How many of you ride with/use a GPS?

Mad Hatter · Post by **Mad Hatter** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 10:48 am

What type/kind?

What features do you look for?

I have a Garmin eTrex and I am looking to upgrade.

orionburn · Post by **orionburn** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 11:55 am

I don't use one, but wouldn't mind having one. I can download an app to my cell phone if I ever had to. But to me getting "lost" is half the fun when I'm out riding. I will admit it was handy to have when we went to Laguna...although John still didn't know where he was going half the time

Mad Hatter · Post by **Mad Hatter** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:01 pm

I have done some Cache-ing(sp?) on my dirtbike and it was pretty fun. It is much better than a map since you don't have to keep looking for your place, it scrolls with you. I am planning a trip for the wif and I this spring up to the Arkansas area and would like to get a new GPS before then.

orionburn · Post by **orionburn** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:46 pm

I admit I would want one for going somewhere like the Dragon. It'd be tempting to just head off on any road & direction to see what's out there and have the comfort of knowing you won't have problems getting back to where you started.

RUFtech · Post by **RUFtech** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 3:24 pm

Alpine (the stereo people) makes a really nice GPS. A friend of mine has one in his Porsche turbo. He goes on a trip through Arkansas every year and he says the Alpine has been the best out of all the units he has tried. He said the Garmin he used last year was a close second. He also bought a Tom Tom. Kept it for a couple days and took it back. It sucked!!

owdamer · Post by **owdamer** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:11 pm

I've been using a garmin etrex for a while. I just use it to record my routes then download em on to the pc and overlay them onto Ordanance survey maps so I can see where i've been. I dont think i'd bother buying a car type gps with route planning. That doesn't interest me. I prefer to just ride around following my mood then looking back at the route later.

Mad Hatter · Post by **Mad Hatter** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:20 pm

owdamer wrote:I've been using a garmin etrex for a while. I just use it to record my routes then download em on to the pc and overlay them onto Ordanance survey maps so I can see where i've been. I dont think i'd bother buying a car type gps with route planning. That doesn't interest me. I prefer to just ride around following my mood then looking back at the route later.

My eTrex loses connection when the canopy gets thick. It has the latest updates too. Another reason I am looking to upgrade.

YZFRob · Post by **YZFRob** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:13 pm

I have a Rand-McNally and a small liquid filled "GPS" with a movable needle.

KontoBoy · Post by **KontoBoy** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:18 pm

I have a Streetpilot III I use with my street bike. I wired an outlet to the front bracket and have a simple mount that goes under the clip on to secure the GPS on the top triple.

It works well. Nice and bright even in the sun. No voice directions though when I ride, so I just need to watch and follow the arrows. Buttons are a little small to use with gloves on. And forget trying to search for a address while driving--you'll kill yourself.

Waterproof and rugged construction.

It's portable too so I can bring it in the car--that's where it gets used most.

I've had mine a few years. It was repaired this last summer ($225) after it wouldn't read the programmable data cards (used to store local maps). You can pick them up used now for under $300.

The new Garmin model I think is called the 1260 and run around $700.

Kontoboy

Post by **FZRDude** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:27 pm

YZFRob wrote:I have a Rand-McNally and a small liquid filled "GPS" with a movable needle.

I use moss.

RUFtech · Post by **RUFtech** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:29 pm

YZFRob wrote:I have a Rand-McNally and a small liquid filled "GPS" with a movable needle.

Your GPS must really enCOMPASS the globe.

Mad Hatter · Post by **Mad Hatter** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:52 am

FZRDude wrote:
YZFRob wrote:I have a Rand-McNally and a small liquid filled "GPS" with a movable needle.

I use moss.

Moss is good. Hard to find the data port though.

Enviromentally friendly version of TomTom, it's Moss Moss.
We have the athletic Carrie-Ann model and for those that just want to look pretty, the Kate model.

And for those that are traveling south of the border, the Mas Mas version.

YZFRob · Post by **YZFRob** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:18 pm

FZRDude wrote:
YZFRob wrote:I have a Rand-McNally and a small liquid filled "GPS" with a movable needle.

I use moss.

You use the moss on your leg old man?

