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Wondering if anyone has one? Good to buy now or wait till later when it gets cheaper? What about those DVD/GPS System combo? Will it work in the states if I drive from Vancouver?

   

What the heck's a petroglyph sites? Sounds like something you would stick petrol in...?

  I'm thinking about one of those GPS system where you just download the directions off the net. Like I'm not gonna pay the satalite company some ridiculous amount each month for the priviledge of using their system. Just something basic, simple and easy to use.

     

Lise wrote:
Wondering if anyone has one? Good to buy now or wait till later when it gets cheaper? What about those DVD/GPS System combo? Will it work in the states if I drive from Vancouver?[/DIV]
 I think it depends on how it is programed.  I've the navigation system in my new car......and its good only in the contiguous US.  I'll need to change the disk in the system for Alaska or Hawaii....I suspect it's the same for Canada

 Lise wrote:
Wondering if anyone has one? Good to buy now or wait till later when it gets cheaper? What about those DVD/GPS System combo? Will it work in the states if I drive from Vancouver?
Lise.
I don't use the one for the car- buti use a gps all the time for work.  Yeah Michel is right they work all over the world.  I use my small hand held unit in canada / us / remote china / mongolia / northern vietnam and a few other places i can't tell you about.  

For the driving instruction variety - you will have to load (or buy with the GPS) the appropriate maps.  So the sattelites tell the computer where you are on the surface of the earth, the software needs to figure out where you are with respect to the gas station you just requested ...  

As far as buy now or buy later ... well like every other tech you buy it will be cheaper better smaller next week ... but if you want one - the technology is just fine for average user ... i get 3-5m acurracy regullarly in open areas, and 20m accuracy in heavy jungle - there are times when you are in heavy jungle and steep mountains you can have no signal - but for most users you will find the technology very acceptable.  

Here's hoping you don't find yourself lost in a steep jungle.

I hope this helps

VG


 

   

I dunno i think it should work for all of north america. Granted this was a top of the line lexus but at the auto show one year I was able to get a map of downtown Vancouver and sushi places, from st. louis, inside a convention centre.  

Interesting tid-bit there, VG. I will keep them in mind when (and if) we do look for a GPS. I just thought it would be great to have one in the car if it came with the DVD portable player.

  As for getting lost in the jungle, perish the thought!

 Michel wrote:
i get 3-5m acurracy regullarly in open areas, and 20m accuracy in heavy jungle -

Only 20 m ? wow, it was definitely designed for use with 155 mm shell. Make that with aerial burst and extra shrapnel please lol

I will definitly need one eventually. Too many times I've been walking in circle looking for petroglyphs and totally miss them. Problem is I'm technically challenge. If you ever know an easy to use (VERY EASY should I say) model not too expensive, PM me with the details VG.

Well I'm non-military - they have mm accuracy GPS but it costs a little more and is a bit more bulky to tote around.

So where do you look for petroglyphs?  I found some VERY nice ones in outer mongolia they dated back to the bronze age.  I'll post some pics when i get back to north america and my home computer.

Well GPS are a bit like cars - what kind you want has a lot to do with what you need it for i.e. "get groceries" or "race in the indy 500".
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy they are to use.  Give me an idea of what you want to do with a GPS and i can probably narrow down the field for you ...
 

 
 

  Michel wrote:
i get 3-5m acurracy regullarly in open areas, and 20m accuracy in heavy jungle -

Only 20 m ? wow, it was definitely designed for use with 155 mm shell. Make that with aerial burst and extra shrapnel please lol

I will definitly need one eventually. Too many times I've been walking in circle looking for petroglyphs and totally miss them. Problem is I'm technically challenge. If you ever know an easy to use (VERY EASY should I say) model not too expensive, PM me with the details VG.

Well I'm non-military - they have mm accuracy GPS but it costs a little more and is a bit more bulky to tote around.

So where do you look for petroglyphs?  I found some VERY nice ones in outer mongolia they dated back to the bronze age.  I'll post some pics when i get back to north america and my home computer.

Well GPS are a bit like cars - what kind you want has a lot to do with what you need it for i.e. "get groceries" or "race in the indy 500".
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy they are to use.  Give me an idea of what you want to do with a GPS and i can probably narrow down the field for you ...
 

 
 

 Basically I need one that will help me navigate Vancouver (mostly) and when I travel to the states. Got to be user friendly and affordable.

  What are your thoughts about the GPS and portable DVD combo? They share the same screen, no?[/DIV]

 Lise wrote:
 [div]Basically I need one that will help me navigate Vancouver (mostly) and when I travel to the states. Got to be user friendly and affordable.
 
