Hey Gang,

Just wondering if anybody can recommend a nice gps unit for my truck.
Something compact, reasonably priced and easy to use.

Thanks

*****

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-Mar-02 AT 09:38 AM (EST)]RE_ Speed
Down here in AZ we have whole lot of open uninhibated places you can go with a 4x4 and I will never go off-road or exploring in my truck without it. There hacve been people trapped in the desert or the woods down here for days and almost weeks down here and to find out that all those days of being lost and walking they only walked in a big circle. A GPS handheld unit is all I carry in the truck and DON'T FORGET EXTRA BATTERIES FOR IT keep them in the glove box and a good charged up cell phone or a car charger for it
AS for a good cheap unit I got mine from Radio Shack for $125.00
it works fine and I believe all GPS's work basically the same I am not aware of any kind of limits on any of them but read the directions carefully and play with it for awhile until you get used to useing it

 

There are many GPS on the market. They all work the same way but just like any radio there are some that aren't as good as others. Some have built in map's and so on. You need to know what you need and how much you want to pay. Mine I can interface into my laptop and use it with Steat Atlas program. We use this for ploting pager sites. A gps is a great tool the biggest diferance in hand held units is how many birds it takes to lock and how many it uses to track after it is locked. Some of the other things you may want to look into as well is if you can use an outside ant.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-Mar-02 AT 10:32 AM (EST)]I was looking at the GARMIN GPS III.
If anybody has one, I would appreciate the feed back.
I would like to stay around $250 range. I was thinking I could score one on evilbay.


Thanks again.

*****

 

GPS units are nice but remember anything can happen. Carry a good topo map and compass and know how to use them. That way you can look that little gizmo in the display and tell it when it's lying to you. Besides most small GPS units only tell you where you are and which direction to go. The map will tell you if you actually can go. Of all the maps I have bought the plain old USGS ones are the best.

 

A few months ago I looked into getting one. The one I liked was the Magellan GPS 315. It's around $150 and has everything I need. From what I found, the more you pay, the more "toys" it has like pre-loded maps & stuff. You also get more memory for saving POI's and routes. However, I used my friends 315 for an entire weekend boating on the Mississippi and only used 20% of the memory available. When you get home, you save the data to your computer and clear the memory.

I was also lead to believe that the reception/accuracy is almost identical on all models, regardless of the cost.

If this info is inaccurate, please correct me.

Kevin K.

 

My first GPS receiver was a Magellan 2000. It worked OK for about a year then it just quit. I returned it and got a full refund and then purchased a Garmin GPS II+. Although it cost about twice as much as the Magellan, the Garmin was a big improvement in speed, sensitivity, accuracy, and features. I have had the Garmin for about 5 years now and it has never failed me. The only glitch it seems to have is the display light for night use sometimes flickers between different modes of brightness--more annoying than inconvenient.

I take my GPS just about everywhere: hiking, boating, snowmobiling, ultra-light airplane, and in the car/truck. It works great as a speedometer checker if you installed different size tires on your truck. With the MaxSpeed feature, I can also check how fast things go that don’t have a speedometer such as a bicycle, Go-Cart, R/C Car, or my dog chasing the neighbor’s cat (strapped it to his collar one day-he got up to 26MPH).

The GPS III+ you are considering is similar to my older II+ with the addition of a built-in map feature. There are newer receivers than the III+ now with features such as electronic compass, barometric altimeter, and WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System). What I wish my GPS had most was a way to charge the batteries without removing them from the unit.

As far as accessories go, I would recommend the following:
Rechargeable batteries; Nickel-Metal Hydride are a big improvement over the old Nickel Cadmium. GPS’s drain batteries quickly, rechargeables will save you $ in the long run. A set of alkaline for a backup would be a good idea also.
Cigarette lighter adapters are inexpensive and will save you even more $ if you expect to use it in your truck for long periods and at night when you will be using the display light.
Since the government canceled Selective Availability about 2 years ago, an aux antenna is not quite as necessary unless you are going to mount the GPS someplace other than next to the windshield. A GPS can receive through glass but not metal. Having an antenna on top of the cab will allow you to get satellites from all around you, not just in front. This will give you a more accurate position reading, especially altitude which is typically the least accurate reading.
If you are using paper maps, you will need a ruler and calculator to help pinpoint your position with the coordinates the GPS gives you.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-Mar-02 AT 00:07 AM (EST)]Garmin makes very good GPS's i've got a Garmin 195 for flying that i've used in my truck a couple of times too. its not really made for it though cuz it doesnt show all the roads. there are some however like the Garmin III that are made for driveing. i've played around with them some and they are very good. color and everything.

 

Thanks guys, very imformative!! I plan to use it mostly for highway driving but also if possible, I would like to take it along on my boat.
Im in Lake Erie with it, so it would be a nice addittion.


Thanks again...

*****

 

does anyone know a good one with road maps on it for cheap?

 

I've used several GPS receivers (Early Trimble, Garmin GPS 12xl, III+) and I really like my Garmin GPS III+. It has the mapping capability that many GPS units don't have, though with the small screen it is a little hard to read while driving.

It depends on what you want to do with it and how much you want to spend on accessories (sorta like a truck). If you already have, or plan to buy, a laptop, then there is no need for mapping, and you can do a lot more with routing, trip planning and such on-the-fly.

I think the best thing to remember about a GPS (without a laptop) is that they are great for telling you exactly where you are, but they are terrible at telling you where to go, or how to get somewhere. Pre-trip planning is the key to using a GPS wisely. Even the units with turn-by-turn (new Garmin GPS-V for example) need some pre-trip preparation.

Mark

 

I (G_ot P_retty S_toned) on B.C. green but that is now ancient history

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-Mar-02 AT 10:59 PM (EST)]I G_ot P_retty S_toned on B.C. Green in my Truck but that is now ancient history :+