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hutch3912

ArboristSite Member
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Anyone use a handheld GPS? If so what? Looking for a good woods gps and haven't had any luck.
 
I will second on the Garman 12 being a good reliable unit for in the field.

Driving, I am sold on my Samsung Instinct and Sprint service in the mountains, it's fantastic for finding new addresses, even gives you ETA's and alternate routes in traffic congestion. .
 
I have a Garmin E-Trek vista and like it a lot. I also have the 2008 US topo map. Pretty cool stuff. Got mine from Amazon on a good sale.
 
Garmin 60csx is the best handheld that i have ever used. It picks up satalites much better in a dense canopy than the last one I had.
 
some thoughts

I gave a Garmin 12 to my oldest as he started his fire career 8+ years ago and it really helped him.
That unit is now duct taped to hold it together and was one of the best purchases I ever made.

No way would I recommend it now.

Technology has really marched on.

I have an eTrex that predates the 12XL and had to send it in on warranty cover case repair. It still works fine.

Wouldn't recommend it either. (I would still have bought both back then).

Now you may be able to get a great deal on used of the above.

If so, buy two of the used. These things are electronic and guys that handle chain saws usually aren't meant for the digital word.

================

(I have worked with two other newer Garmin units - Map76 ___ -at work and the National Map Standard $3,000 - $5,000 products by other manufacturers that neither Garmin nor Magellan choose to compete with. I have not even seen the survey quality equipment used.)

==============

I would focus on Garmin products.

I would focus on what you can identify as the best equipment for receiving.
Antennae reception when under a timber canopy, (particularly hardwood leaves).

You will have to do a web search for ratings on this feature.

Your budget will need to be about $150 - $400.

You may wish to buy two of the units that double as radios for short distance commo. These Rino units go for $150 - $395 apiece. Be sure to double that price to make them worthwhile.
What is really neat about some of these units is that they locate both you and your buddy, (that you are communicating with), on your GPS viewscreen.

================

The best place to buy we found at work (and me at home too) was :
http://www.4x4books.com/gmgen.htm

Prices were lowest at 4x4 and never had a problem with service.
For instance, the GARMIN GPSMAP 76S that I bought for my wife two years ago for $350 from 4x4 that still lists for $430.75 is initially advertised at this site for $399.99 but actually is $210 when you put it on your shopping cart. Shipping is 0 or reasonable dependable on method chosen.

{Be sure and click the add to cart button to get the real lowest price.
They have to do this to get around internet pricing rules from manufacturers.}

==============

If somebody tells you that one of the hand held units that are sold to hunters and fire fighters is good to within 3 meters or similar. THAT IS NOT TRUE. They can be. They often are great for coverage when satellite coverage is great.
{Do not depend on this to find an ammo box with buried treasure. However, you'll be able to find your deer.}
But the recreational equipment does not have the internal regulation programming that will only allow it to identify a location if the signal being received is good enough to guarantee waypoint identification within 30 feet, (the national map standard), or even higher survey standards.

================

If you travel a lot you may wish to buy a GPS with a removable memory card.
That way you can carry preset cards for other areas or the other maps offered such as city maps.

The eTrex and most of the other units above do not have that feature.

==============

What I would prefer for myself now is a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx PKG (010-00469-00) for a price of $325.
 
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Be aware

That the internal maps these units come with are minimal.

They are not woods ready from that standpoint.

You'll have to buy or borrow a map program and download onto your gps, (from a computer), the local topo map.

To get a woods gps
add a woods map
for $100+

==========

Bad news.
Each manufacturer has protected their rights and you can only buy their maps.
You may be able to circumvent this with a nerd, (perhaps your son), and some Australian products.

Further bad news.
The manufacturers don't put their primary effort into maps.
Think of the map products as a red headed step child.
No respect from the company or user.

----------------

But if you're operating with a GPS without contour lines or woods roads you've got half the info.
 
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for offroad use Garmin 60 CSX gets rave review for increased sensitivity.

got 60 CS without sensitive chip/antenna. I'd upgrade to 60 CSX, but really need a road GPS with voice instructions. major pita/dangerous looking at your GPS in heavy traffic.

spoke with Garmin engineers trying to find the road equivalent to 60 CSX.

For road Garmin claims all Nuvi series has the sensitive chipset, except 200 and 600 series. Nuvi has replaced streetpilot series. so stay away from 200 and 600 series Garmin units.
 
