GPS

“How useful is a gps for hiking!
If it is useful what brand should I buy?”

“it's fun. whether or not it's useful depends on what you want to use it for and where you will hike.”

“Jimmy sun
Can I get software for the ap trail?
What brand do you use?”

“very usefull once you understand all of the features. Garmin or magellan.The more you spend the more features inside. Each garmin or magellan all styles have the same reciever inside.”

“i have a garmin gpsmap 60csx

it's very nice. works well.

i don't know if the ap trail is avaliable. i would think someone has it mapped out by now.

i find the 10k topo maps garmin sells to be a lacking detail. the software works well and you can buy 100k maps for the national parks. you can also make your own maps if you are good with a computer.

...or you can go super cheap and get a basic unit that will give you UTM coords and then look your position up on a paper map.

it's all about what you want the gps for.
last edited: 3/23/07 5:35:13 PM”

“I bushwhack. I carry maps, compasses & altimeter with me. I can pretty much determine where I am, but without distinguishable landmarks, I am not positive. This is exacerbrated by night, fog, snow etc. A GPS will verify where I think I am.”

“Hey I have an adapter for a Garmin Geko (201 or 301) that will link to your pc. Anyone want or need it can have it. Send your addy to:

karofisher@bellsouth.net”

“A GPS can be very useful, but mostly it is just fun. I like to review a USGS topo map before a hike and note certain terrain features I might want to see. Bail out points, water sources, etc. can be marked too.

I mark the map and enter the coordinates into my gps. I can check for my position relative to any of the areas I have marked on my map.

Mapping software makes this a lot simpler and more fun.”

“geocaching is a lot of fun and there are often good caches in areas where lots of people backpack. i like downloading a list of caches near where i'll be hiking and bagging them as targets of opprotunity.”

“I have a Garmin 60cs. I carry it for just about every hike, but I've found it best for snowshoeing. Without the luxury of a defined trail, its sometimes harder to stay on course, so I check the GPS map quite a bit to see if I'm where I want to be.”

“I love map & compass and GPS. But I find as time goes on I use my GPS (with maps) more than my USGS Maps.

On my third Garmin. Currently Have the Vista Color C. I have all of So. Cal. and the Eastern Sierra maps loaded in.”

“I have a Garmin Legend. I don't have much experience with it yet, but it wasn't working too well in the Smokies last year the first time I used it. I don't know if the trees were blocking the signal or if the mountain was, but I was getting scattered reception.”

“most likely the leaves were blocking the signal.”

“The really cool thing about a GPS unit that might cost a few hundred dollars is that it, without no training or knowledge of such things, can save you thousands in surveying costs (if you are a landowner).”

“GPS's aren't accurate enough for "surveying". Ballpark figures maybe or probably even the old term of "chaining'. Accuracy varies to the military's needs.”

“You are correct, catskhiker. I was just joking.

Being the poster formerly known as lonesurveyor, I have many times heard from landowners that they could survey their own property with their Walmart GPS unit but what they save in survey fees they lose in legal fees from defending themselves after encroachments on neighbors (with their fence, logging, driveway, well, garage or whatever) from relying upon their limited ability to determine anything with a cheap GPS unit.
last edited: 3/24/07 8:32:09 PM”

“there very close to the pins if you know what your doing”

“I see by your e-mail addy you are close to Louisville. Maybe we can hook up for a weekend trip sometime.”