Do you use GPS? - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

Shannon · 01-03-2004, 02:15 PM

If you are a GPS user, what make/model GPS unit(s) do you use and what's your primary usage of them, for example -- driving, hiking/backpacking, fishing, boating, flying, etc.

Justin and I have three GPS units:
Garmin GPSMap 76s for backpacking/hiking/marine use
Garmin GPSMap 196 for aviation/land/marine use
Garmin Streetpilot III for driving/street navigation use

Yes, we love Garmin and have even purchased a little stock in them.

Turn Key · 01-03-2004, 09:38 PM

I know what GPS is but since I've spent the better part of the last 50-some odd years "lost", I see know reason to change a fond habit

!

ploddinTod · 01-04-2004, 10:02 AM

My hiking partner has one but I have no intention of getting one. Compass works just fine for me. When I'm out on the trail hiking, I take it seriously. Don't want to be fumbling with a gadget that may not get a signal or run low on battery power. Just my preference. :yes:

Shannon · 01-05-2004, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploddinTod

My hiking partner has one but I have no intention of getting one. Compass works just fine for me. When I'm out on the trail hiking, I take it seriously. Don't want to be fumbling with a gadget that may not get a signal or run low on battery power. Just my preference. :yes:

I started out with a car-based GPS, because just like TurnKey mentioned, I spend a lot of my time lost, too!

I got hooked with knowing exactly where I was while driving -- since I get turned around even in the city I've lived in for decades :rolleyes:. Pretty soon, I'd purchased a handheld GPS for hiking, as well.

I always have a compass in my pack, too, (though as of yet I'm rarely that far out to even need that) but the handheld GPS is a treat for me. Mine even has an electronic compass with calibration built-in.

Why am I sold on GPS technology? Just a couple reasons are:

I can mark waypoints for personal favorite photo or wildlife viewing spots I intend to return to in the future;
I have a more accurate log of how long a given hike actually took (since the GPS tracks how much time I spent actually moving, eg. hiking, rather than just how much time has elapsed since I started a hike... important if you stop frequently to watch wildlife, take photographs or just take a break.
I can more accurately share information about a given trail or route I've hiked, thanks to GPS coordinates, topographic data on my GPS and of course paper topo and park maps, as available.

The primary downsides of GPS have already been mentioned --

Potential loss of signal (I haven't used mine in dense tree cover yet, since most of my hiking's in Texas scrub country);
Running low/out of batteries...
And folks can still get lost when they have a GPS because they assume they don't need to have a map of the area they're visiting and a way to get their bearings (compass, instinct, etc. )

Even GPS-based maps can be wrong, and depending on what type of maps you've got on your GPS they may only augment paper-based topo and park-provided maps, rather than replace them. I use a detailed GPS-based topographic map collection that covers all of North America, coupled with a park's (paper) maps. If I were hiking/backpacking in a National Park or backcountry, I'd couple the GPS with the proper USGS quad topos and/or the NPS park map(s).

A nice "feature" of owning a hiking GPS is since it's lightweight and requires long battery life to be useful, it a perfect "cheap" alternative to the more expensive GPS units sold for use in cars. Load it up with the right maps, and you've got a cheaper GPS to use in a pinch when driving in unfamiliar cities (though you'll miss out on features like "Find Nearest > Restaurant" or things like that.

)

Justin has a really slick portable GPS unit he mounts in the rental aircraft he flies, as a backup to the onboard GPS and navigation equipment in the aircraft. It's awesome returning from a flight and having the exact ground track we flew mapped out on our computer screen, thanks to the GPS.

copuswalker · 01-05-2004, 09:50 PM

I have not used one. In a boat yes, In a situation where a trail may be poorly marked and I am days out... Maybe. When I hiked in Arkansas with my cop buddy he had a G.P.S. He would stop every 200 yards and tell us what was ahead and how fast we were walking. Of course he would see a river and it would be a road. We were traveling at 1.6 miles per hour. I was going to put it away for him but thought it may slow us down more.
He had to leave it on. It would tell you how to get to a spot but not using the trail (unless you bought a program of trails). He carried sets and sets of batteries. Thank god I bought a map even though he said he had us covered. We would have been looking for water many times. Perhaps there is more to them than I know?

Shannon · 01-05-2004, 09:56 PM

Hehe... I hope someone puts me out of my misery if I ever do that to anyone! When any piece of technology takes that much of one's attention, it's time to "lose" it.

This reminds me of folks who now obsessively check their voicemail or otherwise fiddle with their cellphone any time they're waiting, regardless of the length of the wait... standing in line, sitting at a traffic light (when they just checked their phone 2 lights back...), waiting in a doctor's office (every 10 minutes, checking it again or making another call.) Of course, I've done some of those things, back when my cellphone was provided by my employer and was an ever-present tether to "responsibilities".

Over time, though, I evolved (or devolved?) so it was simply a tether I turn off and ignore when I need to...

ploddinTod · 01-06-2004, 10:41 PM

Copus alluded to the distraction with a GPS while on a hike. I like to get into a rhythm while out in nature. Let the sights, sounds and smells permeate the soul, if you will. In the evening around the campfire, it's fun to pull out the map and see how far you traveled that particular day. At this time I could see where consulting a GPS for information would be very appropriate for me.

Shannon · 02-10-2004, 02:24 PM

Geocaching...

Hey, gang. I have added a bunch more websites to our Web Guide's Recreation - Outdoors - Geocaching & Orienteering category. Justin and his brother recently went on a geocaching hike at city park nearby and they had fun. I was laid up in bed, sick, but am looking forward to participating in some geocaching hikes soon -- and placing some geocaches, as well.

