pragmatix
Guest
Worth having or leave well alone, looks like a III to me I know it finds less satalites but is that it?
Pete A
Pete A
PanEuropean
Registered user
Pete:
I'm not aware of any GPSR's called "GPS II" - maybe you made a typing error on the name.
In any case, the older GPSR's will do just as good a job of displaying your position (latitude-longitude) as the newer ones, however, the problem with the older ones is that they don't have the memory capacity needed to upload today's detailed road maps. For this reason, these units are usually not suitable for motorcycle navigation.
A good comparison would be computers - a 386 can do a perfectly good job of functioning as a word processor, but it does not have the horsepower (or memory capacity) needed to run the software that is available today.
PanEuropean
I'm not aware of any GPSR's called "GPS II" - maybe you made a typing error on the name.
In any case, the older GPSR's will do just as good a job of displaying your position (latitude-longitude) as the newer ones, however, the problem with the older ones is that they don't have the memory capacity needed to upload today's detailed road maps. For this reason, these units are usually not suitable for motorcycle navigation.
A good comparison would be computers - a 386 can do a perfectly good job of functioning as a word processor, but it does not have the horsepower (or memory capacity) needed to run the software that is available today.
PanEuropean
judge
Registered user
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- Feb 24, 2002
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One up on the great Pan Euro - Garmin Demi-God
GPS II Plus is still a current unit
Database: City Point Database
Waypoints:
Total: 500 each with name, symbol, and map display option
Nearest: 9 (automatic) continuously updated
Routes: 20 reversible routes with up to 30 waypoints each, plus MOB and TracBack® modes
TracBack: Automatic track log navigation with 1024 track log points
Map Datums: Over 106, including a User Datum
Coordinates: Lat/Lon, UTM/UPS, plus 7 grids, including Maidenhead User Grid
Performance
Receiver: Differential-ready 12 parallel channel receiver tracks and uses up to twelve satellites to compute and update a position
Acquisition Times:
Warm: approx. 15 seconds
Cold: approx. 45 seconds
Autolocate™: approx. 5 minutes
EZinit: easy initialization, 45 seconds
Update Rate: 1 second, continuous
Accuracy:
Position: 15 meters (49 feet) RMS*
1-5 meters (3-15 feet) RMS with
Garmin® GBR 21 DGPS receiver (optional)
Velocity: 0.1 knot RMS steady state
Dynamics: 6g's
Interfaces: NMEA 180, 182, 183, and RTCM 104 DGPS corrections
Antenna: Detachable with standard BNC connector
Physical
Size: 2.32 x 5 x 1.62 inches (5.89 x 12.7 x 4.11 cm)
Weight: 9 ounces (255g) w/ batteries
Display: 2.2 x 1.5 inches (5.6 x 3.8 cm) high-contrast electroluminescent backlit FTN display; switchable orientation
Power
Memory: Internal lithium battery
Power Source: 10-32 VDC (4 AA batteries)
Usage: 0.75 watts
Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
GPS II Plus is still a current unit
Database: City Point Database
Waypoints:
Total: 500 each with name, symbol, and map display option
Nearest: 9 (automatic) continuously updated
Routes: 20 reversible routes with up to 30 waypoints each, plus MOB and TracBack® modes
TracBack: Automatic track log navigation with 1024 track log points
Map Datums: Over 106, including a User Datum
Coordinates: Lat/Lon, UTM/UPS, plus 7 grids, including Maidenhead User Grid
Performance
Receiver: Differential-ready 12 parallel channel receiver tracks and uses up to twelve satellites to compute and update a position
Acquisition Times:
Warm: approx. 15 seconds
Cold: approx. 45 seconds
Autolocate™: approx. 5 minutes
EZinit: easy initialization, 45 seconds
Update Rate: 1 second, continuous
Accuracy:
Position: 15 meters (49 feet) RMS*
1-5 meters (3-15 feet) RMS with
Garmin® GBR 21 DGPS receiver (optional)
Velocity: 0.1 knot RMS steady state
Dynamics: 6g's
Interfaces: NMEA 180, 182, 183, and RTCM 104 DGPS corrections
Antenna: Detachable with standard BNC connector
Physical
Size: 2.32 x 5 x 1.62 inches (5.89 x 12.7 x 4.11 cm)
Weight: 9 ounces (255g) w/ batteries
Display: 2.2 x 1.5 inches (5.6 x 3.8 cm) high-contrast electroluminescent backlit FTN display; switchable orientation
Power
Memory: Internal lithium battery
Power Source: 10-32 VDC (4 AA batteries)
Usage: 0.75 watts
Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
pragmatix
Guest
Thanks Judge, not a total disaster then thanks will persue it then its on e-bay and no im not bidding silly money.
