Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2000 13:34:17 EDT
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: GPS - what's best for 70 CT?
In a message dated 8/4/00 9:19:20 AM Central Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> anyone currently use a GPS with the Libretto
I have been using a Libretto with DeLorme Street Atlas 6 and then 7 with a
Garmin handheld, a Tripmate then Earthmate for some time. I liked them
better than anything else available then. I have not done a lot of comparing
in the last year. Current setup is relevant parts of SA7 extracted to the HD
on a Lib70 with an Earthmate that is powered with cig lighter adapter.
Street Atlas includes a utility that makes it easy to load only what you need
on your hard drive. The same utility makes it easy to add to or remove
information anytime your needs change. Maine for the weekend?? The whole
thing is mounted to a cheap, surplus pilot's kneeboard. Strap the kneeboard
on, lay the Earthmate on the dash, plug the cig lighter adapter in and boot
the system. It is secure if you have to stop quickly. It is always in the
same place even if you have a passenger or you are in a rental. That is
important because you need to learn to run it by "feel" most of the time so
your eyes are not distracted from the road.
I do not like the dedicated GPS with screen units for several reasons. They
are MUCH harder to see and use in the real world. They have much less
information stored. The cost of upgrading the data is much greater than with
laptop based systems. If you already have a laptop, they are much more
expensive to buy, cannot be used for anything else, and will have a shorter
usable life. They are smaller and easier to transport if you do not normally
carry a laptop.
Whatever system you buy, it is definitely worth the cost/effort to buy/make a
cable to power it from either the computer serial port or 12VDC. I have
used the 12VDC because power does not have to go through the Lib. To me,
higher power flow means warmer Lib. I travel an area (southwest) that is
warm enough already. Using Tripmate or Earthmate with batteries is expensive
and frustrating. I could never get through a long day on one set of
batteries. There is little advance indication that you are losing GPS power.
DeLorme sells the adapters for about $40 or you can make them yourself for a
lot less. I think some manufacturers now include the adapter cable. I would
not want any manufacturer's system that only ran on batteries.
If you use vehicles with a lot of slope in the front windshield, all the
dashmounted receiver units will work most of the time just fine. If you own
a vehicle with a near vertical front windshield, such as some SUVs, RVs, full
size vans, 4X4s, or pickups, you may need to use a handheld GPS that will
take a remote mount antenna. This is because the receiver cannot ""see""
enough satellites through the steel roof to get a good fix. The receiver
will probably work, but the fixes will be slow and inaccurate compared to
using a remote antenna. This problem also applies to dedicated GPS with
screen units. The more expensive ones will have the option of a remote
antenna, however. I have heard of sealing the Earthmate in a very small
Pelican or Otter case and running the cable out the door onto the roof or
hood of the vehicle. Someone in Colorado did this when the Earthmate with
SA7 and TopoUSA would not track from the dash of his Unimog or 75 Ford
pickup. Same setup worked great on the dash of his late model cars. He is
using a Sony Picturebook, but the problem has nothing to do with the computer
used. Glass sunroof and duct tape is another workable but not so elegant
solution to the problem. Again, if you drive a late model car, you will
probably never notice this problem.
Another advantage of using the Earthmate is that it tracks the topographic
map products by DeLorme just as easily as St Atlas 7. This will probably be
of little value to you in the Boston area. It can be a huge advantage in
more remote areas of the country. Since DeLorme published TopoUSA, I have
basically not considered any other brand. No one else offers this
combination.
I bought and installed Microsoft products, DeLorme, Etak and Copilot when I
was looking. At that time, Etak was a real pain to install and use. Etak
factory support was and I think still is practically nonexistent. At that
time, CoPilot had significant errors and gaps in the maps, was harder to
learn to use, and was more expensive. CoPilot errors and gaps are supposed
to be mostly corrected now. CoPilot would have been my second choice. The MS
stuff was/is OK for a desktop but not workable for a mobile application. The
only real gripes I have with DeLorme is install problems on the older
products (bad CDs) and the cost of the power adapters. 12VDC adapter should
come with every kit for $5 more or cost $15 plus freight. DeLorme tech
support is not super but is definitely present and usable. The last kit I
bought was Street Atlas 7 with an Earthmate and no power adapter for about
$135. At that time CoPilot and Etak were about $240.
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