GPS units, anyone?

Ok, so I bought a Garmin Etrex Legend off of eBay just recently, and this thing is great! It's got
lots of gimmicky features that only a true nerdass like me would love. And holy crap this thing is
way small, like a cell phone with a big screen and no speaker/mic.

I'm wondering if anyone else here uses a GPS unit while on their rides. If so, how do you keep it
around? Do you carry it in a Camelback, or do you use a handlebar mount? I figure a handlebar mount
will cause it to rattle to pieces, so I'd rather opt for a spot in my Camelback.

I bought it becuase it retails for $240 or something. I got it for $110 (sorta conned a newbie
seller), while most new units go for $160. Plus I kept on getting lost on trails I didn't know and I
ended up being late by a couple hours.

Plus it's got great mapping features so it's handy around town.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Etrex Vista here (used to have a Legend which was awesome as well) and i use it all the time (even
on familiar rides as an alternate bike computer)

I have the handlebar mount, and by placing this close to the brake levers keeps it out of harms way
in the inevitable crashes

I used to keep it in the camelback, but the line of sight to the satelites always got interrupted.

Have fun Mark

On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 20:49:31 -0700, Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:

> Ok, so I bought a Garmin Etrex Legend off of eBay just recently, and this thing is great! It's got
> lots of gimmicky features that only a true nerdass like me would love. And holy crap this thing is
> way small, like a cell phone with a big screen and no speaker/mic.
>
> I'm wondering if anyone else here uses a GPS unit while on their rides. If so, how do you keep it
> around? Do you carry it in a Camelback, or do you use a handlebar mount? I figure a handlebar
> mount will cause it to rattle to pieces, so I'd rather opt for a spot in my Camelback.
>
> I bought it becuase it retails for $240 or something. I got it for $110 (sorta conned a newbie
> seller), while most new units go for $160. Plus I kept on getting lost on trails I didn't know and
> I ended up being late by a couple hours.

I have an eTrex Venture which I find very handy. I ride by myself on remote trails for which there
are no maps. The unit makes the map as I ride, then when I get home I download the track to a topo
mapping program on my PC and print it out. As a result I now have detailed printed maps of the
trails I ride, with my own points of interest marked and labeled.

I mount mine on the handlebar, but be careful. The handlebar mount itself is sturdy, but the thin
plastic piece on the back of the unit that slides into the mount is prone to break off, not only
from crashes but just from big bumps. I make sure to loop the lanyard around the handlebar after I
slide the unit into the mount and then cinch the lanyard up tight. That way when it breaks the unit
doesn't go flying down to the ground.

I find it useful to mount it on my handlebars because that way it gives me a visual map as I ride.
Some of the turnoffs I take are vitually invisible, so the on-screen map helps me find my way as I
go. It also helps when I come to unknown turnoffs because by looking at the screen I can often make
reasonable inferences about which other trails the turnoff might lead to.

Tlacatecatl Tlacaxipe

> I have an eTrex Venture which I find very handy. I ride by myself on
remote
> trails for which there are no maps. The unit makes the map as I ride, then when I get home I
> download the track to a topo mapping program on my PC
and
> print it out. As a result I now have detailed printed maps of the trails I ride, with my own
> points of interest marked and labeled.

Hey sweet! What program do you use? Mapsource or something else?

By the way, is that your name? How do you pronounce it?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <i@i.com> wrote in message
news:fjoSa.13244$d47.660784@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
> Ok, so I bought a Garmin Etrex Legend off of eBay just recently, and this thing is great! It's got
> lots of gimmicky features that only a true
nerdass
> like me would love. And holy crap this thing is way small, like a cell phone with a big screen and
> no speaker/mic.
>
> I'm wondering if anyone else here uses a GPS unit while on their rides.
If
> so, how do you keep it around? Do you carry it in a Camelback, or do you use a handlebar mount? I
> figure a handlebar mount will cause it to rattle to pieces, so I'd rather opt for a spot in my
> Camelback.
>
> I bought it becuase it retails for $240 or something. I got it for $110 (sorta conned a newbie
> seller), while most new units go for $160. Plus I kept on getting lost on trails I didn't know and
> I ended up being late by
a
> couple hours.
>
> Plus it's got great mapping features so it's handy around town.
>
> --
> Phil, Squid-in-Training
>
>
I just bought a Rino 120. Thanks a great member of this group. She sent me some software for it. I
have used it accross the country in the last few weeks. I have been told that the reception on the
120 is better because it does not use a pad antena. It uses an ariel that is linear in function. I
couldn't tell ya if it is true or not. I have been making some tracks and saving them to a map. So
far it is a neat toy that will not replace a good topo map, and a compass.

