GPS for your ATV

[RippinIt]

Does anybody use GPS for their ATV? I have heard that the TomTom Rider is good!

[rancherrider69]

r u ****ing retarded he asked a ? about something that is useful to ppl like trail riders and such

anyway i raode with a guy today that had one but i dont know anything about it

[97blaster200]

Originally posted by rancherrider69
r u ****ing retarded he asked a ? about something that is useful to ppl like trail riders and such

anyway i raode with a guy today that had one but i dont know anything about it

wtf are you talking about?

[JForestZ34]

I have a garmin E-trex. The thing works great. Doesn't give you turn by turn directions but gives you the direction you need to go in to get to your starting point. Was under $100


James

[enduro400rider]

do any of these GPS systems make a map of where you have ridden? i though about getting one so i could map out my riding area, there have been a few times i have gotten lost back there so i figure if i had a map i could find my way around back there alot easier.

[Kaleigh]

Originally posted by enduro400rider
do any of these GPS systems make a map of where you have ridden? i though about getting one so i could map out my riding area, there have been a few times i have gotten lost back there so i figure if i had a map i could find my way around back there alot easier.

bought one for my trip up north.. it worked great.. saves your way points so you can backtrack..

its a Garmin Legend E-trex.. gona buy the colour one next year only cause its easier to read at night..

[jesshamner]

I'm pretty sure all the outdoors models from Garmin will save the waypoint so you can backtrack. I'll bet that the Magellen units do too.

[enduro400rider]

does that mean you will see the "road" (trail) that you just went down? does it leave a line marking your tracks? can you upload any of it to your computer to keep track of trails?

[kick]

Originally posted by enduro400rider
does that mean you will see the "road" (trail) that you just went down? does it leave a line marking your tracks? can you upload any of it to your computer to keep track of trails?
I've never used one of these GPS units but I doubt it will do that. "Waypoints" are just that -- points along the way that you use to make your way along.

It'll basically be like connect the dots. Hopping and skipping along.


I want to get a GPS unit for my quad. I hear they're great out at Glamis and on the featureless dunes. Lots of hidden places out there that you can get lost trying to find from what I hear.

[RippinIt]

Originally posted by kick
I've never used one of these GPS units but I doubt it will do that. "Waypoints" are just that -- points along the way that you use to make your way along.

It'll basically be like connect the dots. Hopping and skipping along.


I want to get a GPS unit for my quad. I hear they're great out at Glamis and on the featureless dunes. Lots of hidden places out there that you can get lost trying to find from what I hear.

You make a good point that areas you take your quad with indistinguishable or featureless physical characteristics a GPS would definitely come in handy. GPS untis originally gained commercial popularity with boaters. Especially people navigating on the ocean....talk about featureless!

Check out this pic of the TT Rider mounted on a bike....you could easily put that on a quad

http://img.presence-pc.com/news/t/o/tomtom-rider_big.jpg

[jesshamner]

Originally posted by kick
I've never used one of these GPS units but I doubt it will do that. "Waypoints" are just that -- points along the way that you use to make your way along.

It'll basically be like connect the dots. Hopping and skipping along.


I want to get a GPS unit for my quad. I hear they're great out at Glamis and on the featureless dunes. Lots of hidden places out there that you can get lost trying to find from what I hear.

Actually, it does exactly that. It records your position as often as you like which creates a trail. Then you can recall that set of coordinates to track back.

And you don't need anything like what is pictured for a quad. It would vibrate into small pieces. That type aren't made for offroad use.

[kick]

Originally posted by jesshamner
Actually, it does exactly that. It records your position as often as you like which creates a trail. Then you can recall that set of coordinates to track back.

And you don't need anything like what is pictured for a quad. It would vibrate into small pieces. That type aren't made for offroad use.
So... it's recording continuously on it's own? Or are you having to sit there pushing a button every second as you ride?

[Kaleigh]

mine shows a nice line of where you have been.. you can put way points. but i dont need to since there is a nice line so you can backtrack real easy.. that came in handy upnorth.. dont want to get lost in hundreds of miles of trees.. :macho

[orca0294]

Honda has made a quad with GPS the past year or two .. I heard about it on a local radio station a while back

http://powersports.honda.com/atvs/utility/model.asp?ModelName=FourTrax+Rancher+AT+GPScape&ModelYear=2007&ModelId=TRX400FGA7

[jesshamner]

Originally posted by kick
So... it's recording continuously on it's own? Or are you having to sit there pushing a button every second as you ride?

