user13371
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Posts posted by user13371
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Yes, this would be a fail for someone who wants lots of memory and/or an expansion slot - or for that matter, a color screen and custom maps. But getting the features they wanted for the target market into something that small meant leaving some things out.
For me it doesn't center on price or memory expansion -- I want to know how good a GPS it really is, in terms of reception and accuracy under varying conditio
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...Here is a link with all current Garmin GPSr that support paperless geocaching.
Interesting - that list leaves out the eTrex 10 even though it also supports paperless caching.
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...1,000 waypoints... (hhmmm can I squeeze in 20,000 caches into a watch!?!)...
Doubtful. The specs page says 20MB of memory. I figure you'll get between 500-1000 geocaches or POIs and around there you'll start getting "low memory warnings." Number you squeeze in will vary with how verbose the cache descriptions and logs are.
But in every other respect, this is a toy I would want. It may cost as much as a Montana but it's aimed at a different market. Compact, light weight, hands-free features would appeal to cyclists, hikers, the ultra-light backpacking crowd. Weight weenies, the whole lot of them...
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In spite of what I said earlier, the recently announced Garmin GLO does look interesting.
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Rethinking in light of a new product announcement... If the small screen bothers you, and you really want "do it all" capability, and you already have a smartphone that does MOST of what you need ... Put the phone in an Otter box, carry an external battery box (and lots of AA batteries, and buy THIS.
A tiny and accurate bluetooth unit that links with iOS and Android devices, supports GPS and GLONASS, offers 10x per second sampling rate... sign me up!
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No, I wasn't presenting that idea as a way to copy files to/from the GPS "in the field." Strictly for home use, and only helpful in a couple of scenarios:
- Folks who want to access their GPS from some Apple flavoured iThing.
- Or as I use it, I can plug my GPS into the router and access its data from any of the computers in the house without having to move anything else around.
Still, it could be a "field solution" if you had a pocket hotspot with an SD or microSD card slot. I agree it would be silly and expensive to buy "just" for geocaching - but those hotspots are useful on the road regardless.
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Yes, I've mentioned it before but I'll have to dig up the post ... (dig, dig, dig) ah, HERE it is. It does require file manager software on the iPhone or iPad. The one I mentioned in that old post might not be the best choice (a bit cumbersome, too many steps required to do simple things). But I haven't gotten around to trying out others.
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You can transfer files between your iPad and your GPS (or any other USB mass-storage device) if you have a wireless router at home that supports a USB port. Examples would be Apple's Airport Extreme and Time Capsule models, Linksys E1550-RM, D-Link DI-624S, others.
When I get home from any activity using the GPS, I plug the GPS into the USB port on my router -- and it shows up as a shared volume to every computer on my home network.
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ZC: I recently got an inReach (and the Earthmate App) and reviews are up on REI's website (hardware only) and iTunes (Earthmate app). If you get one, PM me before you activate it or subscribe to a service plan if you want some tips on using it just as a GPS in trial mode.
Bear in mind that while I agreed with the Cowboy's recommendation, it really depends on your needs. To me, the "gold standard" for geocaching is my iPhone 4 -- with my eTrex 20 for those times when I need to get a bit closer. And the iPhone already does the key thing you were after, various kinds of maps and the aerial imagery cached in apps like Gaia. If you're an Android user, you'd have to ask the Cowboy his favorite apps.
But -- having nothing to do with the GPS part -- if you need the inReach's messaging feature when out of cellphone range, there's nothing else for it.
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...when out of cellular coverage, the inReach unit's GPS will transmit your location by Bluetooth to the smartphone for display on the Earthmate app's mapping function.
Just to clarify, many (most? all?)) smartphones can still get a GPS fix when out of cellular coverage. The advantage of using the inReach for this is that it's a better quality GPS than most phones have -- and the batteries last a long* time, saving your phone's battery. That's assuming you turn OFF your phone's internal GPS and just leave on the Bluetooth connection to let the inReach do the talking.
On Android devices (like Cowboy's), the inReach can only feed GPS data to DeLorme's Earthmate app.
On iOS (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad), the inReach can feed GPS data to ANY app - so you can use your own favorite mapping/navigating/geocaching programs as well as DeLorme's Earthmate app.
