Can you recommend a GPS?

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vtalum2001

Guest
I am researching to possibily get a GPS so i can go and explore the woods by myself when the time comes. I've read various reviews on this site about Garmin 205/305 and they seem to be very popular among riders. However i'd like to get something with color so it's more dummy proof and easy to read.

My main purpose for the device is to assist my poor navigation skills so that i can tell my position at all times and to easily navigate my way back to the parking lot without getting lost. Ease of use and sustained signal are two of my main concerns followed by cost. So with the balance of the three, what product would you recommend? I've heard people with Garmin products not being able to get signals and/or signals are very sporadic even without a whole lot of tree coverage. So what about Magellan products? Other manufacturers?

Any inputs/experiences with products are greatly appreciated!
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Personally I never have signal problems with the 205. Older GPS devices had this issue but I believe this is more or less a thing of the past.
 

rlb

Well-Known Member
You will always have signal problems amongst trees or buildings. You don't necessarily have to be under a tree or next to a building. If there is something blocking your view of the horizon (~ 15 degrees or greater) then you'll have issues. That being said, you don't need a "perfect" signal in the woods to find your way, but frequently losing your position on the GPS is frustrating.
 

tommyjay

Not-So-Venerable Asshat
I have the Garmin 60Csx and I really like it.

Drawbacks:
-Far too big for a handlebar mount, imho
-It doesn't have the cool training functions of the Edge series

Benefits:
-Big Color display
-no reception problems (when mapping a route from inside my hydration pack)
-Easy to use interface (no "clicker" which some ppl with the eTrex series find annoying
-rugged
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
I tend to find the gps device i currently have to be very user unfriendly. Have they come up with a gps's that make it easier to download and save routes? Basically what gps is the most convenient and advantageous to mountain bikers?
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I tend to find the gps device i currently have to be very user unfriendly. Have they come up with a gps's that make it easier to download and save routes? Basically what gps is the most convenient and advantageous to mountain bikers?

What are you looking for? The trails you ride are not going to be on any model. If you're looking for that I don't think you'll find it.
 
V

vtalum2001

Guest
The ability for the Edge series aren't my main concerns. My main concerns are the ease of use and that i can easily get back to the parking lot. I am mostly afraid of getting lost and not know where i need to go in order to get back to the car and that has kept me from riding by myself. Although riding with other people is super fun and most of the time people are nice enough to offer to show me around, i'd like to really not depend on other people.

Tommyjay - with your 60csx - is it easy to navigate yourself back to the car using the device? (for someone that's not super gps savy?) How do you do it - using the compass or other ways? Did you look at other ones when you got yours?

I am thinking about the Oregon series but the price tag on that one is pretty steep. So i am wondering if it's worth it.....
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
There are 2 things you can do:

1. Click through to the map, then either follow your trail back to the car or generally go in the direction you see where you started on the map.

2. Add your car as a waypoint at the start of the ride. When you're ready to go back, set the GPS to tell you how to get back there.

There are inherent risks to both. The obvious is when it tells you to go (say) dead north and there's a lake/mountain/lion/circus at the dead north position. No GPS made will solve that problem.

The features above are standard on any GPS. The more you pay for it will just mean you might get color, or contour lines, on your screen. At the start of your journey back to the car, however, no GPS is going to be able to tell you to go right or left at the next intersection in order to get you back the quickest or safest.
 

Fogerson

Former Resident Nerd
Garmin Edge 605. Mine has worked great for over six months now.

If I'm not mistaken, when you start a ride and start the timer you can use the "back to start" feature to make your way back to where you started the timer. What I don't know is how it navigates...by roads or uses your breadcrumbs to get back. 'Never tried it.

You can read about it in the owners manual which is on the Garmin website.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
What I don't know is how it navigates...by roads or uses your breadcrumbs to get back. 'Never tried it.

It gives you a big arrow telling you where to go. If it's pointing at your stomach, you're going the wrong way.
 
V

vtalum2001

Guest
What i read on the garmin website is that there is a compass feature, in which it tells you the direction you need to go and the direction you are going now. Your goal is get those two pointers aligned on the compass and you should be heading towards the right direction. Now i dont know if that feature is available on all garmin products. And that's where i am a bit confused since i did not see that on the 205/305s - how do they navigate?

