Despite always wanting one, I’ve never had a GPS unit until a few weeks ago when I downloaded a program on my phone to do it. Well, unsurprising, a cell phone has pretty shitty GPS capabilities so that just makes me want something better. So I’m likely going to buy one in the next few weeks. Here’s what I want it to do.
I have a sportbike I usually ride when the weather’s nice, so it must have an available motorcycle mount. I also have a dirt bike and I think it would be cool to map out where I go and overlay it on Google Earth images. I don’t know if it could hold up to being mounted on the dirt bike though, so it’s beneficial if it’s small so I can easily carry it in a backpack or something. Other off-road capabilities are a plus, like downloadable topographical maps. I definitely want to do those things where someone marks a certain place and you have to find it, geo-somethings. Another thing, I don’t have a Windows computer so I need something that uses a pretty standard protocol for transfers. It’s fine if it works like a USB drive or has an SD card or something like that.
I’m trying to keep this around $400 or less. What are your suggestions?
Road-car/cycle GPS units and off road GPS units are apples and oranges. Pick one. Re car GPS units the Garmin NUVI 200 & 700 series are among the best out there. Map quality is paramount and Garmins (IMO) have the best maps. You can get an excellent Garmin for less than $ 250. Amazon has among the best prices I’ve found for GPS units.
My Garmin GPS maps 60 is for hiking or off road. But I use it in the car all the time. Works great. Though it does not have an voice telling you to turn left at main st. It beeps at you to let you know when the turn is close.
Lots of features. Color display. Seems pretty bullet proof too. It’s a few years old, I will look at the Garmin site to see what looks comparable. At the moment, I have to split.
As far as street GPS receivers go, I’m liking the specs on this nüvi 760. My girlfriend has something in the 200 series and it seems to work well. I don’t see anything with any topographical maps or anything that would be ideal for off-road use. They’re all designed for golfing or fishing or some such.
I agree with astro. I have a Garmin 60csx for cycling and outdoor use, and Nuvi 760 for in-car use. They are very different. The 60csx is waterproof, runs for many hours on AA batteries (18 hours according to spces) and is operated by buttons. The Nuvi has a much larger screen, and has a touchscreen interface and voice guide, and has a lot more detail at intersections. Of course it’s not waterproof and also hard to see in direct sunlight.
I think the Nuvi 760 was a bit overkill for me though. Last time I rented a car I rented a lower spec Nuvi (270?) and there didn’t seem to be a huge difference.
I have a touchscreen Garmin Oregon 400t (Amazon has them for $487 but I bought mine on eBay last Oct. for around $460, new). It comes with topo maps, but you’d need to buy the street maps (City Navigator) if you’d like to use it like a auto GPSr. It won’t speak street names but it’d get you where you want to go. I am fairly sure you can get a motorcycle mount for it.
It is a tough unit. I geocache with mine and I’ve fallen/dropped it in mud & snow quite a few times, and carry it in the rain. Regular automobile GPSrs aren’t as hardy, so for a bike I’d steer clear of those. Plus, as mentioned, the battery life isn’t as good.
I use mine with a Mac.
You also might want to look into a DeLorme PN-40 as those are cheaper and have the capability to download satellite/aerial imagery for Google for a $30/year subscription, but I don’t have any experience with those. But I’d love to try one.
Very nice. That Oregon looks awesome, but it’s more than I need to be paying for one, especially after all the necessary accessories are considered.
I’m seriously considering that PN-40 though. The thing is tough enough that I believe I could mount it on my dirt bike without issue (unless I wreck) and mounts are available. The aerial imagery would really help me figure out what’s around me, along with topographical maps to easily find hills. And while it may not hold up to a street GPS in the city, it gets the job done. Yeah, I may buy this one now and then possibly a nüvi later.
I have the base model widescreen Nuvi, the 200W and it’s fantastic. The widescreen is completely worth it. Look into nicer models if you want features but I can recommend any of the Nuvis.
I’m still thinking the PN-40 is what I want. I’ll probably order it next week. I’m anxious to be able to explore new places and not have to worry about getting lost.