Pete A
Pete A
Sorry pragmatix but I can’t recommend a Garmin II, it doesn’t show your position on a road mapping screen, you need a III or a III plus for that.
The III has base mapping, the III plus has 1.4 meg of memory to unload street level mapping from a Roads and recreation CD
The owner’s manuals are available on the Garmin website if you want to look further
The III has base mapping, the III plus has 1.4 meg of memory to unload street level mapping from a Roads and recreation CD
The owner’s manuals are available on the Garmin website if you want to look further
PanEuropean
Registered user
Judge:
Sorry to rain on your parade - but please have a look at this link Garmin GPS II (it was a GPS II that Pete asked about, wasn't it?) and tell me what the word in red at the right hand side of the screen is?
Then have a look at this link GPS II manual download and tell me when the owner's manual for this product was last revised? That's a good way of guessing the vintage of a product. While you're there, double click on the manual download, and have a look at some of the screenshots. I think this particular GPSR would be useless as teats on a nun for motorcycle navigation. Like the computer analogy I used - sure, you can browse the internet with a computer that has a green phospher text only screen, right? The fact it can be done does not mean it's a wise thing to do.
Like I said - "I never heard of it" - because that product had come and gone waaaaay before I became involved in purchasing GPSR's. Heck, we were still using OMEGA for aircraft nav back then. The information you cut and pasted above is incorrect and misleading for the question Pete asked. It doesn't refer to the GPSR he asked about.
PanEuropean
Sorry to rain on your parade - but please have a look at this link Garmin GPS II (it was a GPS II that Pete asked about, wasn't it?) and tell me what the word in red at the right hand side of the screen is?
Then have a look at this link GPS II manual download and tell me when the owner's manual for this product was last revised? That's a good way of guessing the vintage of a product. While you're there, double click on the manual download, and have a look at some of the screenshots. I think this particular GPSR would be useless as teats on a nun for motorcycle navigation. Like the computer analogy I used - sure, you can browse the internet with a computer that has a green phospher text only screen, right? The fact it can be done does not mean it's a wise thing to do.
Like I said - "I never heard of it" - because that product had come and gone waaaaay before I became involved in purchasing GPSR's. Heck, we were still using OMEGA for aircraft nav back then. The information you cut and pasted above is incorrect and misleading for the question Pete asked. It doesn't refer to the GPSR he asked about.
PanEuropean
pragmatix
Guest
Thanks guys, not going down that route now, will wait for a III+.
Pete A
Pete A
judge
Registered user
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- 7
Pragmatix: I apologise for my misleading information, an easy one to make I hasten to add. I'm glad others were able to steer you right before my mis-information led to a duff purchase.
Pan European: I am truly not worthy
Pan European: I am truly not worthy
BurnieM
Guest
A basic GPS that gives a grid based position is still useful for handheld use but I agree with the others that a moving map unit is much more useful on a bike (or car).
The GPS III+ has only 1.4MB for basic maps.
You might want to look at a GPS V, which has 19MB, if you want to stay with this form factor.
The GPS III+ has only 1.4MB for basic maps.
You might want to look at a GPS V, which has 19MB, if you want to stay with this form factor.
Don’t let the 1.4 Meg of the 3+ put you off, Road and Recreation map segments are very small. Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield plus surrounding area is 1.2 Meg in 6 segments. Or an area from Middlesbrough to York including the whole of the North Yorkshire Moors is only 685kb again in 6 segments
Not only that but you can read the display in full sunlight, no problem.
Not only that but you can read the display in full sunlight, no problem.
Shaunie
Registered user
gps on a budget
If you're on a tight budget, you won't go far wrong with a Garmin Emap.
You can get one off ebay with a 16mb data cartridge and metroguide mapping software for well under £200.
Buy a RAM mount and some rechargeable batteries and it's a great starter unit.
It's not totally waterproof but if it gets wet you can remove the batteries and data card and leave it overnight to dry out.
Can't really recommend a II or III due to lack of memory for detailed maps.
V's are still fetching over £300 and Streetpilot III's over £500.
(Both these units support autorouting).
A Streetpilot Mono or Streetpilot Colormap might be worth a look, but bidders get confused with the SPIII and they can reach silly money.
If you're on a tight budget, you won't go far wrong with a Garmin Emap.
You can get one off ebay with a 16mb data cartridge and metroguide mapping software for well under £200.
Buy a RAM mount and some rechargeable batteries and it's a great starter unit.
It's not totally waterproof but if it gets wet you can remove the batteries and data card and leave it overnight to dry out.
Can't really recommend a II or III due to lack of memory for detailed maps.
V's are still fetching over £300 and Streetpilot III's over £500.
(Both these units support autorouting).
A Streetpilot Mono or Streetpilot Colormap might be worth a look, but bidders get confused with the SPIII and they can reach silly money.
