texascavers Digest 27 Apr 2009 00:17:04 -0000 Issue 748
Topics (messages 10575 through 10581):
GPS Recomendation
10575 by: Thomas Sitch
10576 by: Don Arburn
10577 by: wesley s
10578 by: Alan Blevins
10579 by: Diana Tomchick
10581 by: Pete Lindsley
Carlsbad for publication
10580 by: Karen Perry
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--- Begin Message ---
Dear Friends,
The time has come for me to ask for your help.
The last time I was seriously doing any orienteering was in the military, and
before that digging through USGS drawers at the local sporting goods store
hoping to find the topo maps I wanted.
I now find myself starting a business where I need a nice hand held GPS, and I
obviously want it to do double duty on caving trips and karst walks.
I'm looking to spend around $300, but can go higher if there's a really good
model I should own.
What do you recommend? Which models have served their owners well, and which
ones have looked pretty and then broken down with the slightest abuse?
My Best Regards,
~~Thomas
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I love my Garmin CSX 60
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 24, 2009, at 12:52 PM, Thomas Sitch <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Friends,
The time has come for me to ask for your help.
The last time I was seriously doing any orienteering was in the
military, and before that digging through USGS drawers at the local
sporting goods store hoping to find the topo maps I wanted.
I now find myself starting a business where I need a nice hand held
GPS, and I obviously want it to do double duty on caving trips and
karst walks.
I'm looking to spend around $300, but can go higher if there's a
really good model I should own.
What do you recommend? Which models have served their owners well,
and which ones have looked pretty and then broken down with the
slightest abuse?
My Best Regards,
~~Thomas
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Gotta agree with Don on this one. I've owned a few Garmin units from the el
cheepo etrex to the Vista HCx but the best mid grade unit on the market now is
probably the GPSMAP 60CSx. They have the new high sesitivity reciever for
awesome accurcy even in valleys and under heavey foliage, more buttons and less
digital menue navigation, color screen, and USB plus serial ports on the back.
You dont get much better in the hobbyist consumer market that this. The next
step up is the Trimble company products that start at arround $1200 and go up.
Wes~
List-Post: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:52:55 -0700
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Texascavers] GPS Recomendation
Dear Friends,
The time has come for me to ask for your help.
The last time I was seriously doing any orienteering was in the military, and
before that digging through USGS drawers at the local sporting goods store
hoping to find the topo maps I wanted.
I now find myself starting a business where I need a nice hand held GPS, and I
obviously want it to do double duty on caving trips and karst walks.
I'm looking to spend around $300, but can go higher if there's a really good
model I should own.
What do you recommend? Which models have served their owners well, and which
ones have looked pretty and then broken down with the slightest abuse?
My Best Regards,
~~Thomas
_________________________________________________________________
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I second the love for the 60 CSx.
The downside: it doesn't come with any maps, aside from basic highways.
The upside: you don't have to buy maps from Garmin. There's a software
called Mapwel (free demo, full version for $45) that lets you make your own
maps from any image:
http://www.mapwel.biz/
On my last trip to Big Bend, I just pulled down a bunch of topos from the
USGS seamless server (http://seamless.usgs.gov/index.php), poked around in
Mapwel for about 5 minutes, and loaded them onto the GPS. It worked great.
On Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 12:54 PM, Don Arburn <[email protected]> wrote:
> I love my Garmin CSX 60
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Apr 24, 2009, at 12:52 PM, Thomas Sitch <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> The time has come for me to ask for your help.
>
> The last time I was seriously doing any orienteering was in the military,
> and before that digging through USGS drawers at the local sporting goods
> store hoping to find the topo maps I wanted.
>
> I now find myself starting a business where I need a nice hand held GPS,
> and I obviously want it to do double duty on caving trips and karst walks.
>
> I'm looking to spend around $300, but can go higher if there's a really
> good model I should own.
>
> What do you recommend? Which models have served their owners well, and
> which ones have looked pretty and then broken down with the slightest abuse?
>
> My Best Regards,
>
> ~~Thomas
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Me too--I just bought one last week from Amazon for $295, now it
appears to be selling for $267:
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GPSMap-60Cx-Handheld-Navigator/dp/B000CSWHCY/ref=dp_return_1?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics
Someone I know that works for ESRI (the company that sells ArcGIS)
told me that this is his tool of choice. He said that the Garmin
Colorado series models were inferior if you plan to use them on the
trail--the antennas are not as powerful as the ones in the GPSMAP 60
series.
It has an amazing antenna, a color display, a built-in altimeter and a
built-in compass. It accepts MicroSD cards for more memory. I love it.
