[dft]

I'm playing with a Garmin Rhino 530HCx (gps/frs combo). Currently I'm working with tracks and gpx files. I can copy the gpx files to my system then run them through Gebabbel and convert them to kml files for google earth or any other GIS standard file. I'm going to send and ESRI based file to a friend who's a GIS guru and try and make some cool 3D renderings of the tracks.

 

[STUPIDFACE]

I ended up getting the garmin nuvi 500. I was going to get the lowrance baja one, but i have other things i want to spend money on. I think the garmin will do what i want.

 

[b1pig]

post up what your experience is with it. i remember seeing one of the standard garmin nav units with topo capability... i cant recall which one it was.

i've used handheld gps units since 2001. i got a magellan Map330x and a Magellan Triton 2000. i would have suggested the garmins. just about any of the handheld mapping gps units will do tracks. most of them will allow you to store several tracks and you can then download them to your pc/laptop mapping software. garmin is very flexible and will integrate with other programs. most of their units are pretty user friendly.

magellan has good hardware, but they have almost no software support. accuterra is about the only company out there with good up to date stuff for their units.

i have no experience with Lowrance, but they've been in the business since it was in business.
i got one delorme unit for use with a laptop... the maps were horrible.

 

[Loki646]

I use my Droid 90% of the time, but if I need Topography maps I can simply fire up my MacBook. I'm working on getting a 7" monitor so I can run the Mac in "clamshell" mode and leave it resting in a more secure location.

 

[benny]

I'm running a Laptop/GPS puck antenna with Overland Navigator. http://spatialminds.com/Overland-Navigator-Software/M/B001TM05D0.htm
Very easy to use..uses the KISS method...just shows where you are on a map. The maps are seemless and it just scrolls through them on your route.
I used to run a handheld GPS and got tired of trying to focus on a 2" screen while trying to drive.

 

[mschaffer66]

I'm kinda between the Oregon 450 and the Nuvi 500. Outside of the size, shape, interface, what are the differences between the two?

Seems like to me the 450 would be a better offroad and the 500 would be a better mixed use gps.

 

[mschaffer66]

I just picked up an Oregon 450T at Gander for $350 Check your local one and see if they still have the sale going

 

[mschaffer66]

What are some of the good GPS sites to hit up that help you get the best use out of your GPS? I already checked out that gpsfile site someone posted

 

[gfe jeep]

Benny

sending a pm

 

[STUPIDFACE]

Anybody know how to get to the topo maps on a garmin nuvi 500? I just got mine today and dont know how to pull up the topo mapos.

 

[dbuning]

I have used a GARMIN 60CSx for years and now I have added the Droid X. I have everything I need.

 

[jkdrone]

I love my Magellan Triton 2000.

There are two great software packages that I use w/ it:

National Geographic TOPO! State Series (freaking love this software, it allows 3d-flyovers of trails, and has a ton of features), which allows one to create custom Topo maps and upload them to the GPS.

Additionally, it also supports TOPO! Explorer, which is more of an online application, but you can build hybrid topo/satellite quads and upload them to the Triton. It's a little more expensive than the state series, but having support for hybrid maps is nice.

I know others have topo/hybrid mapping features, but I wanted to point out the Triton series has full support for them too. (most dont actually seem to know this -- I am able to store 1/3rd the state of texas in detailed topo maps using a 2gig SD card on the triton.)

The fact that it's water-proof adds more value for me, as I also use it in my kayaking adventures. =)

Some people like their phones, but I've yet to find one that had nearly the GPS antenna and signal my hand-held unit does (my hand-held works down in valleys, under full tree and cloud cover. My phone can't even find a satellite half the time when it's overcast. Let's not even talk about the time I couldn't find Long Ranch b/c I was relying on the phone nav, which not only stopped updating when I left 3G service, it also blanked out the existing map. Fortunately, I had a back-up plan and my triton was in the console, with a waypoint for the park.)

!c

 

[JerseyJK07]

Anybody know how to get to the topo maps on a garmin nuvi 500? I just got mine today and dont know how to pull up the topo mapos.

yea, make the view into 2d flat mode not 3d mode. you will then see the topo lines and if you zoom out far you can see mountain contours.

 

[UGET IT]

I really want the Baja 540 that Hit described...........Now where to mount it??

 

[STUPIDFACE]

yea, make the view into 2d flat mode not 3d mode. you will then see the topo lines and if you zoom out far you can see mountain contours.

