View Full Version : GPS wanna be
hikerjohnd
02-27-2005, 12:40
Last weekend a friend and I hiked on the Florida Trail and he brought his GPS with him. I have always seen the GPS as a luxury item and have never been interesed in owning one, but having seen the functionality of his, I am having second thoughts.
He has a Garmin etrek, I think, and it has basic functionality. The things I most like was the ability to check the GPS and see how far you have gone (and I was impressed that my intenal odometer was just about dead on), and at the end of the trip, he was able to overlay our trip onto an aerial photo and a topo map and we could see the whole trip at a glance. The battery life on his model made it unsuitable for long trips, but I think it would be a fun toy to play with on weekend trips or maybe geocasching (sp?).
So - what advice is out there for a person looking for a beginners GPS, keeping in mind the two things above that I know I would like to be able to have...
...GPSs areincredibly fun to use if youk like maps. I am on my third one, a Garmin 60CS. I bought this one a year ago because I can download topos into it. It isn't necessary for the AT (and I won't bring it) but besides being fun, it has proven benficial in route finding.
I do some winter hiking in Mass, and the long trails there (Warner, Bay CIrcuit, mid-state) are not wel marked in many places, plus there are tons of dirt bike and ATV trails all over the place in some areas. The GPS map shows me where I am and where I probably should be.
I've also used it bushwhacking and navigating some of the snowmobile trails in western NH. Usually I have to suspend my "knowledge" of which way I need to go and trust the GPS. It just shows how wrong our intuition can be when surrounded by trees.
Slaughter
02-27-2005, 21:39
The Garmin etrek series has a lot of different models, and I'm not up on the most recent ones, but they probably are the most user-friendly and possibly the lightest useful GPS units that don't cost an arm and a leg (but don't quote me on that). You should however pay attention to what features you want and make sure you have them...I've seen etreks that don't have a compass, or don't show you the coordinates of the points you save (some people might not care, but that would be a pretty useless unit to me...) and the newer ones can download or come with topo maps that you can use to trace your route. I guess the point here is do some research first but I've been pretty happy with my Garmin. :sun
tlbj6142
02-28-2005, 13:55
I bought an eTrex Legend (non-C) from amazon for $136 this past Xmas. That's all you need for backcountry and/or geocaching. Now there are a few cool features (waypoint averaging, much improved street/road features, lighter, smaller, USB input!!!, more memory (non needed for backcountry and/or geocaching), color (don't find it much of an improvement?), etc.) in the "C" version of the Legend, but its $150 more.
My husband bought me an Etrex Legend for Christmas. I didn't think I needed it on the AT, but I'll be carrying it, just to make him feel better. Don't want to hurt his feelings, and it is pretty cool. I'll leave it off until the end of the day just to check my progress. that way I'll save batteries.
:) Can anyone provide "first hand" experience / comments using MAPTECH software installed in a GPS? The "Appalachian Trail software (CDs) that MAPTECH advertises sounds interesting. Also, what model of GPS is recommended? I don't have any GPS experience.
:) Can anyone provide "first hand" experience / comments using MAPTECH software installed in a GPS? The "Appalachian Trail software (CDs) that MAPTECH advertises sounds interesting. Also, what model of GPS is recommended? I don't have any GPS experience.Do you mean the maps in Maptech? Not sure if they will transfer to a GPS? Check to be sure. I have a Garmin, and it will only load Garmin (Mapsource) maps. $120 for a set of topos for entire US. They all won't fit in the GPS at the same time, but it is easy to select and load maps.
I have the maptech software, but I'm a map freak and have lots of maps, hard copy and software. Maptech will give you elevation profiles of the trail, and with a lot of printing you could use them instead of buying the ATC maps. They also give the total amount of ascending and descending of each section, but that can be a depressing number to know before hand.
Before buying a GPS, read the literature carefully as to what maps they will upload.
If all you want are waypoints (GPS positions indicated by lat-long, GPS's will take those pretty easily, but again check to see what they are compatible with.
My older Garmin did not have mapping capability, but took a series of waypoints from TOPO series maps.
No way to recommend any one GPS. It depends on what you want and how much you want to pay. Big separator in pricing is whether it has maps or not. They aren't necessary, but if you like maps/geography/bushwhacking they are a lot of fun.
I have a Garmin etrex Vista and enjoy it thoroughly. I use mine a lot to geocache but I have used it on several short to medium hikes. I also have the Mapsource US Topo 24K for my computer so I can upload and download maps to/from the unit itself. I am into the stats of things so that it's fun for me to see everything I've done on a hike.. The only downside to the vista is that it can lose reception in dense cover which can alter your stats. Other than that, they are a fun tool to have around.
The only downside to the vista is that it can lose reception in dense cover Most GPSs don't work well under dense cover, especially broadleaf trees, and especially if the leaves are wet. Time necessary to re-acquire a signal is of course in inverse proportion to how badly you want that particular data point and how much of a hurry you are in.
cutman11
03-14-2005, 00:28
How much does it weigh?
Youngblood
03-14-2005, 09:31
...Time necessary to re-acquire a signal is of course in inverse proportion to how badly you want that particular data point and how much of a hurry you are in.I've always explained that trait as follows: It is least likely to work when you need it the most.
