Using handheld in conjunction with car unit

[+ABBy Daytrips]

I accidentally put this on the Garage Sale page. I realize it is much better suited to this forum. So here goes again:

 

In another post someone suggested using a nuvi type car model to navigate to the general location, and then pulling out a basic handheld for finding the cache.

 

Does anyone game this way? How well do you like it? Do you ever wish you had just one GPSr, i.e. GPSMAP 60CSx?

 

We're still in the hunting for a unit stage and the choices, choices, choices....

 

We do want a navigating capability to assist with traveling out of state. It would even be nice for getting around St. Louis sometimes.

 

Thanks for the info you all post. What I've read so far has been very informative, and entertaining in some cases.

[+Lightning Jeff]

I do this, and like it. I have a 60CSx with City Navigator, but I prefer to use my Nuvi to get me to the "trailhead". In particular, I love the fact that, if I plan a bit, I can create a route with all the caches I want to visit, have it auto-sort it, and then I just drive from cache to cache letting it do the thinking in terms of where to go next and how to get there. That said, a 60CSx or Colorado with City Navigator will do just fine if you don't want to buy two units.

[+Chuy!]

You must have a fancier Nuvi; my 660 does not feature routing. It can do two at a time, but no more.

 

I find it odd that my handheld Vista HCx feature both tracks and routing (up to 50 routes I believe) but the two-times-the-cost Nuvi don't.

 

I also use two GPS'; however, both are Etrex. I generally use a Venture Cx to auto-route and my Vista HCx to route by line of sight. Occassionally, I'll use my work's Nuvi 660. It's nice and all, but my Taco's dash is small.

[+Barrettg]

You must have a fancier Nuvi; my 660 does not feature routing. It can do two at a time, but no more.

 

I find it odd that my handheld Vista HCx feature both tracks and routing (up to 50 routes I believe) but the two-times-the-cost Nuvi don't.

 

I also use two GPS'; however, both are Etrex. I generally use a Venture Cx to auto-route and my Vista HCx to route by line of sight. Occassionally, I'll use my work's Nuvi 660. It's nice and all, but my Taco's dash is small.

 

ABBY,

 

Similar to Lightning Jeff, I use a Garmin C340 to get me to the trailhead, parking lot, highway, road, or whatever other means of access I need to actually get to before the hunt for the cache. Once I'm parked, I then break out the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx and start the line of sight search.

 

As a helpful hint, when you are looking at a particular cache data sheet on geocaching.com, it generally includes a Yahoo map of the area in which the cache is hidden. In some instances you get both a general area map as well as a more precise location map. I study those for a second in order to know what address to enter in to my C340. Most times I enter the data in terms of intersections and it will get me very close to where I need to be and where I need to park. Sometimes more obvious than other times.

 

In some instances, when I've gotten to an intersection but I'm not quite to where I need to be, ie., the trailhead or whatever, I'll spark up the HCx and it'll give me more clues in terms of which direction I need to go.

 

Let us know how you make out.

[+Scooter38401]

Abby;

I also use this method. I use a Nuvi 200W to get me nearby and then either my DeLorme PN-20 or my GPS V to bring me to the cache. Sometimes the auto route will not pick the best choice to get near the cache, but as was suggested earlier, study the Yahoo maps before and you should keep those kind of things to a minimum.

Edited February 6, 2008 by Scooter38401

[O-Mega]

I found myself doing just that recently in Denver. I had loaded my 60 csx with the points but then discovered that there were other stops needed to log the find. It was much easier to use the TomTom to enter the coordinates into my favorites than to do the same into my 60 csx by hand. My TomTom did a great job of rerouting when I passed turns or found one-way streets.

 

It would be great to have blue-tooth or wi-fi access to pass coords back and forth between units. You listening Garmin??

[+Lightning Jeff]

It would be great to have blue-tooth or wi-fi access to pass coords back and forth between units. You listening Garmin??

This isn't necessary, at least with units that accept custom POIs. I load the same custom POI set of 10k+ caches onto both my Colorado and Nuvi 760. That makes it easy to route to the trailhead using the Nuvi, then go to the cache using the Colorado.

[O-Mega]

It would be great to have blue-tooth or wi-fi access to pass coords back and forth between units. You listening Garmin??

This isn't necessary, at least with units that accept custom POIs. I load the same custom POI set of 10k+ caches onto both my Colorado and Nuvi 760. That makes it easy to route to the trailhead using the Nuvi, then go to the cache using the Colorado.

 

Oh I have my Garmin loaded as well as my Tom Tom, but when the coords are "hidden" halfway within the cache page as in GCMQGG it would be great to be able to manually enter them into Tom Tom's touch screen and wirelessly send them to the Garmin. Garmin already has the tech to be able to send coords from one Garmin to the other via FMRS and PALMS and Pocket PCs can beam info and programs to each other so it should not be hard to implement into one of their GPS units.

 

O-Mega

Edited February 8, 2008 by O-Mega