Handheld GPS

[Guest Tracker]

Does anyone have any experience of these and what the better ones - as in cost more - do that the cheaper ones dont please?

 

As with car satnavs are the established names like Magellan and Garmin the ones to go for or are there 'budget' names that are just as good?

 

I'm happy to pay for the better choice but even happier if the 'just as good' choice costs less!

 

Not strictly Motorhome releated I suppose except that many of us go for walks and bike rides in wild places when away from home and getting lost - or more importantly - knowing where you are is worthwhile.

 

Thanks.

[Big Momma]

Rich, there was a thread on one of the other forums not so long ago discussing handheld GPS. I have tried to find it again but now cannot see it in the obvious suspects (Chatterbox, Walking, Camping etc). Perhaps I was just dreaming :-S Maybe worth a 'search' if the facility is working. Enjoy your weekend :D

[Geoff Tuckley]

Hi, Tracker,

 

Used them a lot on boats and they can be really good. I used a NAVSTAR which would update and suggest a course correction every 2 seconds if necessary. You will appreciate that at sea you have to allow for your drift which changes with the tide run and the wind, hence the need for the system to be continually checking your position and course. Never had experience of using a terrestrial one but as the need to offset drift is not required I would think one of the cheaper systems would be ok so long as it could always be in touch with the necessary satelites. The difference, of course is that at sea there are no landmarks so when you punch in your destination the system gives you a set of waypoints it will steer you to in order for you to reach your final destination. It will take you to within 6 metres of your requested spot and will remember the setting if so desired to take you back again from anywhere on the face of the globe (Always handy when you have located a wreck which fishes well)

Dont know if any of this is of any use to you but it shows how accurate hand helds can be.

Whatever you do don't buy Chinese.

 

 

[The Decorator]

Not quite you're answer but I use the car one when cycling (Navman)

[Guest Tracker]

The Decorator - 2010-03-28 1:35 PM

 

Not quite you're answer but I use the car one when cycling (Navman)

 

We've used our TomTom when walking in a city but it's not much good off road other than to show you where the roads are - and the way back to the van if you enter it as a waypoint or starting point before leaving it!

[silverback]

yep magellan, garmin, are the best, i have an garmin etrex vista use it for in the mountains when im walking, basically the more you spend the more features you get, ie compass, more waypoints to plot, etc

the entry level gps will give you all the features you will prob need they are all much the same as in price, and you can download maps and stuff from the web, go to the relevant websites eg garmin and compare. there are also bargains to be found on ebay

jonathan

[alan k]

I've got a SATMAPactive 10, not cheap witha 75x50mms colour screen, I've only got UK maps and use 1:50000, much cheaper than 1:25k for which I've got UK wide coverage.

 

Lots of features, easy to use and to input routes etc to follow or just use it to confirm where you've got to. Depending on your location its always better to carry a good map as well

 

alan

[ron.]

We've had a Garmin 60CSX for about eighteen months and found it pretty faultless in use, which is more than I can say for any car unit we have had.Like most products you pay more for the extra functions you might or might not use, such as barometric altimeter, electronic compass and higher sensitivity, as well as ease of use. The issue with using a car based unit for walking, etc, is of course their size.

[Guest peter]

Geoff Tuckley - 2010-03-28 1:23 PM

 

Hi, Tracker,

 

Used them a lot on boats and they can be really good. I used a NAVSTAR which would update and suggest a course correction every 2 seconds if necessary. You will appreciate that at sea you have to allow for your drift which changes with the tide run and the wind, hence the need for the system to be continually checking your position and course. Never had experience of using a terrestrial one but as the need to offset drift is not required I would think one of the cheaper systems would be ok so long as it could always be in touch with the necessary satelites. The difference, of course is that at sea there are no landmarks so when you punch in your destination the system gives you a set of waypoints it will steer you to in order for you to reach your final destination. It will take you to within 6 metres of your requested spot and will remember the setting if so desired to take you back again from anywhere on the face of the globe (Always handy when you have located a wreck which fishes well)

Dont know if any of this is of any use to you but it shows how accurate hand helds can be.

Whatever you do don't buy Chinese.

 

Navstar.......Blimey, that's going back a bit isn't it? They went out of business years ago, (I had a Navstar Decca. Even older).

There are lots of GPS that can be used for walking. My wife's is a Mio Walker, which is quite good. For walking you might be better off with one that takes Street Maps.

