i want one that'll give turn by turn directions as well as display 8 (or 10) digit grids and geographical maps (not just road maps).

i know how GPS works, but i'm almost totally naive as to what options are on the market. could someone walk me through what i have to choose from, and what i get for paying more money?

6/2/2005 9:31:52 PM

make sure you get one that has some kickass games on it

you'll want something to do while you're lost

6/2/2005 9:40:09 PM

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=gps+buying+guide

http://www.rated4stars.com/html/gps-ratings-reviews.html?source=google

[Edited on June 2, 2005 at 9:54 PM. Reason : .]

6/2/2005 9:53:43 PM

Personally I have always preferred Magellon to Garmin, especially since you can give almost ANY of their GPS systems turn by turn direction capability with their RoadMate software.

I've got the Magellon Color with a 64mb SD card and have never been happier, just make sure to get a SD card reader and avoid using the SLOW serial cable whenever possible.

Whatever you go with, spend the money for a color screen, might cost you more and lose some battery life, but the clarity difference is amazing.

___________

6/2/2005 10:00:31 PM

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap60c/index.jsp

what do y'all think about this one? again, i want to use it for driving directions, hunting/camping, boating/jetskiing, and eventually, possibly flying.

6/27/2005 7:09:48 PM

Is it primarily for flying or for everything else?

It'll be difficult to get everything you want in one GPS without shelling out a lot of $.

Usually GPS is sold for certain markets, such as drivers, hikers, flyers, etc.

Also, take a look at what type of coordinates the GPS will give you. Most versions default to Lat/Long. For most VFR trips, this is useful. Very few people will understand military grid (which differs from UTM. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise).



[Edited on June 27, 2005 at 7:51 PM. Reason : .]

6/27/2005 7:43:36 PM

Do a search for "Garmin GPS military grid" for a FAQ entry on which units will allow MGRS.

[Edited on June 27, 2005 at 8:44 PM. Reason : Link won't post properly...]

6/27/2005 8:41:30 PM

I have a Garmin GPSMAP 76

Its pretty good.

I'd recommend it.

6/27/2005 8:50:43 PM

Oh, the 60C you were looking at doesn't give MGRS. Otherwise, it's a very good and practical land navigational piece for driving, boating, hiking, etc--not to mention reasonably priced. Don't expect to use it for any practical flying navigation though.

[Edited on June 27, 2005 at 9:04 PM. Reason : .]

6/27/2005 9:03:41 PM

Quote :

"Is it primarily for flying or for everything else? "

primarily everything else, especially street navigation and boating. when i say possible flying use, i mean maybe one of these days if i get my pilot's license and want to fly something like an old Cub with no real instrumentation (or even an ultralight).

6/27/2005 10:13:22 PM

Quote :

"I have a Garmin GPSMAP 76 Its pretty good. I'd recommend it."

As do I. I have it and love it. Its not top of the line- which is good because the price isn't bad AT ALL. Its just as effective as anything else IMO and cheaper.

6/27/2005 10:15:14 PM

what can the 76 do that the 60 can't?

i don't mind paying extra money for a better tool, but i don't want to waste money on crap i won't use.

6/27/2005 10:35:28 PM

what can the 76 do that the 60 can't?

i don't mind paying extra money for a better tool, but i don't want to waste money on crap i won't use.

6/27/2005 10:35:52 PM

garmin is excellent, I've got the legend c, its accurate within something like 13 feet, no complaints @ all, new, 375, or 3ish on ebay.

6/28/2005 12:47:54 AM

I've got a Magellan Sportrak Map. Its a good one for all uses. Its a handheld and more for hiking or something like that, but it actually does very well as a car navigation device with Streets & Destinations disc. I love having it.

6/28/2005 7:18:27 AM

what kind of price range are we looking at to get a decent one of these? i'd like to have one but i can always connect to the internet on my laptop in the car and use google maps if it's excessively expensive

6/29/2005 2:30:44 AM

Id recommend the NavMan i510,

its MUCH cheaper than any Garmin or Magellan, its just as good (if not better) and its got a great interface.

You can get them new for ~450, or refurbed for under 350. Check the reviews, the i510 has the latest consumer available gps reciever chipset and rates as good or better than the top of the line Garmin/Magellan models, for a whole lot less.