Youngblood
03-14-2005, 09:38
... I also have the Mapsource US Topo 24K for my computer so I can upload and download maps to/from the unit itself. ...
When you say 24k, I interpet that as the 7.5 minute topo maps which has a scale of 1:24,000, is that what you mean? Has MapSource changed that in recent years? Mine is a few years old and here is what it says in regards to scale: "Features digital topographic maps for the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, that are comparable to the U.S. Geological Survey's 1:100,000 scale paper maps."
Youngblood
I have the map tech soft ware too. The maptech company was no help in trying to down load it in to any thing. In fact they were down right nasty to me.:( I plan on taking a lap top with me on my thru hike in 2006. i hope to find a lite lap top to take. The lap top will allow me to down load pic and provide email serive as well as internet access. I know a lot op hikers dont like electronic things on the trail so I will only use it in the tent so I dont bother any one. The map tech software is hard to use but i have not found any thing better as of yet. These plans are not firm yet but this is what i am planning on. Any help would be welcome. I plan on hooking up the laptop though my cell phone and connecting up with my internet prodider. Has anyone tried this and how did it work? My biggest concern is the weight of all this stuff I plan on taking.:datz Maybe it will all end up in the mail back home at my first stop. But it is fun trying to get it all to work together. See you all on the trail in 2006..:banana
Youngblood
03-14-2005, 10:18
Confusing.
I have MapSource software for Garmin GPS units that is sort of 1:100,000 scale and I have MAPTECH software that has the 1:100,000 and the 7.5 minute (1:24,000) scale topo maps. Since I don't have or want a lap top computer, I have never tried to use a GPS with one such that it displays your current GPS position on real time maps displayed on a computer screen, but my understanding is that you can do that with either software package (and the topo software packages as well).
What was a problem for me was defining the interface when I wanted to transfer data between some topo software and my GPS. My particular GPS model was not listed on the software and neither the GPS manufacturer or the software manufacturer would assist me. I finally found a 'work around' by trial and error, but it was not fun. Basically I think I just had to keep trying different models that the software did list until I found one that did allowed the data to transfer without error... but that was about 5 years ago.
Youngblood
When you say 24k, I interpet that as the 7.5 minute topo maps which has a scale of 1:24,000, is that what you mean? Has MapSource changed that in recent years? Mine is a few years old and here is what it says in regards to scale: "Features digital topographic maps for the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, that are comparable to the U.S. Geological Survey's 1:100,000 scale paper maps." My Mapsource is 1:100,000 also. I bought them a year ago. They are definately not 1:24,000. The Nat'l Geographic TOPO series I have are 1:24,000 and you can tell the difference. However, while that difference is nice to see on my 21" computer monitor, the larger (1:100,000) scale works just fine on my GPS (Garmin CS60). Becasue of the small screen, I never get down to full resolution anyway. THe Mapsource maps are fine for seeing where I am, and at overlooks, as an aid to understanding the geographic features I am looking at.
.... i hope to find a lite lap top to take. The lap top will allow me to down load pic and provide email serive as well as internet access. ..........The map tech software is hard to use but i have not found any thing better as of yet. .........I have an Averatec. It weighs four pounds, is WiFi compatible and has a CD Burner. Should be all you need on hte trail. The problem for you will be battery life.
I write a lot, and often write in shelters/tent, though not yet on the AT. I use an Alphasmart Neo:
http://www2.alphasmart.com/products/neo.html
It weighs two pounds and the 4 AA batteries have yet to be replaced after many trips and much use (well over two hundred hours of use so far - Alphasmart claims 700 hours. we'll see)
It is NOT a computer. It will record keystrokes, millions of them. You type on it just like a computer, and save your documents to files. THen you plug into a computer with a word processor running and hit SEND. The Alphasmart uploads all the keystrokes you entered and you end up with the same documents, now in a word file.
With a device like this, you could keep your electronic journal and bounce your laptop up the trail every couple of weeks. Then upload to the laptop your journal (and your photos from your camera, do your internet thing, and march on after sending the laptop a couple weeks up the trail again.
Or you could invest in extra batteries for you laptop and carry it with you.
If you do a one or two week section hike between now and 2006, it will quickly become apparent to you what your best option is.
Good luck, and let us know how everything works
" bounce your laptop ", this phrase makes me cringe
I just got a CompactFlash GPS for my iPAQ Pocket PC. Sweet, very sweet.
With this rig I've got a GPS, 640x480 VGA color display, WiFi, Bluetooth (can connect with a cell phone), e-mail, Word, Excel, MP-3 player, etc., etc. All for about 8 oz. For an additional 1.5 oz. I have an adapter that will let me run on AA's.
The real kicker is that for $20.00 to Maptec you get a basic mapping program along with FREE downloads of ALL of the topo and nautical chatrs for the whole US !!!! Almost too good to be true. They even have the AT maps organized for easy download by states. Another $30.00 to DeLorme (or others) buys detailed street maps for the whole country, along with about a million "points of interest".
A happy camper,
Wastrel