help on gps of all trades

[spook]

Respect to all
Not sure weather this in correct forum but it regards a Fortuna gps so here goes

I travel over most of England, Ireland and Europe. I often park on the outskirts of towns and travel in on my scooter as I am restricted in my ability to walk. For recreation I enjoy exploring cycle routes and those tracks as far off the beaten track as is possible to travel on my scoot. It’s bad enough talking on the phone but driving with a map in one hand is not too good either. Getting lost is a nightmare I can do without
I therefore req a gps of all trades

1 I have a laptop with Autoroute which I would like my new gps to work with as its great for planning trips with and it’s always good to have a backup.
2 I would also like it to work with my new ipac 2210 both on my scoot and in my van which may req an outside recever.
3 I would like to use it at slow speed it in town and city streets ect were signals may be difficult to receive but house numbers/addresses are important.
4 I would like to use it at high speed on motorways where it needs to update its position quickly.
4 I would like to use it in remote places where accuracy is most important.

All in all I don’t want spend a Fortuna :P on 2 or 3 or 4gps's

I was therefore pleased to see the Fortuna where I can switch between the ST mode and XT mode. After considerable reading on this excellent site I am considering the Fortuna gps with tom-tom 2 soft for my 2210
My questions are, does anyone know if the Fortuna will work with Autoroute, any advice as to the Fortuna's suitability for the above uses or know of better alternatives. I have no experience of Tom-Tom but I realise it is only road/street mapping so your thoughts are especially welcome on this. Probably another soft may be needed for more remote locations and again your recommendation on this would be most welcome. I need 8 hours use before recharge so will I need to carry more batteries and if my gps can plug into the top of my pda, what advantage is a Bluetooth gps? Fortuna specs state, 1-5 meters, DGPS corrected, Can I seriously expect receive the same reading to 1-5 meters at, say my front door in the UK, month after month :o
Thanks in advance to any and all
spookie1

[lbendlin]

Hi there,

You should probably go for a GPS that you can switch between standard mode (required for road navigation) and XTrac (good for walking). If the new Fortuna can do that then that's just fine. I recently saw another on that can do that, and it even comes with replaceable batteries, so you can really stretch the battery life time there.

The advantage of BlueTooth is that you can position the GPS antenna for better view of the sky. With CF based GPS systems you always have to compromise between the angle that you look at the 2210 screen and the angle that the GPS looks at the sky. In some situations you may want to have the PDA in a place that doesn't even have any sky view. (for example in the van)

You got it correct, TomTom is just for road navigation. The GPS receiver will work with any software (including AutoRoute), so you can look at some topographical software (this site has some reviews) for the offroad adventures.
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

[spook]

Thanks lbendlin
Looks like I am on the right track then but do you remember what the other model was?
Love to see a review on the Fortuna gps then I could buy with confidence. The advantage of BlueTooth is somewhat diminished as there is a plug to attach a remote aerial on the Fortuna although point taken that no wires are involved. I think there is a BlueTooth Fortuna model so this may be worth the extra £ for less wires. I just thought it was one more thing to carry when away from the van. Will now look for some topographical software reviews on this site to complement TomTom
Keep up the good work, lots of us would be lost without you.
Spookie1

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