What are your thoughts about the GPS and portable DVD combo? They share the same screen, no?[/div]
Lise,

Sorry I don't know much about the fancy GPS - mine are pretty utilitarian they have to withstand drops down cliff (usually while still in my icy hand), rainforest torrents, waterfalls, desert sand, extreme heat, extreme cold etc......plus usually i don't have a lot of roads nearby so I don't use any kind of navigation systems.

I can look into it a bit for you when I get back to Canada but I think the technology is so good that you will probably chosse more on price than features.  Most will be able to navigate you around Canada / US pretty effortlessly.  

Wish I could be of more help.

 

I use a map.

  I also have a method that is often overlooked by some men.....I stop at the nearest gas station and say..."where the heck am I ?"  It's always prooved to be very accurate.

 P.C. wrote:
I use a map.
 
I also have a method that is often overlooked by some men.....I stop at the nearest gas station and say..."where the heck am I ?"  It's always prooved to be very accurate.

Yes but to use a map one first must know where you are ... this is often difficult if in the middle of a jungle or desert.
Second not tooooooo many gas stations in the middle of the gobi or in the jungle of northern vietnam.
Third I've asked at some gas stations and I think I would have had better luck with old Mr. PG Man

 

Mr PG gives fine directions.  You just need to speak the right language to him.  He only understands PG.  

 Lil Me wrote:
Mr PG gives fine directions.  You just need to speak the right language to him.  He only understands PG.  

But he only knows the way to the peeler bar, the chainsaw shop and the Ford dealership
 

When in Rome...  

 Lise wrote:
Interesting tid-bit there, VG. I will keep them in mind when (and if) we do look for a GPS. I just thought it would be great to have one in the car if it came with the DVD portable player.
 
As for getting lost in the jungle, perish the thought!

Yeah I used my little hand held GPS on a trip to the us recently.  If nothing else it stopped teh "how much further question - I handed the GPS to the back seat drivers and they could see exactly how much further - down to the meter!!

Please don't use teh words "perish" and "lost in the jungle" in the same sentence   (//forums/richedit/smileys/Sad/4.gif)

 

   

 Michel wrote:
The GPS can be used also to find back where I left the car.
 --
 Very important!
 
 

  Michel wrote:
I just checked in my last 2 books that I bought on the subject, still no GPS coordinate in those. I must have seen those on the Web while preparing the Christmas trip and didn't pay attention more than that since I have no GPS device.

To get GPS coordinate of petroglyph, it has to be maily in North America. As I said, the famous sites are relatively easy to find, it's the smaller sites that are hard to find. Roads with no panels, locals who have no clue what you're talking about or give you way too vague information, unmaintained trail that dissapear in the bushes or invisibe on the rocks, mistakes on handwritten maps print from the web, trees or bushes hiding the panels and so on. Often they are so faint you hardly see them. A GPS would be useful ad long as I find those coordinates. Anything cheap and easy to use will do the job. The GPS can be used also to find back where I left the car.

Michel,

So are petroglyphs a hobby of yours??

Finding your way back to the car is VERY important.

This is very similar to the unit i use. It well most likely serve your purposes.
vny!://www.deakin.com/index.cfm?action=display&product_class_id=3&product_group_id=34&product_id=34&product_sub_id=77

in the next week or so I'll probably buy a new more sensitive unit for teh dense jungle - it's a few bucks more - but if it saves me a few hours of being lost in the jungle it's worth it
vny!://www.deakin.com/index.cfm?action=display&product_class_id=3&product_group_id=34&product_id=34&product_sub_id=5019
 

       

 Michel wrote:
Hey it's not that expensive, hope it's easy to use. This give me a good point to start searching what I'm looking for. Thanks.

Yeah I like rock art, usually it's always located in beautiful sceneries, shamans were inspired by their environment, so it's always fun to hike to those places, especially if they're still remote. I studied in archaeology among other things. Never worked in the field, but the passion is still there.

Yeah not too bad - if you like we can get together sometime and I can let you take mine for a test drive before you layout any cash. Pretty simple, my 9 year old uses mine (no pressure) for geocaching and other things.
RE: rock art. very cool.  Remind me next week to look through some of my pics from the Gobi - I stumbled onto some really beautiful pieces when I was there.  As soon as i found one piece i started finding them everywhere - proably 50 pieces in total.  Many of the sites were shamanistic.
 
 

     

   

Lise - Russ would know.  He has a handheld one.  

