Garmin V outside of the Car

[CrossRidgers]

I'm currently looking into the Garmin V as my first GPS for both driving and geocaching. It seems like a fairly decent GPS for driving but i am a bit concerned for using it as a handheld. Has anyone an opinion on this.

 

Thanks!

[+Vertigo]

Awesome as a handheld, IMO. I had an etrex legend and it doesn't hold a candle to my GPS V. It gives consistant readings, and gets great reception too.

[+sbell111]

I have also been drooling over the GPS5.

 

I currently use a GPS3+. It seems to me that the on-trail functionality of the 3+ and 5 are pretty much identical. I bring this up because I could not be happier with my 3+.

 

On-trail, I've found it comfortable to carry (either in-hand or holstered). It seldom loses a signal due to tree cover. Its controls are easy to use one-handed while walking.

[+bigcall]

That's one of the reasons I took the plunge and went for the V over a Vista. The V works great as a handheld (I usually keep it showing the long side horizontal) and the turn-by-turn directions in the car are invaluable.

 

I was initially concerned over the memory limitation but I have found it to be a non-issue thus far.

 

Way back in the days when the grass was still green

and the pond was still wet

and the clouds were still clean,

and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space?

one morning, I came to this glorious place.

[+GOT GPS?]

It is a good unit but the only problem is turning off the Lock-On-Road,every time i power it ON, when off road.

 

The GPS V is far better at maintaining a Lock, when doing my running on foot, than the eTrex Vista. When there are overhead wires and buildings nearby, the Vista aways breaks it's tracklog. The Vista is easier to hold when doing hard running, but the GPS V is still better with satellite LOCK.

 

My home page about GPS units and information

[+Navdog]

It is actually easier to use the GPSV in your hand than the Magellans since the buttons are on the top end of the unit. This allows you to wrap your hand around the bulk of the unit and use a thumb to work the buttons. With the Magellans, you are forced to hold onto the very bottom of the unit to work the buttons with one hand.

 

Because the screen resolution is higher on the Garmins, it is easier to read the screen when there are a lot of waypoints or other data showing. Happened to look at a Magellan SPort Trak today when I was in a store and realized just how nicer the extra screen resolution is on my GPSV and Vista

 

The adventures of Navdog, Justdog, and Otterpup

[+worldtraveler]

And it's easy to page between horizontal (best for on road) and vertical (best for offroad) displays; just hold the "page" button for a few seconds.

 

Also, Geoffrey, you can default the "lock on road" feature to "off" if you want, but it's really not necessary. Once you tell the GPS to "goto" a waypoint and select the "off road" route preference, the "lock on road" feature is automatically turned off.

 

Worldtraveler

[CrossRidgers]

Thanks a ton for all the feedback. I'm more confident in my decision to pick up a Garmin V now.

 

-CrossRidgers

[+KYtrex]

I have been using a Garmin V for a couple of weeks now. It is great in the car and also exceptional for geocaching. I used it for geocaching for the first time last weekend and was very very surprised and pleased. I had been using an Etrex basic and had planned on still using it for geocaching UNTIL......I used my V. It had a terrific satellite lock, even under heavy tree cover and I have noticed its accuracy is a lot better than the basic. I usually show around 21ft with the basic and the V is usually 16ft or better. Not to mention you can use it while in the car to take you on the right roads to the cache. Before, I had to try to print maps off of MapBlast and follow them or keep driving until the pointer showed I passed it then turn around and hope I was on the right road. Not anymore. Oh by the way, did I say I love my Garmin V?

 

later,

KYtrex

[smithcon]

I haven't cached yet, but I have used my V for hiking and am very impressed with it in that mode. It is perfectly shaped for hand-holding, with the triangular profile feeling very natural in my hand. The bearing and course indicator screens are clear and easy to use, with lots of configurability.

 

I have even used it for walking to restaurants downtown. The POI database it comes with is quite thorough in that regard, and you can use off-road mode to get to any POI, intersection, or address while walking, thus taking advantage of the numerous undriveable shortcuts that crisscross dense urban settings.

