Overland1

My wife got that for me for Christmas, and it (EarthMate) is a definite winner...... very sensitive and works great with Street Atlas 2004; the package price is reasonable, too. The program takes some time to become accustomed to all its capabilities, but it has been a great performer on the road.

Gee, I thought it was named for that other explorer.....Ferdinand Garmin . I love this place.... the amount of really good info and trivia is better than any other GPS sites...... never seen a question go unanswered.

I just did it again last evening; we went to grab some dinner north of Syracuse and the trip is about 60 miles each way. Once we arrived at home, the Vista indicated it had lost satellite reception, and the stats were amazing: Trip Odometer - 1194 mi. Moving Time - 2:46 Stopped - 20:25 Odometer - 01193.96 Max Speed - 2796 mph (Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!) Moving Avg. - 430 mph Overall Avg. - 383 mph I didn't think the Jeep would go quite that fast.... must be the cold air temperatures .

My Vista has been pretty good, although it had a problem with unuaually high speed readings on a few occasions, along with showing gross errors in location. I called Garmin, sent it in, and they replaced it under warranty. No problems since then. Last evening, I tried using it on the way home from work; the outside temp was -9 F. After a brief warmup inside the Jeep, it worked fine, although the display was a bit sluggish at first. After a few miles of driving, and the inside temp rising to probably 25 F, the display moved along as normal. I think you will enjoy the Vista. Mine goes with me just about everywhere. Even my wife plays with it when we travel .

Just got a DeLorme EarthMate for use on trips, and am still using the Vista on foot, bicycle, and motorcycle, as well as for local/area use in the Jeep. I will let the new 60CS run for a while on the market before considering a change of portable GPS receiver...... I do not want to be among the first owners of one, although Garmin's track record has been very good so far, so it may be worth the temptation.

Go with DeLorme if you want an easy (true plug & play) setup. While not readily suited to really portable use (like an eTrex), it offers a great way to travel with a great GPS and using a large screen for map/data display. I have been using their Street Atlas and TripMate GPS unit for several years and have yet to find any problems with either the program or the GPS. Another advantage of the laptop/GPS setup is that you can do other stuff while navigating. When on the road, driver and navigator can do other useful stuff on the computer, such as studying ACLS . The better news (for me, anyway) is that my wife, the lovely and gracious (JeepChick) Sherry, gave me a DeLorme EarthMate GPS to use while traveling. I will be testing it during the next few days on trips around the area. The TripMate will be available for sale soon. Street Atlas 2004 appears to be an improvement over the SA 2003; seems to run smoother and has a bunch of new data as well.

I have not planned on ordering one (yet ), but after they are out there for a while, I may consider one. My Vista is less than a year old and works really well, so I would need more of an incentive to upgrade. On the other hand, if I were to see and try one for a short time, I could probably be convinced to pry open the wallet .

While you are considering the various GPS receivers, consider the eTrex Vista. It is much like the Legend, but has more memory. This could be handy if he (you?) want to travel and load maps for specific areas into the GPS. The 24-MB capacity of the Vista will hold a lot of data, and I use mine on the road a lot because of that. The prices on the Vista are not much more than the Legend. Depending on your budget, either would be a worthy choice. Or.................... you could just spend a few hundred more and get him the GPS Map60CS .

Ditto on the Vista! I have had mine since early this year; replaced and ICOM GP-22 with it and have been very happy. There was a problem with losing reception that caused some strange displays and readings (i.e., 1229 MPH in a 6-cyl Jeep), but Garmin replaced the uint under warranty. The new one works perfectly so far. The "lockup" thing is something that I noticed occasionally on the first Vista, but the replacement does not seem to have that problem (yet). Whenever it happened to me, it was when using the click-stick and the screen change buttons in rapid sequence. If I do the same sequences at a slower speed, there is no problem (yet). I would buy another one without hesitation, although the GPS Map60CS is another that I would consider.

