Mossman

Cor' blimey guvnor'! I fancy one of these beauties!!!!!
check out

Mike Tuckwood

Hey, cool gadgets, I think Mike Nunan has got one (or something similar).

Mike.

boomer

Mossman,

i have had a Garmin GPS38 for a couple of years now, and despite being a "techie", i am amazed by the power of such a small beast.

However, the latest models make mine look like a Skoda! Mine tracks up to 8 satellites in series (hello one, hello two ... _keep going until_ ... hello twenty-four - start again), but the new ones do 12 in parallel (hello one to twelve, hello thirteen to twenty four - start again).

Mine draws a map of where you have driven, even down to showing the path of the exit/roundabout that you left the motorway - so the newer ones must be miles better. It calculates your speed down to 0.1mph, and this is actually quite accurate, as the SA (selective availability) cancels out when moving.

The ONLY problem with mine is that it will not work above 110mph - a restriction imposed by the US to stop every man and his dog building deadly accurate cruise missiles!!! Of course, we all know that 70mph is the max over here?

If you like gadgets, i would strongly recommend a Garmin GPS. The eTrex look amazing value for money. If you want one with built-in maps - make sure that UK or European ones are available.

Don't forget that you may end up buying a car-power cord, PC-link, dash-stand, case, PC-software etc - if you get hooked!!

mb

Stef

Yeah, I think that's what Mike's got, but you have to input the route you want to take before it tells you where to go, which seems a bit odd!
He even left it in going round Cadwell, which I thought was quite funny......

Stef.

boomer

Stef,

a basic GPS works things out in straight lines (start to finish), so if you want to do the full Autoroute stuff then you gotta link it to a PC (or buy one of those two grand Philips Carin systems!).

However, if all you want to spend is a hundred notes or so, a Garmin handheld is the way to go. Check out

Ian Cook

try

suba

connect them to a notebook PC and you can track where you are on a map (with the right software). cool gadget to play with!

Mossman

Boomer,

Are the guys you mentioned OK?!
Looks a little dodgy, but I may be doing them a dis-service!

GIve me a shout if you can - 07771 637 652.

Thanks in advance,

JM

cerbie

I've got a Garmin III which cost about £400 (you can get it cheaper if you shop around though), it has the online maps and is certainly registers up to at least 166 mph. Remember though that because of SA the current/max speed display is still subject to a small error, I believe up to about +/- 4 mph. But past 100 mph its probably more accurate than most car speedos, and if you set it to record max speed you can concentrate on the road until you're done instead of staring down at the speedo all the time.

boomer

Just a few more thoughts ...

Try Maplins as well - they have a good selection of GPS units (www.maplin.co.uk) but a pain in the a*se website. Whaaaah, i just looked, and they are now selling a COLOUR StreetPilot, although it does cost over 700 notes!

If you get a model with build-in maps, make sure that it is the UK (and make sure that they are _included_, and not an extra add-on).

If you do want maps, consider a cheaper unit, but connected to a laptop PC running GPS aware software (E.G. AutoRoute?). You will get better resolution at a cheaper (GPS) price.

Check that the unit has the latest revisions of software. Just like a PC, they get upgraded over time, so don't buy old stock (although some are flash upgradable thesedays).

Don't forget, GPS receivers EAT batteries - get a cig-lighter power cord if you want to use it a lot in the car (and a mount).

mb

p.s. I take back the Maplin PITA web-site, 'tis much better now - and a new catalog is due out in a couple of weeks. Essential reading for gadget fans.