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njrich

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Everything posted by njrich

  1. Where can one acquire the datacard memory for the StreetPilot Deluxe other then Garmin. I looked high and low for a data card and it seems like it is a Garmin only product. Anyone know who makes the card or other vendor part number?
  2. Thanks to sharpshutr and his information about the magellan rebate for meridian and mapsend. I have been approved today by calling wheresmyrebate.com to question them about my denied rebate. They asked me for the meridian UPC code again and said "we will approve". I guess they are having many problems with this rebate. No later then 45 minutes Tammy Pedrosa from Magellan called me and said fax her the paper work. So I figured this cannot hurt my rebate refund. So I faxed those off just for safety sake. I salute sharpshutr for his e-mail to me again! Here is the info from wherethehellismyrebate.com The status detail for the selected rebate is displayed below. Name: XXXXXX XXXXXXX Rebate ID: XXXXXXX Product: MAGELLAN SPORTRAK/MERIDIAN REBATE Retailer: FRYS Purchase Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 Rebate Amount: $50.00 Type: Cash Rebate Status: Rebate Submission is Approved Expected Mail Date: Monday, May 12, 2003 Reason Rejected: NA Bottom line is call where the hell is my rebate .com and I think they will approve you if you were denied. Also it looks like 12 weeks to get a rebate .I don't know about this but it seems a bit long to me.
  3. quote:Originally posted by 01ROVER:Now, just grab yourself one of those small laptop portable printers from HP and you are really set. Imagine being able to print out a topo map of an area before you head off with the handheld gps for hiking. Also, think of all the other things that may arise that you can print on the go. When staying overnight at a hotel room, you can print internet pages if you log in. Anyway, glad you found a setup that works for you. You are definately right, once you load a bunch of map data into a gps it usually seems to slow down. Good luck and enjoy, Greg Funny you mentioned that. I think my wife or friend said that too. I don't want to turn this into the Bat Mobile
  4. Well after a few days of testing and making a descision here is what I decided: The laptop is the way to go for us for travel. Tried the Garmin products (V and StreetPilot III Deluxe). The SP III deluxe is ok but the processing time for data is to slow for me. The Garmin V, well we did not use it. To small and I prefer the meridian over it only because of the use of SD cards, larger screen and I would have to think the processor in it has to be slower then the SP III deluxe. But I can see why people own the Garmin V for hiking, biking and caching. Nice small footprint device and auto-routing. What I did find out about these GPS devices is the processor speed and antenna. The more data you put into the GPS the slower it runs (like an old X88 computer) and also the built in antenna in these devices really does have to have a clear line of sight. After spending 3 days of testing and driving around I found for my use (travel) that you cannot beat a laptop setup with external GPS antenna. With the help of my friend we made a make shift bracket from a ex-police car laptop holder and off we went. First off 15 inches of screen is like seeing again. We used Delorme's topo maps and the meridian as our reciever to test and I can honestly say for travel you cannot beat this setup. Once I get a external antenna under the advice of a x-ham radio operator my system should run even better as far as tracking and response is concerned. Ordered 2 laptop mounts from RAM and researching on the external GPS antenna. So there you have it! After buying, testing I ended up with a laptop setup. May even try a PDA once they get the screen size up in size a bit more. I even went as far as timing the setup, startup of the laptop and found that it only takes 3 more minutes to run as compared to grabbing a GPS handheld, pluging it in, turn it on, etc. I consider this not to bad. Plus I can have all the maps loaded in the laptop and also have other intended uses for it at the same time. And for everyday use? Well I got the good old Meridian for hiking, caching and what have you.
  5. I agree with you about the 176C. It will not fit the bill for me. Picking up the SP III deluxe tommorow. Will give feedback on it. If all else fails I will go back to square 1 (laptop) setup . The e-mail is working now.
  6. Thanks again for the input Fizbot and Rover! Rover I looked at the pictures, very nice setup. And Fizbot that link has me really thinking now. I think by the end of the week all will be sorted out. Many thanks!
  7. Thanks again for the information on the links! Super! I think this weekend and forth coming days I will take a deep breath and really go over this stuff. I do take note on the screen size too of the Garmin V. With me and Mrs. we need a larger screen and thus have to pay the price for this. I also will look into the 176 you mentioned. Let me get cracking and pour over all the information.
  8. I want a auto-routing GPS for travel not caching. I have a Meridian for caching. The only thing with the Garmin V for me is the memory and maybe the size of the unit (display). I don't plan on taking the Garmin StreetPilot out of the car. I guess I will look and try the StreetPilot III. If I don't like it I'll return and get the Garmin V.
  9. Glad you told me that. The more I check into this the more I'm inclined to get the Garmin StreetPilot III or V. Thanks!
  10. Thanks Rover. I have that gut feeling I might end up going with a Garmin V or StreetPilot III Color as my first notion. Went to car and just started to play around with where to setup the laptop. What I thought was lots of room is now a different story. I think on a long trip it would not be bad but for everyday driving I don't think so. Wife asked me, "so where do I sit?" I answered "I'm working on it " Long story short I think I will end up with one of the Garmin auto-routing units. Shame though because I think a laptop with a 15 inch screen is the way to go. But then again I don't think the Mrs. will like pointing the laptop at me while we travel.
  11. Again thanks everyone for your information. Off to Wal-mart I go to buy a inverter and try this setup. Will report in a few days on how things worked out.
  12. All right then! Where is a decent price place to buy a inverter or device for my laptop. I have plenty of room in my van and SUV for a laptop setup. Matter of fact a friend of mine is going to acquire a laptop holder for automotive use for me. He works as a claims adjuster and drives a Corlla with a laptop and printer in his car! But he is not to tech on how the electrical part works to power these devices.
  13. Thanks for the advice to all. I think I got the idea now. Another question, what mode does my meridian go into when it is plugged into the laptop to do real time tracking? Meaning what setting do I use on the meridian.
  14. I have a laptop that I like to use to do auto-routing. I need some feedback on software and what antenna is recommended for this type of setup. Basically I would like to this right the first time. I looked at Garmins V and SteetPilot +++ deluxe and I think I can do it cheaper with my laptop. Also I do have a Meridian (Yellow) for caching can the software that would be recommended work with the above too if possible? Yes I'm a newbie [This message was edited by njrich on February 27, 2003 at 03:36 PM.]
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