Off road GPS

luckyjon · **Posted:** Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:00 pm

second attempt to post here.

Hi all I'm new here.
can anyone here recommend an in jeep GPS for off road use. I don't need road maps ( I live in Arabia) I need a a gps that will work in my vehicle and plot way point and routes with return tracking.

thanks for any help you can offer

MikeD0106 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:40 pm

I don't have one for my own vehicle, but there are plenty of guys that do. You might want to check this section out:
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=45

Hopefully some other guys that have GPS will be able to help you out also.

corwyyn · **Posted:** Sat Oct 15, 2005 7:37 pm

IF you are looking for something basic I would recommend either the Magellan Explorist 100 or the Garmin e-Trex units. These are entry-level models that won't break the bank but will allow you to get to know the ins and outs of GPS before you commit to a more sophisticated model. Some pros and cons:

Both units have what is referred to as a 'patch' antenna, basically a small rectangular design that will work well in most conditions. They tend to wander a bit under heavy foliage or heavy cloud cover. This antenna is not as good as the 'quad-helix' seen in higher end models, but the difference probably won't be noticed unless you are out with someone and do a side-by-side comparison. Both units are WAAS-enabled, which means they are able to pick up a correction signal from one of two satellites to refine their position fix.

Both units have the basic display screens - mapping page, pointer page, information page and setup.

Both units are sized to fit nicely in the hand, which means that if you mount them on the dash the display might seem a bit small; not sure how old you are or how good your eyesight is but when I had my e-Trex mounted on my A-pillar I had no problems seeing the display.

The explorist does not have a data port, so you cannot connect it to your computer to upload waypoints to it or download tracks or routes from it. The e-Trex does have a data port but the cable is optional.

You can find more information at gpsinformation.net Check out the 'Which GPS should I buy' link at the top of the page.

Good luck.

USAFCOP · **Posted:** Sat Oct 15, 2005 9:48 pm

as fro the in car versions, I do not know... But of the hand helds above I would go with the e-trex, I had one in U.A.E., and Quatar, and with the loaded maps it worked great and showed most of the roads over there... W/O maps loaded, it still tracked well accross the desert to make a route.

Wasatch15 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:52 am **Posts:** 242

I've had a few different models over the years and ended up with a Garmin E-trex model. As for mounting in a vehicle, look at the suction cup Ram mounts, they allow you to easily transfer it to any vahicle you have and the suction mount is strong. The E-trex is also small enough that if you are out hiking / hunting in real cold conditions, it can be placed in your warm shirt pocket which will prolong battery life and help the LCD screen respond normally.

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Sun Oct 16, 2005 9:54 pm

If u are not looking for roads built into the GPS and have a laptop (don't know if u do or not) I'd recommend the delorme unit. It's basically just a receiver and software which runs on your laptop. Small unit sits on the dash and it gives u basically a Laptop based system which is much easiert o read. See my Cardomain sight for some pics of a similar system.

roadrunner · **Posted:** Sun Oct 16, 2005 11:05 pm

The factory RB1 nav radio (optional in the Jeep) uses GPS and has a trail feature that allows you to leave bread crumbs for up to 200 miles as I recall. It's an easy swap with any of the other radios, but rather expensive. The DC factory RB4 nav. radio or it's European counterpart, RB3 may also have this feature, but I'm not sure.

The only thing you would have to check first is the location of the 8 satellites it uses. (RB3/4 run off a different group of 12 satellites). I guess, if they're all sitting over North America/Northern Europe, then it probably wouldn't work too well where you are! Different nav. devices use different satellite systems, so whatever you use, you should have at least 3 "visable" satellites.

As has been suggested, perhaps the most expeditious and economical solution to your problem is to get a portable that receives a signal over there and build a bracket to mount it on while in your Jeep.

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Sun Oct 16, 2005 11:20 pm

Quote:

The only thing you would have to check first is the location of the 8 satellites it uses. (RB3/4 run off a different group of 12 satellites). I guess, if they're all sitting over North America/Northern Europe, then it probably wouldn't work too well where you are! Different nav. devices use different satellite systems, so whatever you use, you should have at least 3 "visable" satellites.

Satellites are orbital and constantly changing location. While the GPS uses 8 (or 4 or 3) it has to be able to "pick-up" any of the 24 sattelites in orbit in order to get a fix. Any GPS unit should work anywhere in the world. The difference is what maps the baseunit has installed.

roadrunner · **Posted:** Sun Oct 16, 2005 11:28 pm

Thanks for the correction! :oops:

brpn#1 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 6:52 am

I live in western north carolina and we hike and geocache all over the mountain trails. I had a garwin e-trex for 3 days before I returned it. It worked great until it would lose signal when in deep canopy cover from trees on the trails. I then did research on www.geocaching.com forums and found out about the good signal ability of the magellan sportrac and tried it where the other e-trex would lose signal, it worked perfect. I bought the mount that goes on the windshield and it sits right within site while im driving. I drive 4hrs each day and I use it and never had any problems and i've had it over a year and a half. The mount is cool too cause you can buy a cig lighter adapter and it hooks to the back of the mount. so when you sit the gps in the holder, the power goes from the batteries inside to the cig adapter.. then when your on the trail or geocaching and get out to hike, you just remove the gps and it goes back to your batts for power.. no turning on/off..etc..