Check out one of these: from StarTech.com. I tried the Belikn (which the Garmin rep told me "may or may not work") and it did not work for sending map files to the eTrex Vista. Once I connected uring the PC Card -> Serial adapter (pictured above), all is working well. The Garmin rep said that using a "real" serial port (as opposed to a USB-Converted one) will work every time. The StarTech adapter can be bought for about $62.00 (shipped). I had considered a more expensive adapter, but figured that, for the price, I would first try the StarTech.

Resolution Assistant???? Where do they get these names from anyway? As for the Serial Adapter, some will work with the eTrex units and some will not. I tried the Belkin adapter that I use to program my Yaesu VX-7R with, and it would not do the Garmin thing. I then picked up an adapter from StartTech.com (PC Card -> Serial) and it works perfectly.

OK.... here is an update on my experiences with Serial Port adapters: Before paying more than $150.00 for the Quatech PC Card-->Serial adapter, I did more searching and found something similar from StarTech.com; it is their CB2S650 CardBus 32-bit adapter, which includes a dual-port detachable cable. The best price I could find was from Page Computer ($63.02 shipped), so I ordered one shortly after posting my above post. Three days later, the part arrived and I installed it as COM1 and COM2 within a few minutes (the poorly written manual is a worthless 5.5x8.5" folded paper that provides little valuable information, so I just plugged in the device and let it load the drivers from the enclosed CD-ROM). I am using Windows XP Home on a Sony VAIO FRV37 notebook computer. I first tested it with my Yaesu VX-7R on COM1 using the VX-& Commander program; read and write operations went flawlessly after slowing the Xmit and Rcve buffers (this is OK and normal for the VX-7 program). Next, I connected the Vista via the combination 12VDC/Serial cable to the device's COM2 port. Reading from the GPS to MapSource was a fast and simple procedure (which worked before with the Belkin adapter as well). Sending a large (23.5 MB) file to the Vista worked equally well, although writing takes considerably longer than reading. This is $63.02 very well spent, and I am pleased with the device.

I disagree. While the 2160 looks to be an amazing machine, the fact that it only works in the car is a major drawback, IMHO. With my V I can take it hiking or caching, but you can't do this with the 2160 as it does not operate on battery power. How about with one of these? It would a bit bulky (2 lbs.), but the battery is a 4 amp-hr NiMH... not bad for under $100.00.

I also have a TripMate, which I will soon offer for sale because I will be getting a new USB EarthMate (along with the StreetAtlas 2004 software, as a package..... maybe a Christmas package?????). First, the TripMate has been a great receiver which has never let me down. I installed the jumper to allow running it from a 12-volt DC source after tiring of supporting the Energizer Bunny for several years. Running a cigar-lighter 'Y'-adapter to run the unit and the laptop, I was never out of power (nor satellite range). I now have a Sony VAIO FRV-37, which requires almost 20 VDC, so the AC adapter is a must while on the road. I have connected this to an inverter and all works well; the 'Y' adapter will no longer be necessary because the TripMate will be powered from the USB line. The advantage of having a separate hand-held GPS (Vista) and the TripMate/laptop setup is that they can be used simultaneously at different locations. If my wife wants to use the laptop to locate something (or somebody) during a SAR operation, I can be on foot, bicycle, or motorcycle with the Vista. One must decide whether or not the handheld and the laptop GPS receivers need to be used separately. The disadvantage, as stated above, is the higher cost of having two receivers.

UPDATE: I spoke with the one of the peeps at Garmin, who offered some suggestions, but acknowledged that they may (or may not) work. The first was changing the device to COM1 (or 2), which did not help. I also turned off some of the running stuff (in the background) and that did not help. She said that some USB-->RS232 adapters work better than others, but that the problem lies with the time needed to create an index, then send maps to the Vista. One method that she said works every time is to use a "PC Card" Serial adapter (i.e., Quatech or similar) because that creates a "real' serial port, rather than converting from USB to RS232. She said she has never heard of any problems using that method. She also added that Garmin's converter is a bit expensive, although I do not know what they sell for. The Quatech units are about $150.00, but appear to be quite solid and reliable; not sure if I will spend the money for one of those yet. Awwww, what the heck.... I have already spent money on the Vista and the VAIO.... what's another $150.00?