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* YMMV. DeLorme advertises up to 120 hours on a pair of AA Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries. But that's NOT paired to any cell phone -- their benchmark is recording one fix/trackpoint every ten minutes. Over on DeLorme's user forum, one user who had it paired to his iPhone, and constantly constantly with the Gaia mapping app, found it "only" lasted 24 hours.
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Okay - for a change I'll throw in with the Cowboy
If the small screen bothers you, and you really want "do it all" capability, and you already have a smartphone that does MOST of what you need ...
Put the phone in an Otter box, carry an external battery box (and lots of AA batteries), download DeLorme's Earthmate app to your phone, and buy an inReach.
This will give you everything you asked for in your original post, with the bonus of being able to send & receive text messages even when you're out of cellphone range -- not just for idle chatter, but also to call for help if you need it.
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Well, if you wish to communicate outside of cell phone coverage
Well, he didn't actually ask for a that, but ... yeah, good point. Spend a lot of time out of cellphone range -- an inReach may be worth a look. As I said in an earlier note, that's just be one more factor to weigh.
I almost mentioned the DeLorme PN series myself (just for being able to load aerial imagery, not thinking of the inReach). But the OP really seems more interested in Garmin units and features, so I let the thought slip away.
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ZCoyote, I think you opened yourself up for trouble saying you wanted a "gold standard"
Everyone has their own idea of what's "THE BEST" and that's what you're gonna hear -- even if my best in't what's best for you.
If you're really just trying to decide betwene a 62 series and a Montana (both can load aerial imagery) you have to ask yourself which features matter to you. Biggest diffentiators are:
- Screen size
- Buttons or touchscreen
- Battery life and options
- Physical size and weight
- On the road navigation
Not one of those traits make either unit the gold standard; they're just factors to balance for suitability to tasks.
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Yeah, what he said
There are actually several bluetooth GPSRs that will work with iPod Touch and iPhone. But they're not cost competititve -- they come pretty close to the price of an entry level handheld unit (like the eTrex 10) and the latter will be more generally useful.
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Surprising the Dakota isn't listed on REI's site anymore. I wonder if Garmin is phasing it out soon. At the < $200 price point, you might also look at the Garmin eTrex 20.
Re the suggestion of being employed by REI marketing - I'm not, but I don't mind paying "full" price there for a few reasons.
1) It's never really "full" price. Anything that's not on sale ends up about 15% off from list price*. It comes back as points and dividends, but I shop there often enough to make it worthwhile. And sometimes the sales are even better. Even if I end up taking out my dividend in bike parts or comfy socks.
2) Two stores very convenient to me, one is near where I work; another near where I live. I can see and handle the products , ask questions. That's sometimes important.
3) Service and satisfaction guarantee can't be beat. I returned a bicycle for a full refund once after having it for over a year, because it didn't suit me anymore. I took back a GPS that had a cracked screen, and they gave me a new one on the spot.
I guess if the price difference for something was big enough, I might shop/research in an REI store and buy elsewhere online -- but I don't find that happens much.
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* 10% member rebate, 5% additional rebate for items purchased with their Visa card.
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39Steps, your experience matches mine. Though not to the degree some have noted -- the slower I'm moving, the less accurate the odometer distance is, and always underreported. This has been true to some degree of every GPS I've ever owned, several different models and brands, and I take it for granted.
I've always just assumed the odometer is "rouding down" the distance between each sample at 1 second intervals. At slower speeds (shorter distance between samples) it's more noticeable.
As I said, I take SOME under-rpoerting at low speeds for granted. It's jmore interesting to me that the OP has two similar models from Garmin that show such a striking difference along the same track.
I'd put money on that being a firmware issue - one being more up-to-date than the other.
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Wait, Suscrofa, you mean you're not going to blame the odometer problem on imperial/English measure rather than more sensible metric units?
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Interesting test: Put both GPSes in the same jacket pocket, reset the tripmeters at the start of the trail and see if they still differ notably at the end. A few percent would be normal due to noise and whatever
That's interesting for a different reason than comparing walking styles. Rather than "a few percent" difference, jamming to GPSRs into one pocket might render one or both of them wildly inaccurate. Depends on how good or bad noise rejection is - but in the past I've seen some that would bug out only when only a foot away from another unit.
