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Sidewinder_6

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Posts posted by Sidewinder_6

  1. I love my 12XL! I bought it back in 1999 for a little less than $200 because I was going to Kosovo. It is heavy but I have never had a major problem with it. The only problem in fact is that memory battery needs to be changed out. Even with the internal battery problem, it tracks satellites very well. In fact, it is better than my Legend under tree cover. I have never failed to find a geocache with it either (I found around 12 or 13 before upgrading to the Legend). I have even used both of them at the same time to see if I could get a more accurate reading when the signal seemed to bounce around. Just my two cents ;) .

  2. Just thought I would share an interesting experience with FRS radios. While I was in Kosovo, we operated in the mountains and used FRS radios for section communications. We know that they aren't secure but being 18 miles away from Camp Bondsteel we didn't think the head shed would hear us either. We were wrong :rolleyes: The morning after we set up our position we started hearing someone we thought sounded like our 1SG giving instructions to one of our maintenance people. We figured that there was a convoy on their way up to see us. After talking with him on FRS, he was still at CBS (18 straight, unobstructed miles away - measure on a map). Just about any time that we had line of sight between us and CBS, we could hear FRS radios very clearly. As long as we didn't have any mountians between us, we didn't need OE-254's (long antennas) either.

  3. Only hook the cables up to one battery - a lot of people think that the batteries produce 24v each but I have never seen anything written on them to indicate this. Military vehicles themselves (electrical/starters/glow plugs) run on 24v. I know that radar shelters for AN/TPQ-36 & 37 radars have regular western plug ins but I wouldn't want to plug anything with moving parts into them since they are putting out 400hz (the speed of the current fries motors and causes premature wear in electrical devices not designed to run at 400hz) even though the voltage is only 12 or 24. I am not an expert but even if the batteries put out 24v to the inverter, it shouldn't have any negative effect. My cousin is currently using the same set up in the sand box with the 4th ID and hasn't had a problem since he arrived! If I get there and find out that there is a problem with the setup, I'll simply make him regret ever being born - RHIP B)

     

    AGAIN: I am not expert on electronics and despite more mile/hours in military vehicles than I care to remember, I only break them, I don't fix them :unsure:

  4. What cable does the 60CS use for power and to connect to a PC? I was looking on their website and it looked like it uses the same cables that my 12XL uses. I know there is also a usb cable for it but it looks like I won't have to buy any more cables when I get my 60CS :mad: If anybody knows anything to the contrary, please destroy my hopes and dreams early! :D

  5. It sounds like your son is a little rough on gear! I know how it is which is why I use my 12XL for military ops. I carry it in an old magazine pouch on my pistol belt and have never had a problem. I have a Legend but it just doesn't seem as durable. I know that batteries are always hard to come by especially after everybody in supply takes theirs off the top! You might try these two items if your son patrols in a HMMWV or other vehicle. I suggest the inverter that hooks directly to a battery since military vehichles don't come with cigarette lighters :mad:

     

    http://www.gpscity.com/gps/brados/22157.1....48/accigadapter

    http://www.gpscity.com/gps/brados/22157.4....IGAC300INV.html

     

    I have ordered these for my upcoming trip to the sand box. I have delt with this company before and they are very quick to ship the order.

     

    Edited to correct my spelling :D

  6. I currently use three Krill lights. Paid for by my rich uncle whose name is Sam :D . I have blue, green and red. By far the most flexible light is green followed by blue. The red light is actually kind of pink. I was able to overcome this by wrapping a thin layer of red plastic around the lamp but its light output insn't very good for someone in the civilian world. I haven't noticed any decrease in light output from one set of batteries to the next in any light. Only when a battery is getting weak does the light output get weak. I have never killed a set of batteries in any of these lights because I change them out every time I go out. I don't know how long the light maintains an acceptable brightness on one set of batteries but I have used these lights over the course of 10 nights (roughly 1 to 3 hours per night) without the need to change the batteries. If I was going to buy these for myself to use for survival or marking in a non tactictal situation where I wanted to re-use the light, I would by a green light and my second choice would be blue. Chem-lights still have their use in situations where you would not need to recover the light source to use again

  7. The price is good right now while their taking preorders. I found one at $415 and another site that I actualy have done business with at $429. I don't know if their will be any better deal until something newer comes out unless they offer rebates farther down the line. It definitely has me thinking now :lol:

  8. GARMIN GARMIN GARMIN! Started with a 12XL for military use in 2000 just before I went to Kosovo :D . Last year, after a few months of geocaching, I bought a Legend. I have no regrets about either. The 60cs looks really good for a future purchase and if I hear back that the performance is good, I'm sure I'll get one. I don't think I will part with the other two though - its always nice to have a back up to the back up :D

  9. Where exactly did you disagree Team Madog?

     

    Having been in the desert I can understand the dependance on GPS for navigation between points although losing the signal at the gate is kind of interesting. Was it like that for the PLGR too?

     

    Soldiers do lose their basic map and compass skills as a result of PLGR use but it is avoidable with a balance of training. Besides, you can't call for fire using polar plot (range and direction from your locaton) if you don't have a compass or can't use it!

     

    Just out of curiosity Team Madog, what div are you with? I have associates in a Trans unit assigned to some Coscom unit in Kuwait right now.

  10. I have had the displeasure of operating the PLGR and the pleasure of operating my Garmin 12XL in some very interesting places. I prefer my Garmin for most applications! my Garmin is always quicker to get started - about 30 seconds most of the time and accuracy is reasonable. In Kosovo there was a 50 meter longitude difference all the time - never more, never less. This was fine for navigation and if neccessary calling for fire (never had to). For positioning our radar systems (Q36's), survey (82C for those that know) would use the PLGR to get within 3 meters (after a considerable amount of time) and then take over with M2 Aiming circles to give us an even more accurate position. Selective availability was turned on in Kosovo and we needed to "fill" our PLGR's to obtain decent accuracy. Without the "fill" my Garmin was more accurate.

     

    I didn't use the PLGR in Saudi Arabia but I did use my Garmin a little. Accuracy was very good but because I didn't use the PLGR to compare accuracy I couldn't tell if selective availability was turned on and I wasn't concerned about it at the time.

     

    The only advantages to the PLGR are the ability to "fill" the PLGR for accuracy (which you can't do with a civ model GPSr) or "fill" radios from the PLGR if you lose your frequency hopset (like when you accidently zero it out - oops). The PLGR has more than one use.

     

    Civ model GPSr's are only GPSr's (I don't trust electronic comapasses) which in most roles is good enough when combined with a map and compass. Considering the weight savings, I would rather hump with my Garmin than with a PLGR. If I figure out at the very least which 1,000 meter grid square I am in with a GPSr, I can find my six digit location (down to 100 meters) with a map and compass. That is good enough for a resupply, call for fire, and a checkpoint location.

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