Garmin gps

[Hunterwoz]

Just recently ordered a Oregon 650t gps for use while hiking and fly fishing. Anybody have any experience using these for fishing, marking holes or parking spots? Any advice in using one, this will be my first handheld gps. Figured it is a good idea to have one when hiking the hills for brookies.

 

[PennKev]

No experience with that model, but I've found GPS to be far more useful for hunting than fishing. I mean, if your on a stream you got two directions to go, upstream and downstream. You can have some fun recording your tracks and place marks then loading them in Google earth though, and occasionally you may park far enough away from the stream that a GPS will simplify finding your way back to the vehicle.
GPS is far more useful on lakes in conjunction with depth finders, but many of the newer systems have good built in GPS functions already. If you are using a smaller kayak, canoe, Jon boat, etc, a GPS is useful for finding your way to spots you know hold fish.
I've found the most useful function on GPS to be the track recording feature. Just start a new track on the walk in, and then follow it back out when you leave. But again, I usually don't carry a GPS while fishing. Also, most smart phones have adequate GPS function complete with satellite images.

Kev

 

[salmonoid]

I abandoned a dedicated GPS in favor of using my smartphone, since the resolution and features on that are good enough and there are a number of mapping apps available. Not sure what specific experience you are looking at, but generally, a GPS is good for the things you have listed

I log the path I take hiking to a stream and while fishing (mostly so I know how long of a hike out I have), and will drop a waypoint for an access location or for a nice hole. A GPS of any variety is useless without battery, so don't be too dependent on it to stay found. For my phone, I usually use an extended runtime battery (about 3X the watt-hours of the OEM) and that easily lasts me for two-three days in the woods. If going longer, or using the OEM battery, I'll often throw in a USB battery pack to recharge the battery or as a backup. I assume the same would be possible for a Garmin GPS. Make sure you get a feel for battery life. The one handheld GPS I owned was a Delorme and I knew roughly how long a set of batteries would last. I initially bought a Brunton USB power back to charge the rechargeables in the Delorme but discovered in the woods that it didn't have enough juice to recharge anything. I later bought a CabBat (aftermarket Li-ion battery) for the Delorme, and it had great battery life, but it suffered from discharge issues.

I load either USGS topos or satellite imagery to my phone for a region I'll be fishing in. You can buy map subscriptions from Garmin, or find free stuff at https://www.gpsfiledepot.com.

 

[pcray1231]

The problem with cellphone based GPS is that you need cell phone service, which is seldom available in streambottoms.

IMO, they are useful, but the GPS unit itself is only half the battle. Without mapping, or with the cheapo base maps that typically come with, you can mark the car and they'll get you back there, but that's about as far as it goes. For hunting, you can also mark everyone's stands and have it take you right there. Your unit says it comes with 100k topo basemap, which is better than most and ok for basic stuff, but it's still not going to be very detailed like a 24k or something like that. You might be able to see roads and that you're on a hill but not gonna see small streams, draws, and the like in much detail.

But aside from simply getting where you want to go, a GPS can give you lots of info, the same as regular old maps can. But you need to load it with a real topo map for that. And all of them go for about $100 aftermarket. IMO, kind of a hidden cost of using GPS.

If you do get a package, all of the topo maps are decent, including Garmin's own proprietary one. But in PA, I highly recommend the onXmaps Hunt Premium. Give's property boundaries and landowner names. That is incredibly useful in many situations, both hunting and fishing.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/onXmaps-HUNT-Premium-for-GPS/1362305.uts

 

[salmonoid]

pcray1231 wrote:
The problem with cellphone based GPS is that you need cell phone service, which is seldom available in streambottoms.

?? GPS has nothing to do with cell service. I generally fish where there is no cell service. And if there, is, I put my phone in airplane mode, so I won't be distracted by work or the outside world.

 

[pcray1231]

right, and gps still works. On a blank white background. To load the maps you need to download data.

 

[UncleShorty]

Oops, no cell service needed with GPS enabled phone.

But one would be foolish to rely exclusively on an electronic device.

I take a magnetic compass and a paper map as a back up when I go afield.

 

[pcray1231]

If it's a matter of life or death, I would too. And understanding a compass and being able to navigate by north, south, east and west is a skill that should not be lost on the next generation.

Generally, though, the GPS isn't life or death, it's convenience. i.e. I could get back to the car if I had to, but the GPS shows me the exact direction so I can take the quickest route. Or just having the topo map with you to know that if I go a little further, I'm going to come on a steep section with narrow walls, and hey, per the satellite image, it looks like the rhodo loosens up a bit up ahead. Or when you come across that posted section, being able to determine where his property boundaries are and the easiest and quickest way around. Plus it's a clock, and records how fast I've been walking in this terrain, and that I'm exactly 1.7 miles from the vehicle, so I can figure out how long it'll take me to get out of here.

In other words, for what I use a GPS for is a different purpose than what the compass and paper are capable of doing.

