GPS Units

[selbbub78 0]

I need Help!!! I'm looking at buying one, but don't know anything about them. Basicly I want something for finding lat/long. points. What are some of the good ones out there? I've heard Magellans are better than Garmins? I'm clueless (what else is new), can anyone help me? And what brand do you guys recommend!!!

CReW SKies,

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[Hooknswoop 19]

What, exactly, are you going to be doing with it? There are a lot of brands and models that do different things. They all tell you lat/long.

Derek

[selbbub78 0]

Basicly, I'm looking for one that I can use in searching out cave locations via lat/long. points. I want something that is able to save routes, save points (obviously), show maps and show locations with good accuracy.

CReW Skies,

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[Hooknswoop 19]

Go to: http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/# and click on "New eTrex® Family Showcase". It'll show you the different units and you can find the one that fits your needs.

I have the Etrex Vista. It includes a barametric altimeter and magnetic compass. I can also download and upload to my laptop, including showing my current position on the screen over very detailed topo maps.

Sounds like you don't need all that and get get one of the other models. PM flyangel2, she has the Gecko, which is very light and inexpensive, but full of features.

Derek

[BillyVance 34]

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Basicly, I'm looking for one that I can use in searching out cave locations via lat/long. points. I want something that is able to save routes, save points (obviously), show maps and show locations with good accuracy.

CReW Skies,

Why not ask Mike Lewis? He has one that he uses on some of the CRW big ways...

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[selbbub78 0]

thanks i'll check that stuff out. appreciate it!
CReW Skies,

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[chuckbrown 0]

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Basicly, I'm looking for one that I can use in searching out cave locations via lat/long. points. I want something that is able to save routes, save points (obviously), show maps and show locations with good accuracy.

CReW Skies,

Why not ask Mike Lewis? He has one that he uses on some of the CRW big ways...

I'm pretty sure he has the Vista, too. It has a jumpmaster program on it, as well as a glide path/glide path to destination function.

Bubbles, I'm sure you know that GPS doesn't work IN the caves.

[flyangel2 2]

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PM flyangel2, she has the Gecko, which is very light and inexpensive, but full of features.

I love my GPS, and haven't even worked out all the features it has to offer.

BTW Hook, we need to set up an evening at your place so you can show me how to download my routes from the software I got.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[Hooknswoop 19]

OK, or the mini-brewery again

Derek

[selbbub78 0]

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Bubbles, I'm sure you know that GPS doesn't work IN the caves.

No, you're kidding me... they don't???

Believe it or not, sometimes finding them can be almost impossible.... Thanks for the advice guys.

CReW Skies,

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[freeflir29 0]

I have a Garmin GPS Map 76S that I use at work here in Iraq. I'm not a huge fan of GPS's. All I really use it for is to know where I am standing right now. I use a map to navigate. However, it has MANY cool features including moving map. Eats batteries kinda fast though. Maybe 2 hours on 2 AA's.

[ajmclean 0]

Garmin has it over Magellan. I've owned both (both work good) but Garmin is the champ. I have the Legend (minus the compass that the Vista has- I use my Suunto for that). Lightweight, easy to use. I prefer the monochrome screen as the newer ones with color are very hard to see in bright sunlight. And the monochromes are CHEAPER!
Hope this helps.

Mack The Knife
"IT IS SAID THAT THE WARRIOR'S IS THE TWOFOLD WAY OF PEN AND SWORD, AND HE SHOULD HAVE A TASTE FOR BOTH WAYS." MIYAMOTO MUSASHI, A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS.

[shropshire 0]

I use a Garmin Vista connected to my PDA, when flying my Paraglider.... Damned fine unit... takes loads of abused (gets dropped regularly and still works)...
I also use it hiking, where it works well under resonably dense tree cover
The model has been updated recently and now has a colour screen and longer battery life..... Jane if you read this I NEED one for Christmas .....Hint..Hint

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[JohnRich 4]

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Eats batteries kinda fast though. Maybe 2 hours on 2 AA's.

Yes, my Garmin Etrex does that too. I start with a fresh pair, and keep an extra pair in my backpack. And I only turn it on if I absolutely have to, to check my position, then I turn it back off again. That makes the batteries last much longer, and most of the time I only need spot checks, if that. A good topographical map compliments the GPS unit.

At a good outdoor store you can get a special ruler that allows you to extrapolate and plot lat/long points onto/from topo maps.

[skycat 0]

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Eats batteries kinda fast though. Maybe 2 hours on 2 AA's.

Yes, my Garmin Etrex does that too. I start with a fresh pair, and keep an extra pair in my backpack. And I only turn it on if I absolutely have to, to check my position, then I turn it back off again. That makes the batteries last much longer, and most of the time I only need spot checks, if that. A good topographical map compliments the GPS unit.

At a good outdoor store you can get a special ruler that allows you to extrapolate and plot lat/long points onto/from topo maps.