6/29/2005 3:17:09 AM

alright, now i'm thinking that aviation capability might be a good thing to get, too. i know Garmin makes one that'll do the job for like $450, or $700 for the same model with a color screen. i'll have to look up the model #.

anyone know of anything for less money that would do the job?

7/28/2005 11:50:19 PM

yeah, the Garmin model is the 96c. i used a regular 96 (non color display) the other day, and i liked it a lot, but i definitely like the color display.

plus, it'll take that mapsource software to do city and marine navigation. plus, it's waterproof and floats. the cheapest i've been able to find one is $600.

7/30/2005 5:12:03 PM

The 76MAP survived 5 straight days of 8 to 11 hours of getting firehosed by ocean water and still worked flawlessly. I had it mounted on my jacket and it would lose reception if I wasn't careful, but it re-acquired the satellites in under 10 seconds each time I looked at it so no problems.

It also has a easy to use joystick and intuitive interface. It was accurate enough for us to maintain a 3-mile boundary from Cape Canaveral so we wouldn't get thrown in Federal "Pound-me-in-the-ass" prison.

The map feature has varying levels of detail. So if you don't want to be bothered with every single side street or navigation marker, you don't need to be. Less detail renders faster too. Plus you can get special map packs like Bluechart that will provide electronic charts that you can use to sync between your computer and your gps.



Most of the trip it dangled there like that, beating against the waves. Granted it was in a dry bag, but the dry bag was far from perfect.

[Edited on July 30, 2005 at 5:23 PM. Reason : .]

7/30/2005 5:20:11 PM

dammit, i meant 76c, not 96. i don't know where that came from.

7/30/2005 5:44:34 PM

heh, dad never got me the gun he was gonna get me for last Christmas...so he said he'll foot $400 of the bill for this GPS!

7/30/2005 11:55:24 PM

For easy operation, the garmin is it. But for big time features and such, lowrance is an awesome buy for the money. Not a handheld, but about to get this one...



Garmin 2006c

8/1/2005 9:47:04 AM

yeah, considering all the places i want to use it (airplane, jet ski, car, on foot), i definitely want to get a hand-held model.

8/1/2005 11:51:18 AM

Try to find one that can use chip/charts for marine nav and land nav

8/1/2005 12:39:29 PM

yeah, i had it right the first time...it IS the 96C.

it will give turn by turn driving directions, and also accepts marine charts.

http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&Product_ID=6763&DID=19

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BRAND-NEW-Garmin-GPSMAP-96C-Aviation-PDA-GPS-Sealed_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ90975QQitemZ4565476093QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

8/1/2005 5:02:29 PM

Bluecharts are money but cot damn they are $$$$

8/1/2005 5:20:44 PM

The money you pay for bluecharts is about the same you'd pay for all the paper charts you'd have to buy for the same coverage area. Plus you get the swank software.

8/1/2005 5:24:09 PM

I've never paid a $160 for a grease chart before

[Edited on August 1, 2005 at 5:28 PM. Reason : g/s/p]

8/1/2005 5:27:49 PM

he's saying that if you bought charts to cover all of the area covered by the electronic version.

either way, it's worth $150 for the convenience, especially considering that doing hard map navigation would really suck on a jet ski, and i will already have the GPS unit for doing other stuff.

[Edited on August 1, 2005 at 8:42 PM. Reason : i think the PX sells the software for $130]

8/1/2005 8:41:53 PM

Restricted,

When you get bluecharts, you pick a "region" to unlock. I think the whole Atlantic Coast is one region (may be two). Not only do you get a huge resolution (like the charleston to cape canaveral chart, or Cape Canaveral to Key West) but when you drill down, you get the details of all the smaller charts (port of miami, Ponce de Leon, Charleston Harbor). So in a sense you're right. I could pay like $20 for a chart of Norfolk to Key West. But it wouldn't do me much good if I was trying to navigate Jupiter Inlet.

8/1/2005 8:45:09 PM

ok, my 96c should be here in a couple of days. what mapsource software should i get for city/highway navigation? do they make a single software package that will do that in addition to marine navigation?

8/8/2005 4:39:31 PM

bttt

getting ready to drive to raleigh at the end of this week, and i'd like to have the GPS set up so i can play with it on the way.

if i have to order the mapsource stuff, i'll need to do it tomorrow or maybe wednesday to get it here before i leave.

8/8/2005 9:11:30 PM

bttt

mapsource makes a shit ton of software. any suggestions?

8/9/2005 10:28:10 PM