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GPS for retrieval only??



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 6th 07, 10:58 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Udo
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Posts: 132
Default GPS for retrieval only??

What is the best buy and ease of use, like entry of coordinates? Any
comments and suggestions.
Udo

  #2  
Old July 6th 07, 11:04 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 50
Default GPS for retrieval only??

On Jul 6, 2:58 pm, Udo wrote:
What is the best buy and ease of use, like entry of coordinates? Any
comments and suggestions.
Udo


I like the Garmin, currently using GPSmap 60
CSx

Downloading of waypoints are simple and direct from VISTA or XP. I
have seen them for $500, but on the Internet I think I paid around
$200.

Gary

  #3  
Old July 7th 07, 07:08 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
COLIN LAMB
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 94
Default GPS for retrieval only??

Some GPS units sell for not much more than $50. Most are fairly easy to
enter coordinates. As you pay more money, you will receive built in maps.
The more money, the greater the detail. Some of the more expensive ones
allow you to download detailed city or topo maps for a particular area.

Most of the people who buy gps units either love them or get frustrated and
abandon them. In either case, you will often find them selling them. The
people who use them frequently will upgrade, while the disappointed ones
will abandon them.

One caution about purchasing a used one from a friend. They might have
purchased them for $300 and assume they are giving you a good deal for $150,
when in fact a new unit for under $100 will have better maps.

I recently purchased a Magellan GPS with built in mapping program for $10 at
a swap meet. Newer ones use 2 penlight batteries. Older ones use 4. Try
to get one that uses 2.

Using any of the coordinate systems, you can learn to approximate distance
and direction in your head. It is a fun mental exercise. Be sure to set
the coordinate system and datum to the same as the person reporting.

Colin


  #4  
Old July 8th 07, 03:02 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Eric Greenwell
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Posts: 1,096
Default GPS for retrieval only??

Udo wrote:
What is the best buy and ease of use, like entry of coordinates? Any
comments and suggestions.


Are you looking for detailed directions by road to the coordinate
location? If so, some of the car navigation systems, like TomTom, will
navigate to coordinates, and can be very useful for car navigation for
travel purposes. My wife and I travel in a short motorhome with a long
glider trailer, so a device that minimizes wrong turns, quickly recovers
when one is made, gets us in the correct lane for freeway entrances and
exits, and knows where the Wal-marts are located, is highly prized.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org
  #5  
Old July 8th 07, 03:23 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Udo
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 132
Default GPS for retrieval only??

On Jul 7, 10:02 pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Udo wrote:
What is the best buy and ease of use, like entry of coordinates? Any
comments and suggestions.


Are you looking for detailed directions by road to the coordinate
location? If so, some of the car navigation systems, like TomTom, will
navigate to coordinates, and can be very useful for car navigation for
travel purposes. My wife and I travel in a short motorhome with a long
glider trailer, so a device that minimizes wrong turns, quickly recovers
when one is made, gets us in the correct lane for freeway entrances and
exits, and knows where the Wal-marts are located, is highly prized.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org


Eric,
I was thinking specifically for entering coordinates that would be
phoned in and used in the GPS for helping to find the glider and
pilot.
Udo

  #6  
Old July 8th 07, 04:45 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
COLIN LAMB
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 94
Default GPS for retrieval only??

Knowing the GPS coordinates is only half the battle. Knowing how to get
there is the other half. I canoed to a park once and gave my coordinates to
my wife, who then used a mapping program to locate the spot - which she then
drove to. Only problem was that it was on the other side of the river. She
could look across the river and see us.

You will probably find that GPS units with built in detailed maps will make
you wish you had one years earlier. In fact, the pilot being rescued may be
willing to invest in a detailed GPS for you so that he does not have to sit
as long in the hot sun.

Almost any GPS will allow you to enter coordinates and then point you in
the right direction. It will also give you the distance.

Colin


  #7  
Old July 8th 07, 05:40 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Udo
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 132
Default GPS for retrieval only??