Diana
On Apr 24, 2009, at 12:54 PM, Don Arburn wrote:
I love my Garmin CSX 60
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 24, 2009, at 12:52 PM, Thomas Sitch <[email protected]>
wrote:
Dear Friends,
The time has come for me to ask for your help.
The last time I was seriously doing any orienteering was in the
military, and before that digging through USGS drawers at the local
sporting goods store hoping to find the topo maps I wanted.
I now find myself starting a business where I need a nice hand held
GPS, and I obviously want it to do double duty on caving trips and
karst walks.
I'm looking to spend around $300, but can go higher if there's a
really good model I should own.
What do you recommend? Which models have served their owners well,
and which ones have looked pretty and then broken down with the
slightest abuse?
My Best Regards,
~~Thomas
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Diana R. Tomchick
Associate Professor
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Department of Biochemistry
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Rm. ND10.214B
Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A.
Email: [email protected]
214-645-6383 (phone)
214-645-6353 (fax)
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I have been a long time user of Garmin GPS units, plus the software
MacGPS Pro (Mac only) which allows me to do some neat mapping things
on a Mac. The MacGPS site is [http://www.macgpspro.com/] and they
also sell cables plus they are talking about a new iPhone app due out
soon. Should be interesting.
First of all I would strongly recommend the Garmin because of it's
nice user interface, and because it can do 10,000 track log points
and each track log record has the complete location information (not
just a "delta" from a starting point). Plus if you use WALLS (PC
only), you can just plug it in and download your track log and
waypoints (specified as a radius from a central waypoint) and the
result can be integrated with your cave mapping project.
I have the 76CSx which, as I understand, is larger than the 60CSX and
therefore it floats. (Good for river trips.) Otherwise, I think the
two units are about the same. The "x" in the model name implies the
higher sensitivity receiver which is good for caves in those deep,
tree-lined canyons. There is a comparison of the 60 & 76 models at
[http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=139022].
Although the 76CSx has the altimeter function which can be accurately
calibrated, apparently this more precise elevation measurement does
NOT go into the track log, which instead uses the GPS measurement of
"z" or elevation.
Alan Blevins just posted some good information on uploading maps
using the PC only software Mapwel.
Alan said:
"The upside: you don't have to buy maps from Garmin. There's a
software called Mapwel (free demo, full version for $45) that lets
you make your own maps from any image:
http://www.mapwel.biz/
On my last trip to Big Bend, I just pulled down a bunch of topos from
the USGS seamless server (http://seamless.usgs.gov/index.php), poked
around in Mapwel for about 5 minutes, and loaded them onto the GPS.
It worked great. "
- Pete
On Apr 24, 2009, at 12:54 PM, Don Arburn wrote:
I love my Garmin CSX 60
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 24, 2009, at 12:52 PM, Thomas Sitch <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Friends,
The time has come for me to ask for your help.
The last time I was seriously doing any orienteering was in the
military, and before that digging through USGS drawers at the local
sporting goods store hoping to find the topo maps I wanted.
I now find myself starting a business where I need a nice hand held
GPS, and I obviously want it to do double duty on caving trips and
karst walks.
I'm looking to spend around $300, but can go higher if there's a
really good model I should own.
What do you recommend? Which models have served their owners well,
and which ones have looked pretty and then broken down with the
slightest abuse?
My Best Regards,
~~Thomas
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
It's no secret that my favorite caves are southeastern New Mexico. So it may
not be any great surprise, but on Thursday I will be moving to Carlsbad. My new
address is 925 N. Guadalupe Street Carlsbad, NM 88220. Will send phone # as
soon as I get a confirmation of the right #. Any Texas caver is welcome to come
crash, visit and cave.
Jim Goodbar is giving me special permits to go out and continue work in
McKittrick thru May, but come the first of June, no one will get a permit til
mid October. I still have stuff at CACA NP that's fun and there is always the
High Guads. And, as soon as we finish with the McKittrick Hill resto & get
those caves reopened, Jim is closing Wind AKA Hicks & I will start work in
there. First resto project for me will be Blood River. If interested let me
know. We need help cleaning up these caves!!!!!!!!!!!! Resto work is fun and
rewarding. Think of being in the world's biggest sand box with guaranteed
buried treasure. Cool in summer, warm in winter.......
Keep in mind, resto means getting to go cave in that cave! I am currently
working on the Green Lake Room in Endless, but will not be able to get back
there till mid Oct. because of bats. Help get these great caves open again and
become a part of fantastic project.
I hope most all will get to go to ICS. It is shaping up super cool and they
really have some fantastic trips planned. Maybe I will get to see some of y'all
there (if I get to go). Please pass this information on to any one
interested........
Karen
--- End Message ---
