As my GPS survey has apparently not appeared for some reason (and I'm
receiving requests from list members) here is the survey again. Hope it
gets through OK.
Would those people who have asked me this morning about the survey please
let me know it has appeared now?
cheers, Martin O'Brien
Melbourne.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For list members.
Thanks to all who passed on their experiences with purchasing and using
hand-held Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for birding. I've summarised
the responses I received to my questions (over 40) below.
General comments
- A few users had GPS units that may no longer be sold or are old models
(eg. Garmin GPS 12 XL was purchased in 1998). Keep this in mind when
reading the following.
- prices, even for the same unit, varied greatly depending on the retail
outlet (this means it's worth shopping around) and where and when the unit
was purchased.
- specialist GPS shops were all strongly recommended (prices, advice and
support) by those who used these outlets.
- at least two Magellan GPS owners had switched to Garmin units (but no
Garmin user had switched to any other unit). [This means their are a few
'double-responses' in the information below].
- three users had tried and/or purchased a Magellan unit as part of the
last Birds Australia atlas work. These people tended to say their Magellan
units were NOT user friendly.
- at least four users also purchased additional items with the unit (eg.
cig lighter cables, map software, cradle for in-car use and external
antenna)
- at least three GPS owners used their units as part of work (eg.
biological consultant) or study (eg. post graduate student). These people
tended to also have some dedicated map software to support the data
generated in their GPS use.
- at least two people had either purchased their unit over the web or
while overseas
Provider support
All Garmin users were happy with the support and back-up received from the
suppliers. With one exception the few Garmin users that had problems with
their devices had the issues quickly addressed and the GPS repaired or
replaced within a day or so. These were all done under warranty.
Most Magellan users had negative experiences with their units and often
with their suppliers but NOT all Magellan users had bad experiences. Two
Magellan users mentioned their units failed within a year. At least two
people were quite happy with their Magellan GPS, although one of these
mentioned the lack of the standard Australian datum (GDA94) as an option
in their unit. Another Magellan GPS owner said the device failed after
the software change date (about 3 years after purchase). It's worth
checking whether software upgrades are required in your unit and whether
they are issued free by the GPS provider after purchase.
Not all Magellan users found their units to be hard to use. Recent models
(eg. Explorist series) in particular are easier to use than the older
models (eg. the 310).
Note that
- some people did not provide answers to all the questions I posed.
Answers with the phrase 'not specified' indicate these questions.
- most people mentioned they did NOT use their GPS for much other than
determining grid references when atlassing/birding.
References:
The following book may be of use to GPS owners: McNamara, J. (2004) 'GPS
for Dummies: a reference for the rest of us'. Published by Wiley US. ISBN
0 764569 333
The two main GPS manufacturers mentioned by people are: Garmin -
http://www.garmin.com/, Magellan - http://www.magellan.com.au/
How to use hand held GPS - http://www.ehow.com/how_7010_handheld-gps-system.html
Detailed summary
1. Which MAKE and MODEL GPS did you buy ?
A number of different brands and models of GPS were used by list members.
By far the most commonly purchased units were Garmin. This may reflect
availability as much as anything else as the outlets people mentioned were
quite varied.
Note that I've used text to describe the number of units per user to try
and make the following a bit easier to read.
* Brand: Garmin - 31, Magellan - 9, Other - 1(Fortuna GPSmart)
* Model & no. of users:
Garmin
Garmin (model not specified) 1.
eTrex four, GPS II four, GPS II Plus three, GPS72 three, eTrex Legend C
three, Geko two, GPSMap60 one, Map76S one, 12-Map one, GPS 12 XL one, 76
one, eTrex Venture one, 360 one
[NB. only the eTrex series, Geko series and some of the mapping Gamin's
are current]
Magellan
(model not specified) 3, Magellan 300 one, Magellan 310 three, GPS Pioneer
one, Explorist 600 one.
[NB. Only the Explorist series is current]
Other
Fortuna GPSmart one
2. What type of retailer did you purchase your GPS from? (outdoors shop, marine
supplies, map shop, auto?)
Marine/boating suppliers headed the outlets used by people for purchasing
their unit. This was followed closely by specialist GPS suppliers (eg.
Johnny Appleseed). viz.
Marine/boating supplier - 7, Specialist GPS retailer - 5, retailer not
specified - 5, purchased through/by work - 3, Mapping suppliers &/or
retailer - 3, electronics store - 3, communications retailer - 2, auto/car
radio shop - 2, Birds Australia - 2, sporting goods store - 1, outdoor
shop - 1, via Ebay - 1,
3. How much did you pay?
Most people spent $300- or less on the GPS unit. Those that spent bigger
sums generally had work reasons for doing so. It appears that you not
need to spend any more for a birding GPS.
Both Garmin and Magellan units were amongst the dearest GPS devices
purchased by users. Garmin units were also by far the most common
mid-priced ($200 - $300) units purchased.