The one TommyJay mentioned and all the Oregon series ones have this compass feature and that, as i see, is what i am looking for in regards to navigation. But unfortunately these ones are pricier..... Unless i missed something huge......
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
What i read on the garmin website is that there is a compass feature, in which it tells you the direction you need to go and the direction you are going now. Your goal is get those two pointers aligned on the compass and you should be heading towards the right direction. Now i dont know if that feature is available on all garmin products. And that's where i am a bit confused since i did not see that on the 205/305s - how do they navigate?

The one TommyJay mentioned and all the Oregon series ones have this compass feature and that, as i see, is what i am looking for in regards to navigation. But unfortunately these ones are pricier..... Unless i missed something huge......

Let me play around with this more on mine and get back to you. Maybe we could throw together one of our MTBNJ group rides one of these days and at some point we can strap my GPS on your stem and you can try to follow it back to the car and lead us all out of the woods. No pressure, really ;)
 

kush

Active Member
i have a garmin 305. its a good training tool, but not a terrific navigator. for instance, you have functions as said above to "get home" or "follow someone else's route".

i used these once or twice, but they are really awkward. the compass gets confused if you're in a 6 mile kind of twisty deal. it actually will get you lost because the direction displayed and compass heading sometimes are on a serious lag (on both units I've had).

but it will ultimately get you back to the trailhead, and you can upload and follow someone's route. its just you'll stop a lot and try to figure things out, and that's not as smooth a ride as going with people who know the place.

i'm sure there are probably better navigators out there
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I would never recommend using a GPS to follow a loop at 6 Mile. It's too tight in there. You're better off following the map if you want to follow a course. Any place that has a myriad of intersecting trails, forget it. But if you're in a "roomier" place like MD, Mooch, etc then you can easily just follow the map and get where you need to go.

I've gotten lost in MD before, and I just zoomed out to see where I started. I went for a while, then checked again. It got me home no problem, but I can see how some people might not like that feeling of not being totally sure.

If you're going to use the arrow option, I would slow down at the intersections and let the GPS figure out which direction you're going and see where it's telling you to go, then go that way.
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
What are you looking for? The trails you ride are not going to be on any model. If you're looking for that I don't think you'll find it.

That would be nice.

I was just thinking of ease of use with downloading and following a route. The downloading and loading a ruote doesn't seem very easy. I'm usually able to pick up a modern piece of technology or windows program and figure it out, but not with this.

And as far as marking the parking lot and finding your way back, an old eTrex legend can do that, but the reception stinks. On top of that the pointer could make things worse. Having little sunlight left and following an arrow that points you to the middle of Cranberry lake wouldn't be fun.
 
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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I was just thinking of ease of use with downloading and following a route. The downloading and loading a ruote doesn't seem very easy. I'm usually able to pick up a modern piece of technology or windows program and figure it out, but not with this.

I've never had an issue with it. Import to Training Center and then "Send to device". That's all I ever needed to do.

And as far as marking the parking lot and finding your way back, an old eTrex legend can do that, but the reception stinks.

Yeah, that's a standard GPS feature. But it's also about as good as you're going to get. All you can do is look for a unit with the best reception.

Having little sunlight left and following an arrow that points you to the middle of Cranberry lake wouldn't be fun.

Sounds like you need a guide, not a GPS.
 
V

vtalum2001

Guest
I am in for the ride and trying the garmin out and seeing how it works would be fantastic also. Unfortunately at this point i think very little of my abilities to navigate even myself out of the woods but maybe sometime in the future. :)

I think Kush outlined my thoughts to the dot! The delay, the confusion of the compass would frustrate me at the most frustrating moments. And i could totally see myself screaming/not saying nice things about the garmin product in the woods, totally by myself, scared, lost and trying to find my way out. But then again maybe if i was used to the product it would be ok....??
 

J-Dro

Well-Known Member
The compass feature on any GPS only works when you are MOVING. Otherwise, the GPS has no way of telling which way you are pointed. You can't stand still and have the GPS give you the direction that you are facing. If that is not good enough, then I suggest you try a magnetic compass (or hire a sherpa)
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
Sounds like you need a guide, not a GPS.

I was just trying to point out with a real example of why a pointer back to a lot isn't all you need to get back.

I think it would work in a Ringwood a little better though.
 

idbrian

Crotch Rot
The compass feature on any GPS only works when you are MOVING. Otherwise, the GPS has no way of telling which way you are pointed. You can't stand still and have the GPS give you the direction that you are facing. If that is not good enough, then I suggest you try a magnetic compass (or hire a sherpa)


Not knowing that concept confused the crap out of me when i first ride with my gps.
 
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