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Archives for 2006

Another geocaching Christmas, this time with travel bugs!

December 31, 2006 By 1 Comment

Geocaching_travel_bug

Last year I reported on a geocaching Christmas, now a firmly ensconced family tradition. For those of you not familiar with
geocaching, it’s a way to have fun with your GPS and get kids
out of the house and hiking. And if you just got your first GPS, geocaching is a great introduction to GPS navigation.

This year we found several caches while in North Carolina, including Decaying Tunnel which had a couple of travel bugs in it. My nephew took one to Indiana and I took the other to California.

Daisy Mae Duck is the lucky bird that hitched a ride to California, where she awaits her next trip at Ploverlook in MacKerricker State Park. According to Daisy Mae’s web page, she wants to travel and see places like Florence, Tuscany, London, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. If you can help her out, give her a lift.


Filed Under: Geocaching, Trip report (TR)

Top posts of 2006: The year in review

December 26, 2006 By 3 Comments

While blogs like this have a lot going for them, one of their weaknesses is that old posts quickly get lost, so I like to do an annual review, and highlight more recent popular posts in the sidebar. With that introduction, here are the top 20 most popular posts from 2006, and a few others to boot:

  1. SiRFstar III – Why it’s a big deal – The chipset of choice. It is so cool to get a signal lock indoors!
  2. Custom POI’s – 6 million POIs not enough for you? Maybe the NAVTEQ or Teleatlas database doesn’t have your favorite fast food chain. Check out these resources. Someone else may have already done the hard work for you.
  3. Handheld GPS recommendations – ‘Nuff said.
  4. Consumer Reports rates GPS receivers – People value these independent reviews.
  5. Garmin City Select vs. City Navigator – This has got to be one of the most common questions out there for owners of Garmin handhelds wishing to use them for auto navigation.
  6. Automotive GPS recommendations – ‘Nuff said.
  7. Hacking eXplorist 100, 200 and 300 GPS receivers – Now you can get a PC interface cable for these Magellan units.
  8. Why have a barometric altimeter? – The joys of knowing your elevation and elevation gain.
  9. How to create custom POIs for your Garmin GPS – If you looked at item number two, but couldn’t find what you were looking for, here is a DIY resource.
  10. Why have an electronic compass? – Didn’t REM do some songs about this (Standing Still, Stand)? How to tell which way you’re facing while standing still.
  11. GPS rebates and deals – Everybody loves a deal.
  12. Does the nuvi have a weak feature set and interface? – Maybe, but much depends on what you are looking for. The nuvi is still the best at lots of things.
  13. Garmin nuvi compared to Mobile XT – More on that last one.
  14. Garmin to focus more on pre-programmed SD cards? – Can you say "planned obsolescence?" How about "legacy product?"
  15. Free maps of Japan for Garmin GPS receivers – Everybody loves getting something for free.
  16. GPS for your car: Factory-installed or aftermarket unit? – Puh-lease. This is a no brainer!
  17. Can my GPS be used to track me? – The short answer? Not unless it has a transmitter.
  18. Pros and cons of PDA-based GPS receivers – They do it all, but they sure are fragile. Now where did I put my stylus?
  19. Convert National Geographic TOPO (.tpo) files – GPS lovers that use TOPO should send Robert Lipe a thank you!
  20. DesktopEarth – Eye candy for your desktop.

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Filed Under: FAQs

Magellan RoadMate 2000 update

November 29, 2006 By 26 Comments

I recently had the opportunity to spend some quality time with a Magellan RoadMate 2000, and I learned some interesting things, like the fact that this is not really a "crossover" GPS unit designed for backcountry use! Check out my Magellan RoadMate 2000 review for the update.

Related post:

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Filed Under: Hardware, Magellan

I got my nuvi!

November 29, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Nuvi_660_menu_screen_1
Yep, I finally broke down and bought a nuvi 660. From GPSNow of course (and I noticed today that Amazon’s price has gone back up). I gotta say, I was impressed with the speed of delivery. I ordered my nuvi on the day after Thanksgiving (Friday), and it was here Monday afternoon. Total shipping and handling? $7.55 for USPS Priority Mail. And no sales tax. Man, you can’t beat that!

So far, I’ve been very pleased with the nuvi. As always, Garmin comes through with very intuitive menus. This is one of their true strengths.

What else have I noticed?

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Filed Under: Garmin, Hardware

Bushnell GPS to feature aerial photos and satellite imagery

November 27, 2006 By 5 Comments

Bushnell_gps_with_aerial_photo

Bushnell has announced two new handheld GPS receivers that can accommodate aerial photos and satellite imagery (and apparently USGS topo maps). This comes hot on the heels of Lowrance announcing their iWAY 600C auto receiver. Assuming someone else doesn’t beat them to the punch, Bushnell will have the first non-PDA, consumer handheld GPS with this capability. Outdoor enthusiasts have been waiting a long time for a ruggedized GPS with this capability.

There are two models — the Onix200 and Onix200CR — the only apparent difference being that the CR has a color screen with higher resolution. Amazon says that the Bushnell Onix200 will be available sometime after December 22. The Onix200CR is due in February 2007.