[+megatech]

I bought one when they first came out and paid under $400.00 for it. Now the price is down to about $360.00. That's a great deal! I love mine, because I can load the waypoint in and tell it to go! It takes me as close as possible on the roads, then I switch to "off road" and close in for the find. Sure saves trying to figure out routes to the cache and printing maps to take. You just drive and it directs you. Sometimes it makes a error, but not anything major. You will however, enjoy it better if you go ahead and buy Metroguide USA and load maps for the area you plan to go. City Select is only "select" cities, and a lot of caches are not in the cities they give you. Metroguide has almost all highways,streets, roads, and even some dirt roads and park roads, and it's no unlock codes or anything to fool with. I really enjoy my GPS-V a lot more with Metroguide maps loaded in it. It also can accept and external ant., which is good if its inside a car, where it can't get good signals. If it had replaceable memory cards it would be the perfect handheld! (no... I am not a Garmin salesman)

 

"The more original a discovery,the more obvious it seems afterwards"

 

[This message was edited by megatech on May 25, 2002 at 06:08 PM.]

 

[This message was edited by megatech on May 25, 2002 at 06:11 PM.]

[RbnH00d222]

I've also been looking at this unit and am greatly encouraged by the good things people have to say about it. But just one question. I've also ready the online owners manual and it never mentions being able to enter Longatud and Lattitude in as a waypoint. Is this just something the GPS V can do and is not documented?

 

Ryan

[+alchemist2000]

I'm not sure if it is in the manual or not, but I have done it MANY times. I LOVE my V....I can not imagine what geocaching would be like with something less.

 

Alchemist2000

[teibby]

You can enter the waypoints directly in the GPS or enter them in the Mapsource software (comes with the Garmin V) and download to the GPS unit.

I've found it much easier to download from the PC. Just cut and paste several cache sites that I'm going to find (ok, a little optimism here) from this website directly into the PC software (edit and then new waypoint).

Then connect the cable to the GPS (serial connection supplied, I think USB is available). Software allows you to download maps, waypoints, ect.

The waypoint can contain a name, description, long/lat, and elevation.

 

teibby@attglobal.net

[NetDep]

Since we are all touting our Garmin V's here I thought I might chime in!! Trust me on this - I am NO gadget wonderkid and even I have figured out some of the Garmin V. On a recent vacation to Seattle (from Orlando) I put in the lon/lat of a cache I wanted to visit that was near where I was staying. With my friend driving (who knew the area) the Garmin V took us right to the park (in a route he would have driven) and then I switched to "off road" mode and found the cache. So, you can enter waypoints (in either of the above fashions) and it does work GREAT - I really enjoy this...and one of the reasons, I think, is the ease and sophistication of the Garmin V.

[+The Leprechauns]

Based on everything I've read in the message boards and elsewhere, I've just purchased a Garmin V. Can't wait for it to arrive so that I can start cache hunting with my daughter!

 

What cinched the deal for me was this unit's versatility for map directions in the car, as well as field use.

 

For those of you who use a Garmin V in the car, do I need to purchase the extra antenna? At $100 it seems pretty steep.

 

Thanks to all who have posted on the Garmin V.

[+KYtrex]

I have my Garmin V mounted on the dash of my vehicle using only the supplied antenna. I was afraid it wouldn't get a good signal but that has not been a problem. It usually shows about 20ft. accuracy and often better. I have even played with it while holding it farther back in the vehicle(with my wife driving, of course) and still received a fairly good signal. With road lock on, the accuracy isn't super important. As long as it is getting some signal, it will move the pointer onto the road onscreen. I have had a few occasions where a road was closely parallel and it showed me on the other road, but within a few minutes it always jumped over to the correct road. I can't see the need for an external antenna with my experience.

 

KYtrex

[CrossRidgers]

Thanks for all the feedback. I just received my V a couple of days ago. It works great with the included city select software.

 

I've already marked 3 caches (with the included Geocache icons) near my home.

 

CrossRidgers