I have been paddling a seakayak for about a year and have decided to
purchase a GPS (also to be used for biking and hiking). Most of my current
paddling has been on the upper Mississippi River although I plan to expand
this in the next few years. I am current using the Upper Mississippi River
Navigation Charts produced by the Corps of Engineers for trip planning and
navigation.

I would appreciate any advise, experiences, or links that you might have to
offer. I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin Map76s and the Magellan
Meridian Platinum although I would welcome comment on any other models that
you might have some experience with. I would also be interested in opinions
of the Garmin maps vs. the Magellan maps and which might be most appropriate
for these kinds of activities.

Thank you very much.

Jack

*Heartily* recommend the GPSMAP 76s- lots of features and tough as
nails. Don't know anything about the Meridian.

Pete

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 19:54:44 GMT, "Jack Seppelt"
wrote:

I have been paddling a seakayak for about a year and have decided to
purchase a GPS (also to be used for biking and hiking). Most of my current
paddling has been on the upper Mississippi River although I plan to expand
this in the next few years. I am current using the Upper Mississippi River
Navigation Charts produced by the Corps of Engineers for trip planning and
navigation.

I would appreciate any advise, experiences, or links that you might have to
offer. I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin Map76s and the Magellan
Meridian Platinum although I would welcome comment on any other models that
you might have some experience with. I would also be interested in opinions
of the Garmin maps vs. the Magellan maps and which might be most appropriate
for these kinds of activities.

Thank you very much.

Jack

I have purchased about 5 Garmins over time and can strongly recommend them.
However, the model you mentioned seems a bit overkill for your river needs.
If you got something in the $100-$200 range you could use the saved money
for a new paddle.

What you don't need:
Compass: a $20 Sunnto works just fine and doesn't need batteries
Altimeter: This is marketing spin - all GPS's have Elevation via the same
satellites that give position. And they are not influenced by barometric
variation. In fact, the inaccuracy of the barometric altimeter is a
"feature" because it can tell you if a high or low front is moving in.

What I use most is "Where Am I?" or Where have I gone. Any standard GPS with
tracking will give that. Also, the times of Sunrise and Sunset are useful -
they are also standard. Having a map overlay is a nice feature but you don't
have to go up to the MapGPS 76S to get that.

I also recommend you find a few geocaches. See www.geocaching.com People
hide caches and publish the way points - using your GPS you try to find them
and exchange trinkets in the cache. It's a great way to learn how to use the
features of your unit.

Finally - understand the difference in Map Datum. Your GPS is defaulted to
WGS84. Most Topo Maps are based on NAD27. Because you are on the River, I'll
assume you will be using your GPS with a Topological Map rather than a
Chart. Because topo Map points are based on NAD27, if you enter them into a
GPS whose datum is set to WGS84 (or NAD83), when you arrive at the point,
you won't be at the same point you were looking at on the map - you may a
few hundred yards off. So of you are entering points taken from a topo map
into your GPS, be sure to switch your Map Datum preference to NAD27 first.

After the points are entered, you can switch back to the default WGS84
(which is want charts use) and the point values will be automatically
converted to new values for you.

Pool


in article , seldom_seen at
wrote on 9/20/03 6:30 PM:

*Heartily* recommend the GPSMAP 76s- lots of features and tough as
nails. Don't know anything about the Meridian.

Pete

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 19:54:44 GMT, "Jack Seppelt"
wrote:

I have been paddling a seakayak for about a year and have decided to
purchase a GPS (also to be used for biking and hiking). Most of my current
paddling has been on the upper Mississippi River although I plan to expand
this in the next few years. I am current using the Upper Mississippi River
Navigation Charts produced by the Corps of Engineers for trip planning and
navigation.

I would appreciate any advise, experiences, or links that you might have to
offer. I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin Map76s and the Magellan
Meridian Platinum although I would welcome comment on any other models that
you might have some experience with. I would also be interested in opinions
of the Garmin maps vs. the Magellan maps and which might be most appropriate
for these kinds of activities.

Thank you very much.

Jack

Try posting and/or lurking in sci.geo.satellite-nav


--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
" 'Normal' is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving
through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to
the job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car, and the house
that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in it."
Ellen Goodman
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

http://www.greatriv.org/vs.htm
Not my site but I like it.
Jack Seppelt wrote in message
news:8g2bb.528302$Ho3.89669@sccrnsc03...
I have been paddling a seakayak for about a year and have decided to
purchase a GPS (also to be used for biking and hiking). Most of my
current
paddling has been on the upper Mississippi River although I plan to expand
this in the next few years. I am current using the Upper Mississippi
River
Navigation Charts produced by the Corps of Engineers for trip planning and
navigation.

