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Thread: GPS questions

  1. #21
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    I have a contact who is in electronics purchasing manager high up in a national (USA) outdoor equipment retail store.
    He asked me not to name the store, so I won't.
    He told me that their stores plan to phase out selling retail GPS units over the next several years, because smart phones have become so capable and are superior in terms of map quality, screen resolution, and low cost.
    So, if you have any stock in Garmin, and that would be a good time to get rid of it.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by johngo View Post
    I have a contact who is in electronics purchasing manager high up in a national (USA) outdoor equipment retail store.
    He asked me not to name the store, so I won't.
    He told me that their stores plan to phase out selling retail GPS units over the next several years, because smart phones have become so capable and are superior in terms of map quality, screen resolution, and low cost.
    So, if you have any stock in Garmin, and that would be a good time to get rid of it.
    I can believe that hand-held gps may share the fate of most point-and-shoot cameras, yet they won't completely go away. There are people who will continue using them for their ruggedness and still superior battery life. I typically get around 25 hours runtime (or three 8-hour hiking days) on my etrex 30 out of 2 AA batteries, and I did accidentally drop it in a stream without breaking it. I also prefer to keep my phone for emergencies if in range. I can imagine hand-held gps units evolving towards devices like inReach that also provide two-way satellite communication in places where cell phones don't work.

  3. #23
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    Alas, phones, for the most part, no longer have user replaceable batteries. Darn shame. Another "feature" in the name of cost cutting.
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  4. #24
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    Garmin now owns DeLorme, and consequently InReach.
    Wayne


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  5. #25
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    As johngo confirmed above, the life of handheld GPS will come to an end pretty soon. No idea where companies like Garmin will go next or if they even survive, not sure if they can survive in just producing highend GPS (that will still be around a long time), but that's their Business.

    If you compare the numbers of smartphones sold per year, to the number of handheld GPS (and I think there is a factor of 1000 or more inbetween) its very clear where all the money goes, and gobs of money means lots of developement with results in smaller size, less power consumption, faster calculation, better user interface, etc.

    So nowadays you will have a way more advanced GPS System in your smartphone than in a dedicated (consumer-level) GPS.
    If there is no other, very special and personal reason to buy a dedicated GPS, get a smartphone.

  6. #26
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    I have the Oregon 600. My first advice is to use Lithium batteries. You'll need the extra time they bring. I must admit, I rarely take it hiking as I'm generally on the AT and Guthook's App is just so good. It comes in handy on the Benton MacKaye, though. You can get free maps and they aren't bad. Garmin, IMO, is in sore need of a usability team.

    For some maps check out: https://www.gpsfiledepot.com

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    Alas, phones, for the most part, no longer have user replaceable batteries. Darn shame. Another "feature" in the name of cost cutting.
    Wayne
    As you say, not many, but some still do. I've recently been shopping, and you can still buy Galaxy S 5's new, and I'm about ready to pull the trigger. Their batteries weigh 0.7 ounces and cost less than $10 each. Decent phone, decent camera, I think I'm going this way as my current 'droid has seen better times (speaker broken, hence ringer doesn't work, plus well scratched). The external Anker-style batteries work great, but are not as weight efficient as the native phone batteries.

    I agree, stand alone GPS units are fading fast. I still carry my little, 1.5 ounce Garmin Foretrex 401, loaded with lithiums that will last 2 days fairly easily, and if only turned on occasionally, will last a couple weeks. That 1.5 ounces is a nice supplement to my phone app, call it a 1.5 ounce backup for a phone.

    So many great GPS apps out there! I use and like "US TOPO", though I'm sure there are better ones. I hear "backcountry navigator" works great. I also have halfmile's PCT app. These do everything a dedicated GPS does, and seem to be very accurate. Even just plain old google maps shows the AT when zoomed in. This got me back on the trail once in CT (or MA?) when I missed a turn, yacking away with another hiker, we didn't notice for about a mile.

  8. #28
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    I have an old (8 years?) Garmin Etrex Vista hcx, and it's been great! AA batteries last about 2.5-3 trail days, I get base maps from GPS file depot, and it suits my needs: geo caching, saving tracks, marking a few waypoints, etc. I keep saying that i will upgrade to a newer model, but I don't see much change in utility for all the money.

