Warm up your receiver before you get to the trailhead!

I have been told that it is important to warm up the GPS receiver before starting a hike in order to get more accurate data.  Nevertheless, I am struck by the data I am getting from a recent outing. 

On this hike, I took both a Garmin GPSMap 64S and an older model GPSMap 62S.  I had the 62 on in the car to record my mileage driving to the trailhead, but did not turn the 64 on until I arrived and parked.

Below is a slice of the hike shown on Garmin Basecamp, with the 64 in blue and the 62 in red.  Both units are set to record data at 3 second intervals.

This map shows a portion of my hike from 45 minutes to 60 minutes into the hike, and on the return from 1 hour, 52 minutes to 2 hours, 5 minutes into the hike.  There is an amazing amount of blue line variation on the trip out (this is data from the 64, turned on at the trailhead), despite the fact that the GPS has been on for 45 minutes. The 62 is showing very similar tracks on each leg, and the 64 return data is right with the 64.  But that 64 outbound is clearly an outlier.  

This is not something most users would ever notice when taking a single GPS receiver on a loop hike, but is much clearer on an out-and-back hike with multiple units.  The lesson here is to turn on the GPS receiver when leaving the house.  The longer it has been on, the more accurate the data it collects.

Garmin Upgrades 62 Series Receivers

Garmin GPSmap 64

I had been wondering why the Garmin GPSmap 62S had been on sale for such great prices over the holidays.  The reason: Garmin has just announced a replacement series for this great receiver.

The new series will be the 64 series, and the new receivers include GLONASS support, which is a set of Russian satellites that allows a receiver to lock in its location more quickly and accurately.

It also includes connectivity to iPhones, model 4S and later via Garmin's Livetrack system.

Garmin GPSmap 64s

It will be interesting to see how the reviews play out for this new series.

Garmin GPSmap 64st

Links to Garmin's descriptions:
GPSmap 64 $299 (unlike the 62 series, this base model includes a MicroSD card slot)
GPSmap 64s  $399 (adds altimeter
GPSmap 64st  $499 (preloaded TOPO 100K)

Youtube - a New Garmin GPS Owner's Best Friend!

If you are trying to understand your new GPS receiver, and even more so if you are trying to get up to speed using the software for the Garmin GPS - Garmin Basecamp, look to Youtube for help.

Garmin Basecamp

After going to Youtube, use the search engine to search for the GPS receiver model you use, or for Garmin Basecamp.  (Be sure to use both words, as there is a database program called "Basecamp" and you don't want those videos.)

Garmin also maintains a library of videos, such as these on Basecamp LINK and these on the Garmin GPSmap 62 ST (which applies to any of the 62 series receivers) LINK.

When I was still learning Basecamp after switching from Garmin's earlier "Mapsource" program (no longer maintained by Garmin and not recommended by this blogger), I would take an iPad to the gym and watch videos on Youtube, then re-watch many of them, trying to understand what was going on.  An elliptical is the perfect place to pour through these 

Here are links to 3 videos by the same guy about Garmin Basecamp. These three videos are the single best resource I have ever come across for learning the Basecamp program and have watched each of the three videos at least 10 times.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I also recommend videos by GPS retailers, such as GPS City.  Here is an example, LINK about creating a route on Basecamp. 

Maps for the Garmin Handheld

Folks often ask me if they should purchase a GPS with the topo maps pre-loaded on their receiver.  For Garmin's newer GPS receivers, you can obtain free topo maps off of the web that are excellent.  For example, the GPSmap 64s will allow these maps, but the GPSmap 60s (an older model no longer produced by Garmin) does not.  

These maps should be placed on a microSD card, so make sure that the receiver you buy accepts these cards.  The GPSmap 64s accepts them, but the base model GPSmap 64 does not.

If you determine you have a Garmin model that accepts a microSD card, check out GPSFileDepot.com for a wide variety of free topos and trail maps. There are great tutorials on the site as well - they show you how to load maps onto your GPS.  I look at the tutorials every time I load maps, as I don't do it enough that I feel comfortable doing it without the quick reminder.  GPSFileDepot also makes recommendations on the best maps for the area you need to cover.