I would appreciate any advise, experiences, or links that you might have
to
offer. I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin Map76s and the Magellan
Meridian Platinum although I would welcome comment on any other models
that
you might have some experience with. I would also be interested in
opinions
of the Garmin maps vs. the Magellan maps and which might be most
appropriate
for these kinds of activities.

Thank you very much.

Jack

I have an Garmin Etrex Vista. Great little unit. Being much smaller than
the 76, it might be more suitable for biking. I use it with a RAM mount
which are much better than Garmin's. It also works great for kayaking.
You might also look at the Etrex Legend.

Jack Seppelt wrote:
I have been paddling a seakayak for about a year and have decided to
purchase a GPS (also to be used for biking and hiking). Most of my current
paddling has been on the upper Mississippi River although I plan to expand
this in the next few years. I am current using the Upper Mississippi River
Navigation Charts produced by the Corps of Engineers for trip planning and
navigation.

I would appreciate any advise, experiences, or links that you might have to
offer. I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin Map76s and the Magellan
Meridian Platinum although I would welcome comment on any other models that
you might have some experience with. I would also be interested in opinions
of the Garmin maps vs. the Magellan maps and which might be most appropriate
for these kinds of activities.

Thank you very much.

Jack

I use my Garmin GPSMap 76S for ultralight backpacking, backcountry
snowshoeing and sea kayaking and am very happy with it. It's packed
with features, very durable (broke my fall on granite but kept on
ticking!), reasonably light, floats and is waterproof - although I had
some water seep in through unseen cracks in the faceplate and Garmin
replaced the unit, after which I started using a waterproof case.

The maps supplied by GPS vendors are useless for backcountry use,
whether hiking or snowshoeing. I confirmed with Garmin that the USGS
only makes 1:100,000 maps available in a digital vector format, and
that's the scale of the maps Garmin and Magellan supply. You really
need 1:24,000 (7.5' quad resolution) in the backcountry.

I chart my routes using Topo! software and download waypoints to my
GPS, but do not use other GPS map features.
VB


lcopps wrote in message thlink.net...
I have an Garmin Etrex Vista. Great little unit. Being much smaller than
the 76, it might be more suitable for biking. I use it with a RAM mount
which are much better than Garmin's. It also works great for kayaking.
You might also look at the Etrex Legend.

Jack Seppelt wrote:
I have been paddling a seakayak for about a year and have decided to
purchase a GPS (also to be used for biking and hiking). Most of my current
paddling has been on the upper Mississippi River although I plan to expand
this in the next few years. I am current using the Upper Mississippi River
Navigation Charts produced by the Corps of Engineers for trip planning and
navigation.

I would appreciate any advise, experiences, or links that you might have to
offer. I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin Map76s and the Magellan
Meridian Platinum although I would welcome comment on any other models that
you might have some experience with. I would also be interested in opinions
of the Garmin maps vs. the Magellan maps and which might be most appropriate
for these kinds of activities.

Thank you very much.

Jack

I find Bluecharts helpful. They have depth soundings which could help in
the estuaries. Topo maps help in the marshes where you can get lost real
easy. However I find myself using Bluecharts to find a passage through
the shoals. I normally plot my most desired route on the PC then
download it. I use the speedometer often to get a feeling for the speed
of the currents, and how I do against them. I live near the Atlantic,
and the currents can have you standing still at times. You will never
know without a GPS, or when you realize you have not gone anywhere in a
while.

Vineet Buch wrote:

I use my Garmin GPSMap 76S for ultralight backpacking, backcountry
snowshoeing and sea kayaking and am very happy with it. It's packed
with features, very durable (broke my fall on granite but kept on
ticking!), reasonably light, floats and is waterproof - although I had
some water seep in through unseen cracks in the faceplate and Garmin
replaced the unit, after which I started using a waterproof case.

The maps supplied by GPS vendors are useless for backcountry use,
whether hiking or snowshoeing. I confirmed with Garmin that the USGS
only makes 1:100,000 maps available in a digital vector format, and
that's the scale of the maps Garmin and Magellan supply. You really
need 1:24,000 (7.5' quad resolution) in the backcountry.

I chart my routes using Topo! software and download waypoints to my
GPS, but do not use other GPS map features.
VB


lcopps wrote in message thlink.net...

I have an Garmin Etrex Vista. Great little unit. Being much smaller than
the 76, it might be more suitable for biking. I use it with a RAM mount
which are much better than Garmin's. It also works great for kayaking.
You might also look at the Etrex Legend.

Jack Seppelt wrote:

I have been paddling a seakayak for about a year and have decided to
purchase a GPS (also to be used for biking and hiking). Most of my current
paddling has been on the upper Mississippi River although I plan to expand
this in the next few years. I am current using the Upper Mississippi River
Navigation Charts produced by the Corps of Engineers for trip planning and
navigation.

