Need GPS help

FirstFreedom · December 17, 2004, 07:17 PM

I'm going to receive as a gift a GPS/radio combo for christmas, but I'm going to pick it out myself, so I need to research it pronto.

It must be the GPS and radio combined, as this is what I want.

Questions:

-Is Garman the only game in town? Any others with the combo?

-My understanding is that the Garman Rhino 130 is the top of the line, but which one do I want/need? In other words, what features does one have that the other doesn't, like the 130 vs. 120 vs. other models, and why or under what circumstances would one want or need the features that are on the 130 but not on the 120 for example. Ditto for any other makes besides the Garman, as between/among different models.

What I want is to (a) not get lost in the woods, and (b) be able to download detailed maps showing as much detail about the terrain as possible, including streams/water bodies, elevations, arial views showing clearings/trees, etc. I want the highest level of information about the terrain itself as is possible. Do all the models have this feature, or only the 130?

Any other info would help, as I'm a total noob to GPS's. Thanks a lot.

bill k · December 17, 2004, 07:33 PM

I have a magellan sport trac pro which has all the features you mentioned except the radio. You can download topo maps as well as navigational charts etc., go to their web site, they list all the features you can download. With a GPS and a compass you would really have to try to get lost.
The magellan also has a 2D mode which you didn't mention. With that mode if you're in a canyon and can't pick up enough satilites it will still give a fairly close position.

I also have a combo fishfinder/GPS in my boat, I wish I'd gotten separate units. The problem I had is when one unit goes down you loose both units.

IronLance · December 17, 2004, 10:55 PM

http://www.garmin.com

Check for "Product Comparisons" and select the 120 and 130. Apparently the 130 has more memory, more waypoints per route, and a few aviator/skydiver features (glide ratio, glide ratio to destination, vertical speed to destination).

I didn't look closer, but it looks as though you can download weather as well.

Uniden also makes a GPS/radio combo, but it's marine radio. Different ball of wax from the GMRS/FRS channels.

A quick 'net search didn't reveal much more. So it appears as though Garmin is the only ballgame for what you're looking for. As for what you want versus what you need... The level of detail you're looking for would best be served by a GPS with as large a screen as you can get.

And after you get your GPS, for fun and relaxation, check out http://www.geocaching.com/

FirstFreedom · December 27, 2004, 01:30 PM

Thanks guys - I ended up getting a tree stand instead of the GPS as a gift, because I can actually still use the tree stand this season, whereas I'm not going anywhere that I might get lost until next season - if you're interested, I got the Big Game brand "Big Buddy" 2-man 15' ladder stand. But that is good info for going forward on GPS selection.

Quote:

I wish I'd gotten separate units. The problem I had is when one unit goes down you loose both units.

Now there's food for thought - hmm, and if I get separate units, my GPS choices open up considerably as well, like the Magellen. And I'd save money, given that I already have some Cobra radios. Downside is, carrying 2 gadgets instead of one. Tough call, but since I have a fanny pack on me always when hunting, it's not particularly burdensome to carry 2 units instead of one, provided they're not significantly heavy....I'll have to think on that one.

Dogjaw · January 1, 2005, 09:21 AM

I was going to say that putting all your eggs in one basket isn't so great. If your batteries run down, you can't use the radio or look at your gps. If you loose one in the woods, you lost all. If one or the other goes to hell, you'll end up with a fancy piece of crap. With separate units, you can upgrade or replace without affecting the other. From personal observation, a gps is not a replacement for a good compass and map. They are somewhat spotty in heavy woods, may not show a direction change while standing in one spot, and their biggest weakness, it's an electronic device running on batteries. I always carry a compass, and make sure I know which direction to get back.

packn_rn · January 14, 2005, 01:11 PM

frs, gmrs radios can be had for cheap. get a simple gps that you can load maps onto (I use the Garmin Legend), 2 AA's will last 18 hrs on batt. saver mode. learn to use map and compass and just use the gps to confirm your location and make corrections at regular intervals, I use motorola T5000's (5 mile range/ rechargable batteries) for $70. Just my 0.02

PDshooter · January 14, 2005, 04:29 PM

I agree with "Packn_rn"
Keep it simple,(K.I.S.S.)Don't get a 2-way and GPS togethere. I've got a set of Motorola 2way 5mile Rad,radios. It never fails one will CRAP-OUT before the outher one will. SF guys that I know use Garmin(Top of the line stuff) of course there in Afganistan.