PanEuropean
Registered user
Pete:
Shaunie has made some really good suggestions. If you do get interested in an original StreetPilot (black and white) or a StreetPilot ColourMap (not a "III"), post a note here and I'll give you a detailed briefing on the pros and cons of the unit you are looking at.
There are a couple of major "forks in the road" that you need to make decisions on, concerning what capability you want from your GPSR.
In simplest form, it breaks down like this:
1) Do you want detailed, street by street display of where you are?
2) If so, how much detailed street by street information do you want to be able to store in the GPSR at any one time? Just enough for your city and a 20 mile radius? Or enough to support a 3 week tour to Vienna and back?
3) Do you want the GPSR just to tell you where you are (basic location function), or do you want it to tell you how to get to a destination (autorouting function)?
Answer the three questions in order, the first "NO" answer is also an automatic no to subsequent questions. The cost of a GPSR to do what you what works out like this: 4 NO's, about USD 150 to 250, 2 NO's (yes to 1 and 2a) about USD 300 to 500, 1 NO about USD 700 to 1,000, and YES to everything, between USD 1,000 and 2,000. These rough price guesses are net of tax, for European units.
This is overly simplistic but should help you narrow things down.
PanEuropean
Shaunie has made some really good suggestions. If you do get interested in an original StreetPilot (black and white) or a StreetPilot ColourMap (not a "III"), post a note here and I'll give you a detailed briefing on the pros and cons of the unit you are looking at.
There are a couple of major "forks in the road" that you need to make decisions on, concerning what capability you want from your GPSR.
In simplest form, it breaks down like this:
1) Do you want detailed, street by street display of where you are?
2) If so, how much detailed street by street information do you want to be able to store in the GPSR at any one time? Just enough for your city and a 20 mile radius? Or enough to support a 3 week tour to Vienna and back?
3) Do you want the GPSR just to tell you where you are (basic location function), or do you want it to tell you how to get to a destination (autorouting function)?
Answer the three questions in order, the first "NO" answer is also an automatic no to subsequent questions. The cost of a GPSR to do what you what works out like this: 4 NO's, about USD 150 to 250, 2 NO's (yes to 1 and 2a) about USD 300 to 500, 1 NO about USD 700 to 1,000, and YES to everything, between USD 1,000 and 2,000. These rough price guesses are net of tax, for European units.
This is overly simplistic but should help you narrow things down.
PanEuropean
(RIP) Yosi
Registered user
As an owner of a GPS II+ (or former owner, more later...) and can tell you all that it ius a cracking piece of equipment.
The way I use it is by creating a route in Microsoft Autoroute, download the route using GPSU (free on the web) and then follow the compass arrow that will guide you trough the sequencial waypoint's. In addition, there is a "track" screen were the route appears as a line showing the correct compass orientations and a dot shows your position.
Get use to it and is the best Navigator around.
I like it so much that after selling it I'm buying it back...honest!!
And yes, I have also a GPS V and had used a Steepilot so I can fairly compare the different options....
The way I use it is by creating a route in Microsoft Autoroute, download the route using GPSU (free on the web) and then follow the compass arrow that will guide you trough the sequencial waypoint's. In addition, there is a "track" screen were the route appears as a line showing the correct compass orientations and a dot shows your position.
Get use to it and is the best Navigator around.
I like it so much that after selling it I'm buying it back...honest!!
And yes, I have also a GPS V and had used a Steepilot so I can fairly compare the different options....
PanEuropean
Registered user
A caution to not confuse a 'GPS II' (what Pete referred to in his first post at the top) with a 'GPS II+' (what Judge and later on Yosi referred to in their subsequent posts), they are two different products.
cnycl
Guest
I have a GPS II. You cannot upload maps etc and the device tracks only 8 satellites but I had no problems finding satellites and you can upload maps you created yourself as tracks by using free software like trackman etc. BTW I bought it in 1997 and I'm still using it.
One of the drawbacks of this model is it has a internal memory battery (very hard to replace and actually a fixed battery) which has a lifetime of app. 10 years so by now most units are unable to store waypoint and track data and gps location in the memory Therefore, it is probable that in a few years your unit may be useful only as a speedometer and compass or you will have to carry a PDA with it.
So go for a newer model.
Regards.
One of the drawbacks of this model is it has a internal memory battery (very hard to replace and actually a fixed battery) which has a lifetime of app. 10 years so by now most units are unable to store waypoint and track data and gps location in the memory Therefore, it is probable that in a few years your unit may be useful only as a speedometer and compass or you will have to carry a PDA with it.
So go for a newer model.
Regards.
pragmatix
Guest
cecilthecat said:
Thanks will give him a call, thought it would have gone by now though.
Pete A
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