? for long time GPSres

October 3, 2002

I've recently purchased a Garmin V. Love it!! My question is this...I frequently go to Canyonlands in Utah and do alot of hiking. And what I mean by hiking is 10...sometimes 15 miles all in one shot. Obviously, I can't carry my GPS in my hand all the time and in many places two hands are needed to get where you are going. How do you deal with having to put the GPSr away and losing reception? Is it possible to "clip" on an antenna say to your shirt or even your wide brimmed hat and leave the receiver in your backpack? I'd love to be able to have "unbroken" tracks if I could. I guess that's more than one question. I'm just looking for some ideas. Love this site too. Thanks for the help.

3k · October 3, 2002

I don't see why you couldn't put an external antenna on and do what you mentioned. I think what I would do is find a case that could attach to my packs shoulder strap and have the gps there with the antenna sticking out. I have a GPS V on order and should be recieving it today and plan on getting one of these three cases for it depending on which one it fits better in.

Case One

Case Two

Case Three

I have seen these cases in the store and they look like they would do a great job for what I want them for and it also sounds like they would work for what you are doing without having to spend the big bucks on a external antenna.

______________________________________________________________________________________

The 'idiot' who should be banned because he likes to spend all day annoying people while drinking beer.

5.9k · October 3, 2002

I'm using the Camelbak CommPocket, last item on this page. It's a tight fit with the V but it allows the antenna to poke out the top. You attach it to your backpack strap in front so you can reach it easily.

If your house catches afire, and there aint no water around,

Throw your jelly out the window; let the dog-gone shack burn down.

**Huddie Ledbetter**

1.4k · October 3, 2002

Being retired Army, I have access to the clothing sales store on post. I found an ajustable velcro pager holder that I modified to fit my E-Trex venture that allows it to ride on my left shoulder while I hike. I leave it clipped to the shoulder harness of my camelbak, and just slip the GPS out when I need it. I can provide a digital photo if you like.

Mike. KD9KC.

El Paso, Texas.

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom.

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS!

October 3, 2002

I'll toss my two cents in here. I went to Radio Shack, and bought a coax cable a couple of feet long, and use it to extend my antenna on my V. I have a backpack with a loop for grabbing or hanging it at the top. I used a zip tie to attach the end of the coax to the backpack, and put the antenna on there. Now the antenna is at the top of my head, and I can handhold the V, or just drop it in the backpack and record the log. I plan on using this setup for a little dirtbiking, if I can ever get enough spare time to go back out. Oh, and to make sure you get the full two cents worth, make sure that you buy a coax cable with male and female ends, otherwise you have to buy an adapter (Doh...).

Fig

October 3, 2002

I use this bag for my Magellan. It has ample room for your gps, an outer zip pocket for a small camera or whatever, 2 mesh pockets one on each side and 1 in front, s side D rings for a lanyard or whatever to carry around your neck, a back belt loop and a hidden zippered rain cover to protect it all. I leave my Magellan on while hiking about and have never lost the signal. I got this from http://www.THEGPSSTORE.COM.

Its called the Ultimate case and sells for $13.99

Yeah thats my digital cam there too.

October 3, 2002

As has been said, any short peice of 50 ohm coax with a BNC male and female connector can be used to extend the antenna a few feet. You can make it up yourself, or they sell accessory kits with suction cup brackets and the like four use against car and plane windows. Alternatly there are external amplified antennas that have mag mounts for car tops, the are the size of a 25 cent coin. You cna stick it on the top of a hat with a bit of metal on the underside and it will always face up.

The down side is it draws more power. If your in a position where you might run the batteries down, there are also small 12V battery units that can be carryed in your backpack and you then use the GPS power cable to run from the external source. Yes, it all adds to cost and weight, but beats putting the GPS away for half an hour only to find its batteries died 20 mins ago and you lost half your track.

