GPS Product Review

[Bear T]

There have been a few post lately of what is the best GPS for expedition use. We thought we might make it a little easier for RME members to access real world information about the various types of GPS's on the market.

Please post only real world, first hand experiences here. This thread is just to report on the usability of GPS units.

Thank you.

 

[Skylinerider]

Unit: Garmin Etrex Vista Hcx

Specs:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 2.2" x 4.2" x 1.2"
Display size, WxH: 1.3" x 1.7"
Display resolution, WxH: 176 x 220 pixels
Display type: 256 level color TFT
Battery: 2 AA batteries
Battery life: 25 hours
Waterproof: yes
Floats: no
High-sensitivity receiver: yes
Interface: USB
Maps & Memory:
Basemap: yes
Preloaded maps: no
Ability to add maps: yes
Built-in memory: no
Accepts data cards: microSD™ card (not included)
Waypoints/favorites/locations: 1000
Routes: 50
Track log: 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks
Features:
Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads): yes
Electronic compass: yes
Touchscreen: no
Barometric altimeter: yes
Geocaching-friendly: yes
Outdoor GPS games: yes
Hunt/fish calendar: yes
Sun and moon information: yes
Area calculation: yes
Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): yes
Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): no
Picture viewer: no

Real world use: After a year and a half with this unit, I think it is a great piece of equipment. I have had no trouble getting a signal wherever I've gone, even in deep brush and in canyons. It is small enough to take hiking or biking as well as in the jeep. It is definately waterproof, as I've dropped it in a stream with no ill effects.
The screen is definately a bit small for a vehicle only GPS, but if your adventures take you out of the jeep frequently, you will apreciate the size.
I have found it quite easy to load maps, waypoints, and geocache's. Garmins software works very well.
There are no maps loaded except for the base map, but you can get topo maps online for free, or order ones from Garmin.
The battery life is great for an electronic device, but I would recommend bringing extra just in case.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Unit Garmin Etrex Vista Hcx

Real world use: I like it. I do very little advance programming of it, in all reality I use to to mark spots while out on the trail rather than before I head out. For that its great, I save trails or waypoints onto the card and download them later. I also hike with it, even in a pocket or pack pouch it gets reception.

Unit: Garmin Etrex Legend

Real world use: It was a great GPS for the first 3-4 years, it went downhill from there. The screen goes fuzzy from time to time and when I finally picked up a new color version I realized how old school this one was. Still I keep it as a backup in my bug out bag.

I've also got a bluetooth GPS receiver I use in conjunction with a laptop. Frankly the I never got comfortable with the idea, I rarely needed the GPS in that manner and having a laptop mounted for use in the sun, dust and bumps turned out to be a bigger project than it was worth to me. It can and has been done satisfactorily, just didn't rank up there for me.

 

[Tacoma]

Kurt, how do think one of the newer tiny netbooks would serve you? I'm thinking about getting one for just this purpose-- flash drive, no moving parts, etc.

 

[DAA]

I'm in agreement on the laptop for navigation thing. I've played around with full size laptops, netbooks and even a couple UMPC's. All loaded with Maptech Terrain Navigator (actual USGS topos).

What I finally decided, was that for my use, a plain old dedicated GPS unit fits my needs much better. And after playing with a couple of the touch screen style GPS units, I further decided that a unit with dedicated buttons, separate from the screen, also was better for my needs.

I finally boiled it down to two units. The Garmin GPSMAP 276C and the Lowrance Baja 480.

I liked the actual Lowrance GPS unit better, mainly for it's larger screen. But, at the time, the Garmin cartography was leaps and bounds better for my area of operations.

So... I use the Garmin 276C and have no complaints. It's actually marketed as a "marine" unit - intended to be used with charts. So it's totally weather proof. Works great for vehicle/land nav as well. I've got both the Garmin topo maps and the City navigator software on it (does turn by turn voice nav - a feature I've never used...).

I completed all my testing and research a couple of years ago though. There has been a good bit of movement in the market since then. And I've not kept up with any of it. Not even sure if the 276C is even a current model anymore or not. I may well choose something else if going through the decision making process again today. But, at the time, I'm 100% sure that the 276C was the best solution for my particular vehicle navigation purposes.

- DAA

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Kurt, how do think one of the newer tiny netbooks would serve you? I'm thinking about getting one for just this purpose-- flash drive, no moving parts, etc.

