[BARC-List] RE: GPS phone and street guide?

[David P. Goncalves]

> Don't forget, you can get a bottom-of-the-line Garmin eTrex GPS for $99
> (but my experience with the eTrex line is that their weak-signal reception
> is poor, probably 'cause they have a dinky internal "patch" antenna).
> Seems to work when placed on my dashboard, however, and the NMEA serial
> interface is intelligible to most PC-based mapping programs.

Maybe I'm a little baised after using a single channel Garmin GPS-38 for
so long and not having used an amplified external antenna type of GPS
reciever. But, I feel my experience may help.

My experience with the eTrex ($100 @ REI) has been nothing but wonderful.
I've been using it in an automotive application, and have done some work
to find out what it takes to lose signal.

-Works inside buildings if it can see enough (4) satellites out the
 window, usually a couple feet from that window.
-Works under trees
-Works in cars, near windows and on dash
-Fast aquisition of position
-24 hours on 2 AAs
-Actual-Pocket size

The GPS-38 could not do the first 4 above, which I would call poor weak
signal detection; you could see the signal bars drop and flutter while
walking under trees.  That patch antenna on the eTrex may be dinky, but it takes some work to get in a
position where you can't get a 'position'.

What are the negatives? $100 will get you position, waypoints
and route navigation, but no maps. The eTrex named models have maps,
coming at an increased cost.

There is a model called the Geko, which I have not tried. It costs the
same as the eTrex, is a little smaller, but it does not have a serial
port on it. REI has a nice GPS comparison card for the Garmin handheld
types, this is free at any store.

The interface cable is >35 dollars, and takes a bit of work to homebrew,
as you have to make some copper/brass contact fingers. There are the usual
communication formats inlcuded; also has a plain text output listing the
time, position and some other data.

Dave Goncalves
W1EUJ