-Centaur

6.4k · October 3, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by stlthy1:
I use this bag for my Magellan. It has ample room for your gps, an outer zip pocket for a small camera or whatever, 2 mesh pockets one on each side and 1 in front, s side D rings for a lanyard or whatever to carry around your neck, a back belt loop and a hidden zippered rain cover to protect it all. I leave my Magellan on while hiking about and have never lost the signal. I got this from http://www.THEGPSSTORE.COM.

Its called the Ultimate case and sells for $13.99http://home.dejazzd.com/stlthy1/bag.jpg

Yeah thats my digital cam there too.

I have the same case and I LOVE it! Carry pens in one side pocket, mini-maglite fits perfect in the other. Compass and spare AA's in the little zippered pocket.

I got mine about a year ago, it doesn't have the front pouch. Oh well. Looks like a good place to stash cache printouts though

Illegitimus non carborundum!

October 3, 2002

Well, another option is Garmin's own carrying case, which also has enough room to accommodate my GPSr V AND the external antenna attached using the BNC connector.

October 3, 2002

Originally posted by umc:

I don't see why you couldn't put an external antenna on and do what you mentioned. I think what I would do is find a case that could attach to my packs shoulder strap and have the gps there with the antenna sticking out. I have a GPS V on order and should be recieving it today and plan on getting one of these three cases for it depending on which one it fits better in.

From umc's list above, I actually use Case One with my GPS V. I picked it up at a local trail shop and they had two sizes. The smaller one was a bit too small, the larger one fit the GPS V perfectly. It clips (and velcros) on to the back of my pack. The flap over the top of the case has openings on either side which fit around the antenna, giving it a clear view of the sky. Great setup without the need for a remote antenna.

One note though, the clip is set up like a belt clip, so may not work great with a pack's shoulder strap. The velcro strap is towards the bottom of the backside of the case. It is oriented horizontally, so would accept a pack shoulder strap correctly, but I'm not sure it would be stable enough (being at the bottom of the case) to do the job alone.

FWIW...

__________________

...TheCacheCrew...

[This message was edited by TheCacheCrew on October 03, 2002 at 06:43 PM.]

[This message was edited by TheCacheCrew on October 03, 2002 at 07:06 PM.]

October 3, 2002

I also have a V. First I bought the Garmin case. Overpriced, cumbersome as it only belt mounts & has a zipper, too soft for protecting against hard drops & the velcro I have on the GPS for my car dash snags the fleece lining. I use it to protect the GPS when I travel & just force the velcro in.

What I did find however was a cell phone case at a Home Depot. It was in the portable saws, drills, etc. section. It was only about $6-$8. It's really sturdy, heavy canvas/nylon w/a velcro flap & the top is cut so the antenna can stick out. The best part was that on the back it has a three way attachment system. There is a metal clip for quick on/off a belt. Sewn under that is a vertical loop to wear on a regular belt AND under that is a horizontal loop which slips snuggly onto my backpack strap! This keeps it up near shoulder level so my antennae is high. I wish I'd bought about a half dozen to resell!

Also try places like Strauss & car stores as they usually have really cheap cell phone cases & you may find one that does just what u need. I found that "custom" GPS cases from places like EMS & other outdoor retailers are usaully way over priced.

I also have an external ant. that I got from Garmin. It comes with a very thin cable & has a magnetic or velcro mount which I sometimes use.

For extended battery usage you can go to a hobby store & buy a r/c car battery & charger (just check the voltage). Then get a Garmin power cable, connect the 2 & you have a good external, long lasting power source for your V. Lasts alot longer then rechargeble AAs & the advantage is that you get to keep a set of batts IN the GPS as a failsafe backup!

October 3, 2002

I also have a V. First I bought the Garmin case. Overpriced, cumbersome as it only belt mounts & has a zipper, too soft for protecting against hard drops & the velcro I have on the GPS for my car dash snags the fleece lining. I use it to protect the GPS when I travel & just force the velcro in.

