GPS first showed up at my house
in 1997. It was packaged with an earlier version of
Street Atlas from Delorme Mapping of Yarmouth, ME. Back
then I just wanted a device that would locate my position
with reasonable accuracy as I moved around the country with
the mapping software showing my tracks. In my early GPS
days, having a mobile mapping system in a vehicle was a very
rare occurrence because not many vehicle-mapping systems were
made, and those that were available, suffered from very
limited map displays. With Delorme’s Street Atlas and
a GPS running as we traveled around, we could instantly see
where we were, and the mapping software would announce which
turn to take over the van’s stereo speakers.
From those early days
with Delorme maps, which still arrive here annually, GPS
navigation has evolved into a much larger role in my
vehicles. Gone are the days when my laptop would be
running off a power inverter in my van so an active mapping
system would be available. In its place, in a new
Odyssey van, is an Alpine mapping system installed in the
dashboard of my Honda. On long trips, one of my Garmin
StreetPilot GPS systems is usually mounted on top of the
dashboard to supplement the limited Honda system, and to feed
my APRS beacons.
While I enjoy the
Odyssey’s navigation system, its performance doesn’t
match the usefulness of Garmin’s latest StreetPilot III
Plus GPS. Honda’s in-dash installation for populated
areas is great for getting places without a lot of wrong
turns and request for help, but it doesn’t have much in the
way of services such as gas, food, lodging or emergency
services. It also isn’t good at helping you
understand which route to the nearest gas station would be
best. and doesn’t have all the major roads in many places
like upper Idaho or western Montana. These details are
where Garmin’s StreetPilot III Plus units shine in
full-color, and with phone numbers to check if they are open.
Garmin joined the list of GPS
devices here in 1999 when they introduced their first
StreetPilot unit. Back then, color wasn’t an option
and the need for street level detail was limited to narrow
geographic areas because the size of memory cards to store
the street level details were limited to 16MB.
Those early small memory cards didn’t store much, but they
were easily programmed if you carried a laptop, CD and USB
programmer along with you as you traveled.
My need for a Garmin
became strong in early November of 1999 when my plans to move
up into the world of GoldWings became serious. After
decades of riding “standards” loaded with luggage, it was
time to get an easier touring motorcycle. Along with
the GoldWing came space to add APRS, and thus the need for a
GPS. A GPS probably would have appeared on my GoldWing
even without APRS, because I enjoyed the idea of having an
active vehicle navigation system when I travel.
Adding to the
usefulness of vehicle navigation came event route
waypoints. Our local Bay Area chapter of MARC is now
supporting 8-charity events each year. Each event is in
a different location with multiple routes and some routes
change each year. In the days before I learned how to
use the GPS to help me work the route, I was often making the
wrong turn on a new section of the route when I would work it
backwards. After you accumulate enough wrong turns
going backwards, you learn the route, but with the GPS
showing each turn and rest stop clearly on the display, my
wrong turn, and subsequent u-turns, have gone way down.
There are a lot of other
useful areas for GPS, but when it comes to traveling with a
paper map or a moving map, I’ve become addicted to the
moving kind and think on-board navigation systems will begin
appearing more often as their cost and technology matures.
Which unit
to buy?
This is about as hard to describe as which motorcycle to
ride. For those who like GoldWings, nothing comes
close. For those who like Harleys, nothing
compares. For those who like BMWs, their decision is
easy. In my case, I like GoldWings so that is my
choice. I also like my new StreetPilot III Plus and
that is my recommendation if you don’t have a unit already.
While I like the new
unit best, I often have the older StreetPilot on the
motorcycle. Sometimes the older unit is there because
the bride is using the newer unit for her travels. The
newer unit tells her where to go, which is something I’ve
never really mastered in the 40+ years I’ve been with
her. Other times it is there because it is still a very
useful navigation system for most of my Bay Area travels.
This brings up the
point that most of the recent Garmin units can work
well. All the recent units have a base set of maps that
do a good job of showing all the major roads. Garmin’s
GPS III+ unit even has exit numbers and a lot of memory for
routing and waypoints. It also allows you to load a
small number of maps from Garmin’s Road & Recreation
map collection. It doesn’t have removable memory
modules so you cannot pre-store maps for a long trip, which
keeps the unit from being a serious contender for me.
Garmin’s first street
level system was the StreetPilot. That unit has
removable memory modules you can load with Garmin’s
MetroGuide collection of maps. In the first
StreetPilot, you can load up to 50-map areas. If you
load maps from the earlier version of MetroGuide, which means
you can load all the maps of Washington, Oregon, California,
half of New Mexico and a major portion of western Texas into
a 128MB module. Translating that sentence means, you’ll
have all the streets of all the towns in all those states
along with a lot of services and phone numbers. A handy
proposition to be in when you’re out roaming and need a
change of plans.
StreetPilot Colormap
was Garmin’s second street level GPS offering and it doesn’t
have the 50-map limit. It also has a color display that
is slightly smaller than the black & white StreetPilot
screen, and more memory for waypoints and routes. It
also allows for faster data transfers if you don’t use
Garmin’s optional USB programmer for loading memory
modules.
