Anyone interesed in getting a GPS, should really consider the Garmin Rhino series. My 120 is an awesome unit, and I have yet to be dissappointed by it. Yeah, the basemap isn't the greatest but if you turn it on whenever you go somewhere you really make your own map. Then it has room for 500 waypoints so all the places you go often can be marked. Then to top it all off, its got a radio built in. How convienent is that for wheel'n?? You can keep track of all the trails and also talk to everyone in the group all in one unit. Plus it has the GMRS capability for 5 mile range. And for all you guys that like to get wet... its waterproof. I read someone's rating thing on amazon that actually left his in the washing machine and it worked perfectly! I'm just trying to get one of you guys to get one because you can do location reporting where you can track other users that have rhinos. So I need someone else to get one!! I think I have talked Steve into getting one, but the more the marrier! Let me know if your interested and I'll tell you where the best deals are.

http://www.garmin.com/products/rino120/

 

Note that the 5 mile range for the GMRS radio is highly optimistic. I couldn't find the ERP (effective radiated power) spec for the Rhino 120 GMRS but I assume that it is 1 watt. Using 1 watt Motorola GMRS radios I have found the maximum range in the open desert to be 3 miles. To get a range of 5 miles you have to be talking, line of sight, between two points on opposite mountain sides with a valley in between or perhaps between two boats. Trees, hills etc. between the two radios will cut the range down to even less than 3 miles.

Still, I have been using the GMRS radios, they are effective for talking between the trucks in a caravan or people in a group of hikers. For truck use I prefer my GPS and GMRS to be separate devices since the GPS needs to be mounted on the dash where it can "see" the sky.

 

yeah, thats true... about seeing the sky... espically since the rhino doesn't have an external antenna hook-up but it seems to do ok the way I have it now on the drivers "oh s**t handle" If it annoys me enough I'm going to get a hands free thing for it so it will basicly be like a CB and then I have my laptop for mapping and I can just leave it on the dash up in the window where it has te best "view".

 

I'm getting one, but I'm new to it, so I'm not sure which one yet. Have you guys ever done the geocaching thing? That seems pretty cool...

 

There are other good threads here about GPS, search on words like Garmin, Magellan and GPS.
Here are a few:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/garmin-gps-v-29617/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f97/new-toy-finally-ordered-gps-unit-28554/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/gps-27786/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f97/what-gps-unit-do-you-have-24798/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/gps-mapping-software-anyone-use-23546/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/mounting-gps-4runner-22584/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f5/gps-question-19882/
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/magellan-sporttrak-map-mapsend-topo-cd-30608/

 

I love my garmin... and if you need a frs radio then I would really recomend the rhino 120.

They really have done their homework on sreamlining their onboard software. Yeah, the maps are pretty pricey but I think thats the case throughout. My biggest gripe is the serial cable... who fell asleep on that one??

 

If I get one, I'll probably not get one w/ the radio feature and get one w/ better mapping b/c I already have a cb...

 

Mine has as good a base map as any non-street based unit. Then you add in the better maps (like the rest of them). but I was just putting my vote in for the garmin as a brand. Their software kicks arse.