Which GPS all knowing BBS???

Garmin Nuvi 350 for me too.:up:

I take mine on the plane and turn it on. Pretty cool. Try it sometime.

 

garmin nuvi 350. I never leave home without it.

 

If you're looking for a machine that can do it all: handheld and dashmounted, the 60csx is the best right now. It has a color screen, will run over 15 hours on 2 aa batteries (or use cig adapter), gives street routing (once you pay for the maps), but only beeps prior to a turn.. you need to read to see what direction and what street name.

All the dash mounts do a better job while in a car, and the ones that give voice prompts including the street name are pretty great.

I use my 60 about equally btwn car use, hiking, and in my pouch when dirt bike riding. It's pretty cool to see your tracks on google earth when your back.

Pete

 

Tom Tom One. $230 from Amazon, and you can get Mr. T to guide you.

-JB

http://www.tomtom.com/plus/service.php?ID=5&Lid=4

 

So I looked at a Garmin Nuvi 350 tonight but didn't know much about it.

Can I create my own breadcrumb trails with this thing? Or put in my position with coordinates?
I'm thinking that I would want to try to use this in China and I'm told that (because of the communism or something) that China maps are impossible to find. So I'm wondering if the better GPS's with navigation features can also do what the very cheap/simple models do where you can just try to find your own way, plot your own courses, and put in or read out your coordinates and basically create your own map by using what you've travelled to. Or do the better systems like the Nuvi rely on the maps to much to do the basic stuff for where no maps exist? Anyone try this?

 

i'm pretty sure the nuvi depends on maps....so you can't 'create a trail'

 

that sux. I need to find a model that does both.

 

try nautical/camping geared gps units.

 

The handheld 60Cx with a larger sd card is probably your best choice right now. It doesn't announce turns (which IMO is the killer feature while in the car) but it does do autorouting.

If you're lost in China without any sort of map the GPS coordinates will just be meaningless numbers. The track points (aka breadcrumbs) will tell you where you just were but nothing about where you want to go.

 

What's cheap or not cheap?

 

I think that's exactly what I want to do. Plus, if I'm buying one, the street capability would be good too for the U.S. but I'm a cheap-o and didn't want to pay for all of the nautical features. Need to keep looking...

 

The one I have for my laptop you can plan your trip using different routes. You just put a pinpoint there and name is and add it to your route and it will tell you the difference in time and mileage. I use this often to find the best ways to get to customers plants. I have the option that I can click on to find the nearest or shortest route, or fastest, or the use of highways or state roads...but it don't always use the routes that I want so sometimes I modify them. If I find another route it continues to track me and I can then save that trail so I can use that route going back.

 

I did this research about 2 months ago. Look at the Garmin Nuvi 260. It is new and has the text to speech (IMO is a must).

Also, if you look at Garmin...the shape of the Nuvi's is must nicer than their other model and it doesn't have the flip up antenna which looks fragile.

 

my nuvi 350 has a flip up antenna....a flat 1" x 1" piece that folds out of the back.

 

I have a Garmin 276C. it was designed as a marine unit so it's waterproof, has the trackback feature, etc.

I would guess that they are closer to $750 these days with the maps and memory cards you need but it's a great unit. I've had mine for about 3 years now and use it pretty much every day. i've used it in Europe and north america with their maps, and in Costa Rica with no maps. I could drive somewhere and then follow the "breadcrumbs" back to my hotel or wherever. it was pretty cool till I got on some one way streets.

go for a Garmin IMHO. their maps are great. units are easy to learn to use. the Nuvi's are great units as well. or the 550 for motorcycles. One other thing I like about my 276C is that it works on batteries, so on the bike I just run on batteries (it'll go 12+ hours on low backlight) or if I'm hiking or want to look at it when I go in somewhere for lunch. also the screen is as bright as they come so you can easily view it in direct sunlight.

my $.02

 

New Garmin's

Information is leaking out on some new Garmin GPS units which look to replace the 76/60 series. Just FYI.

Garmin Colorado

 

I got the GPSMap60csx.
Love it. It's perfect for what I need. I've made a bunch of my own maps. And since roads usually only go in one of 2 directions it's hard to not take the right place. Lakes and mountains are pretty easy to find and get around. Especially with this:
http://www.flashearth.com/
which is about the coolest tool ever for the stuff I've used my GPS for so far. I don't have a huge need for the altimeter, but the compass that doesn't require motion is really cool on this model. Thanks for all of the advice.