I don't think the track log interval setting feeds back to the trip odometer in any wayI don't know if it does either; it's just something to test. More I think about it, I'm leaning more towards firmware differences. That whole "improvements at low speeds" deal they've incrementally been working on. I'm expecting the unit with the under-reporting odometer has older firmware.
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Some questions and thoughts:
1) Compare track settings on both models - are they the same? See page 7 of the eTrex 10 manual. Maybe the options of Auto, Distance, or Time might affect the accuracy of the recorded track and feed that back into the odometer reading.
2) To expand on something seldom_sn mentioned, Basecamp (or Google Earth) can give a more accurate idea of track length than the odometer does. That can tell you which one to believe (as can local knowledge). By your own after-action analysis, which device had a more accurate odometer?
3) Are both devices running the most current firmware?
4) Be careful whose advice you take. Would you trust someone who has posted an order of magnitude more messages complaining about his GPS than he has found geocaches? 'Tis a poor craftsman who blames his tools.
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Don't think you can go wrong with either of those options. But I also suggest you visit a store that carries both and see if you like the way the screens look (try to get the a chance to seem them in varied lighting, from dim to full sun) and how the touchscreen works for you versus buttons. It's not that one is better than the other - those details are very subjective and only you can decide what works for you.
If you have an REI near you, that's a good way to try before (and after) you buy. Even though you usually have to pay full retail, if you don't like something you can take it back for a full refund with no hassles.
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Team_tisri, sorry my reply rubbed you the wrong way. I didn't intentionally mean to offend by pointing out some stuff that seemed pretty straighforward from the OP. He "loved" his PN40 and lost it (it didn't break down on him). Recommending the next step up in the same product line or saving some $$ by looking for a similar model that was missing accessories seemed pretty reasonable to me.
Your own upgrade from one Garmin unit to another is not as big a shift as suggesting someone who loves DeLorme switch to a different brand altogether. And as he has since stated his budget is pretty limited, I still think a used PN- series would be a good fit.
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Some information on what sort of unit you're looking for and your geographical location might be helpful
OP stated he was using a PN-40 and loved it, gives an idea of what he wants. User profile and cache finds suggests West Virginia, USA as location. Good enough starting point.
DeLorme PN-60 would be closest comparable device in current production. If you know and love the PN-40, and already have an investment in software and accessories, this would be a good model to look at. Start at Amazon.com for typical pricing and use CamelCamelCamel.com for pricing history. And as you already have software, cables, and other goodies that came with the PN-40 (and they'll all fit the PN-60) - don't overlook used models on eBay. You might catch a deal on a used one that works but is missing the extras you already have.
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edit to add:
Search eBay for PN-40 http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=delorme+pn+40
And the PN-60 http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=delorme+pn+60
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to make sure I'm far enough away from existing caches to place a new one?
No software needed. Start with a pocket query of all the caches near your target. Go to the area you want to put yours. Set your GPS to list nearest caches in distance order -- if the closest is less than .1 miles of 528 feet, you MIGHT be good to go. But this WON'T tell you if the final stage of a multi or solution to a puzzle is within range, as those won't show up in your pocket queries.
...for those caches that ... requires you find a point some many feet from pt A and some many feet from point B?I hadn't thought of this one, but there should be a way to do it in the field rather than sitting in at home? I think a GPS that can do waypoint projection and maybe a pocket calculator would let you do it.
Are there really puzzle caches like that? A pair of overlapping circles will have two intersections -- so two possible solutions You'd have to use some additional logic to eliminate one of the possibilities.
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Sounds like a Windows problem. Works great on the Mac
Mac Garmin Help
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
The "wireless" feature of the Dakota 20 is for transferring data from things like heart rate monitors, bike computers, swapping data between other units. You'll still need to plug it into your computer to copy your pocket queries or other GPX files to/from the GPS.
"Chain stores" - if you mean physical, brick and mortar locations - vary widely but usually can't compete on price alone. Great way to get some hands-on sense of the equipment though. You'll find several opinions in these forums about which chain stores people like best (REI, Bass Pro, Gander Mountain, etc.) but the focus there will be customer service, opportunity to handle the merchandise before buying, stuff like that.