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Post by salyers890 on Sept 19, 2005 16:49:23 GMT -5
well? do ya? what kind and are you happy with it? how much was it/is it now? just curious. I've been thinking of getting one of these portable units. Do they track movement off the road?
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Post by readonly on Sept 19, 2005 17:22:03 GMT -5
I use the garmin quest 2. I use it both for on road navigation and also for geocaching (www.geocaching.com) - I will always own a GPS device for the rest of my life now. If I am out of town and need to find a Pep Boys or a Wal-Mart, I type it in and it gives me directions down to 15ft of accuracy. Would never ever go without it anywhere now.
P.S. they have a Mopar made Quest 2 out there now called the Garmin Trail Guide...Its the SAME unit as the Garmin Quest 2, but it has a cradle that fits into the top of the jeep dash into that little impression bezel. I want the cradle, but MOPAR is charging about 200 dollars more for their kit vice the one I got for my quest 2....If anyone finds a part number for the trail guide cradle I will love you long time =-D
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Post by treeofliberty on Sept 19, 2005 21:11:59 GMT -5
GPS goes with Jeeps like radar detectors go with Corvettes. We take ours on every trail ride. You can use it to navigate, and to track where you've been. If you're just out using the Force, you can download your track when you get home to see where you went. Its also great for marking places of interest that you encountered along the way.
We use the Garmin Etrex Vista, which I got for $268 several years ago via my FFL. It has WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) and barometric altimeter. It's also small enough to take on hikes. That makes it a little small for automobile navigation. It's not too small for that, but not the best choice. Still, I like it and would buy it again.
Pick a GPS with WAAS. It gives great accuracy.
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Post by wunlimited on Sept 19, 2005 22:01:43 GMT -5
I love GPS & am about to get an ad on for my PDA that will sync with it wirelessly via bluetooth ;D I love toys  |
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Post by 04unlimited on Sept 20, 2005 11:18:58 GMT -5
I use your basic Garmin Etrex...you know, the yellow one. I would love to have the one that fits in that otherwise useless spot on the dash.
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Post by unlimitedcoffeeman on Sept 20, 2005 12:08:06 GMT -5
I love GPS & am about to get an ad on for my PDA that will sync with it wirelessly via bluetooth ;D I love toys Let me know how this goes. I have been doing alot of research on this as well. Not sure what software is the best for what we do. Alot of good feedback for regular stret driving but I cannot find much for off road use. I have been holding back on my purchase until I can get someone who has used one. I have an Ipaq rx3115. What are you using? |
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Post by n3cr0shark on Sept 20, 2005 12:28:01 GMT -5
Picked up a Magellan Meridian Gold a few months back. Overall it's been a great GPS and has WAAS. Used it going out west for a camping trip over the last few weeks and worked extremely well. Only had one issue so far (still under investigation to see if I can recreate) where it had trouble syncing with the satelites. I flushed the memory and then it worked fine. But then again, I keep forgetting to power it off when taking it out of the cradle or turning off the car (in a switched socket) so might have scrambled something in it that way and flushing the memory cleared the issue.
Nice thing about this unit is that it supports SD memory and I use a 256MB card in it which holds about 4 detailed maps plus having room to save waypoints and tracks. It's an older unit now though as the new Magellan GPS aren't limited to a 64MB map size and can take robust ability of your SD memory card. (My currently uses 64MB maps...but you can always have multiple maps which is what I did for our vacation...)
For reference:
The GPS was around $90 (but I used gift cards, so was free to me). I also picked up a Windshield mount for $20 and a DC adapter for $15. The SD 256MB card was $12. Then the map software (unit has a good base map, but I wanted more detail and Points of Interest) was around $90 from Amazon.com.
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Post by wunlimited on Sept 20, 2005 12:29:56 GMT -5
I have a Dell Axim X50. I've been researching this on eBay alot the last couple of weeks.. Just search for pda gps or Ipaq gps lots of choices, I wouldn't go for the cheapest. You can get hardwire units (cheaper) specifically for your unit or you can get wireless / bluetooth units that go with most if not all bluetooth enabled PDA's. I figure I'll get a flash card just for maps & GPS use, etc I can't wait ;D example on eBay |
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Post by unlimitedcoffeeman on Sept 20, 2005 17:23:15 GMT -5
Ebay is where alot my searches started.
That is along the same GPS system I am looking at. The hardware is not that expensive. From what I have found the software can be very expensive but not fully functional for offroad use. Alot of good reviews for street use but no real reviews for creating maps, waypoints and recording outings.