What I did find however was a cell phone case at a Home Depot. It was in the portable saws, drills, etc. section. It was only about $6-$8. It's really sturdy, heavy canvas/nylon w/a velcro flap & the top is cut so the antenna can stick out. The best part was that on the back it has a three way attachment system. There is a metal clip for quick on/off a belt. Sewn under that is a vertical loop to wear on a regular belt AND under that is a horizontal loop which slips snuggly onto my backpack strap! This keeps it up near shoulder level so my antennae is high. I wish I'd bought about a half dozen to resell!

Also try places like Strauss & car stores as they usually have really cheap cell phone cases & you may find one that does just what u need. I found that "custom" GPS cases from places like EMS & other outdoor retailers are usaully way over priced.

I also have an external ant. that I got from Garmin. It comes with a very thin cable & has a magnetic or velcro mount which I sometimes use.

For extended battery usage you can go to a hobby store & buy a r/c car battery & charger (just check the voltage). Then get a Garmin power cable, connect the 2 & you have a good external, long lasting power source for your V. Lasts alot longer then rechargeble AAs & the advantage is that you get to keep a set of batts IN the GPS as a failsafe backup!

October 4, 2002

Thanks for the quick responses and info. All are great ideas. I think I'll be off today to look for a case. Again, thanks a million!!!

6.4k · October 4, 2002

FWIW, the "ultimate GPS case" that stlthy1 and I use can be found at Walmart for about $12. I use a shoulder strap I had from something else with it. On long hikes, I put it on before my pack, so it doesn't interfere with removing the pack on the trail if I need to. On short urban park type hunts, I skip the pack entirely, since the GPS case holds everything I need.

Illegitimus non carborundum!

5.3k · October 4, 2002

I've been looking to order that case, and I was excited to hear that you found them at Walmart.

I went to my local store, but could not find them there. I checked both in the electronics deptartment (with the camera bags) and in the sporting goods section. Of course no one who worked there had any idea what I was looking for!

Where were they stocked at your store?

Thanks

"Alright Brain, you don't like me, and I don't like you. But lets just do this, and I can get back to killing you with beer."

6.4k · October 4, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Stunod:
I've been looking to order that case, and I was excited to hear that you found them at Walmart.

I went to my local store, but could not find them there. I checked both in the electronics deptartment (with the camera bags) and in the sporting goods section. Of course no one who worked there had any idea what I was looking for!

Where were they stocked at your store?

They had them in the same case as the GPSr's in the sporting goods section. I 1st saw it in my local Walmart, but I wasn't 100% sure my rather large 76 was going to fit in it, so I didn't buy it then. Went back with GPS in hand a week or 2 later and they didn't have it in stock anymore. Went to like 3 others before finding it in stock at newly opened store.

Illegitimus non carborundum!

October 4, 2002

quote:
I'd love to be able to have "unbroken" tracks if I could

Man....Just a couple of years ago, we hadn't even heard of tracklogs. Now we want "unbroken" tracks? Geeeez.....What have we come to? Besides, I seldom use trackback. I hardly ever want to come back out the exact same way I went in!

"Never take a sunset for granted. Stop what you are doing and enjoy it. You never know when it may be your last"

October 4, 2002

quote:
I'd love to be able to have "unbroken" tracks if I could

Man....Just a couple of years ago, we hadn't even heard of tracklogs. Now we want "unbroken" tracks? Geeeez.....What have we come to? Besides, I seldom use trackback. I hardly ever want to come back out the exact same way I went in!

"Never take a sunset for granted. Stop what you are doing and enjoy it. You never know when it may be your last"

3k · October 4, 2002

I just picked up 'case one' of the links I posted above and its pretty cool. It is a very tight fit and the antenna is always exposed so I don't plan on using the case other than on my pack because if it were to drop it would be quite possible for the antenna to be damaged since it is exposed. Other than that its what was sought after here in the fact that you can keep it on and have a nice tight case for holding the unit and a bit of saftey.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Proud New Owner Of a Garmin GPS V Received on 10-03-02

October 5, 2002

I'm working on an idea for a mount that would screw on the top of my hiking stick. The knob of my stick removes to expose a standard tripod mount. I'm trying to figure out a way to attach to that. Any ideas?

