SatNav/GPS combo?

[Chris G]

I don't think that this has been asked before so I'll start a new thread.

I have issues with my satnav at the moment and I have an old (ie can't upload maps) eTrex GPS, so my question is this; is there a GPS unit that also has updatable maps and can be used as an in-car satnav system, or is there an in-car (or bike?) system that can also be used sucessfully in the woods?

It seems reasonable to me that if you normally keep a satnav in the car and take it with you when you leave the car for theft reasons, that you can also use it sucessfully for walking in the hills and woods.

All comments (apart from learn to use a map (I can thanks), etc) gratefully received

Chris

 

[Jaysurfer]

Garmin are about to launch a product like that this year i believe. They are also about to launch a phone that apparently has the best GPS system available called the NUVI.
Google search it and i'm sure you can find out more.

J

 

[Wayland]

Road Angel 7000

I have one and it seems pretty good I haven't compared it with any of the dedicated units though.

 

[clcuckow]

There are loads and I have used one for ages.

My personal mobile is a Mio A701 DigiWalker it starting to look a bit dated now but it is basically a Windows Mobile Smartphone with an integral GPS and I have TomTom Navigator 6 for SatNav and Memory Map for use in the field. The only problem I find is that the GPS hammers the battery so I also carry a freeloaders with a globetrotter in case I have to recharge.

HTC also make some very good GPS enabled smartphones.

O' and I also have a load outdoor and survival pdf manuals on it, some ebooks and music all in one package, and and the google maps app is also useful with the satellite view, it might be a cheat but it quicker than interpreting the OS map

 

[Rebel]

There is the Garmin GPS 60CSx (which I own). This is designed primarily to be used as a trekking device however it works fine in a vehicle too.

If you use it with an (optional) 12v power cord in your vehicle the screen will be constantly lit. It doesn't have voice prompts but uses different beeps instead, apart from that it works exactly like a car sat-nav if you have the right maps.

You can use any of the Garmin city maps and they will give you turn-by-turn directions and automatic zoomed in views of junctions. You can even use the topographic maps for street navigation if you wish. You can also load speed cameras and other POIs onto the unit just like a car unit.

You can mount the unit in a PDA cradle on your windscreen and you can use the unit on a bicycle or motorbike too if you want with a handlebar mount. You can use an external antenna if you are likely to be in areas with poor satellite reception.

Even though I've used the 60CSx in vehicles, even driving in central London, a dedicated car sat-nav is better. I bought the cheap, hackable, Navigo sat-nav for my vehicle from eBuyer,com (NOT eBay) for less than £50.

The downside of using a PDA, car sat-nav or smart phone for trekking is mostly the poor battery life. A Garmin can run for about 18 hours on a two AA batteries, that you can easily carry spares of whereas phones, etc. usually use a propriety lithium cell that only lasts a few hours if you are constantly relying on the device for navigation. Also the backlit screens can be difficult to see in bright sunlight.

Dedicated trekking units have other advantages too as they are much more fully featured, waterproof, etc.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=310#featureTab

The above mentioned Road Angel looks decent but the battery life is poor and when it runs out you're sunk. Still its an interesting option I'd be interested to see how it performs.

 

[Chris G]

Rebel, a lot of what you mention are the stumbling blocks that I have also found. To date I have an under used HP/Ipaq114 PDA, a Garmin Streetmap i3 (out of date maps, wales is a different country, can't navigate to a specific POI outside of the nearest 43 unless you tell the unit to navigate to it's nearest town), and a Garmin eTrex (the see-trough green one). Ideally I wan't a combo of all three but it should also be waterproof and a bit more rugged thana regular car one which is where it is oing to spend most of its working life.

I think I'll have to look into morotbike ones a bit more as they will tick the waterproof box while still being vehicle biased.

Chris

 

[Wayland]

I only tend to use the Road Angel to confirm or verify my position when needed so the lowish battery life isn't a major issue for me.

One little niggle I have found though is that if you start with a full battery and then do some road navigation for a few hours with it connected to the vehicle cradle, it seems to deplete the stored power. It also doesn't seem to charge up much from the vehicle, it needs to be properly charged through the USB socket.

Mostly I navigate by eye, map and compass in that order. I find GPS is very useful for finding archaeological features and locations that aren't marked on maps though.

 

[clcuckow]

I get around the fact that my A701 is not water proof with one of these.

for when I am in the field and regarding the power issue as I mention a use a freeloader and globetrotter on the outside of my pack or tucked under the cords that keep my canoes airbags in place and they give it a top up when I have a brew break.

The main advantage I find with this setup are:

I only need to carry one device. Before I got it I found that at work I was carrying two mobile phones, PDA and SatNav. Now me EDC is just two phones.

I can chose the navigation and mapping packages a want including online services like google maps.

Can access my emails when ever I have a signal.

It has a 'panic button program' that can send an emergency SMS with my exact location to any mobile and remember that you can often get an SMS through when the signal strength is to weak for a voice or data call, just remember though yachters that were rescued the other year from the Atlantic when they did not have a SatPhone but had just enough signal to get an SMS through.

Its a full blown PDA and I can install any other Windows Mobile software I want. I have even written my own field archery scorecard program that not only record the score at each target but its Lat/Long straight off the GPS.

The only down side I found with the A701 is it has a crap camera that said I normally have my Sony alpha a200 digital SLR along for the ride.

Edit: Just found and ordered an after market 3000mAh High Capacity battery for the A701 so I will have to give that a go.

 

[Logit]

I use my garmin colorado 300.... its lovely, maps are easy to find for free, legally too..