Archives for January 2006

Garmin Foretrex 201 Review

January 31, 2006 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Foretrex_201

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued and has been replaced by the Garmin Foretrex 401

The Garmin Foretrex 201 GPS is similar to the Forerunner 201 in form, but whereas the Forerunner is designed to track athletic performance, the Foretrex’s forte is navigation. For example, the Foretrex holds 500 waypoints versus the Forerunner’s 100. But that is only the start of the difference in navigation features.

Here’s what others are saying about the Foretrex 201:

Filed Under: Garmin, Garmin handheld GPS, GPS Reviews, Handheld/Sport, Hardware

Garmin iQue M5 Review

January 27, 2006 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Ique_m5

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued.

The Garmin iQue M5 is the first PDA I’ve reviewed, so I covered advantages and disadvantages of using PDAs as GPS devices in my previous post today.

The primary differences between this model and the iQue M4 are that:

The M4 comes with pre-loaded maps of North America, whereas with the M5 you must transfer Garmin’s City Select maps (the CD is included with the M5) to the 64 MB of internal memory or an SD card.
The M5 has Bluetooth, while the M4 does not.

19 readers at Amazon gave an average 3-1/2 out of 5 star rating in their Garmin IQue M5 review.

Here’s what others have to say about the iQue M5:

Filed Under: Garmin, GPS Reviews, Hardware

Pros and Cons of PDA-based GPS Receivers

January 27, 2006 By Rich Owings 3 Comments

Since I’m running my first review of a PDA-based GPS receiver today, I thought I would briefly cover the advantages and disadvantages of these units, compared to traditional handheld GPS receivers:

Pros:

Ability to display raster maps.
Can perform more functions (word processor, datebook, MP3 player, Bluetooth, etc.).
Larger screen.

Cons:

More fragile than most handheld GPS receivers, which are "ruggedized." This is primarily due to the touch screen.
Shorter battery life than most handheld GPS receivers.

The bottom line is that these can be a good solution for automotive navigation or paperless geocaching, but they aren’t a good choice for backcountry navigation.

Filed Under: Hardware

Using GIS Data with GPS

January 24, 2006 By Rich Owings 2 Comments

Aerial photo with GIS boundary files There is a wealth of Geographic Information System (GIS) data available on the web — everything from public land boundaries to international contour files. It is amazing what you can find. A few examples:

I live in an area dominated by private timber lands. I found private timber company boundary files offered through this website.
Looking around for public land boundary files, I discovered that the California Department of Fish and Game owns a series of ecological reserves. Not only did I learn about this little known treasure, I found boundary files as well.
I was fortunate to be able to visit Ecuador a year ago. I used files from the GIS Data Depot to create a contour map of the country, that I was able to load onto my GPS receiver. I was able to find other sources showing roads, streams, cities, provincial boundaries and major volcanoes

GIS files are most commonly found in either .shp (shapefiles) or .e00 formats. Unfortunately, few consumer-level GPS mapping programs allow you to utilize GIS files. OziExplorer is my favorite program for working with GIS files. Using it, you can convert these files to tracks and points, and even display this info on your GPS. Another program, ArcExplorer, is a free GIS viewer, but it lacks GPS compatibility. The image, to the right above, was captured from OziExplorer. It shows public land boundaries in green and private timberlands in yellow, superimposed on a color aerial photo.

Filed Under: Aerial imagery, GIS, Maps, Software

Garmin GPS V Review

January 24, 2006 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Gps_v_1

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued.

The Garmin GPS V is an older unit, still popular due to its relatively (considering the fact that it comes with Garmin’s City Select software) low price. Not only that, it also comes with an auto mount and cigarette lighter power adapter. The GPS V can be used horizontally in your car, or vertically as a handheld. This unit is a deal, but it is also last generation technology–only 19 MB of memory, a serial cable interface, and a monochrome screen.

55 reviewers at Amazon gave the GPS V a 4 out of 5 star rating.

