GPS Units

[MorganKoda]

SO I am looking for a belated Xmas gift for myself and the though of a GPS has popped into my head. I know that there are several posts showing pics of the different places to mount the GPS, but I haven't seen one that highlights the good vs. bad products.

I am looking for feedback or references on make and models for the different options that are out there. Please comment with your experiences with them.

 

[subaru2006]

i just bought the Garmin etrex 30 with the ram mount for my handle bar. no experience with it yet. i picked that one because it was compatible with vvmapping and had other features i liked. it was also recommended to me by family members who use it for college and stuff. draw back could be battery life since you cant hard wire it. they state 25hr of usage so i figured in the cold i should get 10hrs or so. only takes 2 aa batteries.

subaru2006

 

[rbell14]

Here is an thread with some good starting data for you.

http://www.ty4stroke.com/threads/gps-mount-on-viper.130659/

 

[Wannaviper]

I got the Garmin Montana 600T (built in topo maps) for Christmas. I mounted it just ahead of the handlebars with a RAM mount on the tree, where it is out of the way and very visible while riding. (The downside is that it does block a direct view of the guages.) I loaded one of the commercial Maine snowmobile trail gps maps, and besides the benefit of knowing exactly where I am all the time, the unit has been a lot of fun to play with. I have been riding in an unfamiliar area, and at least once it has saved me from taking an unnecessary "side trip" to somewhere I did not plan to go. The unit has worked very well, despite sub-zero temps on two of my trips, and I like being able to look back at the day's trip with my route downloaded onto Google Earth. I am very impressed with the unit; its pricey, but worth it. I also like that you can purchase other maps for the unit; I bought the lakes and rivers card, so that I can use it on my boat this summer, and I plan to get the Garmin City Navigator card so that I can use it on my motorcycle!

 

[TestMaster]

The Montana 600 series also has a very bright screen so it is easy to use in bright sunlight.

 

[wavemaster]

I love the Montana. Waterproof, works in low temps and is very durable. Has a built in camera as well on the 650 models.

With the programmable profiles, Motorcycle, ATV, Snowmobile you can have maps for each one of your vehicles.

Add Birds Eye Imagery of the area you ride and you have a sweet setup for the trails.

 

[sloan188]

I just upgraded to a Montana 600 (all same specs as 650 without the camera and 1/2 the price) and love it! I used to use an Oregon 300. The oregon had pretty much the same GPS features as the Montanna except the Montana supports screen orientation (portrait or landscape), has a brighter screen that is more visible in sunlight, and works better in the cold and with gloves. The biggest feature of the Montana that I like is the AMPS power mount; this is a ruggedized mount that has built-in power and an awesome interface with the GPS unit. The main reason I upgraded to this GPS was because of the power interface as the mini-usb interface on my Oregon failed due to constant vibration on the sled and batteries are pretty much useless in the cold (although should be kept on hand close to the body in case of main power failure).

The downside of the Montana is the price (although not bad at all if you get on sale) and the screen size when compared to some of the automotive GPSs that people are using on the sled. Having said that, the automotive GPSs don't have near the track management capabilities of a backwoods handheld GPS.

I plan to get marine maps for the Montana and use it on the boat this summer due to its great sunlight readability.

Whichever GPS unit you choose, consider the durability of the power connection to the sled.

In terms of mounting, I mounted both units on my handlebars in a place that I can easily see it. I had the Oregon up above the handlebars and that worked well although if you do much off trail riding I'd be careful of this location due to risk of a branch knocking it off or loss due to a roll-over. I mounted my Montana on the handlebar as well but oriented it such that it is horizontal over the center of the bars out of view of the gauges. I like this spot alot but noticed that when standing I sometimes hit the GPS and move the screen (and have to hit return to get back to sled-center-screen-mode). Once I'm set up I run with the screen locked to overcome hitting the GPS.

I also have the Montana mounted on another sled directly over the gauges and really like this spot...good easy visibility, and sheltered from everything...

 

[bigdog_mike]

Been using a Garmin Zumo 550 for the last 7 years along with VVMapping trail maps, have it hard wired to the sled and always powered so the LCD screen won't get damaged in the fridges temps here in Michigan. It waterproof and easy to use, added a SD card so I have all the Snowmobile and ORV maps for all of Michigan on it. Mounted it to the left side handle bar with the Zumo mount. With it always powered the screen stays warm during trailside breaks and remove the unit when inside a soda pop stop for a bite to eat. Also added a waterproof phone case which has hardwired power with waterproof 3BR power source so the phone is always fully charged and ready for any trailside emergency that may come up as most of the trails are in 3G or 1X cell tower areas that eat up battery life in only a few hours of trail riding

 

[DGZRT]

I got this for my brother for X-Mas, Price is very good for both on Amazon . Bought the Maps from Redpine mapping on Micro SD card . Garmin NUVI 42lm GPS.
It comes with a 12 Volt Plug .

 

[bigdog_mike]

Here is my setup for GPS and cell phone...

This is the mount for GPS on my Apex

Here is the Viper mount on the left is for the Garmin Zumo and the mount on the right is for cell phone...

 

[wavemaster]

My Montana mount.

 

[MorganKoda]

Great information, thanks for the ideas.