  9. #29

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    In the early 90s, the bromide of the "paperless office" was widely considered to be prescient and unavoidable. Nearly 30 years later we still have paper in the office despite generational changes in technology.

    I suspect hand held GPS will be in the market, though its likely to become more niched, despite conjecture they will disappear from the market landscape.

  10. #30
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    You won't get my GPS unless you pry it from my cold dead hands! 😁😁

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  11. #31
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    Hey friends, a good discussion here, thanks for keeping it civil.
    If you have another look at my comment above, I never said that handheld GPS is will no longer be available. All I said was one particular major outdoor retailer will probably not be carrying them anymore. There will certainly still be a market for handheld GPS is, they're just going to get harder to find. Professional users such as Forrester's, biologist, archaeologists, wildland firefighters, etc. will probably continue to use them in some capacity.

    I did not know that Garmin owns Delorme, that is interesting to know.



  12. #32

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    I have a Garmin Montana 650T I loaded the micro card for the Appalachian trail, enabled the map but the device will not use the map. If I connect the device and use Base Camp it finds it fine. Any ideas or help. I tried hard booting the device per Garmin instructions but nothing.

  13. #33

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    I've found my Garmin Etrex 20 to be more reliable in heavy tree cover than my phone.
    I like the phone app as it is easy (Geo tracker) and keeps records simply.
    On my upcoming trip to the Balkans (Via Dinarica trail), there are no paper maps (except where it passes through national parks), so, GPX tracks or a phone app (outdoor active) is the way to find the route.
    So, I will carry both.
    (unfortunately)
    Just ordered a solar charger.
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  14. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Phlashlite View Post
    I have a Garmin Montana 650T I loaded the micro card for the Appalachian trail, enabled the map but the device will not use the map. If I connect the device and use Base Camp it finds it fine. Any ideas or help. I tried hard booting the device per Garmin instructions but nothing.
    I would guess that the problem your having is that the 650t comes with pre-loaded maps and the unit is defaulting to the 100k map. Try disabling the 100k map and I bet it will work.

    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

  15. #35

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    I disabled all maps except the AT and still no luck. Garmin says my unit is shot.

  16. #36
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    Bummer.

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  17. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by SOLODARE View Post
    So Im thinking of getting a Garmin Oregon 600 series for use during multiday trips.
    Reasons for the purchase include:
    Backtracking in case I get lost or am uncertain of the direction or trail I should be using.
    I would also love to see the data of what I have done that day.
    The ability to use others tracks seems like a fun idea.

    Questions I have:
    if I get the base 600 do I have to purchase the topo maps from garmin? are there free maps that are just as good or the same? (like from GPSfiledepot)
    do topo maps actually have trails marked on them? Or is that hit or miss or not all?
    Now is a great time to buy, Cabela's has been consistently selling the Oregon 600 for around $200. I have all of the Garmin 24k topos and also use the maps from GPSfiledepot, and they both work great. For trail hiking, I prefer the GPSfiledepot maps on the unit since they are lightweight and provide enough detail for marked trails. They are also less taxing on the battery and render much quicker. For off and sparsely marked trails, and for canoeing, I use the Garmin 24k topos.

    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

  18. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by Phlashlite View Post
    I disabled all maps except the AT and still no luck. Garmin says my unit is shot.
    Did you back up the unit when you first got it? If so, you can try restoring. Maybe something got corrupted.

    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

  19. #39

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    I did the reset they suggested and nothing. So basically I started from scratch. Do you use your Nexus for hiking. I may just try and use that and my paper maps, notgoing to take the Montana to see if it works when I get there.

  20. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by Phlashlite View Post
    I did the reset they suggested and nothing. So basically I started from scratch. Do you use your Nexus for hiking. I may just try and use that and my paper maps, notgoing to take the Montana to see if it works when I get there.
    Yeah, I use the Guthook apps and they work well. A phone is probably a better choice for trail hiking since it can do so many things, plus the Montana is a brick. That being said, if you can render the 100k topos on the Montana, I doubt if it is defective. The microsd card slot seems to work since you can see the AT map in setup. Did you try using a small test map on a different sd card? I have had issues where I created a map in Mapinstall and, for whatever reason, if did not work.

    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

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