I just wish I'd checked Geocaching.com prior to leaving for my hike yesterday, to see if any geocaches were placed along that trail yet.

I hiked the entire multi-use trail at Guadalupe River State Park -- 6.63 miles (their map's a little off on total mileage). It was rainy and utterly muddy, but I had a blast... trip report will be posted momentarily.

02-10-2004, 03:32 PM

I'm new to this gps stuff and new to geocaching, but I will admit I'm hooked! It adds a whole new element to hiking. To think there's treasure all around us just waiting to be found! :cool:

I'm going to start a new thread topic geocaching...I think it deserves it's own thread! If you're not into it yet...get there quick!

Later...

kai · 02-10-2004, 04:16 PM

I wouldn't dream of not using a GPS- it's become second nature. When I was in the field for work I used it, and now volunteering down here its critical for collecting data. I find it awfully reasurring (the most common thing I use it for while hiking for fun is to mark where I left the car *just in case*). I use a Garmin Etrex.

However, while its hard to imagine life without it, I always carry a map and a compass as backup. those batteries tend to drain quickly.

Shannon · 02-10-2004, 04:38 PM

It's getting a little scary now, but Justin and I have added two more GPS units to our menagerie. We just can't seem NOT to buy Garmin products and check them out ...

In addition to the units I noted at the start of the thread, we now also have two Garmin Rino 110 units (Justin found them on sale at a too-good-to-pass-up cost) and a Garmin Forerunner 201 Justin bought for his birthday.

On Friday, we hiked at Guadalupe River State Park with the Rinos and Justin's Forerunner. On Monday, I returned to Guadalupe River and hiked the entire multi-use trail, using my Garmin GPSMap 76s for that hike. I'll have a trip report up before the end of the day from that hike, including some GPS plots and data for fun.

PS: The GPS track and waypoints portion of my trip report is posted, as well as a teaser for the trip report. More to come on Wednesday.

02-10-2004, 05:58 PM

I use my ETrex Legend when driving and for geocaching. I love knowing the 'exact' distance from my driveway to my parking spot at work and it's cool to have an ETA based on current speed (or lack there of in Dallas rush hour traffic) using the track back feature.

Later...

RichO · 03-19-2004, 01:37 PM

Shannon,
I want to do what you have done with your Hiking Reports, but I will be doing it for my wildflower route reports. I want to be able to store the waypoints, download them to my pc and then create maps with my waypoints noted.

I also want to be able to capturing altimeter information.

What unit do you recommend?

Thanks,

Shannon · 03-20-2004, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichO

Shannon,
I want to do what you have done with your Hiking Reports, but I will be doing it for my wildflower route reports. I want to be able to store the waypoints, download them to my pc and then create maps with my waypoints noted.

I also want to be able to capturing altimeter information.

What unit do you recommend?

Hi, Rich! Good to hear from you (still need to reply to your email, btw)!

The GPS, itself --
Out of all the GPS units we have, I find the Garmin GPSMap 76s the most useful for my hikes and travel logging. Part of the reason it's my favorite is due to the maps I have installed on it -- Garmin's MapSource USA Topo maps, providing full terrain mapping capability in addition to the unit's base maps which provide basic roadway and city detail. The unit is compatible with other MapSource map products, but I find the "topo" fit my needs perfectly.

The unit is longer/larger than some, but is not heavy and is weatherproof and floats in water. Garmin markets the GPSMap 76s to boating enthusiasts, as well as hikers and mountain bikers; after dropping it in the mud on a recent hike, I appreciate its sturdiness!

Weather watchers will appreciate the integrated barometic pressure readings provided by the unit, which also makes it able to provide more accurate altimeter readings. The electronic compass works like a dream, including an on-screen indicator when the GPS unit is not being held in a "level" orientation, which affects the accuracy of the electronic compass. These features provide for accurate location, elevation and bearing information. The unit ships with a basemap of North and South America which includes major highways, roadways, rivers, lakes and borders. The unit itself can store 500 waypoints and 50 reversible routes (such as "Campsite to Overlook" and "Overlook to Campsite") and has a total of 24MB of internal memory. The only downside to this unit, in my mind, is its lack of removal memory so I could add in an extra memory card if I desired to store more data (such as additional maps and GPS data). Not all GPS units ship with a "PC cable" so you can sync the GPS unit with a computer, but the GPSMap 76S does. Even our Garmin Rino 100s, less expensive family oriented handheld GPS units, have a "PC cable" connector so while they don't ship with a cable, they can accept one (sadly, not the SAME cable as all our other Garmin units; so much for total interoperability!)

What you'll need in terms of software for your computer --
There are several free apps available ("EasyGPS", for example) to transfer waypoints and track data between your PC and GPS unit. Personally, I use Garmin's MapSource for my hiking reports. If you buy any Garmin MapSource CD (for example, "USA Topo", "City Select", "City Navigator"), you'll be set with the capabilities you need. One thing Garmin's applications lack is a convenient "Export to GIF" capability, so to create my waypoint and track maps, I just do a screen capture ("print screen") when I'm viewing the MapSource data on my computer; I edit the screen capture in a graphics program to the size and resolution I need.

I'm still experimenting on the best, most efficient way to share specific waypoints with people. My current method is a little time-consuming, requiring me to cut & paste the data from my MapSource application into table cells in my trip report HTML template.

RichO · 03-23-2004, 01:23 PM

Thanks for the great reply!

I was going to purchase a unit, but wanted to wait for your input. It sounds like there is still much manual work to get the data into map form to display. What about road details? I travel county roads and often they are not even marked on most maps. MapPoint 2004 seems to have most of them, and it has a GPS interface. Does the MapSource Topo have county roads?

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