Off-topic / GPS question

the garmin streep pilot i3 is good and the price is right at about $230
(www.newegg.com). and it runs on batteries... which means on less thing to
plug in and was a selling point for me since my lighter dosen't work...

"pws" > wrote in message
...
> Justin wrote:
>> "pws" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> |A friend gave me a Garmin emap GPS from 1991. It's old but it works.
>> |
>> | Anyway, I would like to upgrade to a more modern one, I can actually
>> | still sell this for about $80.00 to help offset the cost.
>> | I would rather have a hand-held unit, and I won't try to program it
>> | while driving.
>> |
>> | This would mainly be used in the car but may be taken hiking as well.
>> |
>> | Can someone recommend a best bang for the buck on a GPS? I never
>> thought
>> | I would use one but I am finding even the older unit helpful.
>> |
>> | Thanks!
>> |
>> | Pat
>>
>>
>>
>> have a look in alt.satellite.gps.garmin
>
>
> Thanks all, I will have to do some further research. The one I have now
> has a huge 8 MB data card. I wonder what it cost when it came out, the
> copyright date is 1986 to 1991.
>
> My GPS would be used mainly in the car.
> It has been a while since I have hiked anywhere that it would actually be
> helpful, and I could always buy a dedicated one if I decide that it is
> worth the weight on the trail once I do start hiking further out again.
>
> Thanks again!
>
> Pat

> Assuming we're talking about the same model,

http://www.garmin.com/products/spi3/ ?

> But it is clunky, for one thing. When I leave my car parked
> somewhere, I usually stash the GPS inside rather than take it with me
> - which with a little Nuvi would be no problem to do.

Aha, ok.

> I also take my
> III from car to car and I'm hoping I'll like the Nuvi's suction cup
> mount a little better than the bean bag mount I've been using

I use the suction cup on mine and use it both in my car and my wife's; I've
never had any problems with it.

> The other thing for me is, the III's memory card can hold detailed
> maps of only part of the US at a time, and to load new parts onto it
> is a big hassle if, like me, you have to use a Mac running Virtual
> PC.

OK. That's not really an issue for me on this tiny island - I've got a card
with all of the UK and Ireland plus parts of France and Germany on it, which
is more than adequate for me! But I suppose it might be challenging trying
to fit all of the US onto it.

Eric

> the garmin streep pilot i3 is good and the price is right at about $230
> (www.newegg.com). and it runs on batteries... which means on less thing
> to plug in and was a selling point for me since my lighter dosen't work...

And the batteries have a decent life-span, even when using rechargeable
ones - that's not the case with my etrex which dies within an hour when
using rechargeable ones. Which is a real pain since it's the one I use for
hiking.

Eric

Christopher Muto wrote:
> the garmin streep pilot i3 is good and the price is right at about $230
> (www.newegg.com). and it runs on batteries... which means on less thing to
> plug in and was a selling point for me since my lighter dosen't work...


Is that a hint? :-)

It has only been about 1 1/2 years since I said I would remove the
lighter from the wrecked '96M. I had long-forgotten about it until I
read that.
The dash is sitting out there and nobody wants it. I will pull the
lighter and see if I can tell if it still works, it is easy enough to
get to now.
I will send you a private e-mail when I have an answer, hopefully before
2009.....

Pat

"pws" > wrote in message
...
> Christopher Muto wrote:
>> the garmin streep pilot i3 is good and the price is right at about $230
>> (www.newegg.com). and it runs on batteries... which means on less thing
>> to plug in and was a selling point for me since my lighter dosen't
>> work...
>
>
> Is that a hint? :-)
>
> It has only been about 1 1/2 years since I said I would remove the lighter
> from the wrecked '96M. I had long-forgotten about it until I read that.
> The dash is sitting out there and nobody wants it. I will pull the lighter
> and see if I can tell if it still works, it is easy enough to get to now.
> I will send you a private e-mail when I have an answer, hopefully before
> 2009.....
>
> Pat

lol. no it wasn't a hint. even if you were kind enough to send it i don't
think i could install it because removal of the current lighter apparently
means taking out the entire dash. from what i have read it can not easily
be serviced. the new one would pop right in but the old one is next to
impossible to remove. so no worries pat. i wasn't trying to poke fun.
just trying to point out that if you have a broken lighter, or use a cell
phone charger or some other device in the lighter then it is nice to know
that you can leave the garmin running on batteries.

