gps systems?

[chuckmiester]

i dont know where to put this so i will put it here. 

i know very little about gps systems and how they work however i am really thinking of getting one.  however it seems like there is a lot of information on them.  i have a tomtom already but it only works on roads and i like to hike a little ways.  usually i use maps but it gets a little tiresome using 3 or 4 to get where i want to go and then shooting in the dark and hoping my research payed off-although it is nice to just wander in the woods sometimes.  so here are some Q's i have

what kind to get?
how does it work?/will it work for small trails (no vehicle trails)?
what add-ons do i need?

anything else that might let me know how to decide.

as for price-not anything ridiculous for electronics.

thanks
chuck

[SNAGGLEFIN]

Well, Garmin seems to be at the top of their game, according to many GPS enthusiasts I've spoken with.  Get a little hand-held one.  Prices vary, so it depends on what bells and whistles you want on it. 

I have a very basic one that is water resistant (although I wouldn't dunk it on purpose).  No color on the screen.  No additional software (yes, an add-on).  Garmin Etrex Legend.  Wish I had color.

Mine works, but it's not very effective, just raw out of the box, like it is. 

I can pull up Google Maps on my pc, right click, and select "Directions to here", and a side window opens up with the the coords in decimal format.  Now I pull up this website: http://www.csgnetwork.com/gpscoordconv.html and convert each piece of the coords (N and W, one at a time) to the proper format for my unit.  From there, I enter the data into it and it will show me how far I am from it, straight line.

Maybe there's a shortcut to all of that, but I'm self taught (that's code for retarded).

This is a hassle, but it helps a lot if your mountainside doesn't look like you thought it would from the map (always).

The best thing to do, and I can vouch, is to get some mapping software (anywhere a GPS is sold) and you'll have everything you need.  It's around $100 and the price does not drop EVER.  I've been holding out, but it's still the same price, 2 and 1/2 years later.

Also, you may want a color screen.  Mine isn't and the color ones are easier to see and read.

Most units will have plenty of other options for recording your tracks, speed, mileage, etc.

Expect to pay at least $250 for a decent unit and the software.  Shop online and get better deals on the unit, itself.  They're not cheap, so shipping should be free.  I think mine was $116.00.

[Captain FU]

Not pointing the dummy part at you!

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/getting-into-gps.html

And

http://www.gpscentral.ca/aboutgps.htm

[chuckmiester]

thanks captain those sites you gave me really helped me understand them a little better and get a better idea of what i need.

thanks loah for the advice on a color which is what i will look into.

[brandonlarson]

you gotta get one, i can't imagine life without my gps!!  the main thing that i use mine for is in preparing for a trip so that i know how to get where i want to go..  my gps was one of the first they made, it doesn't even have a map on it and yet i'm still perfectly happy with it so i'm sure whatever you get will work.  rather than use the mapping software on your gps you can just use software on your computer at home and upload your trip to your gps, i like using software at home better anyways because you see  everything in high resolution and it's just more convenient for me.  i use a program called usa photo maps, you can get it at jdmcox.com for free and it's nice because you can switch back and forth between aerial photos and topographical maps which is really useful and you can create waypoints and just upload them to your gps very easily.  it also has every usg lankmark.  so say for example that i'm planning a trip to boulder mtn and i want to hit a lake that i've never been to.   the first thing i do is find the lake in usa photo maps and create a waypoint there, then i'll backtrack my way down the mountain and create a waypoint wherever there is a split in the road or the trail.  do that until you eventually get to somewhere that you're familiar with.  then what i do is i name the waypoints like this, say the name of the lake is green lake, i'll name the first waypoint that i will be coming to GREEN1R, the 1 represents the first split and the R tells me to make a right when i get there.  the next one might be GREEN2L, then GREEN3R  and so on until i get to GREEN9 which would be my lake.  you can create routes for your gps too but for me they just seem like too much work when all i really need to know is which way to go when i come to a split in the road or the trail.  the other time that the gps comes in handy is if you're parking your truck in a flat area with trees and taking off wandering through the trees for whatever reason.  before you go you can just create a waypoint at your truck and then later when you're heading back to the truck the gps can point you straight to it and it tells you how long it will be until you reach it and how far away it is as you walk.  if you really want to do something cool you can put usa photo maps on a lap top and plug your gps into the laptop and then as you drive along you can just watch yourself on the aerial photo or topographical as you cruise along.  the possibilities are endless, my way of using the gps is kind of old school but maybe it gives you an idea how it works.

[SNAGGLEFIN]

That's awesome.  I like the alpha/numeric system you have.