Colin
Does it mean the units you are talking about, of around $300, will do
the job? If so which of those would be best. My wife is planing to buy
a unit this week. The brand is Nextar regular for $350.00. Do you
think it will do the job that you mentioned?
Udo
Here are some of the specs.
Main Features:
*3.5" color display with touch screen
*Built-in speaker
*Built-in GPS receiver SIRF III
*Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery
*SD card slot for MP3 play
*Turn by turn voice prompts
*Automatically recalculate the route when
missing a turn
*2D or 3D map viewing mode
*Day and night mode
*Speed alert
*English, Spanish and French supported
*Text to Speech (TTS) - Clearly pronounces
instructions including street names (English)
*1.6 million points of interest (POI)
*Preloaded with US and Canada maps
*Navteq on board


On Jul 8, 11:45 am, "COLIN LAMB" wrote:
Knowing the GPS coordinates is only half the battle. Knowing how to get
there is the other half. I canoed to a park once and gave my coordinates to
my wife, who then used a mapping program to locate the spot - which she then
drove to. Only problem was that it was on the other side of the river. She
could look across the river and see us.

You will probably find that GPS units with built in detailed maps will make
you wish you had one years earlier. In fact, the pilot being rescued may be
willing to invest in a detailed GPS for you so that he does not have to sit
as long in the hot sun.

Almost any GPS will allow you to enter coordinates and then point you in
the right direction. It will also give you the distance.

Colin


  #8  
Old July 8th 07, 05:59 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Michael Ash
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 309
Default GPS for retrieval only??

Udo wrote:
Colin
Does it mean the units you are talking about, of around $300, will do
the job? If so which of those would be best. My wife is planing to buy
a unit this week. The brand is Nextar regular for $350.00. Do you
think it will do the job that you mentioned?


Make sure it will let you input GPS coordinates and navigate to them. My
Tomtom Go doesn't let you do that. I didn't care at the time since I
bought it long before the idea of cross country retrieves was on my mind,
but it would be nice to have it now. So far I seem to be doing ok with
addresses and directions, but I'm thinking about replacing it with
something that will have that capability.

I don't suppose anyone out there knows how to fix mine up to allow GPS
coordinate input? I found a third-party add-on which claimed to allow this
but it appeared to be of questionable quality and tapping the icon on the
GPS screen didn't do anything.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software
  #9  
Old July 8th 07, 07:26 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bill Daniels
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 687
Default GPS for retrieval only??

It would also be nice if the device allowed Lat/long coordinates to be
entered in any comon format. It's frustrating when your input data is in
Deg/sec/min format and the device wants it in degrees and decimal minutes.
Small mistakes here can lead to big problems.

Bill Daniels


"Michael Ash" wrote in message
...
Udo wrote:
Colin
Does it mean the units you are talking about, of around $300, will do
the job? If so which of those would be best. My wife is planing to buy
a unit this week. The brand is Nextar regular for $350.00. Do you
think it will do the job that you mentioned?


Make sure it will let you input GPS coordinates and navigate to them. My
Tomtom Go doesn't let you do that. I didn't care at the time since I
bought it long before the idea of cross country retrieves was on my mind,
but it would be nice to have it now. So far I seem to be doing ok with
addresses and directions, but I'm thinking about replacing it with
something that will have that capability.

I don't suppose anyone out there knows how to fix mine up to allow GPS
coordinate input? I found a third-party add-on which claimed to allow this
but it appeared to be of questionable quality and tapping the icon on the
GPS screen didn't do anything.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software



  #10  
Old July 8th 07, 08:42 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Eric Greenwell
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,096
Default GPS for retrieval only??

Michael Ash wrote:

Make sure it will let you input GPS coordinates and navigate to them. My
Tomtom Go doesn't let you do that. I didn't care at the time since I
bought it long before the idea of cross country retrieves was on my mind,
but it would be nice to have it now. So far I seem to be doing ok with
addresses and directions, but I'm thinking about replacing it with
something that will have that capability.


The newer Tomtom's have this feature (I'm using TT 6 on a PDA), so
perhaps an upgrade is possible.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org
 




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