and keep a record of the hike on the gizmo. And do they do record altitude? Work in cloudy weather? I don't need city road maps and fishing info, just topos of Maine and NH - that means I need to buy mapping software of some kind too?
Thanks for the help,
TJ

I have a Garmin Etrex Vista as well as a GPS MAP 76S. Both of these units have enough memory to place a few states of TOPO maps in them and they track well. They both have a real Altimeter but need to be calibrated before you start your day of hiking. I never get concerned about altitude data. The main thing I go for is a good track log and of the two I have, the GPS MAP 76s has the best antenna that works under the canopy and has a connection for an external antenna. I have one Velcro’ed to the inside of my had and the GPS in one of my leg pockets.
When I hike on a long trip I feel the weight is not worth taking on the trip. You need 2 AA batteries for each 8 hours the unit is on. I just do not liking carrying 10 or 20 batteries for a GPS just to have a log.
The map is a nice thing to have though and so I do carry it with my parking spot marked and if I need to get back to my car I can do a goto and then know just how far the car (Truck) is from where I am and what the terrain is like between me and the truck.
These items are a handy thing to have, but on the AT I would not consider it at all.

I have taken it with me on section hikes and it has come in very useful during those hikes

I do a lot of Geocaching so this is why I have them. I use them for hiking as an after thought. :-?