And provided you have relatively new batteries, a handheld GPS has never actually let me down. You can dunk them, toss them off trees, etc. They just work. I suppose you could drop it and lose it, but you could do that with a compass as well.

 

[salmonoid]

pcray1231 wrote:
right, and gps still works. On a blank white background. To load the maps you need to download data.

The same can be said for handheld GPS units. You generally get a basemap. And if you want topo or satellite imagery, you pay for it and download it to the GPS ahead of time. Otherwise you've got a nice gray background basemap, with maybe the major roads on it. OP will get a 1:100000 topo basemap since he bought the "t" model from Garmin, but that is still not all that useful.

I spruce up my white blank background on my phone with USGS topo tiles. They look quite nice in streambottoms, where there is no cell service

https://www2.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/access/summer_2013/article-1.html

I use Oruxmaps. Works well if online (access to data) or offline (use MOBAC to cut the tiles from your preferred map source). Presumably, one could also use MOBAC to produce their own maps for Garmin units that support KMZ formats, of which the Oregon appears to be one.

All a handheld GPS amounts to is a specialized computer that provides a few specific capabilities relating to mapping and location finding. A smartphone is a generalized computer that can be made to do specific things, with the addition of an app or two (i.e. you can make your smartphone a full-featured offline GPS by installing an app but there is nothing you add to your handheld GPS that will make it a smartphone - it's just a handheld GPS).

 

[Stimey]

do you guys that use GPS on your phones actually get signal in deep woods? I'm not referring to cell signal but rather actual signal and connection to the GPS satellites? I would think the internal antenna (or what ever a cell phone uses) would not be very powerful

I have a Garmin Map 62st that I really like. easy to use and picks up GPS signal even in deep heavy cover. I know you only need 3 satellites to get a position but it can pick up many more and I believe this helps with accuracy.

 

[pcray1231]

The same can be said for handheld GPS units. You generally get a basemap. And if you want topo or satellite imagery, you pay for it and download it to the GPS ahead of time.

Right, but that "download" usually covers the entire state or even region or USA, depending on the brand of software, and has full detail in all of them.

i.e. you buy the handheld and the topo software, which comes on an SD card that you put in the back of the unit. That unit now has all the maps that you'll ever need at full detail without ever again giving it a data source. It's all on that SD card inside it. Some used to be on CD-ROM, and you'd hook the unit to the computer and download it to it's internal memory. Still, you do it ONCE and your done. Forever. No need to do it for each trip.

Agreed, OP's basemap is better than most, but still not all that useful at the resolution it's at. But he could easily buy 24k for the entire USA that would be much more useful. Or, as I recommended the onxmaps HUNT Premium. That would come with 24k topo and full landowner info on an SD card for the entire state of PA. The downfall is that if he wanted to go to Montana, he'd need to buy another card for that state, whereas other 24k topo packages come with the entire US on one card at the same price, just no landowner info, which apparently must take a lot of space.

I don't deny that the handheld GPS units are a lot of money for what they do over top of a cell phone or even a compass and paper maps. But I find them advantageous because a cell phone or paper system requires a lot of extra work PER trip. i.e. ahead of time you have to buy, print or download everything you need for the specific region you expect to be in. But with the handheld units, you don't gotta plan quite as much. You can drop me just about anywhere, without data service, and I'll have all the maps I need at the tip of my finger.

If you tell me that avoiding that preparation work isn't worth the $400 that your going to get into with a unit + topo software, I'll fully understand and even agree with you. But don't try to say that it offers nothing over top of a phone based system. Better satellite reception, better maps, and you never have to deal with downloading maps for various areas, you have it all in there already. Take the unit and a spare set of batteries and you're set.

 

[PAgeologist]

I have a personal 450 and also a 550 for work. I use both extensively. They are also fairly user friendly. Unlike most cell phone touch screens, they work off of pressure, so you can use a stick or pencil/pen to type and navigate with.

I would recommend you get the 24k topo package rather than deal with the one that comes with it (assuming that its the 100k topo).

One important thing to keep in mind, if you are going to rely on your GPS to get back to your car, make sure you keep an extra set or 2 of batteries with you. They tend to drain batteries fairly fast, especially in colder weather and also if your under heavy canopy.

 

[pcray1231]

do you guys that use GPS on your phones actually get signal in deep woods? I'm not referring to cell signal but rather actual signal and connection to the GPS satellites? I would think the internal antenna (or what ever a cell phone uses) would not be very powerful.

On my phone, not typically, or at least it's spotty, although it's not terrible when the leaves are off the trees. On my handheld, absolutely. Heavy cover, beside cliffs, wherever. I have an old Magellan unit. It works but it's a little clunky and slow. 15 years old now. But been eying the 64st actually. My family all have 60 series units now and they are awesome.

 

[Aducker]

I have a garmin etrex 30. Love it. It is great for hiking and marking fly fishing spots, etc.
I found a website that you can download free maps for it instead of buying the maps from garmin. I will post it later when I get home.

 

[Hunterwoz]

That would be great aducker. And I appreciate all the advice. It sounds like I will have to get an upgraded map. I am excited to use it and get lost.