While we are on the
subject of loading maps, it is important to talk about which
maps are useful for the various Garmin units. Garmin’s
MetroGuide release-1 and release 2 will work with all the
StreetPilot units. Garmin’s Roads & Recreation
maps are only intended to work with the GPS III and GPS III+
units. You can load maps from Roads & Recreation
into the memory modules for the StreetPilot and the unit will
display the maps. However, none of the StreetPilots
will follow a route overlaid onto Roads & Recreation maps
because there is too much information missing for the
StreetPilots. Only the second release of MetroGuide and
City Navigator have the routing information necessary for the
StreetPilot III Auto-Routing function.
If you are using a
StreetPilot, plan on using MetroGuide maps, unless you just
travel around a large metropolitan area. Urban
travelers can also use Garmin’s City Navigator
series. These map sets have a tremendous amount of map
detail with phone numbers that make finding business
locations real simple. They aren’t very good at
covering rural areas and smaller cities, so be mindful of
your travel intentions if you load these into your memory
module.
For traveling the US and
Canada, think MetroGuide and think StreetPilot III
Plus. This color display unit with auto-routing and
audio announcements will keep you on course and entertained
as you roam the countryside. For those on a GoldWing,
the audio can easily be coupled into the intercom system so
you won’t even need to add a speaker if you’re accustomed
to being told where to go.
Garmin’s StreetPilot
III Plus unit will help you route to any location it can
identify in its map set quickly and reliably. If you
get off course, it isn't bashful when it announces, “please
make a u-turn immediately.” When I first heard
that, the instructional tone and inflection had me wondering
if there would be an “or Else” that might follow.
Keeping the female in the GPS quiet is a lot easier than in
life, so for those who need to balance the scales, here is an
opportunity. 8=D
What is
this routing business and do I need it?
Most people won’t ever use routing because they often
travel to places they know. For those out wondering
like Sharon and I did last July, we found routing handy at
finding hotels when it was late and few had rooms.
Having the hotel phone numbers displayed on the GPS screen
also made it easy to sit along side the road while calling
the various
locations. Did I mention
the automatic routing was also fast at helping us get to
places that wouldn’t hold the room for long?
Knowing where the
area services are located is really handy for traveling when
plans change. It allows you to get away from turnpikes
with confidence because you know there is a greasy spoon, or
flee-bag motel at half the price for a half-mile jaunt that
you might not visit otherwise.
Routing for most travel,
isn’t necessary unless you really want to know exactly
where you are and how many minutes it is to the next turn,
and what time you will arrive at the destination. This
might sound stressful if you’re use to traveling in a more
relaxed manner. For me, getting to where I’m heading
as planned is nice for targeted trips. For vacation
travel a more relaxed pace is better, so maybe we really don’t
need a route to get us there efficiently.
Around town, I don’t
use routing at all unless I’m trying to get to an address,
or business where I’ve never been. I still use the
moving map feature for known destinations when the traffic
stalls and I want to keep moving. Knowing the layout of
local streets off the major roads has allowed a lot of
detours around traffic snarls that I would have been sorry to
make without the moving map support.
How hard is this to put
on a motorcycle?
Simple is the answer, and many people have taken many
approaches, and most seem to work fine. Some like to
put their GPS units on their handlebars. I don’t like
it on the handlebars because there is too much vibration
there. When I did put mine on a handlebar cross brace,
I found myself catching the GPS at highway speeds as it began
to leave motorcycle after the base mount disintegrated.
Now my GPS is mounted on the console just below the ham-radio
on a cheap $19.00 Radio Shack universal cell phone
base. Since it went there, I’ve never needed to catch
it.
What about
cost?
Well, this is a toy that can consume some cash. If you
go for the new StreetPilot III Plus, you’ll spend around
$750 to $800 for the entire package, which comes with one
128MB memory module and a USB memory programmer, plus a great
little mount for the dashboard. Reconditioned units
bring around $650 to $700.
Garmin’s GPS-V
Deluxe will cost from $425 to $595 new. I’ve not seen
any of GPS-V used units yet. Earlier StreetPilot units
are only available used and will run around $200 to $300 for
the early StreetPilots, to around $400 for the Colormap
StreetPilot with accessories.
Garmin’s GPS III+
units are still selling for around $275 new. When they
are available used, they will set you back about $175 to
$225. There are less expensive Garmin units available
that make great APRS feeds for less money, so if you don’t
want maps or mobile mounting, consider a GPS II, ~$75, or a
Delorme’s Tripmate ~$50. Handheld units like the
Garmin’s eTrex can be purchased new for $160 to $210.
In most cases when you
buy a GPS, it won’t come with maps. StreetPilot III
Plus comes with City Navigator, but I think if you get any
StreetPilot unit you should drop the $125 for the MetroGuide
CD-ROMs and also consider digging a little deeper and get an
extra 128MB memory module. Garmin’s Road &
Recreation maps can often be found used, for less than the
$125 price dealers like to charge. Discounters offering
new units are getting hungry lately, so spend some time
shopping.
Garmin’s StreetPilot
III, GPS-V, GPS III+, and maybe the GPS III will all allow
bi-directional communications with a TNC running APRS.
There are other larger screen units available for permanent
mobile, marine or aircraft mounting, but this is a discussion
about motorcycles so I’ll leave those alone.
Whatever unit you
purchase, you’ll find they are fun to play with and there
is a hobby dedicated to GPS owners called Geo-caching.
Geo-caching is a form of global hide and seek and can be a
lot of fun for the adventure minded. Extrapolating what
I know about that sport, I can easily envision a rally, or
route laid out for the GPS equipped motorcyclist.
Get coordinated; use a
GPS.
