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Any advise guys on what GPS to go for: |
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Nashy Member Joined: 06 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 12  View other posts by Nashy |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction for good cheapish GPs systems As the more i get involved the more i appreciate the power of the GPS |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Hi Nashy, The Garmin 12 is good for the field. Bit of a brick but rugged and simple to use. Cost around ú120 ish from the shops, ú40 on ebay. You can also download GARtrip free from the web, this lets you download all your waypoints and mark them on maps etc. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Nashy Member Joined: 06 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 12 View other posts by Nashy |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Gemma thanks for that So what do you mean i can download all my waypoints - are these specific locations from a Herp website?? sorry still treading water a bit!! |
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saratoga Member Joined: 08 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 5 View other posts by saratoga |
Posted: 16 May 2006 I would also recommend a garmin.....mine is now 6 or 7 years old but does everything needed of it. The interface is very easy to learn and use. Friends have had magellans which I found often had trouble picking up satellites and the interface seemed much more difficult.......but that is here in australia and several years ago. Whilst doing remote area wildlife surveys for several mining companies it was reassuring to see that they all were using Garmins. greg wallis |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Hi Nashy, No, what I ment was that when your in the field you switch on the GPS, after a bit it will work out where it is from the satelites. You can then save the position as a 'waypoint' If you get a lead to connect you Garmin 12 to your computer, you can then use a shareware programme called GARtrip (free download on the web) to talk to the GPS and dowload your saved waypoints. The programme then lets you draw out the waypoints as dots over the top of image files such as jpeg. So you can put your dots on something like an ordance survey map and know where you saw animals, or where you put things like refugia. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Nashy Member Joined: 06 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 12 View other posts by Nashy |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Thanks Gemma I felt like such a dinlow - but now this little kiddy is well in the picture!! |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Hi John, GPS units really boil down to three functional groups: 1) Basic GPS which provide location, waypoint saving and finding etc. 2) Map GPS which show you a map of where you are (great for the car, not much use in the field of heather). 3) Electronic compass GPS units which provide bearing even when you are stationary. (to be honest, they don't work too well). Higher the number, the higher the cost. The basic unit will do everything we used my GPS for the other weekend, I.E. recording tin positions, finding tins and recording sighting locations. So if you don't want to break the bank, the basic Garmin eTrex will be absolutely fine. Its pretty rugged, and a nice bright colour for when you drop it. Cost is about ú85 new, bound to be cheap on ebay. Steve Langham - Chairman 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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Nashy Member Joined: 06 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 12 View other posts by Nashy |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Steve Thanks alot mate!!! I'll have a looksie on ebay, and thanks again for the other weekend! still cant believe i saw 2 smoothies - on my first outing!! |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 16 May 2006 Yeah John...you jammy whatsit...first tin he ever turns over, and under it is a young female Ca !, in Surrey too ! Forgot to mention.... Invest in a set of 4 x 2500mAh AA rechargable batteries and a battery charger for it too. Both cheap from places like Maplin. Steve Langham - Chairman
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 17 May 2006 I use an eTrex, I only really need it for confirming grid references and altitudes (and occasionally checking car/ bike speedos...) The batteries last for ages if it's only turned on when I actually need to get a grid ref. |
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John Newton Senior Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 151 View other posts by John Newton |
Posted: 17 May 2006 Hi all Within the affordable price range, the basic Etrex has a quoted positional accuracy <15m. Other Etrex models have a positional accuracy <5m (albeit more expensive), and this is achieved by WAAS/EGNOS (satellites) enabled circuitry. These are satellites covering mainly the US (WAAS) and Europe (EGNOS) and are used to achieve the greater positional accuracy. For most applications it doesnt matter too much if the greater accuracy is required, although if downloaded waypoints are input directly into a GIS database with, say, maps/aerial photos as a layer onto which the waypoints are to be shown, then it is entirely possible for the waypoints to be plotted in the middle of roads or similar - especially if animals are being recorded along roadside verge habitats !! In my own circumstance, some surveying takes place within a 3 mile wide sand dune system, so even 15m accuracy is far better than any other method - aerial photos of dunes can change within a year, so not always helpful.
John Newton South Yorkshire ARG |
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Mark T Member Joined: 27 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 7  View other posts by Mark T |
Posted: 18 May 2006 Garmins work ok, Argos has a couple for around ú100 there are a couple of points to remember. The accuracy of the GPS position depends on the satelite signal, and could range from 6-40 metre radius of where you are. Generally the more satelites the GPS looks for the greater the accuracy, but a clear unobstructed view of the sky helps considerably (i.e. cloud & trees = bad) When locating a previously marked point the GPS may change its mind which direction to head in. This is because it has to know which direction you are heading in to determine which way to go. to solve this just walk in one direction for about 20meters and it will sort itself out. In other words, dont expect it to tell you which way to a certain 'waypoint' if you're standing still, it only works when you're moving. |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 18 May 2006 Garmin 12 is pretty accurate. I usually get between 3.5 and 7m accuracy in the field - good enough that I can find cover objects using it even when they are at high density and also produce location maps that are really useful. Good for me as I have a mermory like a sieve. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 22 May 2006 I have found the 2 following books to be useful and would recommend them for persons thinking of purchasing a GPS unit or for owners who may wish to know more about what they do and how they do it. Letham,L 2003 GPS made easy Cordee ú10.99 McNamara,J. 2004 GPS for Dummies Wiley ú14.99 but there are new models coming out all the time so look out for new editions of the books. There is also a very useful site on Yahoo groups http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gpsu/ which is mainly for the GPS Utility , a program for downloading your data to your computer but there are many questions on here regarding all aspects of GPS use and there always seems to be someone with an answer. I have found that the Garmin etrex Summit and Garmin etrex are good enough for areas that you have not been to before or are unable to blow up detailed maps for. They are great for foreign trips where maps are often unobtainable. I do not find they are good enough for repeated recording of individual animals over small areas for more detailed surveys. I think you are looking into a lot more money and a much larger amount of equipment for this accuracy. I think that EGNOS will take many years before it is up and running and think there is only one satellite up at the moment. I am also not certain that this will be compatable with the WAAS system anyway. I have had some very odd results with odd waypoints being many hundreds of metres out and one being many kilometres out so beware. British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
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Matt Harris Senior Member Joined: 03 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 196 View other posts by Matt Harris |
Posted: 22 May 2006 On a related note, what GIS do people use for plotting results of surveys? I use MapInfo Pro. at work, but it's too expensive for the group to afford. We just need something that'll display raster and vector layers, and allow us to plot herp and habitat data. Gwent Amphibian and Reptile Group (GARG) |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 22 May 2006 http://www.mapmaker.com/index.asp useable free GIS, bit quirky on Windows 2000 and XP though Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
- Any advise guys on what GPS to go for |