I have the Belkin F5U-109 (USB->Serial) and it works with everything bu the Vista. I can read data from the Vista to the Sony VAIO, but not from the laptop to the Vista. The F5U-109 is said to be Belkin's latest and greatest, but this is really a pain. I have adjusted the flow rates without success. The device is COM4. Any help is appreciated.

Update: I sent the unit in as recommended by Garmin, and they replaced the unit. The new one seems to be more sensitive with accuracy reading in the mid-teens more frequently. They said in their note that it was not picking up satellites reliably.... must be they duplicated the problem or were aware of it anyway (I sent it in without resetting the data). I plan to do more testing with the Vista to see if the problem is now corrected, or if, as explained above, it still may occur again. More to follow as results are available.

A few months ago, while driving on I-90 from Geneva, NY to Rochester, NY, I noticed my Vista was displaying abnormally high speeds and distances, as well as showing me as being near Worcester MA . This happened again yesterday morning near the same location of the previous occurrence. I eventually powered the Vista down and back up, and it worked OK afterward, but the Max Speed displayed was 1229 MPH. The Distance showed >600 miles for a 250-mile trip, and the map (before I turned it off and on again) showed me as being near Lockport, NY. I called Garmin and their rep advised me to send it in under warranty for diagnosis and repair. The firmware is at the latest level, and the map is Mapsource 5 (latest update). One person suggested that the E-Z Pass system at the toll booth may have caused the problem..... any ideas on this? I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over.

This unit was sold recently.... thank you for your interest. I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over.

quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight:According to my GPS I'm next door in the shower with my neighbors wife............... I did a GPS track while mowing the lawn (GeoMowing) and one of the tracks showed me going across the street to the neighbor's house. The good news would have been that she is single; the bad news is that I am not . There are occasional errors that just seem to happen... the great mysteries of GPS. I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over.

quote:Originally posted by Terrahunt:I have a Garmin Venture and all I had to do was hook up the cable that comes with it. I use an old IBM 760el with Delorme Topo USA 3.0. Most people dont like the delorme but Ive used it for my work as a directional driller and it works great. ............. I have the cables for that setup but have not yet tried that with my TP-760ED (that display is excellent!)... been using the TP with Street Atlas or Map 'n' Go and the TripMate receiver in the Jeeps with very good results for several years. I guess the Vista would be a better receiver and can be used with those DeLorme programs as well. Now I have to go out and try it . I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over.

Disable the HotSync manager by right-clicking its icon in the "toolbar" and then selecting "Exit". Then try the connection to the Vista again. I used to have this problem when using a Palm Vx and serial port. Since changing to a USB HotSync and m515, there is no problem. I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over.

quote:Originally posted by Artisticbean:I am in a similar position. I promised my 16 year old if he got a B in English. I would get him ones with a two way radio. He got an A......... When I read this, I thought it would end with, "so he didn't get a GPS." Seriously, I have the Vista, and like it. Not really expensive (compared with the Street Pilot III) and it does everything I need it to do. Someday, a SP2610 may be part of my setup...... The units with a FRS radio are neat as well, but you will want to carry several extra batteries with you for those as they have a relatively high current draw when transmitting. I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over. [This message was edited by Overland1 on August 29, 2003 at 03:58 AM.]

The differences between the features are what will probebly be the deciding factor. If you have the opportunity to try both types, that may make the decision a bit easier. Everybody has a personal favorite; mine is the eTrex Vista, simply because of its small size. I use it on foot, in the car, and on the motorcycle; it has performed very well and goes (seemingly) forever on a pair of batteries. My opionion may be a bit one-sided because my previous GPS was an ICOM GP-22. I also use a DeLorme TripMate and a ThinkPad on longer trips when I need mapping and routing. I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over.

I have noticed something similar when in my back yard under heavy tree cover; I also noticed that it has occasionally (when recovering from this) shon me as being several hundred feet from my actual location. When this occurs, it is only for a short time. I Roger your vector, Victor...... Over.