[derek500]

Tracker - 2010-03-28 2:48 PM

 

We've used our TomTom when walking in a city but it's not much good off road other than to show you where the roads are - and the way back to the van if you enter it as a waypoint or starting point before leaving it!

 

I run TomTom on my PDA (Pocket PC) and do exactly the above.

 

Great for finding attractions in cities and of course where I've parked the MH!

[bigal55]

tracker take a look at the memory map website, they use ordnance survey maps, so are not cheap, but very detailed.

[RogerGW]

I'm frequently in places I don't know, so last year I got myself a BlackBerry Curve 8900 'phone. It was on a special (and unadvertised) offer from Orange.

 

The phone has GPS built in and has its own mapping software but I find Google Maps much better. This gives good road and urban mapping, with the option always of aerial photography. You can also do a text search for, say, the nearest pub or filling station.

 

The service isn't fast, because the 8900 is not a 3G device, but if you're not in a hurry for a fix (IYSWIM), it's very accurate.

 

Newer models of the BlackBerry have 3G but would be dearer. So, too, would an Apple iPhone, which also has GPS.

 

The virtue for me is having only one device to carry around, one that also gives me email, diary, Web browsing, etc.

 

Roger

[Herri]

It really depends on what you want to use it for.

The main difference is; some hand helds have real maps in the display while most others don’t. If you are cycling on roads no problem but if you are walking on the moors it’s a different story. All hand helds will tell you where you are but if you cant read a map reference and transfer that to a map its not a lot of use.

Some phones with GPS function only operate where there is a good phone signal and wouldn’t show you tracks through the Brecon Beacons anyway(even if you get a signal).

 

I suggest you have a look at the memory map website. Their ordnance survey maps can be used on a laptop and some hand helds. Trouble is they are not cheap. I have tried two different Garmins but neither do a proper map, so while you can plot waypoints and similar stuff, it’s not the same as a moving map. So for serious walking I am considering an Adventurer as I have already bought the maps.

If you are more into mountain biking, google GPS Hand Held and you can read some of their forums.

 

Herri

 

 

 

 

[Colin Leake]

We have a Garmin Venture Cx which is brilliant. In my case we walk a lot but being diabetic it is essential for me not to get seriously lost and in the unlikely event of me being in trouble to know where we are to call for help.

 

My advise is to get one of the better makes. They are not very expensive these days. Get the cheapest in the range that you can download maps to. Cheaper ones that don't have this facility are not much use. More expensive ones are heavier with more bulky aerials. In the main the only advantage they have is they are more accurate but unless the difference between say 6 metre or 1 metre accuracy matters who cares. By way of having greater power they will get a better signal in difficult areas. Having said that the only place mine struggles is in dense forests and even then will get a fix as soon as you find a clearing.

 

Oddly enough near some military installations the signal seems to go. I assume it is either wiped out by other signals or in some way deliberately blocked.

 

Do bear in mind that you will need to buy a set of maps to download to the device which will cost as much as the device itself. Having said that the total cost of the device and a set of maps for the whole of the UK will be in the region of £200 which is as nothing compared to what you could spend on maps.

 

The storage capacity of the device is not enough to store a complete set of maps so you need to download only those you want for any particular trip from your computer where you have stored the main set. and delete them when you get back. Make sure you download enough to cover the area you want or you will find have walked off the edge of the map! Also be careful if you are downloading maps for areas that are close together as it is easy to add one then when adding the same one for an adjacent area delete it. I've done this more than once.

 

You can plan routes on them but because of the small screen you need to do so on a laptop and then transfer the route to the device. I can't be faffed with all that so we just tend to wander off in whatever direction we fancy and use the device to work out a circular route as we go. We always mark the place we are staying at as a way-point before setting off.

 

The screens are small but you can change the scale at will. The smaller the scale the less details are included the greater the scale the more details. Sounds complicated but flicking between scales quickly becomes second nature.

 

Don't do towns much but they do work fine in town giving street names and places of interest.

 

I'm ashamed to admit it but when walking round Coniston Water a walker coming in the other direction seeing me consult it asked me for the cricket score. I just could not help making ti up and giving it to him!

[Colin Leake]

To late to edit my original but it is worth pointing out that the maps have contour lines on them which will so you how steep and high hills are.

 

Go for.