New To Gps

[beerbaron]

hi everyone.

well, i am about to spend some $ on a gps unit, but im not sure what features are important to me. i know i will be mostly using it for hiking, hunting, fourwheeling. but i may also opt to mount it in my car from time to time. so most importantly i need good topo maps. im looking to stay under the $300 range, including maps and connector cables. how much memory sould i look for? is an internal compass important?(only the high end models seem to have them) what are waypoints, routes, and trackpoints? if i can store 50 routes in my gps, but i have 70 routes that id like to save, can i store some routes/ waypoints on my computer, and transfer them to the gps when needed? how detailed are the topo maps? 1' or 2' contours?

a couple models ive been looking at are the magellan sportrak topo/ pro. and the garmin rino120/etrex legend. i like the sportrak topo because it has all of the us topo already built in. which is nice because im going to be living in colorado, alaska and pennsylvania all within the next year.

any info or tips would be appreciated.

[+tirediron]

Nothing like a short, easy to answer question.... First off, I think that you may want to revisit your budget, as I am not sure it's acheivable. Putting that aside, here's my $00.02 worth:

 

Memory: The amount required is mainly dependant on how large an area you want to have uploaded into your GPSr at any given time. Unfortunately, there is no "Map=Xmb/Km2" formula. A square mile of Nevada desert will take up a lot less room than a square mile of downtown LA. Figure out what sort of area, and then talk to either (or both) 'cachers in your area, or local vendors who can advise you. That said, the short answer is: "As much as you can afford!"

 

An internal compass is nice, but by no means essential. For much less than what one adds to the cost of your GPSr, you can buy a VERY nice hand-held compass which never needs calibrating and won't run out of batteries. If you are on a budget, I would say this is an item that can go!

 

Waypoints are simply points on the surface of the earth. A waypoint can be the locatoin of a geocache, a good fishing hole, or any other point that marks something. A route is your planned way to get from here to there, made up of a series of waypoints. This is normally generated on software on your PC and then uploaded. If you create more routes than your GPSr can store, yes, you can leave them on your computer and upload them as you please. A track is where you have been. This is normally created by your GPSr as a series of points recorded every X seconds and stored in system memory, which can then be downloaded to your PC and overlaid on maps.

 

I am not sure what the contour interval is for US Topo maps, but I doubt very much that it would be 1 or 2'. Probably 10 or 20 meter. Garmin has a viewer on their website which will allow you to see what the maps for your area look like before you buy them.

 

I can't speak for the Magellan units, but the Legend is an excellent basic unit and the only limitation that you would encounter is the limited memory (8 Mb). Good luck!

[+StormCrow42]

Check out the information on GPSInformation.net. They have a fairly detailed discussion on what features are most useful/desireable for different applications.

[moonpup]

Go here, this is a fatastic unit, that is only 3 weeks old...updated price at end of thread.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=80304

Edited September 17, 2004 by moonpup

[+embra]

From what you describe--and if you are liking the SporTracks--you might want to consider the Meridian Gold (currently listed at shopharmony.com at $169). The expandable memory will let you carry as many maps as you want, and, for that matter, as many waypoints and routes as you would like. You should be able to get MapSend Topo and accessories like a dash mount and stay within your budget.

 

Edit: if topo map quality is important, you will want to take a close comparative look at the Mapsend and Mapsource products, as you will be limited to these offerings. I can only speak for the Mapsend Topo...not bad, but they are old and have some inaccuracies. I think there may be a new version coming in the not too distant future.

Edited September 17, 2004 by embra

[beerbaron]

Unfortunately, there is no "Map=Xmb/Km2" formula.

ok, i understand what you are saying, but for a general idea, what amount of area will i be able to store on, say 10 mb? a township? county? state? i guess for discussion sake lets say its an average area. rural, but lots of hills. im just trying to make sure i dont waste a ton of $

 

thanks for all the help everyone. im starting to realize the most important options for me are.. storage size(i think), compactness/lightweight, and durability. it seems like all the other bells and whistles are not important. i dont need a compass, i would have one for a backup anyways.

 

thanks

wes

[+tirediron]

Unfortunately, there is no "Map=Xmb/Km2" formula.

ok, i understand what you are saying, but for a general idea, what amount of area will i be able to store on, say 10 mb? a township? county? state? i guess for discussion sake lets say its an average area. rural, but lots of hills. im just trying to make sure i dont waste a ton of $

 

thanks for all the help everyone. im starting to realize the most important options for me are.. storage size(i think), compactness/lightweight, and durability. it seems like all the other bells and whistles are not important. i dont need a compass, i would have one for a backup anyways.

 

thanks

wes

I think the best way to answer this is to post in the regional forum for whichever area(s) you are interested, and pose the question there. As I said, it's hard to quantify. It all depends on density. For instance, the entire state of Kansas might take up the same amount of memory as LA County, because of the great disparity in population, roads, and other "mappable" stuff. Good luck!

[beerbaron]

wow, i didnt realize there was that big a difference.

 

im surprised more gps dont allow additional memory through sd cards or whathaveyou

[+embra]

ok, i understand what you are saying, but for a general idea, what amount of area will i be able to store on, say 10 mb? a township? county? state? i guess for discussion sake lets say its an average area. rural, but lots of hills. im just trying to make sure i dont waste a ton of $

This is a review of MapSend DirectRoute where Robert shows a graphic comparing coverage for his part of the country at different file sizes. (It's close to the bottom of the article.)

 

DirectRoute maps tend to run just a little larger in size for a comparable MapSend Topo file. In other words, with a Topo map of the same size you should get at least as much coverage.