Beginning Research to find a new GPS and software that will support our new hobby. Familiar with Magellan and Garmin through geocaching activity however my garmin is not rugged enough for quading and my magellin does not have maping capabilities to download etc. Let me know your thoughts on the products out there and what your top pick is.

I own a Garmin 12XL, GPS III and Nuvi660, after MUCH research I decided on the Lowrance H2Oc. This model will hold 100 plot trails with up to 10,000 points in any trail plus 1,000 waypoints. I was going to buy the Garmin 60 series but my understanding is that it will only hold 10,000 points total, that and the Lowrance has a 320V x 240H pixel display (vs. 240V X 160H for the Garmin) and the H20c is $90 cheaper. Check out this comparason on the GPSCentral website.

I will now be able to store & display every trail I have ever riden overlayed on top of base/topo maps right on my GPS! I am starting to believe that almost no one does this but to me its the way to go.

The Lowrance "Mapcreate" software and the Garmin "MapSource" software both use mapping data supplied by dmti Spatial, seems like they have cornered the market. I have seen some photos of Bushnell's and Garmin's (now listed on they're website) next generation GPS units, it looks like the next leap will be satellite/arial photography on the screen much like Google Earth.

When I import my waypoints and plot trails into OZI Explorer software, I combine and save them into a GPX file which the newer Garmins will read nativly. Before deciding on the Lowrance brand I successfully tested the free GPSBabel software which will convert the GPX files to the "USR" format which Lowrance uses. GPX is also easily converted by OZI to the Google Earth KML format as well. The GPSVisualizer website allows you to upload a GPX file and it will overlay it on Google Maps (not Google Earth) which is pretty cool.

I guess that in the end all a GPS does is tell you where you are in relation to stationary waypoints or strings of them such as routes or plot trails. I personaly like the detailed plot trails because as soon as you convert them into routes, you loose way too much information.

For the best prices check out;
GPSCentral.ca
GPSCity.ca
Costco.ca
radioworld.ca

Just bought a Garmin E-Trex Legend HCx

Bought a 1GB microSD card so tons of memory.

$10 for the handlebar mount for your ATV

$30 for the cigarette lighter adaptor.

Compact, rugged, easy to use.

I've owned a older Garmin III+, a Magellan Explorist 600 and now have a Garmin Colorado 400t.

The III+ was fine, but very limited memory, and the older map source had only 160 foot contour intervals for the topo maps.

The 600 had space for the entire United States topo maps (via an expansion card), and the contour was 40 foot, but it didn't show small streams, and forest service roads (the only place we're allowed to ride ATVs). Also you had to break the maps into 64Meg chunks, so if you switched areas (roughly state sized) you had to remember where the menu choice was.

The 400t comes with the US topo maps loaded, 50 foot contour and easy navigation. All of the US is accessed as one map, so no need to swap maps. Plus about a dozen other cool features like 3D terrain mapping, stop watch, barometer, thermometer, hunting/fishing predictions (I have no idea what they base them on), and the list goes on. Of the three I like this one best, it has all the features I want, with none of the 600's drawbacks. And with a name like Colorado, how can you go wrong!

As a brand preference I like Garmin, they seem to have the features I want, and bunch I didn't know existed.

Good luck,

Jeff

Ok guys this is from the techno lover. Turn off the gps and just ride. Flag the parking lot where the truck is parked and ride. When you're ready to go home turn it on and head for your truck. When you can do that leave it on, don't look at it and ride. When you get home download your teack to your map or google earth and share your ride. It's not about the trails you've rode on it's about the trails you haven't been on. The only place you HAVE to get to is your truck and home. Oh yeah there's new rules. I might be a Rebel.

I turn it on, flag the truck, then ride. When I get home I can see where I've been and where there is a cool trail for someone else to go.

Plus if I have it on where I have no clue where I am I can see if I'm heading away from the truck so I know roughly where I am.

My Garmin 60cs is waterproof and floats. It has mapping and color screen

Stick with GARMIN and Purchase the MapSource Software, for your area.
I have the Magellan, Lowrance and the Garmin Software and the Garmin is the easyest to use. I also have and use the paid for, version of Ozi Explorer, with most of Alberta Spectrum Topo Digital Imaging Maps. The Ozi Explorer will communicate with all the Current Brands and models of GPS.but it is only a managing program. I have and use a Garmin Model V, and a Lowrance Global Map 100 and a Lowrance Global Map 2000, This unit does not connect to a computer, But has a large screen, Also is a depth finder, not very good Mapping,"next to nun". and a 1994 Eagle ACCUNAV SPORT, no mapping. There is alot of free Programs available on the NET to manage the information that you collect but unless you want to spend alot of time doing conversions, it is so simple to just use the MapSource Software. TheCanadian Topo Mapping for Garmin, Magellan and Lowrance is from a company named dmti spatial, in Eastern Canada. from information via the Canadian Government. Just a different prjection of the same data. To get more you will have to Transfer your own tracks to the MapSource Software.

From what I've read the 60 series doesn't float, only the marine 76 series?

Garmin Map 60csx(Love this unit), Garmin Topo Canada, Top Nav Ontario (better detail than Topo Canada although pricier)

A few of us have the Garmin Rino 120's, and really like them. Not much memory and it is not expandable, but I am sure the newer ones are. Software seems to be good, I don't have much time on it. The nicest feature is that it allows polling which lets you see where your pals are with their unit. Nice for hunting as well.

I also have the Garmin 60Csx and I like it a lot. I am seriously considering getting the Delorme PN-20 which comes bundled with the latest edition of Topo USA (not much help for you Canadians, I know). Has anyone here used one of these? I have an older version of Topo USA and it is worlds beyond Mapsource in ease of use and functionality. The data is also far more up to date. The PN-20 will also display USGS quads and satellite imagery.

I've got a couple of Garmins (276c & 76cs) currently. Right now I'm taking a look at the Magellan Triton 500 - only because I can load National Geo 1:24,000 minute maps onto it. Costco online has this thing for $149. Garmins TOPO maps (about $75 last time I looked) aren't very detailed, the resolution is 1:100,000 - but they do have 1:24000 maps for the National Parks if that's where you spend your time. The National Geo 1:24000 mapset costs about $70, maps are printable and downloadable to the Triton. I wish someone would come up with a way to load them into my Garmins.

There were horror stories about the firmware in this device when it first came out, and it got a bad repuation. There have been at least two firmware updates since then, and recent reports I've read is it's working fine.

I just bought the Delorme PN20. So far I like it. I am able to download satilite pictures. That is cool. I can see my house on my GPS. I also like alot better than the e-trax. The delorme has all the buttons on the front. I have 2 plus gig of memory. I am still trying to learn all of the functions of the Topo software. I paid $319.00 for the gps and accesory kit.

Has anyone seen or tried the new Delorme PN-40 ?? This one looks pretty good to me. Not sure how the price compares to some of the others mentioned ... but I have the Topo 7 mapping software & think it's pretty good. So I was thinking this GPS would be great.

I currently have a Garmin 12XL & a GPS V. ANd of course use Mapsource with the GPS V, but that mapping program is nothing compared to the Topo 7.

So, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the PN-40. Here's the comparsion sheet for the PN-20 & the new PN-40 ...
shop.delorme.com/OA_HT...nChart.pdf

Here's the page for the PN-40 GPS ...
shop.delorme.com/OA_HT...tion=10461

Later ...