 

[Aducker]

This is where I go for maps for my Garmen now:
www.gpsfiledepot.com

I was buying maps from garmin for $50 each but then stumbled onto this website. There's a lot of info on the site to read thru and a forum which answer all my questions very well.

I should also mention, you don't have to have a GPS device for these maps if all you want to do is make your own maps and make indications while using your PC. There's a map tool I think it's called "base camp" that you can install on your PC then download the map file and use it to make maps.

I use the basecamp program as a way of managing my waypoints on my Garmin device. I make the waypoints on the device and edit their names on my pc and re load back onto the device. Sometimes I make marks on the PC map and it will show up on my Garmin device.

It's pretty simple stuff to use once you figure it out.

 

[sandfly]

garmin will work with delormes topo and street maps (CD) you can add all kinds of stuff to maps. I mark fish, water falls, holes and such. garmin bought delorme this year and should have some nice stuff coming out soon for mapping.

 

[pcray1231]

This isn't to pass judgement on the maps aducker showed. I don't have experience with them.

But for Hunterwoz. You bought a really good unit. There are good maps and bad maps out there. I advise you to do the research and load it with good maps. Otherwise it's like having a Ferrari but putting a Prius engine in it. In the world of GPS, the mapping choices are generally more important than the unit itself (they all tell you where you are on whatever map you load). And what's beneficial for one person may not be the same as someone else. What do you value?

Convenience of a map that covers everywhere so you don't have to load new maps for everywhere you go?

Interactivity with a computer to plot out tracks, elevation changes, etc?

High resolution topo function? (even many of the 24k ones are actually "smoothed" to take up less disk space and thus cover a larger area. The ones that cover less area are typically more accurate)

Satellite images?

Roads? Trails?

Property boundaries and landowner info?

 

[k-bob]

I have brookie-fished with a gps. I definitely agree that you need detailed topo maps to use any gps for fishing. a few thoughts on how a gps might be used once you have a detailed map.

1) w/ a detailed topo, you can approach parts of a remote stream that might fish better - steeper stretches or bendy ones - more effectively.

2) spend some time getting used to using the gps. of course dont rely on it to get out... study the area, keep track of your movements, have paper map and compass. remember you can always lose the gps or it can stop working for various reasons.

3) by using some very detailed satellite image maps, such as ones you might find on the website pasda, you can find old logging roads that aren't on any map. have to spend some time with that website. then by changing the basemap below a detailed satellite image on pasda when it "previews" a sat image, pasda will display the gps coordinates of the cursor at lower right. move cursor along the old road, enter manually or "cut and paste enter" the gps coords into the gps (for ex., using "mark waypoint" option on a garmin menu). can probably do this with symbols for a trail or road, X symbols for trail intersections, etc. then you have old roads or grades that aren't on any map on your "in the field" map. decent sized trails might be seen in a leaf-off satellite image as well. if this takes a while, be patient... you may have to change the format of the coordinates on your gps to the format that pasda displays, for example. have to get used to the process of entering and saving waypoints, also.

here is a sample satellite image map to get NEPA road or trail info:

http://maps.psiee.psu.edu/preview/map.ashx?layer=1323

(looking at a cool remote beaver pond right now!)

more of the state:

http://maps.psiee.psu.edu/preview/map.ashx?layer=77


3) same as point 2, using the digital contour "lidar"/ radar maps on pasda, which show detailed 3d land contour model images... these are great for finding the old unmapped logging roads and grades that often exist near remote PA mountain streams. again, enter the coords of old roads or grades on to your gps as waypoints w/ road or trail symbols.

sample 3d land contour map:

http://maps.psiee.psu.edu/preview/map.ashx?layer=1247


I like spending time with maps planning trips, so take it fwiw,,,

 

[pcray1231]

Yeah, that's basically it.

Any gps, even without any map at all, you can mark a spot (waypoint). And then nomatter where you are it'll take you back there. Direct route. They all do that.

The 100k basemaps don't do much beyond that, really. Gives you major roads to orient you a little. Shows larger hills/mountains, also just to orient you.

But a detailed topo allows you to see how high up the slope you are, how far from that little flat you remember, how steep it is up ahead, to see shallow draws and the like and go to them, shows small streams, etc.

Satellite imagery often allows you to pick out pine stands, determine rhodo boundaries, etc. Even as k-bob said, small logging roads and the like. When hunting, you found this stand and you can see that you're 200 yards from the ridge, 150 yards from that logging path, etc.

And I think the landowner info is incredibly valuable. Not just to know who to ask permission from if you want to go on someone's private land. But if it is posted, to determine the quickest way around that property, and make sure you stay off of it. To determine from what direction guys are likely to be coming from.

For hunting, I also use it to determine distances. i.e. if I pick a stand, I stick an orange hat on it and then walk around that stand and mentally mark objects. This rock is 100 yards from my stand. This big stump is 200 yards. The edge of that clearcut is 300 yards. etc. I'm a terrible judge of distance normally and when shooting, that information helps.