Bushnell is hyping a screen layering feature, but it appears to only layer a navigation compass on the screen, rather than allow you to blend topos and aerial imagery. I’m a little disappointed that you can’t layer topo maps and aerial photos, but another concern is cost.

At first glance this doesn’t look too bad — $1 per map or photo, 25 for $20 or an unlimited annual subscription for $79. Which begs the question, after a year do I own the imagery or do I have to download it again every time I want to change images?

And consider this quote: "The ONIX200 series unit will store up to 12 photography (satellite or aerial) downloads at one time. Choose images of the same land at different levels of zoom, or broaden your coverage area by storing photos of separate areas."

With only 32 MB of user memory, the Onix200 series will accept only 12 images. And from that quote, and the layout of the download site, I assume that each time you change zoom level, it’s a different image and therefore another map or photo you are charged for.

Sounds a bit limited to me. Maybe Garmin will bring this capability to CES.

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Filed Under: Aerial imagery, GPS News, Handheld/Sport, Hardware, Other handheld GPS

Garmin zumo 550 review

November 20, 2006 By 15 Comments

Garmin_zumo_550

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For a look at current models, check out our GPS for motorcycles page. The Garmin zumo 550 GPS is designed especially for motorcycles. The zumo comes pre-loaded with maps of Europe or North America, and Bluetooth allows for hands free cell phone calling through the cyclist’s helmet. This high-end unit includes the SiRFstar III chipset for excellent reception, an MP3 player, and optional XM radio, traffic and weather. TMC traffic alerts are another available alternative. read more

Filed Under: Auto, Garmin, Garmin auto GPS, GPS Reviews, Hardware Tagged With:

GPS gift guide

November 15, 2006 By 1 Comment

The holiday gift season is upon us and judging from the growth in the GPS market, there are lots of people out there wishing for the coolest toy tool on the planet. But how do you decide what to buy? Where do you start? I’ve assembled a number of tools to help you make the right choice. Most will lead to our reviews of individual GPS units. Be sure to check these out, because they are designed to (among other things) help you find the best price. And if you still can’t make up your mind, just pick up an Amazon gift certificate.

Okay, ready? Let’s look at some choices:

What will this GPS be used for?

Here are a number of posts that should help you find the right GPS for your use:

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Filed Under: More GPS News

GPS for geocachers

November 13, 2006 By 32 Comments

EtrexhmapLast updated December 16, 2009

Geocaching is an extremely popular sport, and I’d venture to say that over 99% of geocachers use a GPS. But which one to choose? I’ll narrow the field, look at choices in multiple price ranges, and delve into other uses, mapping software, etc. By the way, all the units below have a high-sensitivity chipset for superior reception under canopy and in natural or urban canyons.

Budget GPS for geocaching

The Garmin eTrex Venture HC has a sunlight-readable color screen and the ability to accept detailed maps, such as the free Garmin-compatible topo maps available for most states. It comes with a USB cable for transferring waypoints, tracks and routes to and from your computer. The retail price is $200, but I typically see it selling for about $115 to $130.




A lower cost model, the Garmin eTrex H, has a monochrome screen and you lose the cable and the ability to load maps. The eTrex H is available for around $80 at the time of this update. I highly recommend getting the Venture HC instead.

Another budget model worth considering is the Geomate.jr, which comes with 250,000 caches pre-loaded!

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Filed Under: Hardware

The amazing flying 60CSx

November 11, 2006 By 2 Comments

Garmin_60csx_dismount

Why do I have a picture of my wife’s foot at the start of this post? What you see to the left is the re-enactment of a GPS accident this afternoon. We had come to a locked gate, lifted our bikes over, and then we proceeded to climb over ourselves. Except my dear wife’s foot grazed the antennae, which sort of acted like a lever. Yes, the 60CSx flipped out of the mount, went tumbling through the air, and plop — on the pavement.

Oh, see the railing behind her foot? A couple more feet and it would have gone into the river (see photo at right below). Now I’m just having bad luck with my 60CSx. My old unit, a 60CS, never took a tumble out of my mount, yet this is the second such impact for this unit.

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Filed Under: Accessories

GPS with MP3 players

November 10, 2006 By 4 Comments

Nuvi_660_center_mp3_1
Many auto GPS receivers come with an integrated MP3 player, allowing you to control musical selections in your car via the GPS. Some even work with Audible audio book (.aa) files, or come with XM Radio receivers. Typically, playback is paused when navigation directions are announced; some units even rewind a couple of seconds when the music starts back.

There are a number of things to consider when purchasing a GPS receiver with an MP3 player; speaker quality, whether or not you can import playlists, the amount of disk storage available for files (if the unit doesn’t use an SD/MMC card for storage), how intuitive menus are, etc. The variations are too great to delve into here. Our GPS reviews link to many user reviews, so dig deep and check them out, or find a message board for the unit you are interested in, and search or ask.

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Filed Under: Garmin, Hardware, Lowrance, Magellan, TomTom
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