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Inportant trivia

You still need to be good with map and compass and carry them every time.

Even if expert with map and compass, everyone new to the GPS world needs to understand and test use their new gift from their loving wife.

==========

Three goods drills:

Do a waypoint out and back.

In a place you know and can't get lost.

Record 5 waypoints out that are not in a straight line to simulate cliffs and other obstructions. Retrace your path back to rig one waypoint at a time. Then do this again just walking straight back from the last waypoint to the first.

Just a thought: We all judge people we don't know, in serious jobs, by how well they can use their equipment as they start up a saw or record their first man-over-board. If this new guy you've never met can't seem to remember just what buttons to hit to record that first waypoint........ give them an appropriate leash.

********

Second good drill: The map you take needs to have the grids (coordinate system) that you choose to use on your GPS. Perhaps Lat/Long - lets say decimal minutes.
Learn how to locate where you are on your paper map with the lat/long from your gps. Pencil and ruler or the correct grid needed for your latitude may be required.

********

Third drill:
Locate a point on your GPS using NAD 27 conus. Then do it again using WGS 84. These different projections are an attempt to compensate for curvature to flat. Since they vary in the way they each accomplish this their Lat/Longs or UTM's can vary by a couple hundred feet or even more. This simple drill might keep you from this type of error later. You are still going to be in the ball park, but it could be Fenway Park when it should be just the infield or pitching mound.

==============

It is amazing how many normally woods savy folks get all screwed up on their first GPS excursion. They think they know it all even though they haven't bothered to learn their GPS unit yet.

============

Batteries, Batteries, Batteries, Batteries.
Typically go with a system that also works in your radio and flashlight.
AA batts suggested.
 
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I don't know beans about it but I found this on Amazon

The "Garmin nüvi 765T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator":

Nine customer reviews (averaging 3 star out of 5), are available at:
http://www.amazon.com/review/produc...cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

A typical high, (5 star) was:

"This Nuvi does several things very well, and I've yet to discover any serious shortcomings. My thoughts:

Navigation: Excellent, as is typical with Garmin units. On a couple of occasions the voice (right now I'm using Australian Karen) told me my destination was on the wrong side of the street.

Map: The map is clear, the refresh rate is fast, and all of the right information is provided on-screen, including details for upcoming turns and junctions, speed limit, and traffic alerts. It's annoying that I can't choose to switch the display of my current speed to some other piece of info. I already have a speedometer. The 3D buildings feature seems pretty gimmicky, and is implemented sporadically, even in downtown Boston. When there is coverage, most buildings are monochromatic blocks, and not the photo-realistic buildings seen in screenshots.

Lane Assist: This feature has been spot-on so far. It's nice driving in a new area and not getting flustered about being in the wrong lane. I have yet to see the full-screen 3D Lane Assist Junction View shown in the many 765t screenshots -- however, I've done very little highway driving, and I believe this screen requires that the user press the top-left (upcoming turn icon).

>>>>>UPDATE: After some highway driving, it turns out that the full-screen 3D Lane Assist Junction View shows up automatically before potentially tricky highway junctions. Very nice.

Traffic: As far as I know, I have not been re-routed because of traffic. However, it's very easy to bring up a list of major roads and their current traffic conditions, and to avoid them at will. The pop-up advertising associated with the "free" traffic is pretty subtle, and never distracting.

Bluetooth: I'm impressed with this feature so far. It mated with my phone (old Motorola RAZR V3) easily, importing all of my contacts in the process. The ability to instantly dial any point of interest (e.g., to check on store hours) is brilliant. The volume from the speaker is reasonably loud. I also tried sending the audio to my car stereo using an audio cable, and the output seemed a bit low (I had to turn my car stereo way up). I have not yet tried sending the audio to my car stereo using the FM transmitter. I called my voicemail, and the built-in microphone picks up my voice reasonably well with the engine running. I'm not sure how well it would work with highway speeds. I'm told that the cheap Garmin microphone (which plugs into the cradle, not the unit) improves voice quality.

>>>>>UPDATE: This is true -- the microphone is an improvement, though it adds yet another long cord to your long cord collection. Also, I've tried the FM transmitter. It works, albeit with a certain amount of static. I imagine this feature would intolerable if you are driving a long way.

