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colorado 300 - basic question


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This is going to seem dumb - but which way is the right way to hold the Colorado?

 

Flat, parallel to the ground, or pointing up. or does it matter?

 

I read somewhere that which way depends on the type of receiver or something I can't really find any more.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve C.

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This is going to seem dumb - but which way is the right way to hold the Colorado?

 

Flat, parallel to the ground, or pointing up. or does it matter?

 

I read somewhere that which way depends on the type of receiver or something I can't really find any more.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve C.

 

If you have the compass turned on and you are traveling at a walking pace or slower then you need to hold it flat. If you have the compass turned off then it doesn't matter that much which way you hold it although sat reception will be a little better if you hold it vertically.

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This is going to seem dumb - but which way is the right way to hold the Colorado?

 

Flat, parallel to the ground, or pointing up. or does it matter?

 

I've also been wondering about something along the same lines, especially as it relates to the various threads where people have been complaining about poor track log results.

 

When you're not holding the unit in your hand, where is a good place to carry the unit?

 

It seems like clipping it close to your body, say at belt level, would basically cut off about half the sky (sort of like placing the unit next to a wall.

 

Maybe higher on your body? Clip the unit to something at chest level or higher? This might give a little less obstructed view of the sky.

 

Clipped on the top of a backpack would seem ideal, but I usually just do very light hiking where I'm not even using a backpack (just a fanny pack with a bottle holder). The fanny pack might be okay, too, since at least in there, the unit is not *right up against* your body, so again, a little less obstructed view...

 

Finally, how about an external patch antenna? You could place it on top of your shoulder or something. Yeah, I know, this sounds stupid/nerdy, but actually, this is what we did at this company I was working for where we built these little GPS modules for skiers to wear. The unit would just do track logging, which would then get overlaid on a 3-D map after you returned to the lodge. This map was meant to be a souvenir of your visit to this particular ski resort.

 

Any suggestions? What have you folks found to work well for you?

 

Thanks,

 

George

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I think a lot of this might be overkill, especially with the high-sensitivity receivers in newer units like the Colorado. I have had good luck carrying it on the 'biner on a belt loop. I doubt that holding it in your hand is substantially different. After all, your body's "shadow" can't be that much different 18 inches from your body.

 

I know that some people swear by attaching it to a pack shoulder or chest strap. This probably makes it easier to access, but I'm not sure it makes much difference from a reception standpoint.

 

You probably would get nominally better reception with it on the top of a backpack with a clear view of the sky (or the overhanging trees :D ). And sure, an external antenna on the top of your head would work well, too. But realistically, I doubt it makes much difference in normal day to day use.

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Consider that while you are hiking, you've had the unit on for some time (on average.) That said, my Colorado consistantly gives me less than 20 feet estimated error INDOORS. Wearing this on your body or attached to a pack isn't going to effect the reception more than having the unit indoors.

 

This is why a lot of people feel that the bad track logs reported in some posts on this forum are due to other "issues." These issues could be how the unit it set OR could be due to a problem that particular unit is having, or both.

 

If you're anal, want the best signal, and would like a longer, better view of the sky with plans to record a waypoint, you might consider mounting the unit on top of a pole that holds it somewhere above your head while you are hiking. This used to be done quite frequently when the antennas were of lesser design.

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This is going to seem dumb - but which way is the right way to hold the Colorado?

 

Flat, parallel to the ground, or pointing up. or does it matter?

 

I read somewhere that which way depends on the type of receiver or something I can't really find any more.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve C.

I see there are lots of answers, except for one, which way to hold it. I think from all the other logs, it probably doesn't matter most of the time. However, if you are using the magnetic compass, hold ot parallel to the ground (I think that this restriction is what makes this a 2D compass instead of a 3D compass).

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My original eTrex Vista was small enough that I could use a small bungee and put it on top of my 'fedora' style hiking hat while keeping its lanyard around my neck. I'm tall enough I didn't even get too many funny looks! GPSMap 76 rode, and now Colorado rides on my packstrap at shoulder height, 76 in a little accessory pouch, Colo just hanging on its caribiner. For both of those I also kept/keep the lanyard fastened to the pack in case of dropsy. All is well.

Ken Z

Edited by kezlu
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Hi everyone,

 

Thanks a lot for all the feedback.

