Got GPS ?

[CowCop]

~

Because you are the largest and most diversified group that I know of--I need your knowlege and assistance.

I am wondering which kind of GPS is the most effective and efficient.

I don't need a lot of bells and whistles.
I do DART Search & Rescue and want to TRY to get one BEFORE Hurricane Season.
Budget is only $600 or one calf.

Which brands do you have experience with ?

Which Dash mounted ones do you prefer ?

Tell me the advantages and disadvantages of all.

If you are on a CERT or S & R team etc, which ones are you currently using.

The handheld didn't work well for me--need two hands to hold and operate the small handheld--and I need both hands to drive and look out for debris in the road.

I have used a Garmin SreetPilot c330 in LA and it really saved lives--livestock, domestic pets and responders lives. I borrowed one for the first deployment and had serious separation anxiety when I returned to the Gulf without one the next time.

Any other details, insight or info you can provide would be very helpful.

I appreciate your input and comments.

If anyone has one they want to sell because they are upgrading to a new one, please PM me.

Thank you.

 

[Bama]

I use a magellan sport pro ( I think ). You can download typo maps into it. The pro has more memory than the other one. Unless I have them mixed up. The prices are not near 600. I gave something like $140 for my sons and something like $200 for mine. I do search and rescue and also hunt a lot. I have had very good results with this model. They are both handheld. It ain't like you are constantly looking at them. Just take a glance at your bearing ever once in a while. They are not a replacement for a compass. They are a great asset though.

 

[klingoncowboy4]

My dad is doing software consulting for a company in Massachusetts that is providing GPS tracking devices. How it works is a box recieves a GPS signal and then it send a text messege (just like with cell phones) to an adress. They are almost done developing a site that uses google maps to show the positions on a satelite map.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

StreetCop,

In my own opinion, its kind of a toss up between Garmin and Magellan. Each seems to be as accurate as the other. The local RCMP use Magellan handheld units, however that may be because they happened to be the cheapest.

I looked at replacing my old Garmin EMap with a Magellan. What I found was that the Magellan unit had a nicer interface, and was a little faster on screen redraws (my eMap is old though, so that isn't a fair comparison). The Magellan also had _slightly_ better route building ability built into the unit. My eMap is poor.

Having said that, my EMap, even though its not WAAS enabled, was almost as accurate as the Magellan with WAAS. I also locked onto satellites faster. And the software, MapSource, for the PC is much better than the Magellan software. I also had one button push to save a point on the map, should I be off-highway. The Magellan unit forced me through a couple menus.

Hope this helps a bit.

Rod

 

[CowCop]

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Thanks for all the info.

Really need info on the dash mounted kind.

Need to plug in actualy addresses ( 30 a day +) and be able to navigate through disaster areas/detours and debris.
Both hands on the steering wheel, eyes on the road AND on the dash mounted GPS to get to destination safely and in a timely manner.

The handheld was so small I found myself always pulling over and readjusting the size and enlarging the area to find out where I was and where I needed to git to. Wasted too much time and was frustrated with the time it took to do the job.

Dash mount prices have made me faint.

 

[flaboy-]

Thye have hurricanes in Vermont?

 

[dun]

Thye have hurricanes in Vermont?

Proablbly just the big kennedy wind blowing in from MA.

dun

 

[CowCop]

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Thye have hurricanes in Vermont?

Yeah.... Hurricane DEAN

 

[skyeagle]

I like the Garmin line easey to use. Been useing them in
the plane for over 10 years.