Need a new GPS

lurp · 07-15-2006, 16:02

Hi
I'm looking for a new GPS, I seen seals etc.. using the GARMIN foretrex series. Wonder if any of you have any experience with it?
or do should I go for something else?

Thanks for any help

Regards
-T

**The Reaper** · 07-15-2006, 16:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurp

Hi
I'm looking for a new GPS, I seen seals etc.. using the GARMIN foretrex series. Wonder if any of you have any experience with it?
or do should I go for something else?

Thanks for any help

Regards

-T

Unless you are going to be a SEAL, then something else might suit your needs better.

As with every other gear discussion on this boared, the first step is to decide what you want to do with it. What is your GPS need?

TR

lurp · 07-16-2006, 04:27

Hehe.. sorry,sir. my bad.. my need is just like any other soldier,seal, psd etc..

I need something thats small,light, easy to work with. Large memory. must be water,snow and sand proof. I may use it in maritime ops.mountain ops. SAR,hunting etc..
I dont care about price, I see it as kind of a investment.

I have very little clue on GPS systems, so any recomandation is good

Thanks
-T

**The Reaper** · 07-16-2006, 07:54

Do you need a vehicle mount with voice instructions, a way to find your way around in a metro area, or is it solely for cross country navigation?

I am running a Garmin Quest, and it does all of the above to a fair degree. If I only wanted to to do one of the tasks, I could pick a better unit. OTOH, it meets my needs pretty effectively.

TR

MtnGoat · 07-16-2006, 08:10

I use an eTrex Summit unit, it was designed for both marine and recreation use so it meet my personal needs and JOB use. Biggest problem is it "eats" batteries, this is because of the compass. I don't like it (compass), so I turn it off. I use my Suunto Vector or X9 watches with GPS / Altimeter / Barometer / Compass.

FYI - it has some good accessories, but this goes for all Garmin units. Works for me.

Like TR said, it all depends on what your using it for and where. If it urban, you'll need to get a memory chip (datacards) for area place you'll be at or traveling to. This helps out and really is a must becuase of road maps for units that use them.

SwedeGlocker · 07-16-2006, 08:42

I uses my issued Garmin 76S for veichle use and my private Garmin60XS for everything else. If i only could have one then i would choose a Garmin 60XS.

lurp · 07-17-2006, 05:33

Thanks guys
I like the 60 series from Garmin alot, can you tell me some more about it?

After a looking around a bit, i found out that I should get one for vehicle and one for cross country etc.. The quest looks great for vehicle, any in puts?

**The Reaper** · 07-17-2006, 05:55

As I stated earlier, I have the Quest and it works great in the car or on foot.

The only problem was the limited memory available in the Quest I, but the Quest 2 has remedied that issue.

It does have a slightly smaller screen than some vehicle mounts, but thus far, that has not been a problem for me.

Off the vehicle power supply, you get about 18 hours of run time with the internal battery, then it has got to be recharged.

TR

lurp · 07-17-2006, 06:04

That was fast reply, Thanks TR

O'Doyle · 08-03-2006, 18:04

I recently purchased the Garmin 60Csx and love it. I had a foretrex before that although that is comparing apples to oranges. I also have used a e-trex and although that is a good compact GPS I am impartial to my 60Csx. I used the e-trex and the 60Csx side by side setting up a land nav course and what I noticed was that the e-trex would lose the satellite signal sometimes when the woods would get thick. The 60Csx on the other hand with its external antennea always maintained a strong signal. The memory on the 60Csx is also excellant at 256mb. Enough I believe to hold topo for the whole western half of the US. Also the oversized screen and the multiple buttons were easier to see and use vs. the single toggle and smaller screen on the e-trex. The color screen is a nice addition too although purely for asthetics and has no real advantage over black and white....but it does look cool. Anyway hope that helps, again I do not have a ton of experience with a large variety of GPS units but for the money the 60Csx seems to me to be a great GPS.

Monsoon65 · 08-03-2006, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnGoat

I use my Suunto Vector or X9 watches with GPS / Altimeter / Barometer / Compass.

I've seen those Suunto Vector watches. They're really sharp! I've been trying, and with no success, to get our lifesupport guys to spring for these for everyone.

x SF med · 08-04-2006, 06:41

Garmin GPS 76 - on sale at West Marine for $199 this week, good unit - designed for marine use, upgradeable, and accepts all the standard mapping disks, including all the government mapping.

Suunto Watches - once you get through the owners manual a few times and learn all of the functions, they're great, I use the Regatta series for racing. I still prefer my simple TAG or the Citizen Eco-Drive for most things.

Jeckyl · 08-12-2006, 10:21

I've been really happy with my Garmin GPS 60 CSX's performance. It tracks faster than just about any GPS I have previously used, and it's capable of recieving a signal through an aromored vehicle via the quad-helix antenna.

Clencher for me was the removable micro-sd chip.

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsma...60csxRF-LG.jpg

TF Kilo · 08-20-2006, 09:04

Garmin E-trex for handheld use for me. I have maps, compass, and only use GPS on foot for a confirmation of where I already know I am.

Garmin 276C for vehicle mounted. I have the 128? meg card in it, because of software limitation in the computer mapping system.. won't let you fill up a 256 card, although they sell them.

I have over half of Alaska (read about 1/10th of the US) installed in the card, all topo maps to boot. It comes with streets built in.

Navigation, it can do the talk to you stuff, but at least from what I have found here, the streets that came with it stock aren't the best so I seem to track off a road all the time... which doesn't bother me, because I typically preplot my routes with checkpoints and just have to navigate to them.. plus there's only like 8 highways in alaska anyway.

Perfect for vehicular navigation though. It feeds off my truck for power, and I can install an external antenna if I want. Have had no need as of yet, though. Regardless of conditions. It Rocks.

Para · 08-20-2006, 12:15

The biggest problem, as I see it, with the Foretrex's is that they have an internal rechargable battery good for 15 hours. So what happens when you are on a 48 hour op?