Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS

whoster69 · 05-24-2009, 11:12 AM

My wife and I love to kayak and hike. We are looking for a GPS that will do these things, but also can be used in the car once in awhile. I'm particularly interested in larger displays if possible (I'm not worried about the size of the device). I'm kind of a gadget nut and like lots of options and the ability to configure things to my liking. I'm not really interested in geocaching games, but would like the ability to use the device on the water so I can track where we went kayaking and the route we took and then be able to upload it to a website so people can view it on a map.

I haven't owned a GPS unit before and have no preference for a particular manufacturer.

Does anyone know of a device that will do all of this?

Thank you.

Whoster

HumVee · 05-24-2009, 1:59 PM

Hello, whoster69. I don't personally have experience with this unit, but specification wise it appears to meet much of your needs:

Garmin Nuvi 550

Features that seem to suit your needs:

Waterproof (IPX7) - Suitable for both your hiking and kayaking needs as well as motorcycle applications - and yes, it's usable in a car. You can purchase road / city, water & trail maps for it.
8 hour battery life - One of the longer battery run-times for a large display (3.5" diagonal in this case) GPS unit. Carry an extra L-ion battery pack and you're set.

You may want to peruse the owner's manual to make sure that it will actually do everything you want it to do. "Trip Log," appears to be the feature you'd use to map out where you've been. It is cleary stored data, but I wouldn't know how to go about getting it out of the GPS so you could send it to your friends. Perhaps it synchronizes with MapSource, and you could take screen captures and send it that way?

Does anyone have actual trail hiking experience with a Nuvi 550 GPS and can share their experiences with whoster69? Does anyone have any other suggestions for a GPS unit that could be used for trail/road/water applications? Does anyone know how you can share your travel data with others?

whoster69 · 05-24-2009, 2:30 PM

Thanks HumVee. It looks interesting! I'll check it out.

HumVee · 05-25-2009, 12:07 AM

You're welcome, whoster69! I'm new to dedicated GPS units myself, though I've used laptop and smartphone GPS for years. I bit the bullet and purchased the just released Garmin Zumo 660 and am eagerly awaiting it's revival. I would have recommended that model to you, except that it's added communication and entertainment features nearly double the price, and its software is apparently optimized for vehicle / city pedestrian use rather than trail & water use. I look forward to hearing other readers chime in with their suggestions - and finding out what you ultimately end up with!

Andy · 05-25-2009, 11:28 AM

Another option if you don't have to have a touch screen is the 76CSx. It floats. That may be important in a kayak.

HumVee · 05-25-2009, 11:52 AM

Thanks for chiming in, Andy! The Garmin 76CSx handheld looks like a good unit. However, one of whoster69's criteria was a big screen - which precludes most of the standard handheld form factor units, except maybe the Garmin Oregon & Garmin Colorado devices....

whoster69 · 05-25-2009, 12:46 PM

I'd really like to have a big screen, but if it means limiting the device in other ways, I'm willing to look at going with something smaller. Thank you all for your suggestions!

Andy · 05-25-2009, 3:25 PM

The 76CSx definitely has a small screen. It works fine in the woods but in the car, it's a little harder to use. The biggest difference is it's hard to enter addresses without a touch screen. The 4-way control isn't near as easy to use as a touchscreen.

Since Kayaking is a requirement, limit your search to those that are waterproof. Maybe the Nuvi 500 or 550. The Zumo line are also waterproof. Come to think of it, most all the hiking models are waterproof. Almost none of the Nuvi's are though.

I don't really consider the Oregon or Colorado a large screen device. They both have decent resolution, 240x400 but only 1.53x2.55". That's marginally larger than the 1.6x2.2" display of the 76CSx. If you want a nice screen, maybe the Nuvi 550 or 500 would be the least expensive option. Doesn't float but a lanyard to the kayak would save it from any mishaps I suppose. And FYI, they don't list the Nuvi 500/550 as having a tracklog, but in fact it does. It's just not visible until you hook it up to a computer to retrieve the file it creates.

whoster69 · 05-25-2009, 3:53 PM

Thanks Andy. That's good to know!

