I'm asking this in the forums out of pure laziness. I've decided that I need a GPS unit...which one to get? I like the idea of having an in car unit that I can use for directions instead of printing out a map or having to ask someone. However, once I need to leave the truck behind I want to be able to take it with me into the woods. Is there a unit that I can do both with easily? If so, is it possible to pick one up for under $400?
GPS-Handheld/In car?
- Thread starter Badfish740
- Start date
You're right in the Garmin GPSMap 60CS territory.
Here's a link to some guy's ebay auction for you to get an idea of it's specs. You'll want to get a copy of Cityselect for all of the maps.
I have the 76CS and it's nice - not overly different from the 60CS except that it has more memory and is more expensive.
If you wanted to go old-school (and cheaper) you could probably find a used GPSMap V on ebay. The only problem is the low memory size (not bad if you only need maps of South Jersey) and black & white screen. It's what I started with, and in many ways was easier to use than my 76CS.
Here's a link to some guy's ebay auction for you to get an idea of it's specs. You'll want to get a copy of Cityselect for all of the maps.
I have the 76CS and it's nice - not overly different from the 60CS except that it has more memory and is more expensive.
If you wanted to go old-school (and cheaper) you could probably find a used GPSMap V on ebay. The only problem is the low memory size (not bad if you only need maps of South Jersey) and black & white screen. It's what I started with, and in many ways was easier to use than my 76CS.
I have both a handheld and car-mounted GPS, so I'm spoiled. It would be very difficult to convince me that there's a handheld option which works just as well for auto navigation.
I'm using a Garmin StreetPilot 2620 in the car. Originally it had a 2 gigabyte microdrive on a CF card, but when prices dropped I replaced the microdrive with a solid state 2 GB card and that really improved performance.
I don't think there are any handheld units that offer this amount of storage (although new products keep coming out, so I may have missed something). I have the full North American street maps loaded, and have loaded the US Topo maps for maybe half of the US and there's still room to spare. This is really nice when you go on a trip, you can easily toggle between topo's and street maps.
I don't think any of the handhelds have screens as bright and readable as the streetpilots either (it only runs off a power cord and not batteries). Additionally, the touch screen interface is very handy in the car. And they also give you a wireless remote control which lets you control the unit without leaning forward to physically touch it.
The Quest is supposed to be designed for auto and handheld use, but I've never seen one in person. Still limited in terms of storage however:
http://www.garmin.com/products/quest/
Now of course a handheld may be "good enough" for your use in the car, but I don't think there's any way it will be "as good" as an automotive unit.
FWIW, I have a Garmin Legend C for handheld use. It's a nice little unit but I definitely wouldn't find it adequate for replacing paper maps while driving.
I'm using a Garmin StreetPilot 2620 in the car. Originally it had a 2 gigabyte microdrive on a CF card, but when prices dropped I replaced the microdrive with a solid state 2 GB card and that really improved performance.
I don't think there are any handheld units that offer this amount of storage (although new products keep coming out, so I may have missed something). I have the full North American street maps loaded, and have loaded the US Topo maps for maybe half of the US and there's still room to spare. This is really nice when you go on a trip, you can easily toggle between topo's and street maps.
I don't think any of the handhelds have screens as bright and readable as the streetpilots either (it only runs off a power cord and not batteries). Additionally, the touch screen interface is very handy in the car. And they also give you a wireless remote control which lets you control the unit without leaning forward to physically touch it.
The Quest is supposed to be designed for auto and handheld use, but I've never seen one in person. Still limited in terms of storage however:
http://www.garmin.com/products/quest/
Now of course a handheld may be "good enough" for your use in the car, but I don't think there's any way it will be "as good" as an automotive unit.
FWIW, I have a Garmin Legend C for handheld use. It's a nice little unit but I definitely wouldn't find it adequate for replacing paper maps while driving.
I'll be the first person to agree. The handhelds won't give you voice prompts - just beep at you (usually inaudibly) when you need to make a turn.
HA! I'm used to driving my boss around in his car with his Garmin (not sure which model) which has a broken speaker, so I'm well acquainted with the lack of audial prompts. It took me a while to not freak during the "turn preview" and actually wait until the actual turn.
Funny, I turn off the voice prompts most of the time when I'm driving alone. But it can be helpful if you have someone else in the car and aren't paying attention to the screen. I don't know why, but I have a real dislike for any kind of talking machine 
The Quest (see link above) has voice prompts but is also compact enough to use for hiking. They also have the Quest2 now which has the full North America street maps preloaded, might be worth checking out if it's within your budget: http://www.garmin.com/products/quest2/
The Quest (see link above) has voice prompts but is also compact enough to use for hiking. They also have the Quest2 now which has the full North America street maps preloaded, might be worth checking out if it's within your budget: http://www.garmin.com/products/quest2/
I've been using the Garmin GPSMap 60CS for a few years now, both in the car and in a portable fashion. It's a great unit. My only complaint is the 56k memory limit. It's fine if you know the general area you'll need it for, so you can preload the maps. I use this unit when I travel on business, while geacaching and every Saturday while I'm wheelin'.