What software do you plan on using?
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Post by wilcav on Sept 21, 2005 1:01:21 GMT -5
Just to throw in my 2 cents. I have had a Magellan Sport Track for three years now. It has been through training in Fort Carson and two tours in Iraq. It has had the protective cover smashed, gotten stuck in the turret ring of a .50 CAL ring of a commanders weapons station, and banged up more times then I am sure I know. That thing just keeps on working and is one of my most prized possessions. If you can get your hands on a MGRS map of your area and you set your Magellan to read military grid coordinates, you will never get lost. I believe their is some software you can purchase to add more detailed maps but I have never had the use for them so far. It does have the basic large roads on it. The tracing feature is also awesome. Record where you went, mark places of interest with waypoints and just follow the line back if you get lost. You are just going to need a whole sh**load of AA batteries.
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Post by 04unlimited on Sept 21, 2005 2:45:37 GMT -5
I was the king of the PLUGGER! I only got my Garmin after I left the Army. I only really needed it in Kuwait, as the training area in Ft Riley is hard to get lost in, and by my third trip to the NTC, I knew the training area pretty well. The Army definitely has some cathing up to do with this technology. Glad to see you are putting a civilian product to good use.
One of my Platoon leader buddies had his Garmin Etrex stepped on, sat on, crushed a couple of different ways, and had it fall off his turret at speed, and it continued to lead him in the right direction. Last time I saw it, the LCD was smashed, and it was held toghether mostly with 100mph tape. The durability of his little yellow GPS was what probably influenced my purchase the most.
Had I owned my Jeep at the time, I probably would have gotten something different.
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Post by unlimitedcoffeeman on Sept 21, 2005 11:06:10 GMT -5
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Post by salyers890 on Sept 26, 2005 1:48:51 GMT -5
I've been seriously researching these for a bit now, but unless you get hands on time with the product it's hard to come to a conclusion. I know it's a jeep forum, but maybe you fellas have answers. Since I just got a little bass boat - here's what I'm looking for.
1. point to point nav - turn-by-turn is just so darn cool
2. recognition of position OUTSIDE of streets/roads
3. ability to navigate marine charted waters (as not to get lost on lakes). i don't need water temp/depth/fishfinder stuff
4. programmable waypoints (so I know where I launched the boat)
any suggestions keeping it under ~500 bucks?
I as looking at the iQue 3600 or the M5 GPS-integrated PDA's, both have these abilities. if you know of any others or alternatives, let me know. Would I be better buying a PDA then getting the GPS add-on in your oppinion? (remember, I'll be moving around with this equipment often, so i wouldn't want to pick up external antennas and stuff)
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Post by 04unlimited on Sept 26, 2005 10:31:51 GMT -5
Battery life should also be a concern with the iQue, and other PDA based GPS units. Plan on either running out of juice in an hour, or having it perpetually plugged into some powersource. If you are looking for something that does turn by turn directions, those units should also have everything you need to plug in waypoints, mark current position, and navigate off road an on water. My $99 eTrex does all of that, minus the cool colored maps and turn by turn directions. If you are looking for one that shows maps, you will want to make sure it has a good set of base maps, and that it is upgradable for marine maps, and regional maps. My  |
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lqcj8
4x4 Enthusiast
Just Empty Every Pocket X 2
Posts: 59
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Post by lqcj8 on Sept 27, 2005 21:01:35 GMT -5
I've been seriously researching these for a bit now, but unless you get hands on time with the product it's hard to come to a conclusion. I know it's a jeep forum, but maybe you fellas have answers. Since I just got a little bass boat - here's what I'm looking for. 1. point to point nav - turn-by-turn is just so darn cool 2. recognition of position OUTSIDE of streets/roads 3. ability to navigate marine charted waters (as not to get lost on lakes). i don't need water temp/depth/fishfinder stuff 4. programmable waypoints (so I know where I launched the boat) any suggestions keeping it under ~500 bucks? I as looking at the iQue 3600 or the M5 GPS-integrated PDA's, both have these abilities. if you know of any others or alternatives, let me know. Would I be better buying a PDA then getting the GPS add-on in your oppinion? (remember, I'll be moving around with this equipment often, so i wouldn't want to pick up external antennas and stuff) I just purchased the Garmin Quest . It does everything that your looking for . www.4x4rockshop.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=9988 |
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