Impossible GPS Device?

[RavenNight]

Hi!

I was just wondering, I need a GPS, preferably hand-held, that can do walking (OS style maps) as well as sailing (admiralty style maps) AND road maps and directions (any style).

Am I shooting for the moon or does such an awesome all-in-one device actually exist? Would I be better of getting two devices? (one for walking/sailing, one for driving). Price isn't too much of a constraint considering the multi-purpose nature. Any suggestions would be great, Thanks!

[dave87]

Garmin Nuvi?

Does the first two, not sure about the third bit though...

[Flibb]

possibly
http://navcity.co.uk/catalog/product...roducts_id+675

but your going to pay through the nose for maps

It might be worth dropping garmin an email asking them which models do what you want.

[Fabula]

I would probably go for several devices. "Jack of all trades, master of none" sort of thing.

You can get a decent handheld for hiking/sailing fairly cheaply, and a dedicated road one would be an advantage.

And if one breaks or a newer model comes out, you don't have to replace it all at once.


But I would be happy to be proved wrong.

I currently use a 7year old Magellan for hiking, and it does everything I want.

[herulach]

I would probably go for several devices. "Jack of all trades, master of none" sort of thing.

You can get a decent handheld for hiking/sailing fairly cheaply, and a dedicated road one would be an advantage.

And if one breaks or a newer model comes out, you don't have to replace it all at once.


But I would be happy to be proved wrong.

I currently use a 7year old Magellan for hiking, and it does everything I want.

Seconded, you want entirely different things in a hiking gps compared to a marine or automotive one. Id put money on it beingcheaper to get 3 devices anyway. If you insist on one probably the cheapest way would be a pocket pc with appropriate software.

[chrestomanci]

I would go for one for Hiking & marine use, and a second for driving.

For hiking, you want something small and self contained that runs of AA batteries (or the like). Being tough and waterproof would also be a bonus. For marine use, the same factors apply, though you want to be able to load in charts. (I am assuming you mean a small sailing dingy or the like. If you have a 50ft motor yatch, then different considerations apply, but then you probably have the budget for 3 devices).

Garmin produce a range of waterproof handheld devices onto which you can load mapping data. This one for example comes with UK maps, Another £150 or so will get you some electronic charts to load into the thing. I beleve that the high end Garmin units, will calculate routes for you and give directions, but I don't think they have loudspeakers, so you have to look at the screen, rather than hearing spoken directions.

The downsides? Expensive, Small screen, easy to loose.

How important is in car use? How good are you at reading paper maps? When you go away to places you don't know, will you be going with someone who can map read? I used to use a handheld GPS (Garmin eTrex) to find my position, and then use paper maps to navigate. As both my wife and I are good at reading maps, this works well when we go away.

I have recently upgraded to running Tom-Tom on my mobile phone with a bluetooth GPS receiver. It is remarkably effective, and was not very expensive. The small screen is not ideal, but most of the time the voice prompts are sufficient. If good performance when driving is very important, especially if you frequently drive alone to unfamiliar places, then a dedicated unit is the only sensible option.

[Flibb]

Best site for info is
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com

But ths review looks interesting

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/garmin-60cx-review.php

Think it ticks all the boxes

I have quiet a range of GPS kit, but have setteld on Totom on my mobile (bluetooth gps) for car nav, and a etrex (no maps) for walking. tbh I tend to use paper maps for walking, but have the GPS on with a route loaded in to it if I can be bothered. I did play with a PDA and topo maps for walking, but it had limited battery life, and you get a better idea of your locality with printed maps. I do have a set of digital maps of the UK that I can print to make a book of my walk, I cna also plan a rout and upload it to my etrex if I want.

[RavenNight]

Thanks, thats some really great input. I think I will have to go down the multiple device route.

The marine use would be as a backup, all the boats I use have whacking great chart plotters with GPS and radar linkups, I'd just like as a safety net.

As for the road use, I can read maps quite happily but I'm often in the car on my own and its a pain to have to pull over, check where I am and the workout the route myself, it'd be much easier to just plug in the destination and let a GPS do the work.

Thanks again, I'll have a good read of those sites and see if anything pops up.

[Flibb]

Be wary about carrying a land gps for water use. Many are not fully waterproof, they turn of when they get submerged, it just doesent do any permanent damage. So if you were in the poo it might fail you.

[Sinizter]

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap60csx/

[chrestomanci]

Be wary about carrying a land gps for water use. Many are not fully waterproof, they turn of when they get submerged, it just doesent do any permanent damage. So if you were in the poo it might fail you.

Most Garmins including the eTrex and GPS x 60 series are waterproof to IPX7 which is 30 minutes at 10 metres depth. Not dive capable, but more water resistant than a person, and if you are keeping it as a backup, you would wear on your person, so you will drown before it does.

[Flibb]

Most Garmins including the eTrex and GPS x 60 series are waterproof to IPX7 which is 30 minutes at 10 metres depth. Not dive capable, but more water resistant than a person, and if you are keeping it as a backup, you would wear on your person, so you will drown before it does.

IPX7 is 1 metre for 30mins, in static water. The unit wont be damadged, but the batterys can be. Big question is what kind of backup you are after. Most people drop the etrex in to a aquamate type bag so its fully waterproof and floats.

from garmin

An IPX7 designation means the GPS case can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. An IPX7 designation is given to all eTrex models. While the case of the GPS unit is waterproof, the battery compartment is not. Upon exposure to the elements, water may leak into the battery compartment and could cause corrosion of the batteries, as with any electronic devise. If water does enter the battery compartment, simply dry the battery compartment thoroughly and install new batteries.