HappyGunner · January 14, 2005, 05:18 PM

I just wonder if you learned anything about the GPS's

Foxy · January 26, 2005, 07:08 PM

I realize it's an old post, but I just saw it.

I personally own a Garmin RINO 120. Let me see if I can answer your questions:

1. Garmin the only game in town? I don't know. I've owned a number of Etrexes, and I really like them, so I just stuck with Garmin. There's a number of other companies who make GPS's, like Magellan and Trimble, so you could look at those companies.

2. The RINO 130 has 24 megs of internal RAM (compared to 8 for the 120), a barometer (which improves the vertical accuracy of a GPS - GPS is fairly accurate horizontally, but less accurate vertically. This is due to the geometry of the GPS reciever to the satellites; it can't be helped), and an electronic compass. The 120 can point out your direction you're heading when you are moving. It does this by figuring out where you were, and where you are. If you stand still, it can't compute this. The 130 can tell you where you are facing even when you stand still.

You can use this page to view the differences in more detail:
http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/compare.jsp

3. The 120 and 130 can both download detailed topography maps. Neither one can show aerial photos of the terrain, though. The maps they display are countour type maps, but they are an additional purchase on top of the GPS price. The 120 can't hold as large of an area as the 130, but it can certainly hold your hunting grounds.
Here's the type of map you'd need:
http://www.garmin.com//cartography/mapSource/topo.jsp

You could probably google for more information.

One advantage of the GPS/Radio combination is the ability to 'beam' your position to other similar RINOs. You can show a buddy exactly where you are in relation to him, and help meet up, navigate around an obstacle, whatever. You just show up on his little map. Separate GPS/Radio combinations can't do that (but if you don't have a buddy with a RINO, it's sort of useless - at least the RINO is compatible with all other FRS radios). Is it that hard to carry a few spare AA's?

Garmin equipment is tough. I've been pretty rough on my Venture and Etrex, and they still work admirably, through extreme temperature ranges (below 0 F - being left in the car in Phoenix in the summer), being dunked in water, and so on. I haven't beat up on the RINO, but if it's anything like other Garmin equipment, it'll last.

HappyGunner · January 27, 2005, 01:39 PM

Both are good GPSs I find the Magellan Color easy to use and easy to see in sunlite. The real deal is in the Maps your buy extra from each Mfg. and upload from the computer into your GPS. Buying Lithium batteries like the Energizer E2 is the way to go for long life.

30Cal · January 27, 2005, 08:00 PM

If you plan on loading topo maps onto a GPS, make sure you can get 1:24,000 maps (the scale they use on the local quadrangles).

The Garmin MapSource Topos are 1:100,000 which isn't very useful if you're on foot. They do have 1:24,000 but only for National Parks. You can only load Garmin maps onto Garmin units. I assume magellan and the others use their own proprietary maps as well.

I have an eTrex Vista which I love. The color ones are nice, but can be tough to read on a bright day. It's compact, rugged (waterproof and passes my frequent 3' drop tests) and has a built in compass and altimeter. Batteries last a long time--pretty much all day if you leave it on. Reception is great except in the redwoods (which probably only matters if you are trying to find that Geocache which is supposed to be within 50' of where you are standing). It also dumps breadcrumb trails and waypoints onto my PC without problems. I know that the newer color models use USB and that the Delorme Topo program that I have doesn't support them.

I don't sweat not having the topo map on the GPS itself. I print maps with a lat/long grid overlay using Topo and stuff them in a pocket. At 1:24000 scale, 1/4" is an the ballpark of a hundred yards, so you can tell at a pretty quick glance almost exactly where you are. You can also get waterproof paper to print them on, which is nice.

Ty

Kevlarman · January 30, 2005, 02:29 AM

I've got a Rino 120 and a GPSMap 76CS.

I got the Rino a few years ago when I started geocaching. It worked well for plotting beelines towards the cache, and it was pretty handy when I cam across other people with FRS radios. I opted for the 120 over the 110 because I wanted to upload my own detailed maps into the unit. The 130 wasn't even available when I bought my 120.

By far the most useful feature of the 76CS is the autorouting. It has 115MB of internal memory which can fit pretty much all of Southern California, Las Vegas, and western Arizona. I just put in an address and the unit will give me turn-by-turn directions on how to get there from my current location. If I find a road that is closed and have to take a detour, the unit will automatically re-route me to get me back on track. Way cool!
It's also got a bunch of other assorted goodies such as a big color screen, magnetic compass, barometer, and USB connectivity. Not cheap, but well worth the price.