HumVee · 05-25-2009, 5:06 PM

Andy, one of the things that whoster69 wants to be able to do is capture that tracklog data, and output into a format that he could share with friends (to show them where he and his wife went on their kayak trip). Do you know if that's possible with MapSource? I suppose that as long as the data is displayed on the computer screen, he could use an image capture utility to create jpegs to share.... If the data could somehow be outputed to something like Google Earth, I think that would be a really cool way to show your adventure!

whoster69 · 05-25-2009, 5:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HumVee

Andy, one of the things that whoster69 wants to be able to do is capture that tracklog data, and output into a format that he could share with friends (to show them where he and his wife went on their kayak trip). Do you know if that's possible with MapSource? I suppose that as long as the data is displayed on the computer screen, he could use an image capture utility to create jpegs to share.... If the data could somehow be outputed to something like Google Earth, I think that would be a really cool way to show your adventure!

That is exactly what I'd like to be able to do!

Thanks again!

Andy · 05-25-2009, 6:05 PM

Mapsource has an option to View in Google Earth. It will show routes created or tracklogs in Google Earth! Two screenshots of a route, one in Mapsource, one in Google Earth from the same route.

The Nuvi 500/550 does have a tracklog it automatically creates. It stores it on the internal drive. Even though the specs page doesn't indicate this (I don't think the manual does either).

whoster69 · 05-25-2009, 7:06 PM

Nice!

HumVee · 05-25-2009, 7:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy

Mapsource has an option to View in Google Earth. It will show routes created or tracklogs in Google Earth! Two screenshots of a route, one in Mapsource, one in Google Earth from the same route.

The Nuvi 500/550 does have a tracklog it automatically creates. It stores it on the internal drive. Even though the specs page doesn't indicate this (I don't think the manual does either).

Actually, Andy, I think the manual makes very brief mention of it (like two sentences - one saying it exists, and another describing where to find it in the menu). So...in MapSource, can you save a file that would be automatically opened by Google Earth? whoster69 could then just send his friends the file attachment (& they could download Google Earth if they don't already have it)....

Andy · 05-26-2009, 12:23 AM

Mapsource lets you save track logs in GPS exchange format (GPX). Google Earth can open GPX files.

HumVee · 05-26-2009, 9:56 AM

Great! Well, whoster69, it looks like all of your criteria have been met with the listed Garmin units & software. Perhaps other forum members / readers can chime with with some other GPS unit suggestions. Does anyone have some non-Garmin suggestions for whoster69 to consider?

PaulChristenson · 05-28-2009, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoster69

My wife and I love to kayak and hike. We are looking for a GPS that will do these things, but also can be used in the car once in awhile. I'm particularly interested in larger displays if possible (I'm not worried about the size of the device). I'm kind of a gadget nut and like lots of options and the ability to configure things to my liking. I'm not really interested in geocaching games, but would like the ability to use the device on the water so I can track where we went kayaking and the route we took and then be able to upload it to a website so people can view it on a map.

I haven't owned a GPS unit before and have no preference for a particular manufacturer.

Does anyone know of a device that will do all of this?

Thank you.

Whoster

I would look at two units...one for your car and one for hiking/kayaking...

HumVee · 07-01-2009, 1:51 AM

So, whoster69, have you picked up a GPS unit yet? Which one did you settle on?

whoster69 · 07-01-2009, 7:19 PM

Not yet. I did get one that is just for my camera, but I'm still looking into hiking/kayaking units.

Thanks again for the help!

HumVee · 07-02-2009, 12:56 PM

You're welcome! I was just thinking about you, because Andy had talked up the Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx in this thread. I know the screen is small for your needs, but I decided that it was perfect as a hiking/backpacking handheld for me, plus I can take it kayaking and use it as a backup GPS for my motorcycle if my zūmo 660 goes down. I'm getting the 76CSx from Amazon for $239 - which is about what I can afford after dropping a bucket of money on the z660! The Dakota 20 looks like a nice product (though it's display is actually smaller than the 76CSx's), but I'm not going to wait until this fall to get a handheld.

Andy · 07-02-2009, 3:11 PM

Just an FYI, the 60CSx is the same as the 76 except it has a belt clip and different button layout. It doesn't float either, but function wise it's the same.

HumVee · 07-02-2009, 3:33 PM

Thanks, Andy! I held the Garmin 60CSx in my hand at REI yesterday, and like the buttons and screen - but I like the concept of the 76CSx layout better. I like the idea of holding the device in the palm of my hand with my thumb on the buttons and seeing the screen below my thumb. It just seems like a nicely balanced configuration for walking around and geocaching. The 60CSx seems optimised for two-handed operation, where I think the 76CSx lends itself better to one-handed operation. REI didn't have the 76CSx in stock, so I just flipped the 60CSx around in my hand hand held it upside-down!