Better, and I have looked into some of the Asus, Acer, etc options but you still have a screen that can be difficult to see in full light and the task of mounting a laptop in a way that the driver and passenger are not too impacted. Easier to do in the Tacoma then in the Cruiser. However I think it has more to do with the fact that I don't need that much navigation assistance? Not saying it wouldn't be helpful but I think I've done pretty alright finding my way around this great state and there is something to be said for laying out a paper map over your hood and really absorbing the area

The head unit in my Tacoma actually has a built in GPS unit (available at a cost of course), and an alternative option is to use the DVD screen as a computer screen with a small solid-state computer mounted under one of the seats. This might be an option I entertain down the road?

 

[DAA]

One of the issues I had with multiple netbooks and UMPC's was screen performance in the cold. The touch screen UMPC's like the Samsung Q1 were especially bad in that regard. I'm sure it's a complete non-issue for many, but my particular use patterns find my nav system needing to work in low temps (often well below freezing) fairly often - and display problems at low temp was a real issue with several of the devices I tried.

But, again, that's a couple years ago now. Touch screens have been improving steadily in the mean time. Just look at the Windows Mobile phones from two years ago (wretched, gawd awful devices...) compared to current iPhone touch screen functionality (or again, compared to HTC's latest - only semi-gawd awful...). It could be that the newest generation of UMPC's and netbooks are better in this regard - I haven't messed with them in a couple years now (was actually my job to buy and test this stuff as a buyer/product manager at the time).

The issue of outdoor viewablity of the display needs to be considered too. UMPC's and tablets are often available with a transverse reflective dispaly option that kicks butt for outdoor viewing. But devices that don't have some kind of outdoor view display specifically engineered into them, can be practically useless in direct sunlight. Consumer grade netbooks don't have outdoor displays available, as far as I know? Probably the closest thing would be one of the convertible tablets from Lenovo or Fujitsu - I know both had outoor veiwing upgrades available not long ago.

Just a couple things to consider in choosing a netbook or UMPC to use as an in vehicle nav device.

- DAA

 

[Bear T]

Here are a couple I'm looking at, was wondering if anyone has any info on them.

Thanks to all who have voiced their opinions.

Garmin Choices

Delorme Choice

I'm also looking at the ones mention buy Kurt and others on this thread.

Garmin has the new Oregon 550 coming out with a 3.2 megapixel camera that is sweet, but also like $600.

Magellan has some nice looking units, with some great features, but I've read a lot of bad reviews about their software.

 

[Greg]

Unit: Garmin Zumo 550

Real world use: I haven't had it for too long and I'm still getting used to using it. So far it's been a good combination of a Street GPS and capable of being a Trail GPS with additional maps. Most of the time it's in the Landcruiser and I have used it to find addresses, businesses, etc around town.

On a Hole in the Rock run eairlier this year, one member of our group needed some hardware after loosing a nut for a control arm. Using the Zumo I searched for 'Hardware' and found the closest hardware store, with a name, address and telephone number. I was able to call ahead and verify that they had what we needed, before heading the 40 miles that direction.

The Zumo gives turn-by-turn directions with voice and text, which is handy in heavy traffic. It is also Bluetooth capable, intended for use while riding a motorcycle.

The Zumo is meant to be a motorcycle GPS, so it's waterproof, rugged and very expandable. You can upload additional maps, music, photos, etc, depending on what you're doing with the Zumo. It does have a battery, so it can be removed from the cradle and carried in-hand, but it is quite bulky compared to true 'handheld' GPS units. I am also into riding dual-sport motorcycles, so having a GPS that can work in my 4x4 and on the motorcycle is very valuable. I have a few Topo maps for CO, UT, AZ and NM loaded onto the GPS by way of a SD card for off-pavement travel.

Likes & Dislikes: I like the large, bright display screen, it's very easy to see. You can also click & drag on the map to view the areas around where you are and more, very nice.

My biggest dislike is that the Zumo records your path as a Track and it's quite difficult to convert it to a Route, for the purpose of sharing. And once you finally to get it converted, the Route will only show the same direction you traveled and cannot be reversed.

Another downside, it's an expensive unit, around $700-800 retail. I got mine used on here from another member by doing a trade of my Garmin eTrex Venture Cx plus cash, which was about the only way I could afford it.


Here's a photo of the Zumo in use-