Which GPS is best ?

[DougPaul]

I have only one word...Bought my 60CSx yesterday... I know, I know it may be too sensitive but they told me the 60CS was beeing discontinued...Is this true ? I wasn't to argue because I wanted one NOW, so I ended up buying the damn thing. I'm sleeping with it under my pillow (joke)...

Don't know if it is being discontinued, but if I didn't have a 60CS and I were in the market right now, I would probably get a 60CSx.

In my appartment I get 6 satellites out of 14, as far as I can from the windows, with an accuracy of 14 feet....well at least that's what it told me

Try leaving the GPS on and stationary for several hours or more. Then look at the track to see how much the position wanders. Try it both indoors and in an outdoors spot with a good clear skyview. It would be interesting to see how much bigger the zone is for the indoors location. (As I think I explained earlier, that accuracy number is a lower bound on the accuracy--it can actually be much worse, particularly in a poor location such as indoors.)

Enjoy your new toy. After a few months, you may find that you can sleep comfortably with it on the nightstand...

BTW, there was a new firmware release for the 60CSx yesterday. It might fix some of the current problems. Available free from the Garmin website.

Then finding the bathroom shouldn't present much of problem ...

I hope that I can find the bathroom with better than an accuracy of 14 feet next time I need to get up in the middle of the night...

I read of someone using a GPS to find the outhouse at night way out in wilds of Mongolia. He used the backlight to see where he was going...

Doug

 

[Motabobo]

Then finding the bathroom shouldn't present much of problem ...

Enjoy your new toy, and all the software that can go with it.

It may sound really stupid but with the 60CS I wasn't able to get a lock in my appartment, so one could say, you can't find your bathroom without the new (super-expensive) SirfIII chipset based GPS

 

[Motabobo]

Try leaving the GPS on and stationary for several hours or more. Then look at the track to see how much the position wanders. Try it both indoors and in an outdoors spot with a good clear skyview. It would be interesting to see how much bigger the zone is for the indoors location. (As I think I explained earlier, that accuracy number is a lower bound on the accuracy--it can actually be much worse, particularly in a poor location such as indoors.)

Yep, I updated it yesterday night but I'll try again just to make sure...not sure of the version I have right now.

Anyway I'll try that and post a pic, I know for a fact it'll vary much !

 

[Doodles]

Hey Motabobo,

Just got my etrex Vista C in the mail today. Have no idea how to use it, but I will certainly work on it tonight for my hike tomorrow. A lot of book to read by morning.

I will have to see if my unit works so I can find the bathroom.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I read of someone using a GPS to find the outhouse at night way out in wilds of Mongolia. He used the backlight to see where he was going... Doug

Never tried the GPS backlight for that purpose, but have used the backlight from a Timex Indigo watch. A better one is the backlight from my Casio LCD travel clock ...

 

[DougPaul]

For around of 1 hour and 45 mins.
See attached image.
Good or bad ?

WAAS on or off?

Not too bad. You might have trouble finding your bathroom, but you should be able to find your house.

I'll be interested to see a similar plot with a clear skyview.

BTW, a tip: use it in normal mode. Power saving mode make it much easier to lose lock in the woods. (At least for the non-SIRF-III models. Probably applies here too.)

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Good or bad ?

Just keep that track in case you ever have problems finding your bed.

 

[CaptCaper]

I hope the CSX get's even better accuracy with an external antenna like the Gilsson's I use now with the 60CS. When I see proof on that and it does I'll be moving up for sure. I'll have to visit the "Groundspeak Forums" (Geocache Fanatics) to see what there into with the CSX they're the experts on accuracy.

 

[DougPaul]

I hope the CSX get's even better accuracy with an external antenna like the Gilsson's I use now with the 60CS. When I see proof on that and it does I'll be moving up for sure. I'll have to visit the "Groundspeak Forums" (Geocache Fanatics) to see what there into with the CSX they're the experts on accuracy.

All non-differential, L1 C/A code comsumer GPSes (ie the ones that hikers buy) have the same accuracy limitations under good signal conditions. The biggest contributor to the error is variations in the ionosphere. See http://www.edu-observatory.org/gps/gps_accuracy.html table 2 for a list of the error sources and their contributions.

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

There is a new review comparing the 60CS vs the 60CSX:
http://patrick-roeder.de/reviews/garmin_gpsmap_60CSx.htm

Seems to be fairly well done. The author concludes that the 60CSX gives as good as or better positioning accuracy than the 60CS in degraded conditions and that the positions are fairly good even in conditions that the 60CS cannot get a fix.

Doug

 

[Motabobo]

There is a new review comparing the 60CS vs the 60CSX:
http://patrick-roeder.de/reviews/garmin_gpsmap_60CSx.htm

Seems to be fairly well done. The author concludes that the 60CSX gives as good as or better positioning accuracy than the 60CS in degraded conditions and that the positions are fairly good even in conditions that the 60CS cannot get a fix.

Doug

I am so glad to read this

 

[five_head]

Rino 530

I just recently ordered a pair of Rino 530's after a lot of reviewing and comparisons. Once I give them a good workout, I'll be able to offer more info on how well they work for me.
FYI - I have been using an eTrex Vista and have been happy with it's performance. Nice and easy to use. It does lose signal under the canopy at times, but not too bad.

 

[Neil]

Hey 5-Head. I have a pair of RINO's too. (110 and 130). Let's go play a game of Waypoint Bomber!

The 110, which is very, very simple compared to typical gps's nowadays takes one so utterly beyond map & compass as to leave my non-hiking friends shaking their heads in total disbelief when I tell them what it can do.

Here's some irony: They think using a gps makes me more of an outdoorsman than "just" using M&C.

 

[DougPaul]

FYI - I have been using an eTrex Vista and have been happy with it's performance. Nice and easy to use. It does lose signal under the canopy at times, but not too bad.

Similarly, I have found spots where I cannot get a fix, but I have always been able to get one when I needed it. (Perhaps I had to move a short distance to a better location. Staying stationary and holding the unit (properly oriented) above local objects (such as me) also help. An external antenna can also be useful.) The hardware itself has never failed on me.

Some of the newer GPSes seem to be better than the eTrex Vista in degraded signal conditions (eg the 60CS) and the new SIRF-III (GPS chipset) units appear to be even better.

Doug

 

[five_head]

Hey 5-Head. I have a pair of RINO's too. (110 and 130). Let's go play a game of Waypoint Bomber!

I just received my Rino 530's in the mail yesterday. Very easy to use interface. Hardly spent any time at all in the user manual (having experience with the Vista helped a lot). Now I can't wait to try them out in the mountains.

Neil, If I should run into you somewhere I'm game for some Waypoint Bomber!