hiking GPS?

al n sal

Guest
Hi guys

after discussions with the guys at Buxworth, i was looking towards an Iphone to provide the above, but since been looking and WOW what a price, so out of the game cant afford one, so back to original idea, a dedicated GPS for plotting courses and heaven forbid should we as novices get into trouble, hopefully it will help..so the question has anyone used one of these, eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace, or the 3o maybe.

would really appreciate any guidance, do you need to buy maps for these, do they come with one for the uk? are they easy to use.???? etc etc

thanks guys

al
 
after the same converstion at Buxworth I went home and downloaded an app for my iPhone called View Ranger. it was free and uses GPS signal to track you.
It shows routes in the area you can search on street map, road map. Tracks your time and distance. Seems quite good, I've not had chance to use it yet but I thought it was worth a try for free?
 
my problem is the Iphone itself, price range is way out of our universe........also during looking around internet, one point I thought was a good one, look for a gps that is water proof, incase weather turns bad and it gets a soaking......
 
al n sal said:
Hi guys

after discussions with the guys at Buxworth, i was looking towards an Iphone to provide the above, but since been looking and WOW what a price, so out of the game cant afford one, so back to original idea, a dedicated GPS for plotting courses and heaven forbid should we as novices get into trouble, hopefully it will help..so the question has anyone used one of these, eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace, or the 3o maybe.

would really appreciate any guidance, do you need to buy maps for these, do they come with one for the uk? are they easy to use.???? etc etc

thanks guys

al
Click to expand...

Garmin GPS are well received in the paragliding community, though with a few more whistles and bells on than the one you are looking at. The maps are already loaded into the memory and you can add or save info to an sd card if you wish. You need to consider battery life and ability to recharge. With the flying GPS it is possible to download track logs as proof of flight distance and height attained so I would expect you will be able download and to keep a record of you walks.
The kit has good pedigree and the price won't break the bank.
Jim
 
al n sal said:
my problem is the Iphone itself, price range is way out of our universe........also during looking around internet, one point I thought was a good one, look for a gps that is water proof, incase weather turns bad and it gets a soaking......
Click to expand...

mine is on contract £30 a month which at the time wasn't too bad as they were mostly £40 a month. I think you can get them cheaper than that now?
I like the idea of a dedicated gps, like you say, don't have to worry about using it in the rain or dropping it :scared:
 
jamesmarshall said:
Garmin GPS are well received in the paragliding community, though with a few more whistles and bells on than the one you are looking at. The maps are already loaded into the memory and you can add or save info to an sd card if you wish. You need to consider battery life and ability to recharge. With the flying GPS it is possible to download track logs as proof of flight distance and height attained so I would expect you will be able download and to keep a record of you walks.
The kit has good pedigree and the price won't break the bank.
Jim
Click to expand...

thanks, James, great info.......good point about battery life and recharging...will look into that one....

thanks Lotty, I did look at contract think its about 35.00 now for iphone, but thinking about it, I already have a phone for business and due to being incredibly tight i can't talk myself into signing to a contract, at mo PAYG and cos i seldom phone anyone unless I really have to so leave all to call me, it works out really cheap, sal says I squeak when i walk cos I'm so tight:lol-049::lol-049:
 
just found an online manual for the trex, it says they run on AA batteries, so rechargeable and carry spare set. so one possible problem sorted, anyone think of any other possible probs.
 
I did wonder what that noise was at Buxworth. :lol-053::lol-053:
 
I have two Garmin GPS units, but not that particular model.

My first was a basic Garmin eTrex Vista HCx, which doesn't have "proper" maps but gives your location as an O/S (ordnance survey) grid reference, which lets you find where you are on an O/S paper map. You then input the various grid references of your route and it will direct you to them via an arrow on its' inbuilt compass.

My other is a Garmin Oregon, which was about top of their range for hikers when I bought it two years ago. It lets you load O/S maps into it (which you buy extra!), which you then view on the screen. Your current position is shown on the map, along with footpaths etc, just like the paper O/S maps. It makes finding your way very simple and has loads of extra features. Both models also let you connect to a computer to plot routes before you set off, and also to view them (including any deviations you made!) in 3D when you get home.

