Canadian Gps Purchase Question

[+Team BAHumbug]

I am in the final throes of a purchase decision over upgrading my current GPS (Forerunner 201).

 

I bought the Forerunner for, well, running. I then got into geocaching and the units shortcomings in this area became obvious.

 

The kind of geocaching I do is mostly parks, municipal and provincial. No serious hiking.

 

I have read the reviews on www.gpsinformation.net and have narrowed my selection to two units, and I need some information not available on their site, and I was hoping that you could help me.

 

The two I am considering are:

 

Magellan SportTrak Color

Garmin GPSMap 76S

 

The primary reason the SportTrak rates so highly is gpsinformation.net's glowing praise over their accuracy and reception even under tree cover - a huge portion of where I would be using the units. What I don't like about them is that the WAAS cannot be disabled, without risking locking up the unit. My concern is that the reviews were done in Atlanta, where they have a clear view of both of the WAAS satellites. I do not know if my area can "see" those satellites. Another dislike is the relatively feeble availability of accurate, full-featured Canadian maps.

 

I really like the features of the Garmin GPSMap 76S such as the 1000 waypoint capability, ability to turn off WAAS (should it be necessary), and better Canadian maps. However, I am concerned about the lower battery life and possible lack of accuracy (under trees?) when compared to the SportTrak models.

 

My primary question is, north of the 49th parallel (I live in Vancouver, BC) is WAAS readily available? I have two friends with different eTrex models, and neither one has WAAS enabled due to their poor reception. (Both also fail miserably under tree cover.) I am assuming that is because of the eTrex's small patch antenna.

 

And one general question : Can rechargeable NiCAD batteries be used in place of alkalines without damaging either of the units?

 

In summary, for the type of use I am looking for (geocaching, under trees, in Canada) which would suit my needs better - the Magellan SportTrak Color or Garmin GPSMap 76S?

 

I'd appreciate if anyone that has used either (or both!) units up here could let me know how they found them... Or (opening up a can of worms!) if there is a better choice in the same approximate price range...

 

Thanks in advance!

[Vlad]

hardware-wise both companies make great products but there is no doubt that garmin's map software for canada is vastly superior to magellans (at least at this point in time).

 

a closer product comparison to the sportrak color would be garmin's 60cs.

 

the 76s could use rechargeables but are not highly recommended as it does not give the user the ability to define "nicad" or "nimh" as a battery type. as a result your fully charged 1.2v rechargeable batteries are going to indicate their condition improperly on the 76s's battery meter - which is looking for 1.5v alkaline cells.

 

the 76cs on the other hand does provide this capability (as does the 60cs). speaking of battery life the 60cs and 76cs offer 20 hour battery life and if you don't want ecompass or baroalti (provided in the cs models) and instead buy the "c" versions both units will give you 30 hour battery life.

 

i'm in central canada and i pick up waas very well on my 60cs. it's worked for me up to about the 53rd parallel. given the nature of the waas satellites however using waas is somewhat of a crapshoot. the satellites are low on the horizon and if you don't have a good view to the south your gps won't see them at all.

 

the 60 and 76 color models also support autorouting which is a nice feature to have for geocaching (and any travelling you might do) as they'll get you there first on the roads and then take you there "as the crow flies" when you're in the bush.

 

both the sportrak and the 60/76 family products use a quad-helix antenna - you should see little difference between them in tree cover.

Edited July 8, 2004 by Vlad

[+Team BAHumbug]

Thanks for the information and suggestion... I hadn't considered the 60CS (I stopped looking over a certain price point) but it certainly has ALL the toys... Might take me an extra day or two to justify the cost.

[+Team BAHumbug]

Well Vlad, it took lesstime to justify than I thought. I even sold Mrs Bahumbug on the 60CS... THe order just went in.

 

Thanks for your help!

[vr12]

Vlad, what is WAAS accuracy in Canada ?

[+park2]

If you want info about WAAS in Alberta, Canada, check out this page:

 

PDOPS WAAS Page

[vr12]

If you want info about WAAS in Alberta, Canada, check out this page:

 

PDOPS WAAS Page

There are no ground WAAS station in Canada (or are there ? )

That is why I asking for numbers.

Edited July 11, 2004 by vr12

[+Rogue_monkey]

no there are no waas stations up here, although is some places you can still get a signal, i'm from southern ontario and i can get a signal once in a while. although i just keep if off most of the time

[Vlad]

congrats bahumbug!

 

vr12 - i get a very consistent signal as i travel throughout manitoba and nw ontario. up to around 53 degrees N waas is fairly consistent but it is obviously dependent on a clear view to the south. my 60cs is remarkably good at getting a signal (and often reporting 2m!) but the 2610 does not pick up waas nearly as well (quad vs patch perhaps?).

 

fyi there are supposed to be 4 ground reference stations implemented in canada by 2005 (unless this has changed) - Winnipeg, Iqaluit, Goose Bay, Gander.

[+MrMac204]

I have not been able to get a WAAS signal here in Vancouver BC - on my boat, with a garmin 176C.... I wish that I could!

 

176c is on its way to a new owner in New York now, and when that sale is complete looks like I'll be getting a 60cs..... unless "revenue Canada" finds me first they have issues.....

[+Team BAHumbug]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it!

 

After reading more on WAAS, it appears that they are planning a third WAAS satellite as well, although it probably won't be up and running until 2006. (2007?)

 

"The FAA has plans to launch a third satellite and locate it over the central U.S. to increase availability of the WAAS signal."

 

http://www.geotips.com/geotip/geotip19.0.htm

 

Also, the general announcement:

 

http://www.ainonline.com/issues/04_03/04_0...awaaspg112.html

[+Team BAHumbug]

FYI - the 60 CS showed up last night... Quite the toy! It's so much more complex than the Forerunner (not surprisingly!) so there will be a bit of a learning curve before I am fully up and running with it.

 

I have to echo MrMac204 - I don't appear able to pick up WAAS signals here in Vancouver (or Burnaby for that matter.)

 

No worries though - Waypoint averaging helps loads!

 

Thanks again Vlad!

[Vlad]

to get waas try this:

 

* take the unit out where you've got a clear view of the southern horizon - you need to be at a high point not at a low point geographically speaking

 

* position the unit so it's sitting upright (best for quad helix antenna) not laying down (etrex users - do the opposite)

 

* let it sit for 30 minutes - don't move it, or walk in front of it, just let it sit...

 

if you don't have satellite number 35 (or 47) showing after this time then i guess you're not going to get waas in your location

 

* oh yeah, don't forget to enable waas in your gps setup

 

given the varying elevations in bc you might be better off ignoring waas anyway. depending on your location there are going to be some days when you might have waas and others when you don't. since waas is a satellite (or two) it is going to take away at least 1 spot in the 12 spots available for satellite reception. i don't usuallly have reception from 12 satellites anyway but sometimes...