  ADD:  Sorry Lise, but Christian Bale may be a TAD bit difficult to locate on GPS.

Lise - just wondering, did you end up buying a GPS for the car?  Or if anyone here owns one?

  My brother puchased a Garmin brand (can't remember the number) recently from Future Shop for under $200.  He said that it didn't need to pay monthly to subscribe.  I hope he's right because so many people have told me that no matter which GPS you get, you have to in one way or another.

  I'm also looking to buy one but have to investigate first.  

I bought a new car at the beginning of the year with GPS.......there is no fee

Some people friends we know put one in before the road trip to the wedding in Banff. By the time they got there they were calling it "The Bitch in a Box"

(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/4.gif)

I prefer the bitch with the british accent option

I was one of those people who despised people using the GPS system.  I am always good with maps and directions but now I am a changed men.

  I bought the Magellan 3225 from Costco for $149 just before I went to LA in May.    It comes with maps of Canada and 48 states.  It also comes with 1.6 millions points of interests but I found a upgrade online to increase that to 6 millions POI.   I used it all the time in LA, even it is illegal to attach the unit on the windshield.  I could go to places that I would not have gone if I sticked with the non-detail tourist map of LA.

  The POI features is a must!  When we feel like eating Japanese food, I can find them.  Walmart supercentre?  Right there.   You can even create your own points of interests using the USB cable connecting to your computer.

  You do not need to pay any monthly fee.  The only thing is when you want to update your map, you might have to pay for it.   Of course, some parts of the map will be out of date in due time.

  I recommend either Magellan or Garmin as they have been in the GPS business for long, long time.

 In August, 14 of my family (two sisters' families) drove down to SF from Vancouver in three vehicles.   I convinced them to buy the GPS systems.  I sold my 3225 to one of my sister for $100 and bought a Magellan 4210 for $199 from Best Buy.   It comes with the 4.3" screen instead of 3.5".   It does make a difference when it is attached to the windshield.  My other sister also bought the 4210.   Now, when I do buy the map update ($79 US!!), we can share the cost three way.

  On our last day in SF, all three vehicles got mixed up on an interchange and we all went different directions.  Miraculously, we all got to our destination (Jelly Belly, an hour away) within minutes of each other.  My sisters were not good with maps and my brothers in law were too busy looking at the highway signs and the 10 lanes freeway to know where they are going.  The GPS saved the day!  As soon as it detects that you have deviate from the route, it will re-calculate and provides an alternative route to reach your destination.

 

Some features you must have:

  1)  Voice command directions -  You don't need to look at the little screen while driving.

2)  Lots of Points of Interest - Most comes with 6 millions.

3)  Larger screen - 4.3" or more.

4)  Touch screen - I think most of them do but just to be sure.

5)  Reputable brand - Garmin, Magellan, Tom Tom, etc.

6)  Quick recalculation - I have heard that some takes a while to recalculate.  Can be very annoying if you got lost while travelling on the freeway and it keeps trying to calculate.  

     

That was very informative, Oui Oui.  Thanks.

  Did you end up buying your upgraded GPS from Canada Best Buy or the States?  Why was it better to put on windshield compared to your dashboard?  

  I'll have to look into that brand you mentioned because I'm only familiar with Garmin.  I like the POI's that you mentioned.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my GPS. We don't drive anywhere far without it. So handy to have, you'd wonder how you do without it.

  We have a Magellan which we adore. The only requirement I had to have was the text to voice command. I don't care about other fancy stuff but I need my wee machine to tell me what's the next street.

What's the model of your GPS, Lise?  And how much did it cost you?  Is the text to voice when it tells you the street name instead of saying "turn left, turn right?"

purelife wrote:
[div style="font-style: italic;"]What's the model of your GPS, Lise?  And how much did it cost you?  Is the text to voice when it tells you the street name instead of saying "turn left, turn right?"[/div]
Hmm.... I haven't used one that actually says out the street names.   I bought it from Canada Best Buy because I wanted to get familiar before I land in LAX.

Michel, these Road units are more for use on marked roads or highways.  It can get very confuse when you get off road.  Although it does give you the coordinates wherever you can hit three satellites.  Mine usually lock on to about 6-7 satellites.  But, of course if you are in a valley or underneath some structure, you won't get any signal.
 

Im going to be buying one soon as well, the windshield type with teh big screen. I dont want a smaller handheld one like the one you saw me with PL.
The catch is I want the bigger one to be able to use the maps for the backroads as well as record trails that are not on the regular street maps.. hopefully I can find one. It would have to be a hiking one like what pl wants.. although for a hiking one you dont want a 4 inch or so screen, too cumbersome.
 