I've used them both in all weathers and on rough mountain trails etc, clipped to the outside of my rucksack with no problems. They've been completely bombproof so far. Remember that the more functions they have, the quicker the batteries will run down, although you can just switch them on and off to check your route instead of leaving them on for the full trip (I always carry spare AA batteries anyway). For safety's sake, it's always best to also carry a paper map with you.

The "map" that comes installed with them is only a very basic one, almost like the "road atlas" type, and isn't much use for hiking. You'll need to buy the proper O/S type maps separately, which will cost you around another £150 for a UK map at 1:50,000 scale! (although you may find it for around £50 in some places, including via Amazon) Luckily when I bought my latest GPS unit Garmin had a special offer on, so I got the £150 maps included for free.

It may be worth shopping around and haggling for a better all-in deal? If you look at the same unit on Amazon you can check the reviews to see what customers think of them....

Garmin eTrex 20 Outdoor Handheld GPS Unit: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

And here's the 1:50,000 UK map....Garmin GB Discoverer: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

You might find it useful to see them in the flesh in an outdoors shop, so you can handle them and see what they'll do? (and practice your haggling!) :):)

(BTW I normally use 1:25K O/S paper maps for hiking, but the 1:50K scale is fine on a GPS).
 
I carry a Garmin GPSMap 60 CX (my 2nd one - first was lost in Cape Town). I also have an old eTrex too as backup and a Garmin Nuvi for the camper.

Benefits of these dedicates GPSs over smart-phone applications:

1) Most are water resistant - considering the soaking we have had in the lake district and Wales this is an important consideration.
2) They usually run off AA batteries so you can carry plenty of spare batteries with you and you can obtain compatible batteries in any country.
3) They don't rely upon being within mobile phone signal range to work, so they will work in valleys in the Lake District, in the Namib desert, on board a boat or even on a plane (though these days the latter tends to wind up the flight attendants and you don't want to be mistaken for a terrorist). They also won't be using up your roaming Mbs when abroad (last time I was in Namibia they didn't even have GPRS let-along 3G so any hope of using a smart phone in the entire country was futile.

Most GPSs come with a base-map fitted - if buying off eBay make sure the base map relates to where you live - beware of getting one where the base map is a road map of the US. When I bought my first Garmin GPS I paid (quite a lot) extra to have a roadmap of the whole of Europe (Metroguide Europe) - but this is installed on my PC and I could download the bits I wanted to the GPS before a trip. Also be aware that Garmin sell different types of maps - World Map isn't much use. MetroGuide / Citi Navigator / Citi select etc. are street maps. They include points of interest like museums, restuarants, etc., but won't showing walking paths or the other sort of stuff you have on an O/S map. Buying maps from Garmin gets expensive, but there are other options. I use OpenStreetMap from which I can obtain free detailed maps to download to my GPS - however, this isn't for the technically-challenged - it was a struggle for me and I am an IT professional.

The Mapsource software I mentioned above also allows you to set-up waypoints in advance which you can then transfer to your GPS (I am currently programming in waypoints for useful places on the edge of the Sahara for a trip later this year, but I have also used it for customer locations, addresses of friends, etc.) - this software can also download waypoints to a Garmin Nuvi in-car satnav. As mentioned earlier, you can also record a track of where you have been, then load that back onto Mapsource for display and overlay it onto Google Earth too.

Steve.
 
Ive just checked another site I use to download the latest TomTom maps, latest speedcams, etc...and they have ordnance survey maps too (including the one's mentioned in previous posts in this thread). They have maps for various sat nav's not just TT...Best of all they are..erm..you know!

Problem is, I don't know if I'm allowed to post this information on this site...if it's cleared through the wildcamping site bosses I'm happy to share the link.
 
Hi
We use a 'memory map' device:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Memory-Map-Adventurer-2800-GPS-Receiver-OS-GB-Edition-/120901375195?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_GPSSystems_GPSSystems&hash=item1c264894db

Can honestly say its a great piece of kit, battery lasts for about 2 full days of hiking, but we tend to charge after every walk. You can charge it by 12v or hook up. When on 12v it uses minimal battery, perfect for wild camping. It's easy to use, finds satellites quickly and doesn't rely on having a mobile signal.

One of the best gadgets we bought last year and now wouldn't venture out without it. :)
 
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