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Avidangler
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Apr 05, 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Northern California - USA
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 Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:38 pm Post subject: Magellan SporTrak or Garmin GPS12 |
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Hi all!
Happened across Pocket GPS World forums while searching for advice on which of two basic, relatively low cost, handheld GPS units to buy - the Magellan SporTrak (basic yellow model) or the Garmin GPS12. I will be using the unit mostly for trolling speed indication when fishing for Kokanee Salmon and Trout on freshwater lakes from my small boat and to view my track plot to nav back to areas that I find are holding fish and to avoid snagging my downriggers on underwater obstructions which I will have marked with waypoints.
The most critical difference I can see between the two in performance is the SporTrak boasts accuracy to 3 meters and the Garmin is rated at 15 meters. Battery life on the SporTrak is rated less than the Garmin because it only has two AA batteries while the Garmin has four but this is relatively unimportant as I intend to power the unit from a large 12 volt battery in the boat.
I am leaning towards the Magellan because of the stated higher accuracy rating. I welcome any knowledgeable advice or reccomendations that any PGW members care to provide in helping me to make my decision.
Thanks - Dave |
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lbendlin
Pocket GPS Staff
Joined: 02/11/2002 22:41:59
Posts: 11878
Location: Massachusetts, USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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This claim is largely based on WAAS, the american version of SBAS. Here's what the Magellan user guide says:
| Quote: | What are some of the problems with WAAS? The signal coverage with WAAS
is not global like GPS satellites. In some locations, receiving WAAS signals can
be difficult and intermittent. There are two satellites transmitting WAAS for
corrections in the Americas and two more over Africa and India providing
similar coverage for Europe. These satellites are geostationary, i.e., they stay in
the same spot over the Earth equator. The two satellites for the Americas are
over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Chances are then, they will probably be
near the horizon from where you are using your GPS receiver. This increases
the chance that buildings, foliage, terrain and other obstacles could block the
WAAS signal.
Also WAAS is a relatively new system and is still in its developmental stage. So
on occasion you may experience service outages. Even during these outages,
your GPS receiver will still be working, computing position fixes and helping
you get to where you want to go using the GPS signals. The only difference is
you will not be getting the precision that WAAS was providing. You can expect
to see these outages diminish as the system matures and stabilizes.
For more information on WAAS, you can visit the FAA website’s section on
their WAAS system: http://gps.faa.gov/programs/WAAS/waas.htm |
This means you only get the higher accuracy when your receiver can grab the WAAS sats. Not very likely when you are boating around on a mountain lake. Not to say that it cannot happen, but maybe you want to base your decision on battery runtime instead.
_________________
Lutz
Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ |
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Avidangler
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Apr 05, 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Northern California - USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the reply!
Battery runtime is not a major concern for me as I will be using a 12 volt battery & power cable to supply power in the boat.
I guess since the accuracy issue seems moot, I'd just like to hear some input from users of these two units as to how they like them etc. |
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