View Full Version : thinking of buying a GPS receiver
Tubbs
17th Apr 2004, 17:49
I'm looking for a recommendation for a GPS unit with a map display in the price range up to £300. I have a friend in the states who would buy one for me and bring it back - are they cheaper in the US?
thanks
windy1
17th Apr 2004, 19:33
Tubbs
I'm not an expert but do take care. A mate tried to flog his Garmin 196 bought in the States, but it seems the embedded "base map" was unsuited to Europe and cannot be changed/upgraded.
seacue
17th Apr 2004, 22:55
I understand the cheaper ones don't have enough standard memory to accept useful-size maps unless you buy additional memory.
One you might consider is the Garmin iQUE 3600 which is a PDA and GPS combined. I've Googled and found it listed for under US$600 including 256 megabyte SD memory card.
This surely includes the USA map data, which won't be of much use to you. That would be a major problem when buying in the States for use in Europe.
The Garmin V is another possibility. Get plenty of memory. Again a question of getting a European database if buying in the USA. It's in their triagular cross-section, which I find very handy on a car's dashboard. Forget the mounting bracket - use Velcro. I had a Garmin II+ in the same shape, but it went when I sold the boat.
Realize that internal batteries get eaten pretty fast in the fancier models. You'll want an external power arrangement.
Two good noncommercial sites:
http://www.gpsinformation.net/
http://www.edu-observatory.org/gps/gps.html
sc
Onan the Clumsy
18th Apr 2004, 02:33
You want it for flying or for driving?
None of the above
18th Apr 2004, 10:01
A couple of news groups may assist.......
alt . satellite . gps
and
sci . geo . satellite-nav
N o t a
Tubbs
18th Apr 2004, 13:53
Thanks for the info - I need it for flying in UK
None of the above
18th Apr 2004, 18:02
This site gives a good overview of the advantages/disadvantages
of buying GPS equipment in the US for use elsewhere:
http://gpsinformation.net/usagpsoverseas.htm
Daysleeper
21st Apr 2004, 07:36
At the moment the price differential us-uk is huge. I'm looking at a hillwalking GPS that is £160 in the UK and £78 in the US. Crazy. If its a big unit the price difference would pay for a day trip to New York to buy it!