As of this writing, I have owned some sort of GPSr for six years.  In that time, I have become very familiar with the use of electronic navigation devices.  They have provided me with so many benefits over my previous use of map and compass, it would take a whole write-up just to cover it.  Come to think of it, that's what this page has become...  This first section is a brief summary of the various devices and my experiences with them.  More detail about each device is available by following the links.

6/29/2001 - GPS 12 (my first GPS)

Hugh Long gave me the GPS 12 when he upgraded to a Garmin eTrex.  This GPS has basic tracking and routing capabilities without mapping.  I was very successful using this device by first consulting online maps at topozone.com to get the various map coordinates I wanted, then loading waypoints into the GPS12 to mark the points on the route I wanted to hit.  By printing maps and keeping a record of the track point names, I was able to complete three years of increasingly complex trip navigations with very few mis-steps.  Until 10/4/2008 I still relied on this unit to give me a basic track view of my track log because it is very easy to see in the Jeep.  At that time I removed it to make room for hard-mounting the GPS-V next to the GPSMap 76 Csx)

5/7/04 (added second GPS12)

In preparation for Camp Jeep 2004 I concluded that I did not have enough memory in the GPS12 to load all my tracks for the Oakridge trails.  I wanted to have all the trails loaded so that if I needed to move about the property, I would not need to reload my waypoints and tracks.  The only way to do this inexpensively was to purchase another GPS12.  So I bought one on eBay for a few dollars.  To say they had become bargains would be an understatement.  By purchasing the second GPS12, I doubled my track point (from 1024 to 2048) and waypoint (500 to 1000) capacities.  This made it possible to store all my tracks and waypoints for Oakridge.  It also made it possible for me to record new track data if I wanted to over-write the tracks I had loaded.

6/1/04 (GPS V)

No sooner had I installed the second GPS12 than my friend Bill Smith told me he was selling his GPS V along with his software and accessories.  It was a good deal so I went ahead and bought it.  It may seem a bit extravagant to have three GPSr units but I found having a mapping unit to be a substantial upgrade in terms of usability.  It also provided me with the capability to auto-route to destinations - something the GPS12 did not offer.  This significantly reduced the time it took me to plan trips, and gave me a lot more flexibility once out on the trail.  This further enhanced my navigation options, track and waypoint storage capacities.  I use the GPS V to navigate and route with maps, and use the GPS12's to track and display other location data that is not visible from the GPS V map screen.  This full-view helps me keep track of many navigation data points and helps explain why I had three GPSr units in my vehicle.

5/30/07 (GPSMap 76 CSx)

Three years later and I am still very happy with the GPS V.  I purchased one for Maria and installed it in her Cherokee.  At first she thought I was being silly but soon she discovered it's value and became a dedicated user.  We bought a new vehicle that came equipped with a factory unit that works very well although the user interface and artificial limitations diminish it's value for people like us who might be considered GPSr "power users".  Still the OEM unit is good enough that for most everyday needs does not require a backup.  We did bring the GPS V units with us on our trip to Canada "just in case" and to record our track, but the OEM unit navigated us to every destination successfully.

Last year my friend Mike showed me his new GPSMap 76 CSx.  After one outing with him I knew it was going to be my next GPSr.  I had to wait a while to save up for it.  Willys Points that is...  Anyway, I finally ordered the unit.  What's notable about this unit in the main are the following points:

• 10K track point memory (vs 3000)
• 1000 Waypoint memory (vs 500)
• 2gb microSD memory card (versus 19mb on the GPS V)
• bright color display
• super-sensitive receiver
• USB computer connection (much faster upload/download)
• electronic compass
• barometric altimeter

Of course there is much more, but these are the things that come to mind first.  I am also pleased to note that a much better bracket than that for the GPS V is available, making the layout much like the GPS12 when mounted in the vehicle.

Garmin Antenna

The remote antenna may not be necessary for many applications but I found that a remote antenna greatly improved reception with my Garmin V, so I ordered one.

Since I already had a satellite antenna for my GPS V installed, I found I needed to modify the antenna mount to accommodate another antenna.  At the same time as I was installing the GPSMap 76 CSx, I was installing a Delphi Roady XT satellite radio that also required a satellite antenna.  This pushed the count of satellite antennas to three.  So the mount would need to hold all three.

I routed the GPSMap 76CSx and XM satellite antennas to the roof rack with my other Satellite antennas. 

 

This required some work to bundle all the wires, route them through an opening in the top (no, I did not cut the top), and the fabrication of a new mount base for the antennas (there are three of them).  If I only had one antenna, I would buy and use the Terk mount shown below.

But with three antennas, I just bought a piece of angle-steel at Lowe's. 

I cut and ground it to size (about 6 inches wide with a tab to bolt it to the roof rack, painted and mounted it in place of the base I had previously used when only one satellite antenna was in use.

I took this opportunity to check the satellite reception on the GPS and XM devices.  The results were good.  All devices achieved their normal levels of reception parked in my driveway.

GPS V 14 feet	GPSMap 76 CSx 10 feet	GPS12 15 feet	XM Radio 3 bars