   

 Michel wrote:
Oui Oui wrote:
 [em]Michel, these Road units are more for use on marked roads or highways.  It can get very confuse when you get off road.  Although it does give you the coordinates wherever you can hit three satellites.  Mine usually lock on to about 6-7 satellites.  But, of course [font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"]if you are in a valley [/font]or underneath some structure, [font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"]you won't get any signal[/font].[/em][/p]  [/p] Oh oh, most pictographs are in valleys in BC... Hum, I will have to study the issue more carefully before spending. Best thing for me would be to borrow one, or buy one and retrun it after a weekend trial if it doesn't do the job as Costco is good for return policy.[/p] Any model in costco you would recommend as I might try that for this weekend? Talking one for the car and portable for the hike in mountainous terrain? If such a thing doesn't exist, the portable part would be specification number one to get.[/p]
[/p]Michel, my brother got a handheld portable unit for this very reason. Its meant for hiking and camping with being under trees. Ill ask him later what one he got...
[/p]

   

 

 


Russ wrote:
  [em]Michel, my brother got a handheld portable unit for this very reason. Its meant for hiking and camping with being under trees. Ill ask him later what one he got...[/em]
[/p] Michel wrote:[/p] [p style="font-style: italic;"]Excellent, ask him also if he knows how many meters this thig seems to be precise to if he knows.[/p]
[/p]We use this thing for boating as well so it had to be really durable. If you look you can find these cheaper than what the garmin site is saying.
[/p]vny!s://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=351

vny!://www.trailspace.com/gear/garmin/gpsmap-76csx/review/12178/

vny!://gpsinformation.us/gps60c/g76Creview.html

Thus the new software and firmware for the GPSmap 76Cx has improved its accuracy (under tree cover) from about 10m to 4.4m 95% of the time.  The GPSmap 76C accuracy remained in the neighborhood of 7m. [/p][font face="Arial,Helvetica"]Comparative Accuracy:[/font]
Using a moderate tree-cover test site, we ran 30-minute test runs with[a href="vny!://www.gpsinformation.net/main/sawatch.htm"] [font face="Arial,Helvetica"]SA Watch[/font][/a] comparing the GPSmap 76C to the Magellan SporTrak Color ([font face="Arial,Helvetica"][a href="vny!://gpsinformation.us/gps60c/76C-trees.html"]HERE[/a][/font]).  The 76C seemed quite "erratic".  95% of the 76C errors were  9.7 meters or less, where the SporTrak Color were less than 1.6 meters. [/p]

[/p]
[/p]

 

Oui Oui and Lise - Does your GPS include the new changes done at the Queensborough bridge area?  (if you drive in this area...)    

   
 

   

Thanks for the link Michel.  That looks very impressive.   I wonder if it's good.

   
 

   

Yep, electronics are cheaper in the States, Michel depending on what you want.  But, I know that Costco Canada tries to match Costco US prices but I don't think they have because food is still cheaper there.

  I might be heading to Costco States this weekend, let me know what you're interested in and I'll see if I can sneak a photo or at least write the prices down for you.

  The $100 off tjhat GPS is a GOOD deal.    

     
 

purelife - I'm not sure about the change but you can download new maps from the internet and upload the most current info onto your GPS.

  I don't remember the exact model number.... I think it's a Maestro and I got it from Costco.

  And yes, it does tell me what street to turn before I make the turn. For eg. it'll say, "Make a slight turn onto Highway 1 in 2.2 km" or something like that. Really helpful - like I have my own Knight Rider. LOL.  

     
 

I guess it's an online offer only.    

     

                [span style="" times="" new="" roman="" ;="" lang="EN-CA"][a href="vny!://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/76csx.htm"][/a][/span]

the maps that come with it are limited. I think my brother bought another one right away?

He bought it from the place you are looking at in alberta. he looked for a while and he said that it was the best deal he could get within canada.
 

     

purelife wrote:
[div style="font-style: italic;"]Oui Oui and Lise - Does your GPS include the new changes done at the Queensborough bridge area?  (if you drive in this area...)[/div]  
 I haven't done the recent map update so my GPS is not to date with the changes.   I drive by this area every weekday.

 

[FONT color=#c00000]I don't[/FONT] [FONT color=#0000ff]need a GPS[/FONT] [FONT color=#ff00ff]to tell me[/FONT] [FONT color=#ff7f00]that Michel[/FONT] [FONT color=#60bf00]has been here[/FONT].  (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/4.gif)