jmason4531

Here's what I'm looking for. I haven't found it yet, but maybe you have and can steer me in the right direction. 3.5" or larger color TFT VGA with 640x480 resolution display (for old, tired eyes!) Removable, high capacity battery (minimum 9 hour duration) Card slot(s) for expansion If receiver is separate from the display, connectivity achieved wirelessly Ability to display vector over raster maps Render ESRI shapefiles and Geo TIFFs created by user (I want GeoTIFF capability so that I don't have to georeference images myself) Layering so that display can be switched between vector and raster images Control of shapefile layers like is available in ArcMap software What I think I'm describing is a (ruggedized) PDA with a Bluetooth GPS receiver. What I haven't found is the "perfect" software to bring it all together. ArcPad gets close, but it is geared for GIS work, not navigation. Not to mention that it is bloody expensive! And the application builder software to modify it is really expensive. The various screens available in something like the Garmin 60 series would be great (that is, map, signal strength, navigation, etc), just that I want to substitute a better and more diverse choice of map rendering. And a bigger display! Just for argument sake, let's say that price is of no concern. Ok, it is, but I'm interested to see what people might suggest. So that's the challenge. Your inputs would be appreciated. Jeff

Ohhhhh. Thanks. I'll give it a try tonight.

Hi, It seems that my Google Earth function in Mapsource is not active/available (menu item is greyed out). Can't figure out why. Any thoughts? I have a current Google Earth Plus account, with Google Earth installed on the PC. I have a very recent (if not the most recent) version of Mapsource installed. Thanks, Jeff

Thanks Pat. I'll give it shot. It appears that the app will only run when logged on with administrator privileges. It won't run under a more restricted user account, which is what I normally use. I'm going to contact DNR to see what they say.

Thanks Pat. I'll give it shot.

Hmmm, what GPSr are you using? I have been using DNR with my 60C and 60Cx with no problems. Let's try this first to be sure you are set up correctly. In DNR, go to GPS/Set Port/USB. Other than that, perhaps check on DNR's website to be sure you have the latest version of 5.11 as of 10/6/2005. Thanks for the response. I'm using a 60Cx. I have latest NDRGarmin version. DNR is set to USB. Website did not solve the problem.

Hi, I'm trying to connect to DNRGarmin throught the USB port. I have set the port to USB, but there is no connection. (There doesn't seem to be any attempt to connect, but that's subjective.) USB port works fine with MapSource. Using latest GPSr software. Helpful advice would be appreciated. Jeff

Been there with the reradiating antenna. For what you are trying to accomplish, I'd say don't bother. The reradiating scheme only works if the built-in antenna can not receive any signal and the external antenna is mounted with a view of the sky. Otherwise, the two antennas each receive satellite signals, actually degrading performance due to multipath. Forced me into buying a receiver with an external antenna connector. Receivers that have connections for external antennas disable the built-in antenna when the external antenna is plugged in.

Unit was sold today.

Ok, let's try $225 OBO (within reason). UPS Ground shipping within CONUS included at this price.

New price: $250.

Stomper, See my PM to you.

I just upgraded, so I have this unit for sale. Unit purchased new in Sept 2004. Never dropped. Condition is like new (no scratches) and comes with belt clip, lanyard, PC/USB interface cable, manual, quick start guide and MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager. $280 (Shipping is included in price.) Payment: Paypal

I had an eTrex Legend. I too had poor reception in the woods. I tried an external reradiating patch antenna, but to no avail. I replaced the Legend with a 60C. I now use an external patch antenna (available from several sources) that I put in a "hidden" pocket on top of my Trimble baseball cap. Doing so provides an unobstructed view of the sky. The antenna is not noticable except fot the wire running down the back of my neck. I have to admit it's somewhat geeky looking, and I catch a good deal of good-natured ribbing from my wife, but it's worth it because the reception is good, even under canopy. I can log a hike in the woods that later review will show few dropouts (but I can manage a max walking speed of over 30 MPH, the obvious result of a dropout!).

Hi, I'm thinking about the topic combination of components to use as a mapping GPS receiver. (I currently use a Garmin 60C, but I don't like the Garmin maps.) Does anyone have any experience with this combination? In particular, I'm interested in the battery life of the PDA part of the setup. I think 6-7 hour duration between charging is the minimum needed for my purposes. Is this realistic? Thanks for your help, Jeff

The ability to add trails to Mapsource maps. More generally, the ability to edit Mapsource maps.

Reradiating antennas only work if the internal antenna is not receiving a signal. Otherwise, the receiver is processing signals from two sources, which degrades overall performance. This subject has been hashed over many times in this forum. I suggest you do a search to review those discussions.

Trimble makes a baseball cap with a built-in pocket on the top of the cap in which an external patch antenna can be placed. An antenna in the pocket is very inconspicuous, with only the antenna lead showing down your neck. I have used this set-up and had very good reception while hiking under fairly dense canopy. Here is a URL to an online store. $20 for the cap + shipping http://store.elecdata.com/trimble/ce_cap.aspx

PC-Mobile sells a re-radiating external antenna. It uses a wire loop strapped to the GPSr cover in the area of the internal GPSr antenna to re-radiate the signal received from an external antenna. My personal experience was that it didn't work well if the internal GPSr antenna could still receive signals. I was sufficiently disappointed that I upgraded to a GPSr that had an external antenna connector. However, others were apparently more successful with this re-radiating antenna concept. So, as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

Hi, Sorry if this has been asked before (although I couldn't find it if it was). Is there any way to turn on the backlight without displaying the Backlight Adjustment slider? Can't find an answer in the manual. I just want the backlight, and not wait for the slider to go away before I can see the entire screen! Jeff

Precision can also refer to the number of significant digits used to record a value, which infers the smallest unit of measure that your measurement device can resolve. But your device may be out of calibration, so the measurement may be inaccurate. So as you point out, precision is independent of accuracy. The "accuracy" provided by GPS receiver is more like precision. Accuracy is an estimate based on DOP and modeled, not measured, atmospheric and other conditions. The receiver will provide a highly precise position readout, but that position may be in error by more than the stated "accuracy" due to modeling errors and multipath. I think we've all seen this in practice.

An external antenna stuck to the roof (by the built-in magnetic mount) will provide an unobstructed view of the sky and enable reception from all but the lowest satellites. Using a large number of satellites will provide better estimated position accuracy. There are less expensive alternatives to the Garmin antenna, such as the GAST3X from pc-mobile.net. The patch-style external antennas seem pretty generic in their performance, so I don't think you can go wrong with whichever supplier you choose. Just make sure that the antenna cable has a MCX connector.

Sold. This thread is closed.

Less than 5 months old, used only a couple of times. Mint condition, with original packaging, manuals, and serial cable. Plus I'll throw in the belt clip accessory. All yours for $130; I'll pay for shipping in CONUS. Purchase of 60C is reason for sale. Email if interested. Jeff jmason4531@earthlink.net

You can upload your track into DeLorme TopoUSA and produce an elevation plot that annotates the horizontal axis in miles. Of course, the elevation data is derived from DeLorme, not data measured by your GPS receiver. Jeff