Heres a really sad, yet freaking funny incedent regarding these GPS systems. COuple years ago we were deer hunting near Dodgeville, WI. Around lunch time. STarted heading back to the truck. Came across some guy in my guess mid 40's pretty much on the verge of bawling his head out. He was LOST. He said he was wandering around for about 2 hrs because his Garmin GPS's battery died. :laughing He couldnt find the parking lot where his car was (ironically parked right next to mine). Hell he was walking 100' PARALLEL to the road and if he walked about another 150yds he would had walked right into the lot. Technology is all fine and dandy, but completely USELESS if your batteries are dead. or you drop or bang it on something and render it non-funtional.

silver · Post by **silver** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:24 pm

Truer words were never spoken ! In a previous life I had a photography stuidio. I owned one of the latest whiz-bang "pro" cameras. Had it modified by the factory and the doggone batteries kept dying. And I'm not talking about a month, weeks or even days. I mean hours ! They were supposed to last 6~9 months. Can you imagine photographing a wedding and having the batteries in your camera die ? How I didn't have a heart attack is beyond me ! I eventually worked out a deal with the company to return the camera and got an RB67SD in trade. The RB is a completely spring powered camera which was introduced in 1969 and is still available today. Note that all of the pro's are using digital imaging today. I wonder what they do when their batteries go dead ?

Mad Hatter · Post by **Mad Hatter** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:47 pm

I always have extra batteries with me, perks of the job. Common sense is another area some people are lacking in as well when they use a GPS.

YZFRob · Post by **YZFRob** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 11:00 pm

silver wrote:Truer words were never spoken ! In a previous life I had a photography stuidio. I owned one of the latest whiz-bang "pro" cameras. Had it modified by the factory and the doggone batteries kept dying. And I'm not talking about a month, weeks or even days. I mean hours ! They were supposed to last 6~9 months. Can you imagine photographing a wedding and having the batteries in your camera die ? How I didn't have a heart attack is beyond me ! I eventually worked out a deal with the company to return the camera and got an RB67SD in trade. The RB is a completely spring powered camera which was introduced in 1969 and is still available today. Note that all of the pro's are using digital imaging today. I wonder what they do when their batteries go dead ?

My D70 lasts for 600 pics in raw (over 1000 large jpg) before I have to change it. Friends canon EOS XT takes about 300 in large jpg before his starts dying. I usually carry 3 batteries anyways.

silver · Post by **silver** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:14 am

No doubt that digital has come a long way however I still prefer film. Better tonal scale, better resolution and more dependable. Note that digital has it's place for me as well. Mostly in replacing Polaroid for fast access and also for website imaging. The difficulty with the camera I had (and we're talking '96~'97 here when digital was still running 2MP at best) was that the battery was located in the base of the primary body right under where the strobe bracket mounted up. I use Newton brackets which are an excellent design however to get to the battery I had to pull the bracket, unscrew the mounting base which was fitted with an allen bolt, pop the battery hatch, replace the battery and then reverse the sequence. I didn't sweat so much on my first .... ummmm... date as I did with that camera. Got the RB and now I have only one battery to worry about and that's powering the strobe.

YZFRob · Post by **YZFRob** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 5:43 pm

With ya Silver, rather have film, but with the price of film locally and teh lack of reasonable prices for developing quality pictures. I still have my Canon AE1P ready to go. To a normal person (someone who doesnt develop their own film), 99% of the people couldnt tell an 8X10 dslr pic from a 35mm 8X10 pic. It took me a while to justify getting a dslr. After seeing the track photographers pics with his new dslr in 03 come out las good (if not better) the year before when he used a 35mm, I went and bought my D70. Its also nice to be able to shoot 1000+ pics and not have to head out to the camera store to have 15-30 rolls developed.

silver · Post by **silver** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:15 pm

I completely agree Rob. I have an FM2n, a Nikkormat FTN, the previously mentioned RB67SD, A Zone VI 4X5, a Kodak 5X7 and a Linhoff 5X7. Add in a couple of Graphics and a C220 (somewhere around here !) for good measure. But if I were a full time working pro I'd be shooting 95% digital. But then I probably wouldn't be shooting B-&-W either

Letsee, 30 rolls for a wedding at $20 process-&-proof, that's $600. Add in the ol' day rate plus the cost of the assistant, albums and so forth. "Sure, I'll shoot your wedding for around $3000 !". Not like there's a whole bunch of people in Tennessee going to afford that.