Best GPS unit for rural areas: Will a Garmin do the job?
1567531
I am also looking for the best unit; especially for rural areas as we do a lot of hiking. We have been depending on cell phone GPS navigation but it sure doesn't work well in the Far West nor on a recent hiking trip to the Great Smokys and Blue Ridge Mountains. I am thinking of the Garmin nvi 2797LMT 7-Inch or the Garmin nvi 3597LMTHD 5-Inch. Not sure what one I will pick but there are 100's to choose from and reviews are all over the place. Wish Amazon provided for comparisons. Try Best Buy for details, they do a much better job of showing all features and allow comparisons. Then search the web for that unit and get the best price (not always on Amazon).
820808
Has anyone used the Dakota 20 for touring? Or any Garmin unit for that matter. I'd be interested in your experiences. I'm leaning towards the Dakota for a number of reasons (Battery type, battery life, price, features) I don't need a heart rate/cadence monitor(s) I just want directions but I also don't want to be directed on to a freeway on ramp by some piece of misguided software.
1677792
I have used Garmin GPS units of several types, in the car and hand held, in the USA. I haven't taken them out of the states, but they are very dependable and never given me any reason to doubt their accuracy. You can buy them with maps for any country. Just make sure you get it loaded with the map you need and you will have a great GPS.
355813
It will work, but you can buy a stand alone GPS for under $200 that would be more suitable. You will need BeeLineGPS to get this to work. There are other programs, but I have tested it with BLGPS and it works. However, when I cache, I take either my explorist or my meridian gold.
443739
Thank you for your reply Sagib, it is very helpful. I think I have now decided on the TomTom one xl due to your comment and the fact that it has a much larger screen. I like the street call-out on the Garmin Nuvi 350 but I think the larger screen outweighs that option.
1156829
Thanks! I will check out the bad elf gps receiver, maybe it would be worthwhile for my ipod 4g.
355814
I use my 5915 for geocaching. I wanted one device that I could use everyday in the car (nav, music, pda-functionality) and then could pull out for the occasional cache. I really like the program GPSTuner for offroad navigation (no affiliation, just a happy customer). I also bought a little silicon case on ebay to protect it on the trail. If you do a lot of hiking, etc, then a dedicated, more rugged GPS is probably a better bet though.
1371456
From a usability standpoint, it's the best. Where you might have trouble is getting it setup the way you want it. It's not that hard to do, you just have to know what you want out of your gps. I have a network of geocaching friends that I can lean on or you can always call Garmin's support line. They've always been helpful to me.
829646
I live in a rural area in Texas and have had the GPS speed unit for over a year now and have never had any problem whatsoever with it working. Very satisfied with the unit.
1697724
I think any gps with a micro slot. I have same gps. Worked great in ger, aust, bel , fr and uk last summer. My friend is using now, but will sell to you for $25 now as I am paying for Ivy League schools for a few years and will not be going anyplace but the office. Thx
1375506
Linda, Sorry this comes so long after you posted. I was just looking at micro sd cards and saw this. The 530 HCX is the best choice. If this person spends time in the outdoors with other folks, he will use both the GPS and the radio. It also has all the NOAA Weather radio stations. Hope this wasn't too late! 2wltime
1748147
According to my husband whom I purchased this for, the sensor is more accurate and when riding in the mountains can sometimes lose GPS signal (he rides in Adirondacks in summer). Also, works for indoor training. For suburban areas and outside only, GPS should work fine.
71057
I have a Garmin system and it accepted the card with no problem. However, the resultant navigation is barely adequate, especially in the congested city of Quito where it is almost useless. In the remote areas it does not show the trails or secondary roads very well. However, bottom line is that it provides some utility. Most folks who are posted here use an application on their cell phones which works superbly. But, I do not have the Cadillac cell phone plan so I have to rely on the GPS and old school paper maps combined which is okay for me.
2233004
The navigation I think works really well. But I do believe a Garmin is a little more easier to use. But in all once you know what you're doing with this navigation is is awesome!
207748
Man, you must have a ROCKING car wash business going. Also... pretty close. All commercially available GPS units will be about the same as far as accuracy.
2201097
If you have fixed routes, you can just buy a cheap HR monitor and skip the GPS by using a free online mapping tool. Here's an example of a 5.7 miler in my neighborhood: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=510000 There are slicker free tools than that site, but they all use the same underlying technology.Still, GPS is nice if you want to just "run till you're done," especially if you're in open spaces without landmarks and with a clear view of the sky for satellite acquisition. And importing the run data into your PC is sweet, too (though it doesn't work with a Mac).
320818
No need for cell phone. But of course you need the receiver handunit Garmin Astra. Works everywhere as long as you receive the satelite signal. Sometimes difficulties in very very dense forest.