Handheld GPS for touring

[SelectSys]

I am considering buying a handheld GPS with the capability of showing street maps and providing directions. Anyone have any experience in using GPS for navigating cities while touring or recommendations for specific devices? I would like to get a device that has the most downloadable maps.

 

Thanks!

[legalsea]

I have a Garmin Quest that I used successfully a year ago on a Danube river cruise.

 

Some GPS units are 'pre-loaded' with USA cities, and cannot be updated. Due to memory size restrictions, minor streets may be omitted, as well as points of interest.

 

However, with the Garmin Quest you download, from your computer to the unit, those areas you will be visiting. MIND: when you buy a Garmin unit, you must buy: 1) the unit itself, and 2) the maps. Usually the unit will come with the CDs covering the USA. For Europe, you must purchase the CDs.

 

For our Danube cruise, I purchased the CitySelect Europe CDs (mind, they are not cheap: around $300). I then planner our route (Nassau, Germany, to Budapest). I then downloaded into the unit the route (Garmin has all of Europe divided up into sections; you 'click' on the sections you want to download). Once I was in Nassau I was able to turn on the unit, lock onto the satillites, and then off I went.

 

One particularly helpful feature was that whenever we arrived at a port I would stand outside the ship and press the 'home' button, telling the GPS that where I was standing was 'home'. Hence we could then knock around town. When we were ready to head back to ship, I would hit the 'take me home' button, and the GPS would then show me the way to get back. Since I was carrying the unit there were no voice directions (such as you get if you are driving and have the unit plugged into the cigarrette lighter), but it was easy to look at the map with the way highlighted. Of course, I would use the GPS unit to direct me to some castle, etc.

 

It was cool to be cruising on the Danube, with the GPS unit on. The LCD screen would show the river, with my position on it (moving constantly). The unit would also tell me the speed we were travelling, as well as direction. I would hit the 'nearby attractions' button, and within seconds would be a list of castles, museums, etc., along with the distance of each attraction from your position. Hence I would know about a castle coming up on the right side of the river long before they would announce it on the intercom.

 

I am presently preparing for a drive up the coast of Northern California and Oregon. Hence I shall again download into the unit those sections that I will be driving through. I will also input the addresses of those hotels we are staying at.

 

My Quest is a few years old, and I believe that the new version is called "Quest II".

 

Tom Tom also makes GPS units that are highly thought of.

 

Try epinions.com for reviews of various units. Also, go to Amazon.com, type in GPS units, and you can look at a large selection, usually with reviews by owners.

[SelectSys]

LegalSea - Thanks for the information. The content certainly isn't cheap.

[piper28]

If you don't need autorouting, you can go with the metroguide europe software instead of city select (assuming a Garmin unit). Costs about half as much. That said, you're still looking not looking at a cheap endeavour. There's also some user generated free maps at http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/ but they're generally not at the level of professionally done maps.

 

Personally, from my experience, I'd have no problems recommending something like a Garmin 60Cx (or CSx). I use an older 60CS myself, and the changes between it and the x version are definitely nice: expandable memory, and a better chipset for the receiver. It's a nicely sized and shaped unit for holding while walking, and isn't too bad in the car either (no talking directions, but you don't generaly get that in hand-held sized units).