October 5, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by st_richardson:
I'm working on an idea for a mount that would screw on the top of my hiking stick. The knob of my stick removes to expose a standard tripod mount. I'm trying to figure out a way to attach to that. Any ideas?

Personally I don't think that would be a good idea st_richardson. If you attached a GPSr to your hiking stick it would recieve very violent high frequency vibrations each time the end of the stick struck the ground. I would fear that eventually these vibrations would damage the receiver especially at points of hard surfaces coming in contact with each other. Such as where a printed circuit boards are attached with metal screws. There is the potential to crack the board or even break small wires.

Eeyore

It took a GPS to get me away from technology.

October 5, 2002

We were on this same topic a year ago, & I still use what we found then. The armband from Radio Shack really does a nice job for hands free carrying of your gps. Very expandable, so it holds about any gpsr, & armband really opens a lot to allow it's use over a winter jacket, etc. Look at them here: armbands from RS .Easily holds my V, III Plus, eMap or MAP76. Won't work real well for the Street Pilot, but not many folks take a Street Pilot into the woods. .I never had a problem with tracks when hiking/caching with the unit positioned in it.

"Gimpy"

October 5, 2002

We were on this same topic a year ago, & I still use what we found then. The armband from Radio Shack really does a nice job for hands free carrying of your gps. Very expandable, so it holds about any gpsr, & armband really opens a lot to allow it's use over a winter jacket, etc. Look at them here: armbands from RS .Easily holds my V, III Plus, eMap or MAP76. Won't work real well for the Street Pilot, but not many folks take a Street Pilot into the woods. .I never had a problem with tracks when hiking/caching with the unit positioned in it.

"Gimpy"

October 5, 2002

The camelbak comm pouch mentioned above works great for me using an eTrex. As mentioned, a G-V will fit in there. Instead of carrying my GIII+ (Same size and shape) on my shoulder, I generally use it with a mighty mouseII external antenna which I attach to the top of my pack. I don't have a photo of my GIII+ setup, but for a photo of the comm pouch on my pack you can check out my website:

http://searching_ut.home.sprynet.com/

The website is a little outdated now, as I need to add a bunch of side by side tracks I have with a GIII+ and Legend as well as a Sportrak and a Legend. I've just kept goofing off and not got around to it yet. It's much more fun doing the comparisons than putting it down on paper. ;-)

As for Canyonlands, I've been hiking the canyonlands/arches region of the US for about 8 years now with a GPS (Started with a Magellan 2000), and I can tell you that unbroken tracklogs are something you can't obtain yet in many areas down there. The terrain is such that you just can't get the reception. Not only are you going to have gaps, but when you get into some areas you'll get a lot of multipath reception problems, where either one or two trackpoints will be thrown way off, or an area of your track will bounce around all over your place. It won't matter much which receiver you use, it's just the nature of the beast, and will happen if you get into the tougher for reception terrain.

For what it's worth

Jeff

October 5, 2002

I have had a Banana Republic 22 pocket photo-journalist vest for many years. I find it works well for geocaching. There is a top right pocket that has a clear vinyl cover that I slip my Legend into while still keeping the lanyard around my neck. The tracks I get have very little breaks in them regardless of the terrain. The other pockets accomodate everything else I need. Rain jacket, water, palmpilot, wallet, etc. They were about $120 back in the late 80's. Oh yeah, it's still in near perfect shape despite my efforts.

4.5k · October 5, 2002

quote:
I'm working on an idea for a mount that would screw on the top of my hiking stick. The knob of my stick removes to expose a standard tripod mount. I'm trying to figure out a way to attach to that. Any ideas?

GPS mounted hiking stick uses RAM bicycle mount with shock absorber. What's neat you can swap out the whole thing back at you car to a RAM suction mounted to the windshield.

What's neat with the stick is you can plant it into the ground to help get a satllite lock under trees. One disadvantage is the stick becomes unbalanced. This would be more apparant with the heavier GPS's - picture shows a Vista.

Alan

? for long time GPSres

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