GPS ADVICE Please......

[JoFotoz]

Thinking of getting a GPS, not so much for normal road driving....

...more a combo off road / sailing aid.

So..Lat / Long feature is a MUST HAVE on mapping.


Battery powered is preferable ...as it covers emergency sailing navigation / motor bike off road etc .


Do any of you have a GPS with Lat/Long ?
Any input on pros/cons of various makes?
Big screen for old'ish eyes is a bonus :cool:
Waterproof would be amazing.

Thanks

Jo

[vt_maverick]

Jo - Looking at options on Amazon it seems like the Magellan eXplorist series and Garmin Montana series would be good options. Both are waterproof, use conventional batteries, have topographic maps (eXplorist comes with street as well), and big screens (4" on the Montana, 3" on the eXplorist). The models (and prices) within each series seem to vary based on whether you want a built-in camera (so you can geotag your pictures) or how much map data you want pre-loaded. If you want to blow all your hood insert sales money plus some go for the eXplorist 710 or Montana 650t - they both run right about $600 on Amazon. What I couldn't find is whether they display your lat/lon directly on the map, but you'd have to think that's a feature.

There are significantly cheaper options but usually the screen is smaller, they only work in the US, don't include street maps, or aren't waterproof.

Off subject: The best GPS I ever had was the factory one in my 2003 G35 Coupe. It had two features that are missing from most units: a "Find Along Route" option to show you all the search results within a short distance of your planned route, and a backup positioning system that uses the last GPS fix + speed data from the car + accelerometer data from several on-board gyros. You COULDN'T get lost in that car - f***-ing awesome.

[Ala5ka]

I have a DeLorme that has accompanied me on many journeys, you just need to have lots of batteries, and some good map software. I have yet to really find the perfect maps :(

[Triathlete]

Most race teams use Lowrance (http://www.racereadyproducts.com/lowrance-gps/)...tough and dependable.
This is what you will find in nearly all Baja and KOH type cars.

[JoFotoz]

Thanks Mav & Billy.

I've pretty much read up on all the Amazon stuff.....and the Lowrance is awesome..we use their stuff on the race boats...

...but I'm not spending $600-1200 !!

Really asking if anyone out there has a good/ affordable ( $250 maxish) GPS
that gives Lat/Long..and maps.....

..that they have used ...
....and like!


:confused:

Jo

[WormGod]

Not too far unrelated, but....

I use an old school TomTom that works just fine, but for the finer details, I picked this little guy up to give it a shot (heard about it on NASIOC).

http://www.liveviewgps.com/live+trac+ez+vehicle+tracking.html

Pretty cool device that can monitor on my PC, laptop, or mobile. I double it as my poor man's Lojack, heh. The sad part is, it has a monthly charge for their web service.

It's even funnier because when I ordered it, my g/f thought I got it to put in her car to spy on her. Having to explain that I "could" if I wanted to with it, but the thought had not crossed my mind until she mentioned it. Hmmmm.... ;)