Idiots guide to GPS navigation please

[Shewie]

I've just aquired an old etrex venture just to get to grips with GPS navigation. I prefer to have map and compass but I've always fancied having a go.

Can someone point me in the direction of some decent links for how to actually make use of them.

I've got Anquet, Memory Map and EasyGPS so it's all ready to go I just don't know how to start.

Do I plot out a route on my PC, add waypoints etc then upload it to the handset ? How does this work in the field when you're following what it tells you ?? Does it always point you in the " as a crow flys" direction of your next waypoint or destination ???

Also, can I just turn up at a location, switch on the handset and get a signal, put in a reading/grid ref and off I go ?

And the last dumb question, can I turn on the handset whilst out on a walk/trip/multi nighter and then upload the route to my PC when I get back.


Apologies for not having a clue but I've always resisted buying one until now.

 

[Bravo4]

If your gps did not come with the manual; from the Garmin site
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/manual.jsp?product=010-00225-00&cID=167&pID=154

BTW, most manuals for current and discontinued gps available at garmin site.

 

[Mikey P]

If it's the old-style Etrex Venture, you'll need the RS-232 cable (I think you may also now be able to get a USB cable too - not sure)

With the older Etrex, I think you have 16Mbytes of memory on board and you can add waypoints, vector graphic basemaps, etc.

Go to the Garmin website and you can get software for uploading/downloading waypoints and mapdata. The software is free. EasyGPS works too. You can also get pdf versions of the manual if you didn't get one with the unit.

Note that you cannot transfer raster graphics onto the Etrex units (ie, no OS map style screens) but you can have points, contour lines, items of interest and tracks.

There are a few ways you can upload data: usually, use the mapping software on your computer to select your waypoints. Then upload to the Etrex via the RS-232 cable. The waypoints will then appear in the store and you can run them in sequence if needed. The GPS will give you direction and distance information to your next waypoint. It will always point in a straight line unless you put intermediate waypoints in - much like taking a bearing on a compass. Just choose waypoints with a bit of care (bends, track junctions, gates or styles, etc).

You can set the unit to track your progress as you walk about. Activate the track log to start it and then save the track log at the end of the day. Then upload the track log to the computer (the software will usually do this very easily - just select the 'Download from GPS device' button or whatever it's called. This will then display your route on the PC and you can load the track into just about any software (they all seem to be compatible with Garmin as it uses a popular format called NMEA or something like that).

Basically, you can transfer waypoints and tracks between the device and your computer, or record your progress and upload that to a computer to see exactly where you've been.

Set the units on the GPS to 'British OS' and it will give you your position as OS grid references, which is very handy when using an OS map.

Don't know any websites other than Garmin but the manuals are quite good and the devices are pretty straight forward.

One last thing - you can download the latest device software (for the GPS unit itself) at the Garmin website as it pays to have the most up-to-date software version.

At the end of the day, they're just another useful tool.

 

[Shewie]

Thanks Mike and Bravo4, that makes a lot more sense now. I just didn't want to go off trying to achieve something it was never designed to do.

I've got the manual printed off so I'll start from the beginning and work my way through now.

 

[Mikey P]

Any questions, get back to me and I'll see if I can help.

 

[Lostdreamer]

If you know your way around a hardcopy map, the way I would suggest you use your GPS is:

Mark up the paper map & use as normal.

If you think you are lost, pull out the GPS from your pocket and look up the gridreference on the map!

I certainly find them much more use as a navigational aid, rather than subsitute.