Re: Choosing a GPS Receiver
From: David Lee (davidlee_malvern_at_dont.use.this.bit.hotmail.com)
Date: 09/16/04
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Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 12:08:17 +0100
My suggestion would be to start with a basic yellow etrex and play with that
so that you get a good idea about what GPS is all about before spending big
money. The more expensive models are not necessarily better, depending on
what you really need. I recently bought an etrex Vista to "upgrade" from my
old basic unit and for most of what I want to do the basic yellow unit is
very much better. On the other hand other people think the Vista is
marvellous. Basically you should take advice with a lot of caution since
what is good for one person may be absolute rubbish for another! There are
a lot of pitfalls with GPS units that may not become obvious until it's too
late - such as the way that Garmin MapSource products insist on a dark
background when displaying maps in a "park" area so whilst everything may be
fine in the shop or at home you may find the device almost impossible to
read in the very places that you really need to use it! Best bet is to
try-before-you-buy and become a bit of a geek and discuss GPS models with
folks you meet on the mountains.
Have a look on eBay for used yellow etrex receivers - they have recently
sold for as little as USD 35 and you should be able to get one for about
$50. Play with it for a bit and then you can always get your money back on
eBay, provided you don't bid too high of course.
The basic model etrex is very robust (dropped mine onto concrete several
times witout damage so far) so second hand units should be a good bet so
long as the display isn't badly scratched. The only thing to bear in mind
is that the adhesive holding on the rubber band round the edge can often
fail (due to heat) after a couple of years - it goes sticky and eventually
the rubber peels off - so you should ask the seller about that. However (at
least in the UK) Garmin have been sending out a new double sided tape
complete with new rubber totally free of charge and it's very easy to fit.
If you go with this suggestion then also get hold of a serial data cable
(again eBay or else a third party pFranc cable) and a free GPS mapping
program such as GPS Trackmaker, which will help you get the best out of the
device.
Have fun
David
"Susan Ramsey" <susanandbrent@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:YM02d.2440$n16.273@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> I am considering purchasing my first GPS receiver. Because I live in a
> mountainous region, being able to know my elevation is of primary
importance
> to me. Instead of spending about $100 on a digital altimeter, I would
like
> to buy a GPS receiver for around $300. I have spent several hours on the
> gpsinformation.net site trying to figure out what receiver I need and what
> elevation accuracy I can expect, and I am still confused, partly because I
> am not sure which information is obsolete and which is still accurate.
>
> According to an article written in Feb. 01, an elevation error of up to 75
> feet can be expected with GPS, but DGPS dramatically improves accuracy
where
> available. I found Coast Guard information which seems to indicate that
my
> location in Jackson Co, NC is not currently in a DGPS-covered area, but
that
> a new receiver is planned for Dandridge, TN (about 70 miles away). The
site
> says that construction of the Dandridge site will start in 2004 if funding
> is available, so I am hoping it will be built soon. But I am unsure
whether
> I will be within its range--although other sites seem to have a range of
> about 150 miles, I wonder if being on the other side of the peaks of the
> Appalachians will keep me out of range.
>
> I assume that someone interested in accurate elevation readings would want
a
> receiver with a barometric altimeter. I read about models in which the
GPS
> altitude can be used to calibrate the barometric altitude, but again the
> question of accuracy of the GPS altitude arises.
>
> I am also concerned about getting a receiver that will operate as
accurately
> as possible in moderate tree cover in a mountainous region. I would
usually
> have access to open sky when beginning a hike, and/or at intermittent
times
> later, but given my geographical location, I probably won't have access to
> the SE horizon because of the mountains. I have read that WAAS probably
won
> 't work in tree cover and/or mountainous terrain, so my assumption is that
I
> can't count on that accuracy until more satellites go up. Do I need a
unit
> that has a quad helix antenna and/or accepts an external antenna? I am
> impressed by the reviews of the new eTrex Vista Color, but it doesn't have
> either of these features. One review said all the eTrex models have more
> reception problems than other Garmin receivers, but another part of the
> review said "Antenna is slightly smaller than on larger Garmin units, but
> gives sensitivity almost equal to the larger Garmin receivers."
>
> In general, my situation is as follows:
>
> I live in the mountains of western North Carolina. I am interested in
> hiking and driving around the region while keeping track of my position
and
> elevation as I explore new areas. I may be shopping for a new house soon,
> and some of the houses will be on private or homeowners' association roads
> that may not be on software maps. I want to know the precise location,
> especially elevation, or each house I visit. (My experience is that both
> sellers and agents tend to be vague and imprecise about the elevation). I
> hike, but I am not a "serious" hiker--the longest hikes I take are several
> hours to half a day-but I take short hikes frequently. These hikes are
> usually in moderate-to-heavy tree cover. I also like to keep track of my
> elevation on car trips in the eastern US. I would want to be able to use
> topo maps for my region, but I am concerned about the prospect of having
to
> pay $100 for proprietary software for the entire US, especially since I
> would never use 95% of the maps. I feel comfortable working with some of
> the more technical aspects of mapping, but I don't think I would use
> sophisticated features very often. I could live with either serial or USB
> connection to my PC, although of course USB would be more convenient. I
> have absolutely no interest in marine or aviation features. Of course,
like
> everyone else, I don't want to pay more than I have to, and I would like
to
> find a vendor that both has a good reputation and offers a reasonable
> discount.
>
> In summary, my questions are:
>
> 1. What is my status regarding WAAS and DGPS, and how does this influence
> the type of antenna I need?
>
> 2. Given the answer to #1, what receiver is best for me?
>
> 3. What is the best way to find a reputable discount vendor?
>
>
>
> Thank you for any help you can give,
>
> susanandbrent@earthlink.net
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
- Next message: David Lee: "Re: Beginner Needs Mapping Help"
- Previous message: Hans-Georg Michna: "Re: Garmin GPSmap 76CS unit hangs on Route Page when "Working" on Recalculate"
- In reply to: Susan Ramsey: "Choosing a GPS Receiver"
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