GPOS

Pradeep

Storage? I am Storage!
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Jan 21, 2002
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Runny glass
I will be buying this one. Claimed battery life (25 hours) is longer than some other similar Garmin models. It is possible to store all the points on the micro SD card. Eventually I'll do something with the data.

On 2AAs that is exceptional. Though I would never rely on a GPS solely when bushwalking in a remote area. Compass and hard copy laminated maps are primary.

I've found in downtown Manhattan the vehicle GPS can't get a signal.
 

ddrueding

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Feb 4, 2002
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On 2AAs that is exceptional. Though I would never rely on a GPS solely when bushwalking in a remote area. Compass and hard copy laminated maps are primary.

Compass and maps are primary? You are nuts. Sure having them as a backup is nice, but why do it the hard way to start?
 

Stereodude

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These things happen when Lost6200 starts a topic. :)
We should mod the boards software to refuse his posts unless they pass a spell check. Firefox has a spell check built right into it so I see no reason for such awful spelling unless he's intentionally trying to be rude. :bstd:
 

Handruin

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My guess is that LOST was so fed up with the SR database loss that his effort in putting in a clean valuable post has been lost because he feels it isn't worth the effort. I'm making a guess, so LOST please correct me if I'm wrong?
 

LunarMist

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On 2AAs that is exceptional. Though I would never rely on a GPS solely when bushwalking in a remote area. Compass and hard copy laminated maps are primary.

I'm not hiking very far and the area is rather open. I'm hoping that it will be useful for storing tracks so there will be a record of locations visited.
 

Striker

Learning Storage Performance
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Sep 17, 2007
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My guess is that LOST was so fed up with the SR database loss that his effort in putting in a clean valuable post has been lost because he feels it isn't worth the effort. I'm making a guess, so LOST please correct me if I'm wrong?

I don't know how one would explain it other than carelessness.
Sometimes he throws in letters that are nowhere near each other or near the correct letter on the keyboard.

It's something akin to a monkey mashing on a keyboard. I keep waiting for him to post some Shakespeare.
 

Handruin

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I agree. It looks like more effort for him to misspell than to just hit a higher than average wrong key. Maybe his keyboard is farked. I'd gladly donate him one if it improved his spelling.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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The GP(O)S is rather nice, if not quite what I expected. The sensitivity and accuracy are very good. Even indoors at home, where my auto GPS sometimes struggles to maintain signal reception, the Vista HCx sees almost of the available satellites and settles down to ±10-15 feet in short order. Battery life is rather impressive too - 11 hours on Eneloops with the backlight at full and magnetic compass on, or over a day when they are off. The unit has a myriad of menus and options (almost too many). Usage is hampered somewhat by the stiff controls necessitated by the weather sealing. There are a few annoyances, such as the transdermal display. It is visible enough in bright light, although the color is weak and contrasty. Color is fine with the backlight on. (Young eyes or good glasses are recommended. :)) The basemap is basically useless, so it is advisable to buy the micro SD cards for civilization or topo maps for the off-road areas. Overall I'm satisfied with the device.
 

Stereodude

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The GP(O)S is rather nice, if not quite what I expected. The sensitivity and accuracy are very good. Even indoors at home, where my auto GPS sometimes struggles to maintain signal reception, the Vista HCx sees almost of the available satellites and settles down to ±10-15 feet in short order. Battery life is rather impressive too - 11 hours on Eneloops with the backlight at full and magnetic compass on, or over a day when they are off. The unit has a myriad of menus and options (almost too many). Usage is hampered somewhat by the stiff controls necessitated by the weather sealing. There are a few annoyances, such as the transdermal display. It is visible enough in bright light, although the color is weak and contrasty. Color is fine with the backlight on. (Young eyes or good glasses are recommended. :)) The basemap is basically useless, so it is advisable to buy the micro SD cards for civilization or topo maps for the off-road areas. Overall I'm satisfied with the device.
Did you consider the Garmin Oregon 300 when you were looking for a GPS? It appears to mostly have the same features obviously the larger display and touchscreen being the primary difference between them (aside from cost).
 

LunarMist

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The portable GPS was very useful. I was only disoriened one time and it was simple enough to follow my track back. Even if I never use this GPS again it was worthwhile. I turned the unit on (including compass) each morning around 4:30 AM and off around 9:00 PM and there was plenty of power left by the end of the day.

The Oregon models are bulkier and have a touch screen - a feature I don’t prefer in the handheld. The higher end ones have some extra features that may be of use to some people, and the larger size makes them more suitable for vehicle use if necessary.
 

Stereodude

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The Oregon models are bulkier and have a touch screen - a feature I don’t prefer in the handheld. The higher end ones have some extra features that may be of use to some people, and the larger size makes them more suitable for vehicle use if necessary.
At first I thought the Oregon would be noticeably larger also, but that doesn't seem to be the case from comparing the dimensions. Per Garmin the eTrex Vista HCx is 2.2" x 4.2" x 1.2" (5.6 x 10.7 x 3.0 cm). The Oregon 300 is 2.3" x 4.5" x 1.4" (5.8 x 11.4 x 3.5 cm). That doesn't seem like a whole lot of a difference.
 

LunarMist

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It's the same one I have been using, but the first test with L91 cells.
 

LunarMist

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No, they are the Energizer L91 cells. I've been using them around 15 years or whenever they first hit the shelves. I figure they are enough for 3-4 typical days of use.
 

Stereodude

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I don't see how the datasheet indicates rechargability. The word recharge does not appear anywhere in the datasheet.
They are Lithium primary cells, not Lithium-Ion cells. They are not rechargeable. So far no one has managed make a Lithium based rechargeable that has a 1.5V nominal voltage.

Sanyo's Eneloop NiMH cells are probably your best bet for rechargeable AA's.
 
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