GPS recommendations

[nickdu]

With mother's day coming up I thought that a GPS for my wife might be a good gift. Can someone recommend one and also include some reasons for the recommendation?

By the way, I don't know much about them, yet. I'll probably spend a few days investigating. We do some sort hikes with the kids on nice weekends and it might come in handy there, but my wife also kayaks and I thought it might be useful there too. Some features I think I might be looking for:

1. Rechargable.
2. Small and lightweight.
3. Paths (I think they have some feature to keep track of where you've been and thus make it easy to retrace your route back).
4. Maps? I assume this is what most people use GPS's for. I guess it would be nice to also use in a car for directions.
5. Accuracy. Not super accurate, but reasonable. Not even sure if this is an issue. Maybe they're all the same in this respect.

 

[DougPaul]

With mother's day coming up I thought that a GPS for my wife might be a good gift. Can someone recommend one and also include some reasons for the recommendation?

This general question has been asked many times. (There are a number of past threads on the topic. BTW, the BBS search does not index the term GPS. Use Google advanced search to find the GPS-related threads.)

Do a bit of research so you can ask a more focused question. http://www.gpsinformation.net is a good place to start.

By the way, I don't know much about them, yet. I'll probably spend a few days investigating. We do some sort hikes with the kids on nice weekends and it might come in handy there, but my wife also kayaks and I thought it might be useful there too. Some features I think I might be looking for:

1. Rechargable.
AA batteries (alkaline, lithium, or rechargable NiMH) are a better choice.

2. Small and lightweight.
All of the hiking units are relatively small and lightweight.

3. Paths (I think they have some feature to keep track of where you've been and thus make it easy to retrace your route back).
The better hiking units record tracks.

4. Maps? I assume this is what most people use GPS's for. I guess it would be nice to also use in a car for directions.
Mapping GPSes plot your position, tracks, and waypoints on a map. Much easier than having to plot lat-lon on a paper map. Maps cost extra.

5. Accuracy. Not super accurate, but reasonable. Not even sure if this is an issue. Maybe they're all the same in this respect.
All consumer GPSes have about the same accuracy (95% probability of being within 10 meters) in good signal conditions. High sensitivity units (eg Garmin 60CSx) degrade far less than older units under tree cover, in valleys, in urban canyons, etc.

In the opinion of many, the afore-mentioned Garmin 60CSx is one of the best and most popular hiking GPSes currently available. Even if you don't choose it, you might want to use it as a reference point to compare to other GPSes.

Doug

 

[BobC]

You might want to do a search on the site for this, as I believe there are other threads discussing this. I can give you a small piece of advice though, if you're looking at any of the Garmin brand: get a model with 'X' at the end of the model name, because those models have a better antenna. I have a cheaper Garmin without the better antenna and I stopped using it because of the poor reception.

Edit: oops - was posting at the same time as DougPaul

 

[DougPaul]

I can give you a small piece of advice though, if you're looking at any of the Garmin brand: get a model with 'X' at the end of the model name, because those models have a better antenna. I have a cheaper Garmin without the better antenna and I stopped using it because of the poor reception.

Better GPS antennas on consumer GPSes is a common myth*. (Consumer GPSes all use quad helix or patch antennas.) The difference is in the GPS chipset. The modern "high-sensitivity" chipsets are significantly better than the prior (non-high-sensitivity) chipsets.

* Professional GPSes may use a choke-ring antenna which is better than the consumer antennas.

"X" means removable memory chip in the Garmin model numbers. "H" means high-sensitivity. Some of the Garmin high-sensitivity units do not have an "H" in the name: eg 60Cx, 60CSx, 76Cx, 76CSx, Oregon, Colorado.

Doug

 

[nickdu]

This general question has been asked many times. (There are a number of past threads on the topic. BTW, the BBS search does not index the term GPS. Use Google advanced search to find the GPS-related threads.)

I did try searching first and was surprised to see zero results. Makes sense now that I know 'GPS' is not indexed.

 

[arghman]

I did try searching first and was surprised to see zero results. Makes sense now that I know 'GPS' is not indexed.

Use "GPS*" to get around the 3-character issue.

 

[arghman]

If this is a first GPS, you should take a lot of time to figure out the features you like/dislike/need/don't care about, and the best way to do this is to actually use one. I'd recommend either:

• Beg and plead a friend to borrow one for a while (maybe they have an older model they're not using)
• buy an inexpensive one (just not the bottom-of-the-line)

and be prepared to use one you may not like for quite a while before you get a better idea of your feature requirements.

Worry about its ability to maintain/acquire satellite lock, don't worry about accuracy (unless you're like me and are documenting field data); are there situations where you care if you're 50ft off?

 

[michaelb]

oregon

If she is a geek enough to enjoy a GPS, she is likely to know what she wants; if she is not, is she geek enough to want one?

If money is not really an object, I think the garmin oregon 400t would be a good option to look at (large screen, built in maps, touch screen, easy to use).

 

[arghman]

If she is a geek enough to enjoy a GPS, she is likely to know what she wants

I beg to differ. My experiences for GPS and digital cameras and MP3 CD players and audio recorders were all the same: when I first was on the lookout for one, I wanted one really bad, but I didn't have much of an idea of what was good or bad, or even exactly how I would make use of them, until after I started using them. (granted, that's just 1 person's anecdote)

 

[DougPaul]

If she is a geek enough to enjoy a GPS, she is likely to know what she wants; if she is not, is she geek enough to want one?

If money is not really an object, I think the garmin oregon 400t would be a good option to look at (large screen, built in maps, touch screen, easy to use).

Many knowledgeable people are of the opinion that the Garmin Colorado and Oregon model lines are inferior the the 60Cx/60CSx/76Cx/76CSx line. They add a trendy interface and remove some desirable features. They are also more expensive.

Ever try operating a touch-screen with mittens or gloves?

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

I beg to differ. My experiences for GPS and digital cameras and MP3 CD players and audio recorders were all the same: when I first was on the lookout for one, I wanted one really bad, but I didn't have much of an idea of what was good or bad, or even exactly how I would make use of them, until after I started using them. (granted, that's just 1 person's anecdote)

My experience was very different. I studied GPSes and digital cameras before buying and my initial purchase was appropriate for my long-term use.

IMO, depends on the user and how much effort he is willing to do before the initial purchase.

Doug