December 17, 2004, 07:17 PM	#1
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	Need GPS help I'm going to receive as a gift a GPS/radio combo for christmas, but I'm going to pick it out myself, so I need to research it pronto. It must be the GPS and radio combined, as this is what I want. Questions: -Is Garman the only game in town? Any others with the combo? -My understanding is that the Garman Rhino 130 is the top of the line, but which one do I want/need? In other words, what features does one have that the other doesn't, like the 130 vs. 120 vs. other models, and why or under what circumstances would one want or need the features that are on the 130 but not on the 120 for example. Ditto for any other makes besides the Garman, as between/among different models. What I want is to (a) not get lost in the woods, and (b) be able to download detailed maps showing as much detail about the terrain as possible, including streams/water bodies, elevations, arial views showing clearings/trees, etc. I want the highest level of information about the terrain itself as is possible. Do all the models have this feature, or only the 130? Any other info would help, as I'm a total noob to GPS's. Thanks a lot.

December 17, 2004, 10:55 PM	#3
IronLance Member Join Date: May 24, 2004 Location: Dakotas Posts: 71	http://www.garmin.com Check for "Product Comparisons" and select the 120 and 130. Apparently the 130 has more memory, more waypoints per route, and a few aviator/skydiver features (glide ratio, glide ratio to destination, vertical speed to destination). I didn't look closer, but it looks as though you can download weather as well. Uniden also makes a GPS/radio combo, but it's marine radio. Different ball of wax from the GMRS/FRS channels. A quick 'net search didn't reveal much more. So it appears as though Garmin is the only ballgame for what you're looking for. As for what you want versus what you need... The level of detail you're looking for would best be served by a GPS with as large a screen as you can get. And after you get your GPS, for fun and relaxation, check out http://www.geocaching.com/ __________________ Freedom restricted by personal conscience is a choice. Freedom restricted by legislation or regulation becomes a privilege that can be taxed or taken away.

January 1, 2005, 09:21 AM	#5
Dogjaw Senior Member Join Date: October 6, 2001 Location: S.W. Michigan Posts: 560	I was going to say that putting all your eggs in one basket isn't so great. If your batteries run down, you can't use the radio or look at your gps. If you loose one in the woods, you lost all. If one or the other goes to hell, you'll end up with a fancy piece of crap. With separate units, you can upgrade or replace without affecting the other. From personal observation, a gps is not a replacement for a good compass and map. They are somewhat spotty in heavy woods, may not show a direction change while standing in one spot, and their biggest weakness, it's an electronic device running on batteries. I always carry a compass, and make sure I know which direction to get back. __________________ There are three kinds of men: 1) The ones that learn by reading. 2) The few who learn by observation. 3) The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves..........

January 14, 2005, 01:11 PM	#6
packn_rn Junior Member Join Date: January 13, 2005 Location: Northwoods of Wisconsin Posts: 4	I'd reconsider the combo... frs, gmrs radios can be had for cheap. get a simple gps that you can load maps onto (I use the Garmin Legend), 2 AA's will last 18 hrs on batt. saver mode. learn to use map and compass and just use the gps to confirm your location and make corrections at regular intervals, I use motorola T5000's (5 mile range/ rechargable batteries) for $70. Just my 0.02

January 14, 2005, 05:18 PM	#8
HappyGunner Senior Member Join Date: September 18, 2004 Posts: 1,302	Did you learn anything about GPS's I just wonder if you learned anything about the GPS's

December 17, 2004, 07:33 PM	#2
bill k Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2004 Location: Dog Creek, CA Posts: 457	I have a magellan sport trac pro which has all the features you mentioned except the radio. You can download topo maps as well as navigational charts etc., go to their web site, they list all the features you can download. With a GPS and a compass you would really have to try to get lost. The magellan also has a 2D mode which you didn't mention. With that mode if you're in a canyon and can't pick up enough satilites it will still give a fairly close position. I also have a combo fishfinder/GPS in my boat, I wish I'd gotten separate units. The problem I had is when one unit goes down you loose both units.

January 14, 2005, 04:29 PM	#7
PDshooter Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2000 Location: Indiana Posts: 607	I agree with "Packn_rn" Keep it simple,(K.I.S.S.)Don't get a 2-way and GPS togethere. I've got a set of Motorola 2way 5mile Rad,radios. It never fails one will CRAP-OUT before the outher one will. SF guys that I know use Garmin(Top of the line stuff) of course there in Afganistan.