I would appreciate any advise, experiences, or links that you might have to
offer. I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin Map76s and the Magellan
Meridian Platinum although I would welcome comment on any other models that
you might have some experience with. I would also be interested in opinions
of the Garmin maps vs. the Magellan maps and which might be most appropriate
for these kinds of activities.

Thank you very much.

Jack

I have used the Garmin GPSmap 76S for about a year and a half.
Great unit. It was designed as a marine use hand held. But I use it
for everything from driving to flying gliders. I am sure it will serve
me well in my new kayak. Also Gamin has been very good about supplying
firmware updates from there web-site support downloads page. when I
first started using the 76S
the firmware was version 2.0, I just installed firmware version 3.50
the other night. another thing that Garmin did for the 76s through the
firmware was to
upgrade the track log points from 2048 to 10,000 points. This was a
big plus to me as a soaring pilot for I convert the track log from the
76s with a program called GPSDump to a .igc file which I load into a
program call SeeYou, which lays the track log onto a 2 and 3D maps.
The 3D map even has a animation mode.
the increase to 10,000 point track log lets me set a most often
interval track line through the track log properties of the 76s which
draws a finer resolution line on the maps when loaded into the SeeYou
software. When I kayak through the Everglades this Christmas I will be
recording my track log for this very reason.
In my opinion The Garmin GPSmap 76S is one of the finest handheld GPS
devices you can find on the market.

Best Regards,
Carl

I take my Magellan SporTrak Pro Marine with me kayaking and like it a lot,
but a word of warning: contrary to what the manufacturer says, it is NOT
waterproof. I was practicing rolls in salt water (the battery compartment
was tightly closed), and about half an hour later the unit went crazy and
would display just crazy lines or nothing at all. I sent it to Magellan and
they sent me a brand new replacement no charge. I now use it only in a bag
and it has behaved flawlessly.

Jack

"Carl Buehler" wrote in message
m...
I have used the Garmin GPSmap 76S for about a year and a half.
Great unit. It was designed as a marine use hand held. But I use it
for everything from driving to flying gliders. I am sure it will serve
me well in my new kayak. Also Gamin has been very good about supplying
firmware updates from there web-site support downloads page. when I
first started using the 76S
the firmware was version 2.0, I just installed firmware version 3.50
the other night. another thing that Garmin did for the 76s through the
firmware was to
upgrade the track log points from 2048 to 10,000 points. This was a
big plus to me as a soaring pilot for I convert the track log from the
76s with a program called GPSDump to a .igc file which I load into a
program call SeeYou, which lays the track log onto a 2 and 3D maps.
The 3D map even has a animation mode.
the increase to 10,000 point track log lets me set a most often
interval track line through the track log properties of the 76s which
draws a finer resolution line on the maps when loaded into the SeeYou
software. When I kayak through the Everglades this Christmas I will be
recording my track log for this very reason.
In my opinion The Garmin GPSmap 76S is one of the finest handheld GPS
devices you can find on the market.

Best Regards,
Carl

My Etrex Vista spent 30 minutes under water when I flipped my Klepper
when it was rigged for sailing.

Jack Fu wrote:
I take my Magellan SporTrak Pro Marine with me kayaking and like it a lot,
but a word of warning: contrary to what the manufacturer says, it is NOT
waterproof. I was practicing rolls in salt water (the battery compartment
was tightly closed), and about half an hour later the unit went crazy and
would display just crazy lines or nothing at all. I sent it to Magellan and
they sent me a brand new replacement no charge. I now use it only in a bag
and it has behaved flawlessly.

Jack

"Carl Buehler" wrote in message
m...

I have used the Garmin GPSmap 76S for about a year and a half.
Great unit. It was designed as a marine use hand held. But I use it
for everything from driving to flying gliders. I am sure it will serve
me well in my new kayak. Also Gamin has been very good about supplying
firmware updates from there web-site support downloads page. when I
first started using the 76S
the firmware was version 2.0, I just installed firmware version 3.50
the other night. another thing that Garmin did for the 76s through the
firmware was to
upgrade the track log points from 2048 to 10,000 points. This was a
big plus to me as a soaring pilot for I convert the track log from the
76s with a program called GPSDump to a .igc file which I load into a
program call SeeYou, which lays the track log onto a 2 and 3D maps.
The 3D map even has a animation mode.
the increase to 10,000 point track log lets me set a most often
interval track line through the track log properties of the 76s which
draws a finer resolution line on the maps when loaded into the SeeYou
software. When I kayak through the Everglades this Christmas I will be
recording my track log for this very reason.
In my opinion The Garmin GPSmap 76S is one of the finest handheld GPS
devices you can find on the market.

Best Regards,
Carl