Christopher Muto wrote:

> lol. no it wasn't a hint. even if you were kind enough to send it i don't
> think i could install it because removal of the current lighter apparently
> means taking out the entire dash. from what i have read it can not easily
> be serviced. the new one would pop right in but the old one is next to
> impossible to remove. so no worries pat. i wasn't trying to poke fun.
> just trying to point out that if you have a broken lighter, or use a cell
> phone charger or some other device in the lighter then it is nice to know
> that you can leave the garmin running on batteries.

I did replace the lighter in my '91 in about 15 minutes using the "Pat
method". Looking at the lighter out of the car, you can see two very
weak plastic clips that hold it into place. They don't need to be strong
for what they are supporting.

I unhooked the power, took a screwdriver, and carefully worked the
lighter back and forth while making sure that it was not distorting the
dash at all. It didn't take long to hear the snap of the clip breaking
free on one side.
After that, it was simple to pull the lighter from the front, attach the
power cord to the new one, and push the assembly back into place.
No problems and no rattles from the tiny loose plastic clip in there
somewhere for over two years.

I assume no liabilities for anyone who may destroy their dash trying
this, but the lighter is not easy to access properly with the dash in
place.
They really could have made it screw in from the front instead, using a
cover to keep it looking nice, but we know how that goes.

Pat

pws > wrote in
:

> A friend gave me a Garmin emap GPS from 1991. It's old but it works.
>
> Anyway, I would like to upgrade to a more modern one, I can actually
> still sell this for about $80.00 to help offset the cost.
> I would rather have a hand-held unit, and I won't try to program it
> while driving.
>
> This would mainly be used in the car but may be taken hiking as well.
>
> Can someone recommend a best bang for the buck on a GPS? I never
> thought I would use one but I am finding even the older unit helpful.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Pat

One other idea to considder:

I don't remember if it was you or Lanny who said they don't have a cell
phone - and I'm sure the confusion will offend one or both of you
but...

I use Garmin Mobile on my cell phone (for automotive use). Obviously,
not all cell phones will work and there may be other
issues/restrictions, but it works for me. Depending on carrier and
package, there may be a monthly fee involved - mine is free. Obviously,
a dedicated unit will do the job better, but for the price, free is hard
to beat. If you have a capable phone or are looking to get a new phone
soon (and aren't too concerned about the screen size, etc. of a
dedicated unit), you might save some money looking at this option.

-Scott

Scott Hughes wrote:

> One other idea to considder:
>
> I don't remember if it was you or Lanny who said they don't have a cell
> phone - and I'm sure the confusion will offend one or both of you
> but...

I am offended, how about you, Lanny?

Lanny is the one without a cell phone. I gave in and got one about 8
years ago. I have a feeling that the very idea of a cell phone/GPS
combination is the stuff of Lanny's worst nightmares. ;-)

> I use Garmin Mobile on my cell phone (for automotive use). Obviously,
> not all cell phones will work and there may be other
> issues/restrictions, but it works for me. Depending on carrier and
> package, there may be a monthly fee involved - mine is free. Obviously,
> a dedicated unit will do the job better, but for the price, free is hard
> to beat. If you have a capable phone or are looking to get a new phone
> soon (and aren't too concerned about the screen size, etc. of a
> dedicated unit), you might save some money looking at this option.
>
> -Scott

The voice commands, easy direction inputs and a bigger screen are what I
was looking for.
The one I have now works, but I don't want to use it while moving. A
passenger could use it to get us anywhere in town, though I am sure that
this thing has serious limitations if used for traveling, plus who knows
when it might give out.
It wasn't used enough to drain even one set of batteries, but it is 15
or 16 years old now.