I bought a neoprene case to go with my 76CSx. I wish the Foarm case was still available in black. I've heard really good things about it, but the "hunter brown" color doesn't appeal to me. Does anyone know where I can get one?

05-24-2009, 11:12 AM	#1
whoster69 Join Date: May 24 2009 Location: Ukiah, California Posts: 7	Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS My wife and I love to kayak and hike. We are looking for a GPS that will do these things, but also can be used in the car once in awhile. I'm particularly interested in larger displays if possible (I'm not worried about the size of the device). I'm kind of a gadget nut and like lots of options and the ability to configure things to my liking. I'm not really interested in geocaching games, but would like the ability to use the device on the water so I can track where we went kayaking and the route we took and then be able to upload it to a website so people can view it on a map. I haven't owned a GPS unit before and have no preference for a particular manufacturer. Does anyone know of a device that will do all of this? Thank you. Whoster

05-24-2009, 1:59 PM	#2
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Hello, whoster69. I don't personally have experience with this unit, but specification wise it appears to meet much of your needs: Garmin Nuvi 550 Features that seem to suit your needs: Waterproof (IPX7) - Suitable for both your hiking and kayaking needs as well as motorcycle applications - and yes, it's usable in a car. You can purchase road / city, water & trail maps for it. 8 hour battery life - One of the longer battery run-times for a large display (3.5" diagonal in this case) GPS unit. Carry an extra L-ion battery pack and you're set. You may want to peruse the owner's manual to make sure that it will actually do everything you want it to do. "Trip Log," appears to be the feature you'd use to map out where you've been. It is cleary stored data, but I wouldn't know how to go about getting it out of the GPS so you could send it to your friends. Perhaps it synchronizes with MapSource, and you could take screen captures and send it that way? Does anyone have actual trail hiking experience with a Nuvi 550 GPS and can share their experiences with whoster69? Does anyone have any other suggestions for a GPS unit that could be used for trail/road/water applications? Does anyone know how you can share your travel data with others? Last edited by HumVee; 05-24-2009 at 11:58 PM.

05-24-2009, 2:30 PM	#3
whoster69 Join Date: May 24 2009 Location: Ukiah, California Posts: 7	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Thanks HumVee. It looks interesting! I'll check it out.

05-25-2009, 12:07 AM	#4
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS You're welcome, whoster69! I'm new to dedicated GPS units myself, though I've used laptop and smartphone GPS for years. I bit the bullet and purchased the just released Garmin Zumo 660 and am eagerly awaiting it's revival. I would have recommended that model to you, except that it's added communication and entertainment features nearly double the price, and its software is apparently optimized for vehicle / city pedestrian use rather than trail & water use. I look forward to hearing other readers chime in with their suggestions - and finding out what you ultimately end up with!

05-25-2009, 11:28 AM	#5
Andy Survey Says? Join Date: Dec 29 2006 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 1,440	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Another option if you don't have to have a touch screen is the 76CSx. It floats. That may be important in a kayak.

05-25-2009, 11:52 AM	#6
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Thanks for chiming in, Andy! The Garmin 76CSx handheld looks like a good unit. However, one of whoster69's criteria was a big screen - which precludes most of the standard handheld form factor units, except maybe the Garmin Oregon & Garmin Colorado devices....

05-25-2009, 12:46 PM	#7
whoster69 Join Date: May 24 2009 Location: Ukiah, California Posts: 7	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS I'd really like to have a big screen, but if it means limiting the device in other ways, I'm willing to look at going with something smaller. Thank you all for your suggestions!

05-25-2009, 3:25 PM	#8
Andy Survey Says? Join Date: Dec 29 2006 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 1,440	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS The 76CSx definitely has a small screen. It works fine in the woods but in the car, it's a little harder to use. The biggest difference is it's hard to enter addresses without a touch screen. The 4-way control isn't near as easy to use as a touchscreen. Since Kayaking is a requirement, limit your search to those that are waterproof. Maybe the Nuvi 500 or 550. The Zumo line are also waterproof. Come to think of it, most all the hiking models are waterproof. Almost none of the Nuvi's are though. I don't really consider the Oregon or Colorado a large screen device. They both have decent resolution, 240x400 but only 1.53x2.55". That's marginally larger than the 1.6x2.2" display of the 76CSx. If you want a nice screen, maybe the Nuvi 550 or 500 would be the least expensive option. Doesn't float but a lanyard to the kayak would save it from any mishaps I suppose. And FYI, they don't list the Nuvi 500/550 as having a tracklog, but in fact it does. It's just not visible until you hook it up to a computer to retrieve the file it creates. Last edited by Andy; 05-25-2009 at 3:39 PM.