Yeah, i had it on topo the whole time. I live in south louisiana, there are no topo lines where i live. When i zoomed out to where i could the the mississippi river, the topo lines were there.

I really want the Baja 540 that Hit described...........Now where to mount it??

I started to get it, but i didnt want to spend that much. I ended up buyig a garmin nuvi 500, then i bought a garmin gpsmap 276c off of a dude. I probably should have just gotten the baja.

 

[jonb96150]

Having used many different GPS units (and even LORAN before GPS) in my trail rigs, I have finally settled on the GPS/Netbook/Software route.

The GPS is a Globalsat BU353 USB puck that plugs into the netbook. I have both Delorme TOPO 7.0 and Delorme Street Atlas USA 2010 on the netbook. I had to install Franson GPSGate 2.6 to clean up the data from the Globalsat unit so the Asus Eee PC wouldn't crash. But everything works beautifully now and my GPS display is 9 inches diagonal.

Adding waypoints is easy because the netbook has a real keyboard. Its form factor is small enough to mount in front of the radio on a custom mount. I can add custom routes or even area boundaries that come in handy during our club's annual forest trash cleanup event. TOPO displays great looking maps and since the netbook is a touch screen, zooming and program operation is a breeze. This Eee PC has a solid state drive so I don't need to worry about head crash like on a hard drive.

I also carry a parts manual and factory service manual on the PC for those electrical gremlins that all JK owners learn to deal with.

As long as I save Garmin log files in a .gpx format, I can read and display them too. In the TOPO software I can turn GPS tracks into routable roads for navigation purposes.

The only downside to this is you have to wait for the usual Windoze 7 boot up and it will not fit into your pocket.

This is also what I've done. When you are in the middle of BFE the little screen of a handheld gps does not give you enough map to make decisions. So then you have to extrapolate the coordinates onto a topo which is cumbersome and take practice.

But... if you are only interested in bread crumb options you don't have to go to this length.

So I have a Delorme pn-60 and topo 9 (on my acer netbook). I don't find the gps or the software to be very user friendly. If you use it all the time I'm sure you learn it, but as an occasional user I don't find it intuitive at all.

 

[jeepchic55]

I am looking at the Garmin Nuvi 500 for its dual purpose application, but does anyone know if there is a Lifetime maps update that works for this unit? I read that if you try to use the standard update, the topo feature is rendered unusable. I think this is a great option for me, as I would like to use it on my bike and while hiking, but I would want to update it in the future.

 

[NuggetHoarder]

I am looking at the Garmin Nuvi 500 for its dual purpose application, but doe anyone know if there is a Lifetime maps update that works for this unit? I read that if you try to use the standard update, the topo feature is rendered unusable. I think this is a great option for me, as I would like to use it on my bike and while hiking, but I would want to update it in the future.

The only problem with using a Nuvi for hiking is the batteries. You can't just pop in some AA's and keep going. You'll need to carry along a couple of fully charged extra batteries and they run $30 each on Amazon. If you get into an area of heavy trees, and you lose the GPS signal, the Nuvi will begin automatically searching for satellites. This puts a fairly strong drain on the battery. The cheap solution then becomes using the Nuvi to only get a fix and then turning the unit off to preserve batteries. This is workable but can be annoying at times and if you accidentally leave it on, then you're almost certain to be left with a dead battery after a few hours.

 

[Panamon Creel]

I am looking at the Garmin Nuvi 500 for its dual purpose application, but does anyone know if there is a Lifetime maps update that works for this unit? I read that if you try to use the standard update, the topo feature is rendered unusable. I think this is a great option for me, as I would like to use it on my bike and while hiking, but I would want to update it in the future.

I don't think you can get Lifetime map updates for the NT/Topo combo map used on the Nüvi500 but I believe you can purchase yearly one time updates.
Nevertheless it's always a good thing to backup the Data on the GPS prior to updates in case something goes wrong.
Maybe consider a newer Model Nüvi which has Lifetime updates for the preloaded NT Navigator maps and purchase the Topo map separately which can be loaded as secondary map on the GPS internal memory or on a SD card.

 

[isaac_golding]

You can always take most of the handheld units and interface them with a netbook/notebook for those times when you want a "bigger screen" etc. I used to have a laptop dedicated to just this purpose.

I'd use my Garmin when on foot or just collecting breadcrumb data. And when I wanted all the bells and whistles... just plug it all up and presto! laptop knows where it is and can show me all the map data I installed.