Other features: I haven't used the SD card slot for anything. I haven't tried the photo viewer or the mp3 player, and I probably won't.

Build Quality: Seems solid. The unit has a certain heft to it, and it's covered in a soft, rubbery coating. I've also dropped it already (because I'm an idiot) -- still working beautifully.

Suggested improvements: Garmin doesn't make it easy to look up the actual coordinates (latitude and longitude) for favorites or points of interest. This information should be available at the press of a button.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with my purchase. The 756t is not cheap right now, and if you can live without the new features, you might be better off with an older unit. That said, if you're looking for a gps device with all of the latest features and compatibility, this seems to be a solid pick."

=====================

The lowest (revised to 3 star) was:
"Many people are reporting that the bluetooth offered on the 765T series is not pairing their phones. Apparently this is the result of some new software for the bluetooth utilized by Garmin.

Garmin has not acknowledged this nor do they have a list of phones that even pair with the unit up on their web-site.

My previous Garmin 660 paired fine with my Nokia phone.

If you want the bluetooth option look elsewhere until Garmin acknowledges and fixes the issue.

Edited 11/14/08:

A few days ago Garmin posted a firmware update that fixed the bluetooth issue I was having as well as allowed my phonebook to download. This update is only available on Garmin Webdater. Here are the changes:
Changes from version 2.20 to version 2.50:

Enhanced map drawing performance and reliability
Enhanced BT audio, connectivity and phonebook support
Inhibit display of the proximity warning over the Lane Assist view
Added additional checks so that Yards is used only for the UK locale
Updated text for the display of street prefixes in Europe
Corrected roundabout angle display in the next turn indicator
Corrected incorrect country code dialing
Corrected some issues that could make the unit's touch screen non-responsive
Corrected issue with warnings about locked GPI files
Corrected issue with Hungarian QWERTY keyboard layout
Corrected several issues with third party map compatibility
Added Fleet Management Interface support


It took three weeks so I am changing my review to 3 stars"
 
that's suppose to be an excellent unit!!!

me... I'm going the cheap route of getting an older model with prices hopefully marked down.

beware of bait and switch sellers offer prices too low to be true. they will call back and try to upsell ... in general a pita!

best deal for a new GPS is at Cosco (if you are a member) mail order price for a Garmin 750 for $200 + shipping, this is new, not refurbished... not saying refurb is bad. but if within $20-$30 ... I'd take new everytime.

yes.. your 765 is newer and better...

Any opinions on the Garmin Nuvi 765T?


I've got one ordered, it was $349. It will be my first gps! and I'm looking forward to using it.
 
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Another place that rates some GPS equipment

http://reviews.cnet.com/gps/garmin-gpsmap-60csx/4505-3490_7-31733787.html

CNet does a lot of reviews. I never noticed that they did GPS too.

=============

Concerning the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx:

Pros: Is capable of storing 50 routes.Utilizes WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) technology to achieve an error margin of 3 meters or less.Serial computer interface makes it possible to add new programs and maps as well as store previous trips and data.Tracklog function automatically creates a record of the path traveled and stores it as a series of points for later use.Safe in all weather, this unit is waterproof.System includes MapSource trip & waypoint manager.Built-in barometer means sudden weather changes won't catch you by surprise.

Cons: Has warnings alert, which is considerably less favorable than some similarly priced GPS receivers.For example, the Garmin Quest GPS Receiver, a 12-channel GPS receiver at around $380, has navigation instructions and warnings alerts.Also, this GPS receiver has a 2.6 in screen size.This is not out of line with the product's price, but is less favorable than the average GPS receiver on the market today.
 
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Vista here also, lots of features, but some problems. One button joy stick is a pain to use esp in less than ideal conditions. Screen is very small and reception in bad conditions heavy timber is so-so.

CSX 60 used from work has better antena in poor conditions and display is a little beter, color is bright.
 
I have a Gilson external antenna. Works great now. (I purchased it from amazon). I fashioned a paper binder clip to hold it and now attach it the my hat and leave the unit in my pocket.

Shazzzzzam!
 
for anyone interested i have a gpsmap60cx and it does have a micro sd card underneath the batteries,64 mb standard. i upgraded to higher and added aftermarket Trak maps of southern Ontario, pricey but well worth it imo.I love my 60cx, best one i've used yet.
 

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