05-25-2009, 3:53 PM	#9
whoster69 Join Date: May 24 2009 Location: Ukiah, California Posts: 7	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Thanks Andy. That's good to know!

05-25-2009, 5:06 PM	#10
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Andy, one of the things that whoster69 wants to be able to do is capture that tracklog data, and output into a format that he could share with friends (to show them where he and his wife went on their kayak trip). Do you know if that's possible with MapSource? I suppose that as long as the data is displayed on the computer screen, he could use an image capture utility to create jpegs to share.... If the data could somehow be outputed to something like Google Earth, I think that would be a really cool way to show your adventure!

05-25-2009, 6:05 PM	#12
Andy Survey Says? Join Date: Dec 29 2006 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 1,440	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Mapsource has an option to View in Google Earth. It will show routes created or tracklogs in Google Earth! Two screenshots of a route, one in Mapsource, one in Google Earth from the same route. The Nuvi 500/550 does have a tracklog it automatically creates. It stores it on the internal drive. Even though the specs page doesn't indicate this (I don't think the manual does either). Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Andy; 05-25-2009 at 6:17 PM.

05-25-2009, 7:06 PM	#13
whoster69 Join Date: May 24 2009 Location: Ukiah, California Posts: 7	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Nice!

05-26-2009, 12:23 AM	#15
Andy Survey Says? Join Date: Dec 29 2006 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 1,440	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Mapsource lets you save track logs in GPS exchange format (GPX). Google Earth can open GPX files.

05-26-2009, 9:56 AM	#16
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Great! Well, whoster69, it looks like all of your criteria have been met with the listed Garmin units & software. Perhaps other forum members / readers can chime with with some other GPS unit suggestions. Does anyone have some non-Garmin suggestions for whoster69 to consider?

07-01-2009, 1:51 AM	#18
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS So, whoster69, have you picked up a GPS unit yet? Which one did you settle on?

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07-01-2009, 7:19 PM	#19
whoster69 Join Date: May 24 2009 Location: Ukiah, California Posts: 7	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Not yet. I did get one that is just for my camera, but I'm still looking into hiking/kayaking units. Thanks again for the help!

07-02-2009, 12:56 PM	#20
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS You're welcome! I was just thinking about you, because Andy had talked up the Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx in this thread. I know the screen is small for your needs, but I decided that it was perfect as a hiking/backpacking handheld for me, plus I can take it kayaking and use it as a backup GPS for my motorcycle if my zūmo 660 goes down. I'm getting the 76CSx from Amazon for $239 - which is about what I can afford after dropping a bucket of money on the z660! The Dakota 20 looks like a nice product (though it's display is actually smaller than the 76CSx's), but I'm not going to wait until this fall to get a handheld.

07-02-2009, 3:11 PM	#21
Andy Survey Says? Join Date: Dec 29 2006 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 1,440	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Just an FYI, the 60CSx is the same as the 76 except it has a belt clip and different button layout. It doesn't float either, but function wise it's the same.

07-02-2009, 3:33 PM	#22
HumVee Join Date: May 11 2009 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,246	Re: Hello. Looking for Advice on My First GPS Thanks, Andy! I held the Garmin 60CSx in my hand at REI yesterday, and like the buttons and screen - but I like the concept of the 76CSx layout better. I like the idea of holding the device in the palm of my hand with my thumb on the buttons and seeing the screen below my thumb. It just seems like a nicely balanced configuration for walking around and geocaching. The 60CSx seems optimised for two-handed operation, where I think the 76CSx lends itself better to one-handed operation. REI didn't have the 76CSx in stock, so I just flipped the 60CSx around in my hand hand held it upside-down! I bought a neoprene case to go with my 76CSx. I wish the Foarm case was still available in black. I've heard really good things about it, but the "hunter brown" color doesn't appeal to me. Does anyone know where I can get one? Last edited by HumVee; 07-02-2009 at 3:46 PM.