GPS For Laptop PDA Or Standalone, Which Is Better?

[Reidan]

I am gonna be taking my AV on my first vacation trip starting this weekend.    I have thought about buying a GPS many time, but never done it.  Have not done a lot of research either.  I did a search for the topic here on the board and you guys seem to have a lot of knowledge on the subject.

I have a laptop and an iPaq hand held with a CF slot adapter.  I would think avoiding using the laptop as it would take up a lot of space in the AV to have the laptop out and running.  Besides, I do not have one of the 12DC to AC converters to keep it running on a long trip.

I have seen the units made for PDA's.  Anyone of you have one, especially if you have an iPaq as well.  Any benefits of having a PDA based GPS versus a standalone unit?  Can you download extra maps and edit them easier with a PDA?

What GPS units would you recommend for both PDA and standalone.


Thanks,
Reidan

[RoarinRow]

Hi Reidan,

 I have an iPAQ 3975 and I use the Navman 3420 - http://www.navmanusa.com/land/gps3420/ in my AV.  It works great!  The benefit of course is that I can move it from car to car and yes you can download maps, updates, etc. to a CF card built into the GPS sleeve.  

 RoarinRow

[Reidan]

RoarinRow,
I like that unit.  A nice complete kit vs the others where you have to buy it in pieces.

Reidan

[pdxkevin]

How do you picture yourself using it?

We bought a Megellan 315 several years back.  It doesn't have mapping. It wasn't availible at the time.  The main reason we bought one is so I can find my way out of the rain forest and mountains back to the AV during hunting season. So a waterproof handheld was a must.

Several people, in an 4x4 club we are in, use handhelds linked to laptops.  The laptops run software loaded with the USGS maps and show your route and location live on the map.  Very nice and easy to read.

I prefer things that are not attached or left lieing around in the AV. Less chance someone will consider popping a window to take it.

The GARMIN RINO 120 GPS-Integrated FRS/GMRS Radio is very nice. One of the really coolf features is it wil show on your map where the other person is!  This is great if you are camping, hunting, fishing, or etc... and get seperated.

[Reidan]

I want to use it for driving and camping.  I like the idea of a standalone unit cause of the simplicity.  Though, attaching one to my iPaq would not be to bad.  Specially since the price of those units seem to be a little cheaper than the standalone units.

I would like for it to be able to track the route you are on and maybe even warn of upcoming turns and such.  I have been told that most of the basic handhelds do not have that ability.  Also, the low amount of memory makes it hard to hold large maps when you are driving long distances.

I like the ones you have pictured.  I saw them today at Bass Pro Shop but did not pay much attention to them.

While I was at Bass Pro Shop the guy behind the counter told me the cheapest unit he had with turn indicators was the Garmin GPS V, which was $499.99.  I do not know if I want to spend that kind of money on something that I will not use that often.  I paid that kind of money for my iPaq, but I use it everyday!  To me that is a Big Difference.


Reidan

[Reidan]

I went out yesterday afterwork and bought the Navman 3420.  Works well so far, but I have not played with all the features yet.  Was really cool driving to work and watching it track the way.  Just got to make sure I do not get too mesmerized watching it and ram someone in the back!  

Question for you RoarinRow since you have one of these.  Can you use other map software other than what came with it?  Or, is there a way to download only a portion of a map and not the entire thing?

I am taking a trip this weekend to Gatlinburg Tn.  I have to drive through Ga, NC and TN to get there.  Each of those states is linked to another state in this map software.  Ga linked to Al and Fl.  NC to SC, TN to KY.  So I am downloading the maps for 7 states instead of just the 3 I need.  I can not fit all three zones onto my 128 MB CF Card.

Thanks for any feedback.
Reidan

[RoarinRow]

Hi Reidan,

 I haven't tried installing other map software for it.  According to their website, it does work with other manufacture's maps, but I haven't tried.  With the Navman maps, you have to download the entire state map.  Check out their site for the latest Service Pack patch - http://www.navmanusa.com/support/downloads/downloads_GPS3420.html

 I used my this weekend to get to and around Monterey, California.  It was definitely very very useful.

 Good luck with your new toy.

RoarinRow

[Reidan]

I went out and bought a new 256MB CF Card to hold all of the maps I needed for this trip.  The GPS performed rather well.  But, I did have one crazy experience with it.

A good portion of the journey was through the mountains and I can only assume that the walls of solid stone around me were blocking the signals so that the unit was having trouble telling where it was.  There were times when it showed me off the road in the middle of the air!  And other times when the road would double back on itself in a tight turn it would start telling me to "Perform a legal u-turn" thinking that I was going back the way I came from.

Once out of the thickest parts of the mountain range it got back on course and worked well.  Gatlinburg Tn. is in a valley and it worked very well in that area.  Took me straight to the cabin that I had rented with no missed turns at all.

Anyone else experience similar reactions from their GPS units while in the mountains?

Reidan

[King]

DeLorme just came out with a new, improved NMEA-compliant 12-channel receiver, WAAS-enabled Earthmate GPS antenna for laptops and PDAs taht looks real promising at a great price.  They also bundle it with their Street Atlas USA 2003 (a great mapping program) and/or XMAP for PDAs.  If you have a PDA or laptop, it's worth looking in to at www.delorme.com

[RoarinRow]

Hey Reidan,

 I did have a similar thing happen to me over the weekend.  I was driving through narrow mountain passes, when the indicator which represented my location turned from blue to red.  When it changes to red, then you are out of range.  It took awhile to find me again, but I was o.k. because there was plenty of signage on the road.

RoarinRow

[2-me]

Pls forgive, I'm flooding this site with the same question.  Has anyone installed a computer mount in their Avy?

We got a great GPS system using a small inexpensive notebook, but I'm tired of the bungy wraped around the console

[Reidan]

Yeah, been a bunch of post here on the boards regarding built in computers.

Some have taken a laptop apart and mounted it permanently in the AV.  Others have purchased Micro-ITX form factor system boards and built there own.

You can have multiple monitors (in dash, visor mounted, and even built into the headrest) .  Wireless keyboard and mouse.  Wireless network so that you can upload your MP3's from the driveway.  Let your imagination run wild.

Some links for you.

Forum Post:
Desktop Computer in my AV? openminds


Hardware Links:
http://www.mini-itx.com/

http://www.mini-box.com/

There are many more post in the CAFCNA Forums on the subject, just do a simple search.

Good Luck and let us know what you decide to do for your AV.  Also make sure to take lots of pictures and post them.

Reidan