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MX | Off-Road Gear Info & Reviews
looking into buying a handheld gps
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[QUOTE="JTT, post: 694881, member: 19620"] I've also just begun to experiment with GPS. I decided, after much searching, to go with a Magellan SportTrax Pro. The Garmin units are very nice and I had one for a short period. The main reason I went Magellan was that I have buddies that use them and can exchange maps and such with them. All the software and data from these things appears to be proprietary so it won'r work from brand to brand. First you have to decide what you want from the unit. There are "mapping" and "non-mapping" units. The mapping ones allow you to purchase software maps, such as detailed road maps or even topos (if your lucky enough to live in the US) and load them into your GPS. You can now see, in real time, where you are on the map as you move down the trail. Very cool, but obviously more expensive. Even without purchasing maps, these units come equipped with a "basemap" that give some basic landmarks (major roads). More expensive units have greater memory, so you can store more maps of greater areas. Apparently these maps are quite compact though as large areas seem to fit easily on 8 megs of memory. 8 megs seems to be the starting point for most mapping units. Some even use "flash cards" so you can add memory or preloaded maps at any time with a simple card swap. (Magellan Meridian line) With non-mapping units, you can plot a "track" as you move down the trail and use this to backtrack your path or store it so that you can find it again next month. You can also purchase software that will permit you to scan, or buy digitized maps and plot courses and such on your PC. Once you plot the course and set the "waypoints" you can then upload this data to your "non-mapping" GPS and follow the track on the screen...or visa versa. Do a ride, come home and download to your PC, then overlay it onto a scanned map to see where you were. Most handheld units are waterproof and rugged construction. Ease of use is a relative term, but with some basic reading and some technical aptitude you'll be fine. Keep in mind also that the antenna has to be exposed to see the satelites. Carrying in a pocket is not terribly effective :| Also, some units have "marginally" better antennas that may be better and seeing through thick brush, etc. Units like the SportTrax and the GPS V have the more powerfull antennas. The Etrex type units use a slightly less powerful antenna. Does it make a difference?? Probably very little in real life. Screen size is also a consideration, but a trade off. The large screen units like the Garmin 76 series are nice to read, but slightly bulky, particularly compared to the Etrex line, where they're tiny and fit easily in a shirt pocket. I'm a rank beginner in this field, but this is the information that I've gathered over the past months. I hope its some help to you :thumb: ...sorry for the long winded rant ;) [/QUOTE]
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MX | Off-Road Gear Info & Reviews
looking into buying a handheld gps
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