Ok, I think I get the basics. So in order to be able to drive all over the state (on paved roads) plus be able to have topos of areas I want to explore in the pines do I need more memory than the 76CSx has to offer? I'm afraid I don't really understand the process of loading maps either. When it comes to these things I'm sort of illterate. I like the Quest, but I can't afford to lay out $800. I saw one for sale on Ebay for around $580 with a buy it now offer, but I'm a little leary of that. According to Garmin's website I could get a decent dash mount and a 12 volt adapter also...
Anyone have any thoughts?
Anyone have any thoughts?
Although the 56k limitation is there, it's never caused me an issue. I can load all of City Select and Topo for NJ and still have plenty of available memory.
Well in that case I think I'd be alright. Believe me, I'd love to spend time exploring other parts of the country, but the pines are close and cheap! Just NJ topo maps would suit me just fine. Hopefully I'll be picking up a 76CSx soon!
I'm not personally familiar with the 76csx, but it stores maps on a removable SD memory card. That's a nice feature, because SD cards are getting relatively cheap these days. The specs say it can accept a 1GB max card - that's pretty big. As a point of reference, the street maps for all of north america require ~1.5GB. The topo maps are more compact because they are not "routable".
It says they include a 128MB card with the unit. I'm guessing that would probably let you load the street and topo maps for most of the East coast. You could also buy several smaller cards and load different regions into each.
But be aware that this unit doesn't include any maps in the purchase price. It has a base map built-in which is pretty useless; it would only have major roads on it with no detail. For example, in the pines it would probably only show a few roads like Rt 70, Rt 206, Rt 38, etc. You need to buy the street and topo maps separately which might cost you another $300. You use a program called MapSource on your PC and connect the GPS with a USB cable. The software allows you to select a region of interest from the maps on a CD and upload it to the GPS. It also lets you exchange tracks, routes and waypoints between your computer and GPS.
As a lower cost alternative, you might look at the eTrex Legend Cx:
http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexLegendcx/
I have the older version of this GPS and it's very nice for hiking - quite small with a nice color screen. The new version also features removable SD memory cards as described above. I really wish mine had this feature because it's rather limited by the builtin 24MB of memory.
It says they include a 128MB card with the unit. I'm guessing that would probably let you load the street and topo maps for most of the East coast. You could also buy several smaller cards and load different regions into each.
But be aware that this unit doesn't include any maps in the purchase price. It has a base map built-in which is pretty useless; it would only have major roads on it with no detail. For example, in the pines it would probably only show a few roads like Rt 70, Rt 206, Rt 38, etc. You need to buy the street and topo maps separately which might cost you another $300. You use a program called MapSource on your PC and connect the GPS with a USB cable. The software allows you to select a region of interest from the maps on a CD and upload it to the GPS. It also lets you exchange tracks, routes and waypoints between your computer and GPS.
As a lower cost alternative, you might look at the eTrex Legend Cx:
http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexLegendcx/
I have the older version of this GPS and it's very nice for hiking - quite small with a nice color screen. The new version also features removable SD memory cards as described above. I really wish mine had this feature because it's rather limited by the builtin 24MB of memory.
Thanks Boyd-I didn't realize I'd have to spend $300 in maps on top of the GPS itself! I think I'll be putting off the purchase for a bit in order to be able to afford the most bang for my buck, but at least now I have a better idea. Thanks to everyone for assisting a GPS noob 
$300 was just a number I pulled out of the air, but the point is that the less expensive units don't include any usable maps. The units designed for auto navigation will probably have the city maps pre-loaded so consider that when comparing price. List price for City Navigator is $140, I'm sure you will find it for much less online:
http://www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/citynav.jsp
US Topo lists for $117:
http://www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/topo.jsp
At street price you could probably get both packages for $200, maybe even less, so my $300 number is probably too high. If you want to do it right then you'll need to spend some money unfortunately. But I think my GPS'es were a great investment, I use them for hours every day and am constantly learning things from them.
http://www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/citynav.jsp
US Topo lists for $117:
http://www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/topo.jsp
At street price you could probably get both packages for $200, maybe even less, so my $300 number is probably too high. If you want to do it right then you'll need to spend some money unfortunately. But I think my GPS'es were a great investment, I use them for hours every day and am constantly learning things from them.
Etrex Legend (B/W ol`Blue) 12v power cord, windshield suction cup mount and MapSource has worked great for the last 3-4 years for me, and i think you can get it all for less then 3 bill`s.