TJ

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 03:49:31 GMT, "Phil, Squid-in-Training" <i@i.com> wrote:

>Ok, so I bought a Garmin Etrex Legend off of eBay just recently, and this thing is great! It's got
>lots of gimmicky features that only a true nerdass like me would love. And holy crap this thing is
>way small, like a cell phone with a big screen and no speaker/mic.
>
>I'm wondering if anyone else here uses a GPS unit while on their rides. If so, how do you keep it
>around? Do you carry it in a Camelback, or do you use a handlebar mount? I figure a handlebar mount
>will cause it to rattle to pieces, so I'd rather opt for a spot in my Camelback.
>
>I bought it becuase it retails for $240 or something. I got it for $110 (sorta conned a newbie
>seller), while most new units go for $160. Plus I kept on getting lost on trails I didn't know and
>I ended up being late by a couple hours.
>
>Plus it's got great mapping features so it's handy around town.

I have your basic yellow eTrex. I keep it in a neoprine cover, normally strapped to my camelbak.
Take a look in my How to Info and Links page on my website.

Bill Porter www.mountainibikebill.com

> I have your basic yellow eTrex. I keep it in a neoprine cover, normally strapped to my camelbak.
> Take a look in my How to Info and Links page on my website.

Server not working. I'm rather interested though...

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <i@i.com> wrote in message
news:9XpSa.14209$d47.670530@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
> > I have your basic yellow eTrex. I keep it in a neoprine cover, normally strapped to my camelbak.
> > Take a look in my How to Info and Links page on my website.
>
> Server not working. I'm rather interested though...

Nevermind, I noticed the mistake...

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 03:49:31 +0000, Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:

> Ok, so I bought a Garmin Etrex Legend off of eBay just recently, and this thing is great! It's got
> lots of gimmicky features that only a true nerdass like me would love. And holy crap this thing is
> way small, like a cell phone with a big screen and no speaker/mic.
>
> I'm wondering if anyone else here uses a GPS unit while on their rides. If so, how do you keep it
> around? Do you carry it in a Camelback, or do you use a handlebar mount? I figure a handlebar
> mount will cause it to rattle to pieces, so I'd rather opt for a spot in my Camelback.
>
> I bought it becuase it retails for $240 or something. I got it for $110 (sorta conned a newbie
> seller), while most new units go for $160. Plus I kept on getting lost on trails I didn't know and
> I ended up being late by a couple hours.
>
> Plus it's got great mapping features so it's handy around town.

Very cool. I'm interested, though. How well do these function in cities? I've heard reports that
they're quite unreliable in any area where there's a high chance of line-of-sight being blocked by
tall buildings. Has anyone used one of these to find their way around, for example, London? How
practical would this be?

Joss

--
"He who controls the past controls the future; he who controls the present controls the past."

-- O'Brien in "1984" by George Orwell

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 0:08:19 -0700, harlequin wrote:

> Very cool. I'm interested, though. How well do these function in cities? I've heard reports that
> they're quite unreliable in any area where there's a high chance of line-of-sight being blocked by
> tall buildings. Has anyone used one of these to find their way around, for example, London? How
> practical would this be?

I've used my GPS in many cities without much problem. The GPS works by tracking 12 satellites, and
you have to be in a position to track at least three or four of them. The more you track, the better
your accuracy. Most solid objects (people, buildings, trees, metal, etc.) will block the signals,
but even in major cities there is usually enough open sky overhead to track a few satellites.