 

LifeOnEdge,

 

Regarding your advice regarding "If you're anal..." -- yeah, I probably am a bit anal, but I don't think I'll go to the extreme of mounting the unit on a pole (or even my idea of an external patch antenna). However, I probably will try to keep the unit as unobstructed as possible. Probably just higher on the body or in a backpack or fanny pack.

 

I'm sure that even at belt level, I won't ever lose position completely, but I figure the more satellites in view, the solution should be that much better (better GDOP and all...). I just want to avoid getting track logs where the trail has portions where it "skews" for a while, and then later snaps back to a more accurate position.

 

Thanks again for the feedback guys,

 

George

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From what I read when I recently chose my GPSr...

Units like the 60CSx and the Colorado with the Quad Helix antena are supposed to be held vertically to take full advantage of the antena (and yes, horizontally for the electronic compass to work).

You can test this the same way I did when I was trying out the various units...I saw a definite difference in the units EPE when I held the 60 vertically, especially under dense tree cover. a typical improvement would be an EPE of ~28' when holding the unit horizontally but then going down quickly to ~12'-16' when I'd hold the unit upright.

Because it uses the patch antena, the Vista had the opposite reactions with the EPE going down when the unit was switched from a vertical to a horizontal position.

Since I usually hold the GPSr horizontal for better viewing and to 'follow the red arrow" I went with the Vista.

 

Hope that helped

J

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From what I read when I recently chose my GPSr...

Units like the 60CSx and the Colorado with the Quad Helix antena are supposed to be held vertically to take full advantage of the antena (and yes, horizontally for the electronic compass to work).

You can test this the same way I did when I was trying out the various units...I saw a definite difference in the units EPE when I held the 60 vertically, especially under dense tree cover. a typical improvement would be an EPE of ~28' when holding the unit horizontally but then going down quickly to ~12'-16' when I'd hold the unit upright.

Because it uses the patch antena, the Vista had the opposite reactions with the EPE going down when the unit was switched from a vertical to a horizontal position.

Since I usually hold the GPSr horizontal for better viewing and to 'follow the red arrow" I went with the Vista.

 

Hope that helped

J

 

Hi SimbaJamey,

 

Yes, that is helpful. Those are interesting numbers for the EPE comparison for horizontal versus vertical positions for the Quad Helix antenna.

 

Based on that, I think a good way of homing in on caches would be to use the compass (holding the unit horizontally, of course) just to get near -- say within 50 feet or so. Then after that, perhaps ignore the compass, switch to holding the Colorado vertically (to get the better EPE), and just use the old "tried-and-true" method of going one way, observing if your distance to the cache goes up or down, backing up when the number starts increasing, then changing directions to a different axis and repeating -- i.e. just home in without the compass.

 

Thanks,

 

George

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This is going to seem dumb - but which way is the right way to hold the Colorado?

 

Flat, parallel to the ground, or pointing up. or does it matter?

 

I read somewhere that which way depends on the type of receiver or something I can't really find any more.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve C.

I see there are lots of answers, except for one, which way to hold it. I think from all the other logs, it probably doesn't matter most of the time. However, if you are using the magnetic compass, hold ot parallel to the ground (I think that this restriction is what makes this a 2D compass instead of a 3D compass).

 

Odd - the very first response suggested very clearly which way to hold it. Guess you missed that one :D

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This is going to seem dumb - but which way is the right way to hold the Colorado?

 

Flat, parallel to the ground, or pointing up. or does it matter?

 

I read somewhere that which way depends on the type of receiver or something I can't really find any more.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve C.

 

I have some more dumb questions. What is the basic difference between the 300 and the 400t it seems like it is just the topo maps that are installed is there any other hardware difference.

 

I would like to buy a 300 or 400t for geocashing but I would also like to use it on my off road motorcycle. I frequently find myself riding around and getting lost. The trails curve all around and it is easy to do. Is there some way to record where you have been so you can find your way home.

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http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com/ if you look under FAQ in General Information or just go to. http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com/General+Information This info was compiled by g-o-cashers. Read under G4.) What are the differences between the Colorado 300 and Colorado 400(t,i,c)? Hope this helps...as Garmin does not note the extra memory difference in the units, maybe because this was a moving target for a while. We are still waiting for another firmware update for the colorado series..but mine is working fine for the most part and I have fun caching again with this unit...enjoy. Woodenshoe
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