Understanding Your New Garmin

Here is a list of 15 tips for every new GPS owner.  It is a very good list - I wish I had written it!

http://gpstracklog.com/2013/12/15-tips-for-the-new-handheld-gps-owner.html

Especially important is to learn to use the receiver by using it in town before going into the woods.  I have been testing a brand new Garmin Monterra recently, and even though I am very familiar with my GPSmap 62s, it has still been hard to understand how a new model works.  I spent days without knowing how to turn on the "tracks" function, which marks where you went on a map!  When I finally figured it out, it turned out to be an easy fix.  Get those fixes figured out before you need a GPS.

The Garmin Monterra

I also totally agree with the recommendation that you get Enloop Rechargeable batteries.  Enloops reportedly last for more charges than other rechargeable batteries on the market.

I would replace Tip #13 ("grab some Birds Eye aerial imagery") with a different one: purchase a Micro SD card for your GPS receiver if it accepts one, and get the proper size for your receiver.  The Garmin GPSmap 62 takes a relatively small card (I believe my card is 4 MB), while the Garmin Monterra takes a much bigger card (I believe my card is 64 MB).  Google your unit's name and "Micro SD" to see what card you should get.

What model should I buy?

Garmin makes several levels of many of its GPS receivers.  For the GPSMAP 62 series, there is the base model, the 62s (which accepts memory cards and has an altimeter), the 62st (which adds Garmin's topo maps), and the 62stc (which adds a 5 MP camera).

Base Model Garmin GPSmap 62

Garmin GPSmap 62s

Garmin GPSmap 62st

Which one to get for the hiker?  Here is a comparison chart, put together by one of the better online GPS retailers.  LINK.  

I strongly recommend a 62s.  The base model does not have added memory capacity, which is every useful.  And I like the altimeter function of the 62s, even though I don't know that it is really accurate. The 62st includes Garmin's topo maps - critical for a hiker, but also available FOR FREE online.  And I keep a separate digital camera that is 10 MP.  These days, Garmin's 5 MP camera is not as good as most smartphones.  So why pay extra for it?

Garmin GPSmap stc

Others ask, why buy a dedicated GPS at all, when your smartphone does many of the same things.  the answer is that smartphones are not as accurate, and using your smartphone as a GPS runs down the battery really fast.  When I bought a smartphone I thought it was the end of my GPS - I learned quickly that smartphones aren't replacing GPS receivers anytime soon.

Introduction

I own a Garmin GPSmap 62s receiver that I use to document my hiking.  I love it!  And hate it!

Really, I just hate Garmin's insanely poor documentation, which means that I seem to constantly uncover (usually by accident) some capability that I never knew the receiver had.  And then I wish I'd known about it a year ago.

There should be a "Garmin for Dummies" book that could tell me all this stuff.  Maybe the market is just too limited, I don't know.

So I am blogging about my Garmin for my use - to have a place to document the stuff I am learning about my receiver and Garmin's companion software, Garmin Basecamp.  If you use a Garmin handheld receiver, there might be something to help you, too.  Your receiver doesn't have to be the GPSmap 62s.  It could be a Garmin Montana or a Garmin Oregon or a GPSmap 60 (my former receiver).  Documenting the various capabilities of the receiver will help me have a place to look it up again so I don't need to re-invent the wheel.

There are seemingly a million little things about Garmin receivers that never made it into their documentation. All this minutiae needs a place to reside, hence the name of the blog.

I have another blog about my various hiking experiences, found here, usually occurring near my home in Virginia.  This will be the companion to that blog.

I have owned the GPSmap 62s for over two years, buying it in the Autumn of 2011 from REI Coop.  REI has the best return policy in the business, and I wanted the option to return the receiver if I ended up hating it.  Before that, I had a Garmin GPSmap 60cs, which I failed to properly anchor to my belt on a hike over an overgrown trail in a Virginia wilderness area.  That unit has never been returned to me, though my name and telephone number shows on the startup screen when it is powered up.

After losing that receiver, I spent a week in a funk before my wife told me to get a new model.  The 60 series GPS receivers have been discontinued, and after some research I decided on the newer version of this type of receiver.  At the time, REI was selling it for $399.95, though it has gone down significantly since then. I know several folks who bought this same model receiver for half my purchase price at REI over Thanksgiving, 2013.

The 62S model did not come with a printed user's manual (unlike the 60cs), but one can be found online here.

I've been thinking about putting together this blog for a long time, and because I know several folks with brand new receivers, I've decided to start it.

Future postings will discuss aspects of the 62 series receiver.  If you have this unit, don't hesitate to leave a message asking what you'd like me to cover in the future.