Perhaps in dense sections of Manhattan, for example, it might not work. I've never tried it in
cities where I'm completely surrounded by enormous skyscrapers, but in places like Denver, San
Diego, Houston, Phoenix, Omaha, St. Louis, Atlanta, Los Angeles (all large cities with many tall
buildings) it worked just fine.

The accuracy in cities may only be to about 30 feet or even worse, so don't expect it to be able to
tell you which side of an intersection you're on. But if all you need is to figure out which block
you're on, it should be OK. The only time I found my GPS useless was in the rainforest of Guatemala.
The dense tree canopy was more than 100 feet overhead, and it completely blocked the signals.

Tlacatecatl Tlacaxipe

On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 21:56:39 -0700, Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:

> Hey sweet! What program do you use? Mapsource or something else?

I use the DeLorme software, because it was the only one that had topo and street info on the same
CD. But the program sucks, I wouldn't buy it again. My brother is in Search and Rescue and the Civil
Air Patrol, and he has used all of the programs quite a bit. He says his favorite is the National
Geographic program, Topo!

> By the way, is that your name? How do you pronounce it?

It is my name. It is Nahuatl, the language spoken in Mexico before the Spanish came. It is basically
pronounced just like it is spelled, using Spanish vowels, except that "x" is pronounced as an "sh"
sound. That's because when the Spanish came to the Americas in the 16th century they listened to the
native peoples' languages and wrote them using the Spanish alphabet. In 16th century Spanish, the
"x" was prounounced as an "sh" sound. The word "Mexico" came from the name of the people who
conquered Mexico City in the 1300's, the Mexica (later known as the Aztecas, based on their mythical
homeland Aztlan). They pronounced their name "may-sheek-a".

Many English words came from Nahuatal through Spanish. The Spanish didn't like the "tl" combination,
so they often changed it to "te", but it's really not that hard to pronounce. I'll give you the
Nahuatl word and let you guess the English word:

tomatl coyotl xocolatl mizquitl peyotl oceletl chilli

Tlacatecatl Tlacaxipe

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 03:49:31 GMT, "Phil, Squid-in-Training" <i@i.com> wrote:

Try googling for "GPS" in alt.mountain-bike

Lots of great info that we've beat to death here.

Barry

Tlacatecatl scribbled :
>
> I have an eTrex Venture which I find very handy. I ride by myself on remote trails for which there
> are no maps. The unit makes the map as I ride, then when I get home I download the track to a topo
> mapping program on my PC and print it out. As a result I now have detailed printed maps of the
> trails I ride, with my own points of interest marked and labeled.
>

this is basically what I have been doing. Drawing maps out is fun! I spent a lot of time getting
maps for potential AMB_ID rides ready, marking junctions and so on. Funny thing is I never uploaded
the way points. We managed to not get lost anyway. It's a silly exercise sometimes in areas where
the trails are very well used and marked. I do like the elevation profile feature.

I prefer the real map look of NG TOPO!! over the mapsource software. The only problem I have found
is that some of the topo data is 20 years old so new trails don't show, or old ones that aren't used
anymore are shown.

Penny

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 05:24:17 GMT, Bill@drop2reply.mountainbikebill.com (Bill Porter) wrote:

>Links page on my website.
>
>Bill Porter www.mountainibikebill.com

You got a typo in your sigs URL.

"Tlacatecatl" <tlacatecatl@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:0001HW.BB3FA54C01633DBDF0305600...t.giganews.com...

> tomatl coyotl xocolatl mizquitl peyotl oceletl chilli

That's cool to know. I like the way the english language sucks up words ... as english speakers
change along the way.

(my grandparents came from denmark, but tomatl and chilli are a part of every day now ... saw a
coyotl last night ... I barbecue over mizquitl ... some xocolatl sounds good ... I stay away from
the peyotl ;-)

Regarding GPS units, I'm another eTrex Legend owner. I don't have any mapping software yet, but I
use GPS-Earth(*) on Linux to download tracks. That way I can compare my time-to-distance or
time-to-altitude when I do the same loop twice.

* - http://gps-earth.sourceforge.net/