January 26, 2005, 07:08 PM	#9
Foxy Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 846	I realize it's an old post, but I just saw it. I personally own a Garmin RINO 120. Let me see if I can answer your questions: 1. Garmin the only game in town? I don't know. I've owned a number of Etrexes, and I really like them, so I just stuck with Garmin. There's a number of other companies who make GPS's, like Magellan and Trimble, so you could look at those companies. 2. The RINO 130 has 24 megs of internal RAM (compared to 8 for the 120), a barometer (which improves the vertical accuracy of a GPS - GPS is fairly accurate horizontally, but less accurate vertically. This is due to the geometry of the GPS reciever to the satellites; it can't be helped), and an electronic compass. The 120 can point out your direction you're heading when you are moving. It does this by figuring out where you were, and where you are. If you stand still, it can't compute this. The 130 can tell you where you are facing even when you stand still. You can use this page to view the differences in more detail: http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/compare.jsp 3. The 120 and 130 can both download detailed topography maps. Neither one can show aerial photos of the terrain, though. The maps they display are countour type maps, but they are an additional purchase on top of the GPS price. The 120 can't hold as large of an area as the 130, but it can certainly hold your hunting grounds. Here's the type of map you'd need: http://www.garmin.com//cartography/mapSource/topo.jsp You could probably google for more information. One advantage of the GPS/Radio combination is the ability to 'beam' your position to other similar RINOs. You can show a buddy exactly where you are in relation to him, and help meet up, navigate around an obstacle, whatever. You just show up on his little map. Separate GPS/Radio combinations can't do that (but if you don't have a buddy with a RINO, it's sort of useless - at least the RINO is compatible with all other FRS radios). Is it that hard to carry a few spare AA's? Garmin equipment is tough. I've been pretty rough on my Venture and Etrex, and they still work admirably, through extreme temperature ranges (below 0 F - being left in the car in Phoenix in the summer), being dunked in water, and so on. I haven't beat up on the RINO, but if it's anything like other Garmin equipment, it'll last.

January 27, 2005, 01:39 PM	#10
HappyGunner Senior Member Join Date: September 18, 2004 Posts: 1,302	I have both Garmin76S and Magellan Color Both are good GPSs I find the Magellan Color easy to use and easy to see in sunlite. The real deal is in the Maps your buy extra from each Mfg. and upload from the computer into your GPS. Buying Lithium batteries like the Energizer E2 is the way to go for long life.

January 27, 2005, 08:00 PM	#11
30Cal Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 2002 Posts: 1,264	If you plan on loading topo maps onto a GPS, make sure you can get 1:24,000 maps (the scale they use on the local quadrangles). The Garmin MapSource Topos are 1:100,000 which isn't very useful if you're on foot. They do have 1:24,000 but only for National Parks. You can only load Garmin maps onto Garmin units. I assume magellan and the others use their own proprietary maps as well. I have an eTrex Vista which I love. The color ones are nice, but can be tough to read on a bright day. It's compact, rugged (waterproof and passes my frequent 3' drop tests) and has a built in compass and altimeter. Batteries last a long time--pretty much all day if you leave it on. Reception is great except in the redwoods (which probably only matters if you are trying to find that Geocache which is supposed to be within 50' of where you are standing). It also dumps breadcrumb trails and waypoints onto my PC without problems. I know that the newer color models use USB and that the Delorme Topo program that I have doesn't support them. I don't sweat not having the topo map on the GPS itself. I print maps with a lat/long grid overlay using Topo and stuff them in a pocket. At 1:24000 scale, 1/4" is an the ballpark of a hundred yards, so you can tell at a pretty quick glance almost exactly where you are. You can also get waterproof paper to print them on, which is nice. Ty

January 30, 2005, 02:29 AM	#12
Kevlarman Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 1999 Posts: 131	I've got a Rino 120 and a GPSMap 76CS. I got the Rino a few years ago when I started geocaching. It worked well for plotting beelines towards the cache, and it was pretty handy when I cam across other people with FRS radios. I opted for the 120 over the 110 because I wanted to upload my own detailed maps into the unit. The 130 wasn't even available when I bought my 120. By far the most useful feature of the 76CS is the autorouting. It has 115MB of internal memory which can fit pretty much all of Southern California, Las Vegas, and western Arizona. I just put in an address and the unit will give me turn-by-turn directions on how to get there from my current location. If I find a road that is closed and have to take a detour, the unit will automatically re-route me to get me back on track. Way cool! It's also got a bunch of other assorted goodies such as a big color screen, magnetic compass, barometer, and USB connectivity. Not cheap, but well worth the price. __________________ Si vis pacem, parabellum. MOLON LABE!