check it out.. definately a good one.. they probably have newer models now.

luckyjon · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 8:16 am

Thanks for your help and adivese

roadrunner · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 11:19 am

brpn#1 wrote:

I bought the mount that goes on the windshield and it sits right within site while im driving. I drive 4hrs each day and I use it and never had any problems and i've had it over a year and a half. The mount is cool too cause you can buy a cig lighter adapter and it hooks to the back of the mount. so when you sit the gps in the holder, the power goes from the batteries inside to the cig adapter.. then when your on the trail or geocaching and get out to hike, you just remove the gps and it goes back to your batts for power.. no turning on/off..etc..

Sounds neat. Got a picture or more info. on the mount?

valvestem · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 222

Here's a link to a site where I bought my motorcycle and vehicle mounts. Whether you buy from them or not, it is a good reference site to see what is available out there for just about any GPS.

http://www.cycoactive.com

hueyflyer · **Joined:** Sat Oct 01, 2005 10:10 am **Posts:** 19

I use my Garmin Map60C a lot. Both driving and geocacing and love it. My wife and I are both avid geocachers. One of the main reasons I bought the KJ. Great maps and route directions with the optional maping program. Yes the rip you off for the Cd, but it is worth it. Bought off of Ebay a windshield mount for abound $30 and it works great on the Libby. Unit pops in and out easily and is held secure in the mount. Shop Amazon. I purchased the 60c for under $300 with free shipping.

Loopkey · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:07 am

hueyflyer wrote:

I use my Garmin Map60C a lot. Both driving and geocacing and love it. My wife and I are both avid geocachers. One of the main reasons I bought the KJ. Great maps and route directions with the optional maping program. Yes the rip you off for the Cd, but it is worth it. Bought off of Ebay a windshield mount for abound $30 and it works great on the Libby. Unit pops in and out easily and is held secure in the mount. Shop Amazon. I purchased the 60c for under $300 with free shipping.

The Garmin Map60 series is great. I have a GPSMap 60CS and love it. The reason I went with Garmin is that third party vendors are making maps to include coverage Garmin doesn't provide (Magellan doesn't). luckyjon, You might be able to find maps of Arabia from other vendors. I have used mine in Northern Africa and even having the base maps helped. At least you can get a sense of where you are in respect to one or two major routes.

To mount my GPS I got one of the dashboard mounts from ProClip USA (http://www.proclipusa.com) and I mounted a Garmin dashboard mount to the ProClip. It is very sturdy and the GPS is in the perfect spot above the dash.

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 1:11 am

I checked out the ProClip from your link. While it's not bad looking, I think it's really expensive for a couple of thin pieces of plastic. Even that's not to bad considering some of the other mounts available but I don't like the fact that it's non-removable. However, at least it's an option. Here are the mounting instructions for the Liberty:
http://www.proclipusa.com/media/documents/pdf/852969.pdf

Loopkey · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:39 am

Cacher123 wrote:

I checked out the ProClip from your link. While it's not bad looking, I think it's really expensive for a couple of thin pieces of plastic. Even that's not to bad considering some of the other mounts available but I don't like the fact that it's non-removable. However, at least it's an option. Here are the mounting instructions for the Liberty:
http://www.proclipusa.com/media/documents/pdf/852969.pdf

The dash mount is really easy to remove. You don't have to use the adhesive strips that come with the kit. The reason I went with it is I didn't want to use adhesive or drill holes in my dash. The plastic is 1/8" thick and when both pieces are sloted into the dash and screwed together it is very sturdy.

Prairie Dog · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:04 pm

I've had a Garmin Etrex Legend, current price $169, for several years. It will do everything you want it to. With the suction cup mount and lighter connection, you can use it all day. For a hundred dollars more, they have a color model. We've used ours in West Texas(similar in terrain to you), Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. They are super.

roadrunner · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 1:41 pm

This is great info! Do any of these portable units come with:

1) the capability of imputting your destination (address) and displaying the route?

2) voice routing for those of us who are getting senile and blind?

Loopkey · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 3:19 pm

roadrunner wrote:

This is great info! Do any of these portable units come with:

1) the capability of imputting your destination (address) and displaying the route?

Garmin GPSMap 60 and 76 series.

roadrunner wrote:

2) voice routing for those of us who are getting senile and blind?

Garmin GPSMap 276 has a voice feature but is not portable. Some of the Magellan Roadmate GPS units also have a voice feature. These get pretty expensive. The Magellan Roadmate series starts around $500 and goes up to $1200.

Check out http://www.garmin.com and http://www.magellangps.com

Off road GPS

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