Get the Energizer lithium AAs they last well over 6 hours and do not loose power in the cold. Only thing we use besides rechargables in our electronic toys.

Fly it like you stole it!

[LouDiamond 1]

Depending on what features you deem to be important you could easily choose the Foretrex series which you can wear on your wrist or go for the Etrex Vista. The garmin GPS III and V are also very good units albeit more expensive but they can accomodate external antennas where as the others cannot.

The Gecko 101 is unable to be downloaded via PC but the 201 and 301 models can. Another thing to take into consideration when comparing receivers is onboard memory for the storage of maps and data. This is important if you plan on downloading information to a PC or logging software at a later date.

As for Lat/Long, you can choose which coordinate system the receiver displays via the setup screen/field. Unless you're used to navigating over land using Lat/long I would recommend you use either MGRS or UTM as it is widely used on maps used for ground navigation and more importantly, it is easier to do in the field than Lat/Long.The great thing about GPS is that you can do all of your navigating via MGRS/UTM and when you get to your point you can change the GPS setup to Lat/Long to either log it or compare it to coordinates you may have in lat/Long.

All of the units I mentioned above I personally own and use quite often for ground navigation and skydiving as their size and functions are suited to either. The jumpmaster program is of no use to civillian skydivers as it is set up specifically for Military static line and/or HALO operations. It figures for release points, canopy glide etc, far different than what skydive operations fly over their DZs. That program does what we in the military have been doing for years via long hand ciphering with pencil and paper prior to jumping.

The other plus of using garmin is that pretty much all the popular mapping software out there is set up to work with Garmin units right out of the box. More advanced software programs operate with many different manufacturer models but require a bit more tweaking and usually appeal to niche markets. In your case, plotting cave mouth entrances you could possibly be using more specific mapping software depending on how much detail you want.

You can save a lot of battery power and prolong battery life on most receivers by turning features you don't have to have off. Such items as the electronic compass, backlight,etc can eat up a lot of battery power in a short period. Refer to the users manual for specifics for turning those features off and how to prolong battery life. I have used my Garmin Etrex vista for close to 72 hours without turning it off on the same set of batteries. Some units also allow you to designate what type of batteries you are using, so pay attention to what type you are using and if your receiver allows you to match the receiver to the batteries being used.The Foretrex is one such model that does this.

There is a lot of good info out there on GPS receivers and I devoted an entire chapter to it in my book, Skyflying Wingsuits in Motion, since it has such a wide application especially in sport skydiving. If you need some websites to look at the differnet receivers or where to order them from let me know and I can send you the links.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[seekfun 0]

If you're buying one that you will eventually carry into the caves with you--which I assume you will be--get one that is waterproof. We all know that caves will soak your gear.

Also, never rely on the GPS as your sole means of navigating, though I think someone mentioned this already. Be proficient with a map and compass, and carry them as well--not the digital compass in your GPS--because some day you'll need them.

Someone mentioned earlier two important things which I'd like to confirm as true--in my opinion:

Thing 1: navigating with map and compass is easier than with GPS. GPS is best used on occasion to CONFIRM your position.

Thing 2: When using the GPS, navigating with either UTM or MGRS is far easier than using Lat/Lon.

I've navigated many hundreds of miles of Canadian wilderness and the GPS spent 99.99999% of the time in my camera bag. My map and compass, however, were always out.

Final note: 2 point resection can get you out of a jam even when your GPS's batteries are dead.

TTFN,

topher

"...there is a there out there..." - Tom Robbins

[freeflir29 0]

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2 point resection can get you out of a jam even when your GPS's batteries are dead.

Valid point................but I have been in many places that you couldn't resect anything besides trees that were 50yds or less away.

[rdesilets 0]

I just picked up the eTrex Legend C. I just love it. I also purchased the mapping software as part of the auto kit (I can run power from my car when cruising around town). The battery lasts for about 36 hours, a new feature of the legend C.

I mounted it on my jet ski as I also use it to navigate around all of the lakes in Austin. Attached is a view of the unit mounted on the ski. I also use it to "track" my routes so I can see where I rode, etc.

The Legend "c" is a reasonably new color unit which has many great features such as auto routing, etc.

It retails for $299 at Best Buy, however I got it at tigergps.com for $209. They were the best prices I could find.

See attached photos. Let me know if you need more info. I pretty much know it inside and out now, but it took me about 5 times reading the manual (and mastering a new feature each time)..

Edit: Can't seem to upload the photo, maybe image size is too large..

[BillyVance 34]

If you can edit the photo by reducing thr size to less than 100 kb, you'll be able to upload it...

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[JohnRich 4]

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2 point resection can get you out of a jam even when your GPS's batteries are dead.

Valid point................but I have been in many places that you couldn't resect anything besides trees that were 50yds or less away.

Yep. And the opposite extreme is out in the desert, when the nearest landmarks are mountains 10 miles away - the error factor there really gets magnified.

That's when pulling out your GPS can save your ass.