Not quite cutting edge GPS, but darn good deal (I think)

http://www.gpsw.co.uk/details/prod3167.html

Refurb'd Street Pilot III GPS with power cable, motorcycle mount, car
mount and City Navigator software along with some other stuff.

£150.

That's quite a good deal I think.

 

I'd entered all my card details, then was *just* about to click to buy
it, when I realised that, although it's a cracking unit, the mapping is
out of date and 128mb isn't really enough memory for a Garmin unit -
you'd have to selectively pick the detailed maps you want to download.
(Not to mention the criminal cost of Garmin data cards).

I think I'll stick with TomTom and spend my money on a decent case and
mounting kit for my PDA.

 

Proper GPS, sensible money.

 

SteveH scribbled on the back of a napkin:

AFAIK (these things have been discussed on ukgser recently) these are
refurbished units. No idea if the usual Garmin customer service of
'latest maps for free the first time round' applies to these but it may
well. Even then the yearly Garmin tax isn't exactly excessive...

A quick google suggests that 128MB is the max size card this can take,
plus it seems to receive the mapping data by *shudder* a serial cable.

ISTR that you can get 2610s for 300-something quid somewhere and they
are the far better unit. Plus they take bog-standard CF cards for map
storage. Still takes ages to download the map data (this time via USB)
but hey...

 

Good point, I'd forgotten the cost of Garmin memory cards. £140 for 256
megs is a touch pricey...

 

Surely if it's a standard card they can be written to using a USB2 card
reader?

 

My Garmin has led me down roads that really needed a 4x4 four times.

Once just down the road on the outskirts of Cheltenham, twice in one
journey in Nottinghamshire and only once in France, and with the one in
France was where a road had been recently closed off.

Without it, I've been lost a lot more than 4 times!

 

No.

You need mapsource to build a map for your GPS, which mapsource does
once the GPS is connected via the USB cable, then it downloads it.

It would be great to do it via a USB2 reader, but there's nothing wrong
with wandering downstairs to get a coffee while it downloads is there?

I've got a 1Gb card with all of the UK and most of France and Spain on
so I don't have to go for coffee very often

 

I have an SP3. Had it for >4 years and Very happy.

You can program the maps into the datacard, which incidentally, comes in
various sizes up to 256 Mb, through the USB cradle that comes with the
beast. Routes, waypoints etc does have to be sent via the serial port to the
unit. Maps are only stored on the datacard.
This unit IS waterproof, and great on the bike. It _eats_ batteries, so make
sure you set up a 12v supply for it!.

If there is any questions I can answer for you then drop me a line or post
here.

HATH.

--
Greybeard

FLHRCI -01 UK ( 95 cu-in Stag 2. Big Boy!)
Trumpet Trophy 1200 -96, (The Barge) for rainy days

ukrm@foxtails[dot]co[dot]uk


*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

 

Heh - I've had a GPS since 2001 - still have it in fact - early model
grayscale E-Trex Vista. No routing, serial connection, low memory.
Still works though.

Simian can relate a tale of the day we came back from Snetterton via
some gravel strewn tracks thanks to the GPS - him on a 7R ,me on the
GSX-R.

 

Have a squint on ebay. I got mine for less than 60 squid!

128 covers a good junk of southern England, with fantastic POI info.

--
Greybeard

FLHRCI -01 UK ( 95 cu-in Stg 2. Big Boy!)
Trumpet Trophy 1200 -96, (The Barge) for rainy days

ukrm@foxtails[dot]co[dot]uk


*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

 

Not much use if you're planning on using it abroad, though. I was very
tempted 'cos we're doing a long trip to Spain and Portugal in October -
but the Garmin just couldn't hold enough map data to make it worth
having over a PDA with TomTom.

 

(SteveH) wrote in :

Unfortunately there's absolutely nothing standard about Garmin's
(insanely expensive) memorycards and they will fit nothing but Garmin-
products.

The only possible way of transporting data is therefore the dreaded
serial connection and (owning an ancient eMap) I can confirm that it is
indeed *VERY* slow!

GPS-Warehouse does have a USB-cable that for power/data, but this is just
a convenient way of connecting (and charging at the same time!) a slow
serial device (which the navigator of course still is!) to a modern
computer, some of which are without the classic serial connector...


/claus (who just bought a Garmin Quest and is absolutely thrilled)

 

(SteveH) wrote in :

Ooops! Didn't see the "USB Data Card Programmer" - which presumably will
speed things up considerably..!? :-/

/claus

 

Aye, I've had an eMap for years. Still gets a fair bit of use as some of
the mapping detail is superb, *if* you plan in advance where you're
going.

 

Paging Big Tony.

 

Are you out of work at the moment?

 

I've had both the SP3 and the 2610 and this sort of thing can happen. By the recent newspaper articles it seems it can affect all GPS units.

When I had the SP3 I thought it was the dogs danglies but the speed of redrawing alone makes the 2610 worthwhile. When on the bike, invariably at higher average speeds, the SP3 can have trouble recalculating if the new turnoff is close to the one you have missed (you miss the turnoff as the unit hasn't calculated the error quick enough).

I know you can slow down BUT you need to realise that sometimes you can be going straight ahead on a road that the GPS has told you to go down and then it may tell you that you are of route. At these times the 2610 is streets ahead (excuse the pun).

Of course the other big difference is the touch screen which can be operated with gloves on............

Considering the OP's post I suppose it's a question of whether you can accept the lower speeds and no touch screen but probably save £200 on price.

Mark

 

It's not the GPS. It's the maps.

There are only a limited number of suppliers of mapping information
(and some of them buy from each other ) so an error somewhere is
likely to appear on almost every GPS unit.

 

Well my E-Trex Vista has less than 128, also uses the serial cable and
is perfectly usable - it just takes a bit longer to do, but isn't
exactly tough.

£300 is still 2x £150 and you wouldn't get the the other stuff.

I'm not saying you SHOULD buy it, but that unit was cutting edge only a
few years ago and for that price I think it's still a good buy - 128mb,
serial and all.

The only reason I'm not buying one is that I need the £150 for
something else and I already have a Vista