Here’s what others have to say:

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

U.S. High Points

January 22, 2006 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Us_high_points

Here is a nice Google Maps "mashup" for you outdoor enthusiasts — the U.S. Highpoint Explorer. It allows you to view the highest point in each of the 50 states, and it also allows you to view county high points within a state. There is even a regional view that shows the high points in the current view. A sidebar gives the key stats — name, elevation and rank. Pretty cool tool for you peak baggers! Via

Filed Under: Internet applications, Maps

How to Create Custom POIs for your Garmin GPS

January 19, 2006 By Rich Owings 4 Comments

GPSInformation.net has posted a how-to guide for creating custom points of interest (POIs) for certain Garmin GPS receivers. It gives step-by-step instructions for creating custom POI files compatible with the Garmin POI Loader. Thanks to Allory Deiss for keeping us up to date on the latest at the GPSInformation.net website.

Magellan RoadMate 800 Review

January 17, 2006 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Roadmate_800

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide or check out our other Magellan auto GPS reviews.

The Magellan RoadMate 800 GPS is an auto navigation system with multimedia extras — a photo viewer and MP3 / WMA music player. Similar to the RoadMate 760, the 800 adds a rechargeable Li Ion battery and multimedia capabilities, making it the flagship model in Magellan’s popular RoadMate line.

As of this writing, 11 readers at Amazon gave an average 4 out of 5 star rating in their Magellan RoadMate 800 review.

Compare prices on the Magellan RoadMate 800

Here’s what others have to say about the RoadMate 800:

Filed Under: Auto, GPS Reviews, Hardware, Magellan, Magellan auto GPS

Breaking a RAM mount

January 13, 2006 By Rich Owings 1 Comment

Ram_mount

Last fall, my wife actually managed to crack the RAM handlebar mount which held her Magellan Meridian Platinum. The damage is shown in the photo to the left. Thishappened during our vacation at Anza Borrego. It broke while she was pounding (or getting pounded by) the downhill shown below on the right. See the people in the photo? Those are park rangers moving boulders so they can take their 4WD up the "road!"

RAM mounts have a reputation for being very tough, and they come with a lifetime warranty, so when we returned, I sent them an email explaining the problem. I got no response, so after a few days, I called them. It was after hours (I’m on the west coast) and I got their voice mail. I left a message, but still received no response. Now I was getting frustrated. I finally managed to call during business hours and they gave me 4wd_road an email address and said send a digital photo if possible. I did and, while I got no reply, five days later a new handlebar mounting bracket showed up in the mail. All’s well that ends well.

RAM mounts are great and I have no complaints. I’m not sure I’ve ever even heard of one breaking before. But sometimes a RAM mount is overkill. They can be fairly bulky. I have one for my Garmin 60CS on my bike, but the mount in my car is a Garmin windshield suction cup mount. RAM mounts are great for where you need something fairly rugged, like on a mountain bike, ATV or 4WD. Still, Garmin’s eTrex bicycle mount worked great for my old eTrex Venture. I suggest finding a discussion board for your make of GPS and asking there before making a purchase.

If you do decide to buy a RAM mount, you may find their catalog confusing. These are component mounts, and you’ll likely be selecting a couple of different items. I’ve found it easier to identify the proper components at GPSCity, so you may want to check there.

Filed Under: Accessories, Garmin, Hardware, Magellan

Magellan eXplorist 100 Review

January 13, 2006 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Magellan_explorist100
UPDATE: The Magellan eXplorist line has been officially discontinued. For an overview of our current recommendations, check out our handheld GPS buyers guide.

The Magellan eXplorist 100 GPS is basically the eXplorist 200 minus the base map. It shares the same lack of a PC interface. Unlike most GPS receivers, you cannot transfer waypoints, tracks and routes between it and your PC. All coordinates must be entered manually.

10 people gave the 100 an average 3-1/2 out of 5 star rating at Amazon.

More Magellan eXplorist 100 reviews

Maps-GPS-Info.com has this review of the Magellan 100.
A few readers from down under offer their take on the eXplorist 100.
Geekdad calls the Magellan eXplorist 100 “kid-friendly.”

Other Magellan eXplorist 100 resoruces

The official Magellan eXplorist 100 web page.
A page with links to PDF versions of the eXplorist 100 owners manual in nine different languages!
Software for the eXplorist series.
Want to see how the 100 stacks up against other units? Check out this handy Magellan GPS comparison tool.
There is also an active Magellan eXplorist discussion group.