Gps

[MichaelJ]

The Garmins do seem to vary from model to model in their antennas. Standing next to Sherpa (who has one of the better models), my entry-level eTrex and his would often disagree on elevation by as much as a few hundred feet when in "difficult" GPS terrain.

By difficult, I mean a trail along the interior side of a ravine, so that your low-horizon is limited to the area of the ravine's outlet.

 

[CaptCaper]

The Coast Guard is head of 5 differant departments and is installing a network, as we speak, of differential beacons that we'll give dual coverage over the entire lower 48 states and some of the territories. I'm not sure about Alaska,HI.

If you go to the USCG site you can read about this program. Also they're developing one that will be accurate to within a foot. So in the future cars can be guided down a highway,etc.

Also more WAAS sat's are planned to be launched in the future which would eliminate alot of the error no matter where you are.

Hopefully one recieve very accurate readings constantly regardless of where one might be in the forests' by either or both correction signals.

With my WAAS gps I'm usally within a few feet of actual elevationat the summits. To get that one must have the unit on for at least 1/2 hour or more to hone in and compute. Down in revines were I might lose WAAS for a while it could be off a few hundred fee. I usually use elevation on the summits that I'm not sure if I'm at the top of.

But I know WAAS correction signals are carried for a while and used before the gps drops them to allow for temporary loss of signal.

I wouldn't leave home with out it.

 

[Papa Bear]

External antenna?
Someone posted here (or somewhere?) that he atached an external antenna which was somehow attached to his pack to his GPS. Maybe it was just a wire? Can anyone tell me which models allow an external antenna to be plugged in to allow this? Anyone know if this makes a big difference.

Calibrate altimeter?
Someone else said theirs will automatically periodically recalibrate the (built in) barometric altimeter with digital data when reception allows it. Anyone know which models can do this?

Thanks
Pb

 

[CaptCaper]

External antenna?
Someone posted here (or somewhere?) that he atached an external antenna which was somehow attached to his pack to his GPS. Maybe it was just a wire? Can anyone tell me which models allow an external antenna to be plugged in to allow this? Anyone know if this makes a big difference.

Calibrate altimeter?
Someone else said theirs will automatically periodically recalibrate the (built in) barometric altimeter with digital data when reception allows it. Anyone know which models can do this?

Thanks
Pb

Yes, I have used an extennal antenna faithfully for 2 years. You can mount them on top different ways. They are small and the wire is of a very small diameter and they do an excellant job.

Any GPS store sells them. I found a new site www.gpsgeek.com that has them resonable.

Also if you don't have an external jack they make one that reradiates the signal to the gps's antenna. I've never used one, but you can surf arouind to check them out.

http://gpsinformation.net/ is a good link to start to find out where and how.

They'll tell you also about the barometers,etc. in these units and how they work.

Good Luck

 

[masshysteria]

I own an E trex Vista, which I enjoy alot. Some of the time when I use it, it's just for fun. But there are times when I find it most helpful. Especially when I'm bushwacking, or when I'm looking for a specific point, that may not be a mountain top or a definite physical feature. And the altimeter function is super, as long as you calibrate it at a known elevation and take into account weather changes.
I use a couple of different computer programs with it, like DeLorme Topo, anbd National Geographic Topo, which is my favorite. It always amazes me how accurate the GPS can be when using it with a map, as long as your using the same map datum on the GPS as the topo mapo you're using.
But alas, it's a tool to use with a map and compass. It doesn't eliminate either one, nor does it eliminate KNOWING how to use either one.

 

[Bob Smith]

It's fun to compare notes with other hikers who have them but I keep walking off the cliff's!!! I have to stop that.

It's a nice tool but I like the compass and map.

 

[Jay H]

Own an Etrex Vista, I use it to mark canisters in the catskills for posterity but I don't use it actively when bushwacking. Just a safety measure, I'll sometimes mark strategic waypoints and save them to the GPS just in case. What I have used the GPS alot more these days is bike touring. They are very handy in finding out how to go from Point A to Point B when you;re in an area without a map and you can get rough estimates how far your destination is.

When I'm hiking, I'd rather use a compass and map.

Jay

 

[CaptCaper]

Mountain Hound,

Getting back to your question about which units we use, if you look at the Garmin gpsmap76S it does just about everything. EXtennal jacks, lots of waypoints,ability to send and recieve tracks,rt's,etc. That's the one I use now anyways. Anything less you start to compromise.

Ebay has deals and gpscity.com is good.

For the cost of a couple of dinners out, etc. you'll have a tool that can give you all kinds of info and also can help avoid any bad situations from developeing further. I find it helps keep the anxiety at bay while hiking in no so pristine conditions. Just as a Capt. I've relied on it to get my passengers in to port safely in some of thickest fog in Chatham,Ma. And relaxed the whole time it takes ,because I knew exactly where I was at all times and within a few feet of the safe part of the channel as it twisted for miles in pea soup fog. I always had people following me in that didn't have one. We called them tailgater's.

I love the way it finds the openings of trails in snow covered forest ,trails at nite in pitch black, without haveing to look for them ,instantly. Imagine in a whiteout or thick fog and snow I've been there.

After all isn't a GPS a compass and a map ?

Hope this helps someone.

 

[Head]

I own one but rarely use it. If I do use it, I check milage and elevation...

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