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Where to get trust worthy independent advice on GPS

  • 13-04-2007 6:22pm
    #1
    passdump
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭


    I am a newbie when it come to GPS and I was think about buying a hand held outdoor type (hiking/geochaching etc). I have been trying to get independent advice but its difficult to sift through all the crap thats out there on the net (especially without broadband). Does anyone know of a trustworthy, independent and neutral source for reviews and comparisons for GPS units?

    Three related questions:

    (1)As it stands I am looking at the Magellan explorist 210. What are the magellan base maps for Ireland (Europe) like?Are they any good (relative to other hand held units) Magellan have the NaveTeq logo on their map page website.

    (2)The majority of retailers (and Users?) in Ireland seem to go for Garmin. Magellan don't really get a look in. Why is that? Is there a secret problem with Magellan?

    (3)Is there a universal standard for maps (for GPS units) like PDF is for documents on computers? I had some half-baked notion in my mind that it might be possible to make my own maps on my PC or get free open source ones from the net and transfer them to a GPS unit.

    Many thanks for any help. I do appreciate it.


Comments

  • #2
    Krusty_Clown
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,540 ✭✭✭✭Krusty_Clown


    Can only suggest some bits and pieces (have only used Magellan in the US). As mentioned before, there's usually a reason people buy TomTom/Garmin/Airis..

    However, if you know that the device you're interested in has the latest NavTeq maps, then you should be ok. If you don't know, you should find out what mapping it comes with. Do you want road-based maps (handy for geo-caching)? Are you more interested in the outdoor type, in which case you should be looking for something with a decent set of topo maps, or buying a device that supports the OSI trailmaster maps (Garmin and Magellan only).

    Why not go for a device that supports routing and outdoor use? I use a Garmin Quest and have sung its praises enough on this forum. Waterproof, 20 hour battery, probably not as hardy as a true all-terrain GPS, but it has survived three years of biking, hiking, driving, soaking and searching, for me so far..

    Trailmaster Website: http://www.osi.ie/trailmaster/consumer.asp

    Some additional thoughts: What Irish shops sell the Magellan you're after? Are you sure that there is a model available with an Irish basemap? Do you know that it has only 22 megs of storage available?

    The model available on Pixmania does not seem to suggest any Irish mapping coverage. It also says:
    "Map of Europe with highways, waterbody, parks and airports". So the road-based mapping will be limited to non-existent.


  • #3
    Krusty_Clown
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,540 ✭✭✭✭Krusty_Clown


    No, no universal standard for maps, but there are a number of very popular standards. There are tools available for creating your own maps, some of which have been very well described in the 'outdoor pursuits' forum.

    I use a number of 'open source' (not actually open-source, but free for non commercial use) maps, such as the Contour maps, Irish waterways, etc..

    OpenStreetmap is an Open Source project to create Open source maps, but has limited ocverage of Ireland to-date (but you could always help out!).


  • #4
    passdump
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭passdump


    Thanks for that. The Garmin Quest looks very interesting. I've only had a quick look at this stage but it looks like an interesting crossover:semi-handheld/semi-carbased which does interest me.

    As regards the Magellan explorist 210, I was going to buy it in the States- there's a good exchange rate right now. As regards the 22 MB I was originally really only going to get a very basic model, then I read some where that I should, if I could stretch to it, get one that has mapping capabilities. The 210 comes with a USB cable and has a 14 channel WAAS/EGNOS receiver.

    However, after trawling the web I see some people in the States think Magellan's customer service is rubbish. And the vast majority of people seem to use Garmin, especially in Ireland. Also I read that Garmin are much better for more frequent firmware updates.

    So after starting off looking at a basic Garmin etrex and then having moved to an explorist 210, now I am back to square one. Although the Quest looks interesting depending on the price. I'll have to look into it.

    What are the "Contour Maps" you mentioned.

    Thanks very much for your replies.


  • #5
    Krusty_Clown
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,540 ✭✭✭✭Krusty_Clown


    It seems that the Magellans have a US bias... The Quest is a couple of years old now (so not leading edge technology), but it means it's cheaper then it used to be.. See here: http://www.gpsw.co.uk/details/prod2337.html. They also include a free upgrade to the latest maps (v9).

    The contour maps are created by the Scottish Mountaineering Club and are made available for free here: http://www.smc.org.uk/ContourMaps.htm

    They aren't topo maps though.. I have mine overlaid over the CN9 (latest routing maps) so you get peaks, contours, rivers, forests (some) etc, from the combined maps. Most modern receivers have EGNOS/WAAS support, however, it isn't very useful yet.


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