choosing your GPS
My GPS is the Garmin eTrex Vista. It is my second GPS; the first was a lower-end Garmin model, the eTrex Summit, that died an untimely death.
If you are in the market for a GPS you have a lot of makes and models to choose from. This article shares with you the process I went through to make my purchase.
Step 1. Why Do You Want A GPS?
Each GPS has its strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, there are no perfect units available, yet. To find one that meets your needs the best you need to know what you want out of it. If you have never owned a GPS then this can be difficult as until you have one you may not know all of the things you will do with it.
Here is what I wanted out of my GPS:
- before starting a hike on a new trail, download key waypoints to the GPS. Use this waypoints to plan routes. While hiking use the route to estimate distance & travel time and to act as a backup to my topo map for navigation.
- create a record of hikes and backpacking trips I've done; use this data as a guide on subsequent hikes on the same path. This data also gets published on this web site.
- measure distance travelled and velocity when out walking, jogging or rollerblading for exercise. Use this data to maintain a desired pace while exercising.
- plan driving routes for longer trips; use this data while driving both as a map replacement and as trip computer (distance remaining, time to destination, etc.)
Your list may include other tasks, such as geocaching, fishing, and turn-by-turn driving directions.
Based on my list my GPS had to be:
- small enough to not be a burden while hiking, rollerblading, walking, and jogging
- rugged and waterproof to survive being roughed up outdoors
- have good software support for route planning and waypoint/route/track management
The need to be small, rugged, and waterproof ruled out, for example, GPS add-ons that mate with my Palm, such as Magellan's GPS Companion series.
Step 2. Research
The next step was to get as much information as possible on the units available. I also tried to get a sneak peek at what was coming down the pipeline. I concentrated on units from Garmin and Magellan as these units are widely available and also have an excellent level of support in after market GPS software products.
The following sites are good places to start any GPS research:
- Garmin web site
- Magellan web site
- Software reviews on Joe Mehaffey and Jack Yeazel's GPS Information web site. This site is butt ugly but does have a good collection of articles, hardware, and software reviews for a large variety of GPS units. Keep in mind that their opinions tend to creep in when facts would be more desireable. Also, what they find to be important may not be important to you.
- the GPS newsgroup, sci.geo.satellite-nav
- Garmin eTrex Yahoo Group
- Magellan Meridian Yahoo Group
When comparing specifications, reviews, and user comments I also checked the support pages of manufacturer's web sites for details of software patches that have been released. Often, shortcomings in a unit's functionality are addressed with a software upgrade. Additionally, I downloaded and read the user manuals of each candidate GPS. This manuals are also posted on the manufacturer's web site, ususally in .pdf format. Note that the manuals are usually not updated to reflect changes made through software updates.
Step 3. Make A Decision Then Make Your Purchase
After you complete your research its time to buy. If you live in Canada, my list of online Canadian retailers is a good place to begin shopping. Remember that price isn't everything: spending a bit extra for good service can pay off in the long run.
As I mentioned at the top of this article, I purchased the Garmin eTrex Vista. Why did I buy the Vista?
- I like the Garmin form factor. Its small size means that you'll hardly notice it when hiking or backpacking.
- The crisp screen shows lots of detail.
- The software allows you to save up to 10 tracks, then use its trackback feature to play back a track from start to end or end to start.
- 24MB of memory means it can hold a lot of map detail, more than what I need.
- While both Garmin's and Magellan's maps suck, the research indicated that Garmin's suck less.
- I like its user interface. The click stick is easy and fast to use.
Aside from these technical details, the store that I purchased from, RadioWorld, also happened to be having a storewide sale that made the Vista very attractive financially.
The Vista is certainly not a perfect unit. Here's what don't I like about the Vista:
- its antenna is not as good as the ones found in Garmin's GPS76 series or Magellan's Meridian/SportTrak line. If you are under heavy tree cover you will loose satellite reception. This is the biggest problem with the entire eTrex line and for many people it rules out its purchase. However, the way I look at it I would have the same problem with a GPS76 or Meridian as their size meant that they might be left behind while travelling.
- Saved tracks are compressed to 250 points, loosing some detail, although this has not been a big problem for me. I mention this because the Meridian line can now save a virtually unlimited number of tracks to SD cards. However, using that data saved by the Meridian is another story.
- lack of external antenna connection
- the small but detailed screen can sometimes be hard to read, especially while driving
- memory expansion capability would be nice, such as the SD card expandability of the Meridian
- Garmin's maps are expensive
- USB connection would make map download faster
I'm confident that I'll get my money's worth before the next new & improved GPS is released.
Step 4. Accessorize
Once you purchase your GPS, to get the most use of it you also need to get some software for your computer to manage waypoints, routes, and tracks. The software that comes with your GPS (e.g. Garmin's MapSource) is barely sufficient when compared to other products.
Tracks are the "breadcrumb" trail created while your GPS is turned on. It marks where you have been and can guide you back to your starting point. Waypoints are markers of a specific place; a route is an ordered list of waypoints. Since your GPS has limited amount of memory you'll find it handy to move this data to and from your computer. You'll also be able to download to your GPS waypoints found on the internet as well as routes created using internet mapping services.
The software I use to manage GPS data is ExpertGPS. ExpertGPS is the senior member of a family that also includes Panterra and the freeware EasyGPS. The .gpx files I include on this site are compatible with all 3 products, and may work with other GPS software as well.
ExpertGPS includes the very cool capability of projecting your GPS tracks onto a satellite photograph:
This is an image of Scotts Valley, California, showing what my GPS was logging while I was looking for a Starbucks to get a drink prior to starting a hike in the Henry Cowell Redwoods. (I added the waypoint for the Starbucks after I found it.) If you've driven in California you'll be familiar with the U-turn made in the intersection at the bottom of the image; road medians usually prohibit left-hand turns onto a road.
If you are a Mac OS user, then a good alternative is GPSy.
Last updated Jan 25 2004