The number of people spending the following amounts on their GPS are as
follows:
$100 - 199 => 1($129-)
$200 - 299 => 14
$300 - 399 => 2
$400 - 499 => 3
$500 - 599 => 4
$600 - 699 => 2
$700 - 799 => 1
$800 + => 1 ($1200-)
Interestingly, a few of the people who spent a large sum on their GPS
noted how much cheaper similar models were these days.
4. Given that it is for birding, why did you buy that particular make and
model? (compact?, cheap?, easy to use, only one available?..)
The ease of use, cost, compact dimensions and sometimes features were the
main reasons given for purchasing a particular GPS unit. Many people
noted that there were only a few makes & models available to them at the
price range they were prepared to pay. Clearly, not all suppliers had
full ranges of any GPS manufacturer.
A summary of the responses, in the order of most commonly made comment
(covering all the units) follows. (Not everyone responded with the same
comments).
Easy to use - 17
Compact/lightweight - 8
Good price/cheap - 7
Feature rich/of choice - 5
Well made/reliable - 3
Accurate/quick getting satellite fixes - 3
'Good brand' - 2
Intuitive - 2
Screen clarity good - 1
5. Is it EASY to use? (yes/no and why)
Nearly all respondents said their unit was easy to use (this related to
button position, screen size and clarity and intuitive instructions or
menus on the display. A number mentioned it was a steep learning curve
before they found their units easy to use. Many people mentioned they did
not use a number of the other features in their unit or loaded the data
collected, onto their computer.
With a few exceptions, it appeared that all GPS devices take a little
learning but are fine after this. Don't be put off by all the features
they come with and be aware there are likely to be many functions you may
not use (at least initially).
6. In your opinion, what are the good points/features for this make/model?
This was often a repeat of answers to question 5. Additional things
mentioned were: Works in situations where other units do not, good battery
life, logical menu, clear manual details, waterproof construction, often
doesn't work (old GPS device in hilly terrain), text is a bit hard to read
(small screen with single colour characters), can be run off the cigarette
lighter outlet, display can be rotated.
Some people found their units hard to understand (poor manuals?) and use,
especially the use of 'waypoints' or 'points of interest' but others
mentioned their units came with good user manuals.
7. Have you had any problems or difficulties with the unit? (battery
usage, complex to understand, hard to read screen, inadequate
instructions...?)
A variety of problems were provided by just a few users. The majority of
users had no problems at all.
They covered: battery use or type, cable to antenna broken a few times,
altitude function not accurate, limited route saving ability, stopped
working after 3 years, lacks GDA94 datum for Australia, complex to
understand, doesn't work under dense forest canopy, switches itself off in
the bag, small size of screen characters, screen hard to read sometimes,
slow getting satellite fixes, line by line menus annoying.
8. Do you just use your GPS for determining grid and locality references
for outdoor activities or do you also download data gathered into you pc
for home or work?
Only three people mentioned they used their GPS for anything other than
personal birding. The ability to take a bird site grid reference for
addition to an atlas sheets of notebook and as future reference were the
main reasons people had purchased their unit.
9. Would you recommend your GPS to others?
All but 3 people said they would recommended their GPS to others. The few
that did not recommend their GPS said the units had been superseded by
better GPS devices at lower prices than they had paid or from bad
experiences with GPS failure and/or provider support.
10. Does your unit track OK beneath a forest canopy?
The few responses received on this question said their unit worked OK
provided a satellite fix was made before entering dense canopy areas. The
dearer GPS units (those with mapping download and upload facilities) did
not have any problems obtaining fixes below canopy. The units that failed
in this respect tended to be the lower end models or the cheapest devices.
11. Comments - any other comments?
People were generally very happy with their purchases which means that
there are a number of makes, models and feature sets for GPS users. As
Garmin was the most common GPS people mentioned, I offer the following
observations.
Garmin GPS were by far the most common units purchased but they also
appear to be the most widely available in terms of outlets. Garmin have a
wide range of products and prices to suit.
Dedicated GPS shops were strongly recommended by those who visited them
and marine outlets also rated strongly. It seems you need spend only up
to $300 for a GPS suitable for birding, navigation and storage of
locations. Keep in mind that some models are discontinued so check on
their availability. Remember that grey scale and colour screens are far
easier to read than simple 'black pixel' screens but grey or colour GPS
cost more.
It's worth getting a dedicated GPS wallet or belt holder, as these can
prevent drops as well as protect screens etc. I also take out the
batteries between uses in my tiny Garmin Geko 201 to save on power use.
I've enjoyed this opportunity to gather and provide GPS information to
birdos. Another review/survey in a few years time would be a good idea. I
plan to place an article in the Bird Observers Club of Australia
newsletter on these findings, so other birdos can benefit for your
responses.
cheers
Martin O'Brien
Melbourne
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