MCN recently had a comparison/evaluation of several GPS's. I have a Garmin
III Plus and like it very much. It is smaller and easier to mount than the
Street Pilot -- another popular GPS in the long distance riding community.
The basic map doesn't show all of the secondary roads that you probably
ride, but you can download more regional detail from a CD that is available.
If you are relying on the GPS for accurate road mile planning, the Street
Pilot or eMAP are better. They calculate waypoint to waypoint mileage in
road miles, while the III + calculates in line-of-site miles, so your ETA
will be inaccurate with the III+.
One feature that I like about the III+ that I don't believe the others have
is a voltage read out. Since I've loaded my electrical system with a lot of
extra "stuff", it's nice to be able to monitor when I'm approaching the
threshold of running an electrical deficit.
I find it to be handy while night riding for anticipating upcoming junctions
in the road, especially when in unfamiliar territory. The screen is backlit
and the brightness can be adjusted to a comfortable level. By zooming the
screen in or out, you can reference where you are relative to where you want
to be (towns, other hiways, etc.)
Much of the time, I find the GPS to be an entertaining toy, but there are
times that it is an invaluable tool. I have it hardwired to my Super Hawk
as well as the GTS's, cause I don't like to leave town without it.
If you shop a little on the internet, you can find some reasonable prices.
Hope this helped a bit. If you have anymore specific questions, ask away.
I know there a several of on this list that have the things.
Roger
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Weaver <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tuesday, July 04, 00 7:14 AM
Subject: GPS opinions
>Hey all,
>
>I'm considering a GPS system for the bike with moving map display. The
>Garmin line looks real nice, but they are expensive. Opinions on GPS
>systems? What's good, what's not? Esp. for people on a budget.
>
>Take care,
>Mike
>
>Michael Weaver (706)542-6468 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>UCNS Network Specialist LAN Support Group
>University of Georgia, Athens Ga. )O(
>Public PGP key: http://www.arches.uga.edu/~weaver/pgp.html
>