I'll still check into it, but I would certainly need a new phone for it.
The one I have is a real POS, but it does make calls.

Pat

pws > wrote in
:

> Scott Hughes wrote:
>
>> I use Garmin Mobile on my cell phone (for automotive use).
>> Obviously, not all cell phones will work and there may be other
>> issues/restrictions, but it works for me. Depending on carrier and
>> package, there may be a monthly fee involved - mine is free.
>> Obviously, a dedicated unit will do the job better, but for the
>> price, free is hard to beat. If you have a capable phone or are
>> looking to get a new phone soon (and aren't too concerned about the
>> screen size, etc. of a dedicated unit), you might save some money
>> looking at this option.
>>
>> -Scott
>
> The voice commands, easy direction inputs and a bigger screen are what
> I was looking for.
> The one I have now works, but I don't want to use it while moving. A
> passenger could use it to get us anywhere in town, though I am sure
> that this thing has serious limitations if used for traveling, plus
> who knows when it might give out.
> It wasn't used enough to drain even one set of batteries, but it is 15
> or 16 years old now.
>
> I'll still check into it, but I would certainly need a new phone for
> it. The one I have is a real POS, but it does make calls.
>
> Pat


The phone definately won't do for the bigger screen. Direction inputs
are about as easy as they can be with a phone keypad (tho if you got a
phone w/ a full alpha keypad, that would improve that aspect). You can
enter an address manually, enter a search term (have it find the nearest
walgreens etc.) or select from their categorized lists. You can also
save locations. I'd expect most normal to long red lights would give you
enough time to add a destination & get your directions.

It also has traffic & weather info. I imagine the feature set is probably
very close to what you get from any Garmin GPS unit.

The phone does the voice commands nicely (you do mean GPS telling you,
not you telling it, right?). I've only used mine a few times - have
actually only had real use for it once since I got it 6 months ago - and
am pretty impressed.

You can have it display a map w/ your route highlighted or just your
next turn. The next turn display is much more usefull on the small
screen cause it shows a nice big arrow and the distance to that turn in
nice big numbers.

My biggest complaint about using my phone for a GPS unit is just that I
don't have a dash mount for my phone. Right now I just set it in my cup
holder..

-Scott

Scott Hughes wrote:

> The phone definately won't do for the bigger screen. Direction inputs
> are about as easy as they can be with a phone keypad (tho if you got a
> phone w/ a full alpha keypad, that would improve that aspect). You can
> enter an address manually, enter a search term (have it find the nearest
> walgreens etc.) or select from their categorized lists. You can also
> save locations. I'd expect most normal to long red lights would give you
> enough time to add a destination & get your directions.
>
> It also has traffic & weather info. I imagine the feature set is probably
> very close to what you get from any Garmin GPS unit.
>
> The phone does the voice commands nicely (you do mean GPS telling you,
> not you telling it, right?). I've only used mine a few times - have
> actually only had real use for it once since I got it 6 months ago - and
> am pretty impressed.
>
> You can have it display a map w/ your route highlighted or just your
> next turn. The next turn display is much more usefull on the small
> screen cause it shows a nice big arrow and the distance to that turn in
> nice big numbers.
>
> My biggest complaint about using my phone for a GPS unit is just that I
> don't have a dash mount for my phone. Right now I just set it in my cup
> holder..
>
> -Scott

Thanks, I will look into it. Yes, I meant it telling me what to do, not
the other way around.

That actually sounds like it would do. A few people have told me that
they would just be distracting, but I am so bad at finding addresses
that I don't think so for myself.

Just curious, does the phone GPS give a speed reading as well?

Pat