Recommend a GPS

[alissar]

Ok, here goes, looking for a GPS to use on land, off road and at sea. Any recommendations? Been looking at the Garmin eTrex Vista. Any advice?

(come on, bring it on, I know you all have your opinions)

[Fouad Berjaoui]

I use a Garmin GPSMAP 76, it's a Marine GPS. i.e. it can do marine calculations, as well as Offroad and Streets. It can also be used as a fish finder (never tried it) but Offroad it's a beauty. The only Drawback is that it has only 8 MB of memory, I think the price dropped to 1600 Dhs, because a new one came out the GPSMAP 76S the difference with the "S" is that it's got 24 MB instead of 8. I think it retails for 1900 Dhs.

Another difference with the "S" model is that the Altimeter and Barometer are real. whereas on mine those two are determined by the satellite rather than built-in. If you dont care much about these two than it's no worry, but the memory difference is worth it.

The e-trex range is ok, but the screen is too small coz the device itself is small. yes they are cheap 600 Dhs onwards, but not all have a map, those who have maps are 1,000 Dhs I think. The screen size is important when you are driving Alissar. When you hold the device in your hand, it's ok (Hiking or biking for example), but when you're driving and the device is placed in its holder on the dashboard, heheheh that's another story, the waypoints and dots and routes become confusingly small.

The best device (many in this club have purchased) is the Garmin 176C . C stands for color. I personally dont mind the colors as much as I mind finding my way but there are 2 main advantages on the 176 : 1- the screen is REALLY big, a bit bulky, but nice. 2- besides the built in memory, it has a memory card slot, so you can increase the memory to your liking. it retails for around 2400 Dhs.

If you have the money go fo the 176, if you need and "adequate & reasonably priced" go for the GPSMAP 76 (like the one I use). forget the e-trex range, price is good, but it's for hikers and bikers, not for offroad drivers.

There's also the Magellan GPS, recent models are quite good, you can see them even at carrefour (in the mobile phone section) but the problem is 90% of offroaders use Garmin. So if you want to exchange waypoints with other members it's difficult to convert from Garmin format to Magellan format, you'll have to use a 3rd party software and it doesn;t always come out right. For example all the waypoints I have posted on this page :

www.uae4x4.com/suv/routes/routes.html
(click on a destination of your choice at the bottom of the page)

You will see I have placed the .mps file (Garmin) so if you have a Garmin all you have to do is download the file and save it to your GPS, but if you have a Magellan device, I have a placed a .txt or excel sheet and you have INPUT the waypoints one by one. As I said 90% of people here use Garmin, so you can exchange waypoints and routes very easily with others.

One more thing on the memory, 8 MB is not at all bad, it's very much sufficient for any trip. the only time I had a problem was when I was on the Desert Challenge last year for 5 whole days, the waypoints got so filled up that the memory wasn't enough. but if you go on 1-2 day trips, it's enough.

Hope this helps.

Fouad

[alissar]

Hey Fouad, thanks for your comments and feedback. The reason why I was going for the eTrex Vista (that should be the top of the line with maps etc) was that I wanted something that I could use for ALL my GPS requiring activities, such as diving, mountain biking and off roading. With that in mind, a handheld type would be ideal, but the fish finder that you mention would be really great too.

This is going to be something that I will have to think about and work out the pros and cons.

Once again, thanks for your feedback.

And while we're here, does that shop in Deira still offer discounts to UAE 4x4?

[Fouad Berjaoui]

Yeah they do, but depends on the model

Fouad

[Klaus]

Where in Deira is the shop? Is that AMIT?

Klaus

[Hani]

Hello there,

I'm in the market for a GPS to be used mainly for off-roading. Thanks to Fouad and all the people who contributed on this subject, I think I almost made up my mind on the Garmin 176C.

One question though: Is there any type of problem if I buy this unit from the States? I believe I can get an excellent deal if I buy it through ebay.com.

Many thanks in anticipation of your feedback/comments.

Hani

[Abdulla]

Hi Hani,

I had the same question in my mind..

I decided to buy it locally even if it is 200-350 more expensive.

I'm concerned about warranty stuff. If something goes wrong with them then you have to send it back on your own expenses. The dealer won't agree to pay for shipping both way, he only warrant you about the product. Shipping, handling..etc are exluded from the of warranty unless he agree prior to purchase.

And I feel it doesn't worth to take all this headache for DHS 200-350.

Kind Regards

[Bryan]

Fouad, I did not know AMIT offers discounts to the club. Do they still, cause if they do I would like to pick up stuff from them.

[Fouad Berjaoui]

The guy I used to know there left, and the new guy needs me to go over there and offer my humble introductions . Anyway, you'll get a good price off from Carrefour, problem is Carrefour doesnt order the whole range. They dont have the car mount, they dont have the car charger....etc.

They have everything Magellan though.

Fouad

[ajay]

Fouad,

I also look forward to your presenting your credentials at AMIT. I and another friend are looking for 276c. Shelf prices at Carrefour and AMIT are same but AMIT offers one year warrenty in addition to the standard Garmin warranty for one year. So would prefer to buy from AMIT

ajay