Yes it has a feature that records your path. And, if you want to return to your origin the same exact way, it has a feature called trackback that will keep you on the same exact path to return. LOL. Its not rocket science. It reads the location from the satellites and towers and records the coordinates along the way. Then it just reverses the order of those coordinates if you choose to return along the same path.

As for the Honda GPScape, its cool and all if you only need a gps on the quad. I like using mine for boating, hiking, camping, geocaching,mt. biking, and trip planning and tracking...etc. I just have a simple outdoor model from Garmin. It is the Garmin Etrex Legend C. And they make all sorts of mounts like handlebar mounts.

[kick]

Originally posted by jesshamner
Yes it has a feature that records your path. And, if you want to return to your origin the same exact way, it has a feature called trackback that will keep you on the same exact path to return. LOL. Its not rocket science. It reads the location from the satellites and towers and records the coordinates along the way. Then it just reverses the order of those coordinates if you choose to return along the same path.

As for the Honda GPScape, its cool and all if you only need a gps on the quad. I like using mine for boating, hiking, camping, geocaching,mt. biking, and trip planning and tracking...etc. I just have a simple outdoor model from Garmin. It is the Garmin Etrex Legend C. And they make all sorts of mounts like handlebar mounts.
It doesn't have to be rocket science... :rolleyes:

Most vehicle GPS uses WAYPOINTS which are only POINTS. Not a line driving in circles wherever you went.

Regardless... If the ATV ones are purpose built to give you a continuous line for you to read, then that's pretty neat.

[jesshamner]

Originally posted by kick
It doesn't have to be rocket science... :rolleyes:

Most vehicle GPS uses WAYPOINTS which are only POINTS. Not a line driving in circles wherever you went.

Regardless... If the ATV ones are purpose built to give you a continuous line for you to read, then that's pretty neat.

What is the rolling of the eyes for?

I think it's more economical to buy a handheld so you can use it for everything. Makes sense to me. But maybe some people like to have 3 seperate units. One for the car, one for the quad, and one for outdoor activities. I just bought a simple, inexpensive unit that does it all. It will provide turn by turn directions to WAYPOINTS (lol) and it will also show the path traveled to get there if wish to see it. Or you could choose not to see it. Its all up to you.

[RippinIt]

Originally posted by jesshamner
Actually, it does exactly that. It records your position as often as you like which creates a trail. Then you can recall that set of coordinates to track back.

And you don't need anything like what is pictured for a quad. It would vibrate into small pieces. That type aren't made for offroad use.

Interesting so people would only use the TomTom Rider for motorcycles? I'm just guessing but it would seem that they make these units so that they can withstand a lot of vibration.

[jesshamner]

Well, the TomTom only has roads, states, cities, and points of interest programmed into their maps. I guess if you wanted to use it for biking or whatever it would work ok.

But why use a street navigator for offroad applications?

They're great for street navigation though. I would like to have one in my next vehicle but I want one that is mounted into the dash.

Again, the right handheld will do everything a TomTom can do and way more. They're virtually indestructable and waterproof. The only 2 disadvantages that I can think of off the top of my head; It can't download new maps via satellite on the go, and the screen is smaller than the Tom Tom.

However, when traveling I always take my laptop which provides a quick fix for those disadvantages. I can download what maps I might not have very easily from the discs. And I can use software that comes with the unit to view my location on my laptop screen.

The handheld units do hold quite a bit of map info and even more so if you get the units that utilize memory cards. If that is the case, you can download the needed maps for say...a cross-country trip and then insert them when needed.

[RippinIt]

Well, the TomTom only has roads, states, cities, and points of interest programmed into their maps. I guess if you wanted to use it for biking or whatever it would work ok. But why use a street navigator for offroad applications?

You make a good point here I was sort of guessing that a TT Rider could be used offroad. Perhaps he could be programed to do so.


They're great for street navigation though. I would like to have one in my next vehicle but I want one that is mounted into the dash.

I definitely agree with you here. If I were going to buy one for my car I would get the TT One because you can actually take it with you on foot as well which is a pretty sweet option...

http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/images/tom-tom-one-2.png

As for a traditional handheld gps unit I have never used one but I would like to try one out!

[jesshamner]

Even if you could program it to be used offroad, it wouldn't hold up to the vibrations. If you really want a do it all unit, get a handheld unit from Garmin or Magellen.

[RippinIt]

I don't know for sure but I assume since the TT rider was designed to be used on a motorcycle it must be able to handle a lot more punishment than a regular car gps unit.