Showing posts with label Garmin GPSMAP 62 series Overview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Garmin GPSMAP 62 series Overview. Show all posts
Garmin GPSMAP 62 series Overview
A comparison between the features of all of the units in the GPSMAP 62 series: 62, 62s, 62st, 62sc, 62stc.
Garmin GPSMAP 62 - Initial Setup - Calibrate Compass - GPSMAP 64
Quick overview of what to expect when you take out your new garmin gpsmap 62s out of the box. Goes over the language selection, electronic compass calibration, unit setup, backlight setup, position format and key layout.
Garmin 62s Walking GPS - GO Outdoors
A video review of the Garmin 62s by Mike & Ollie for GO Outdoors TV asking "if there's an app for that, why would you need a stand alone GPS?"
Speak to Mountain Rescue Teams across the country and you will be bombarded with tales about people who got hopelessly lost rely on technology (like Smart Phone) that designed to help you get to work in the morning rather than taking them of a mountain in a howling gale.
No bit of technology that relies on battery should ever replace your ability to navigate with map and compass, but the Garmin 62s can be a really valuable addition to your outdoor kit.
In this video, we show you that its all layed out in a very logical way and everything is easily assessable and having actual physical buttons, means you can use it without taking your gloves of, not something that you can do with a touch screen phone.
During the filming, the weather obliged us perfectly, allowing Matt (a mountain guide) to show Ollie to show exactly when a GPS is most useful, navigating a tricky descent in bad weather.
Speak to Mountain Rescue Teams across the country and you will be bombarded with tales about people who got hopelessly lost rely on technology (like Smart Phone) that designed to help you get to work in the morning rather than taking them of a mountain in a howling gale.
No bit of technology that relies on battery should ever replace your ability to navigate with map and compass, but the Garmin 62s can be a really valuable addition to your outdoor kit.
In this video, we show you that its all layed out in a very logical way and everything is easily assessable and having actual physical buttons, means you can use it without taking your gloves of, not something that you can do with a touch screen phone.
During the filming, the weather obliged us perfectly, allowing Matt (a mountain guide) to show Ollie to show exactly when a GPS is most useful, navigating a tricky descent in bad weather.
Garmin GPSMAP 62s bike mount
Under the flap and inside
Under the protective weather cap is a mini-USB port and MCX external antenna connection. Just so it doesn’t trigger questions, I’ll mention that the item beside the antenna connection is a screw. Inside the battery compartment is a micro-SD slot for additional map and data storage.
One hardware note here. The battery holders can be very tight with rechargeable NiMH batteries. I actually had to pry the batteries out of one unit I tested, though my wife could remove them with her amazingly strong fingernails! The batteries popped out of the other test units with a good slap, and I expect that even tight ones will loosen up over time.
Carabiner and mounting system
A rail mount on the back of the unit allows the included carabiner to slide onto the device (shown below). This is the same system used on the Colorado, Dakota and Oregon lines so the related accessories are interchangeable. I’ve heard some people say they don’t trust the carabiner mount, but after using it on my Oregon for a couple of years, I can say that I’ve never had any problems with it. Personally, I really like it and find it very convenient for clipping onto my pack.
Garmin’s bike mount uses the same system, as shown below. I didn’t like this at first, since it’s just a zip tie system, but after a reader suggested using pliers (to pull the zip tie tight) and a screw driver (to press against the base of the zip tie slot), I’ve found that I can get it quite tight. I’ve never had a unit pop off the mount, though it is possible to slide it on incorrectly, so be aware of that. Also, low profile mounts such as this one seem much safer to the rider, in case of a crash, than ones that protrude.
Auto mount kits that utilize this rail mount connection are also available.
Garmin GPSMap 62 - Tracks vs Routes - GPSMAP 64
Quick tutorial on the difference between a track & route.
A track or tracklog is a breadcrumb trail of your current activity on your GPS. This could be your day of hiking in a park. You can use the tracback feature on your garmin gpsmap 62 to navigate back using the same track if you are unable to follow the trail.
You can also save the track for future use.
Routes are a little different. Typically they contain less points than your trackfile. So in our example of hiking, we want to save only the trails we hiked to send to our friend or use at a later time.
We can edit the track file in Basecamp, split a single track into 2 or more segments. From there we can save each track as a route. From here, we can save each new route under a new name and send it back to the GPS.
From there, you can navigate the route by using the FIND | ROUTES menu and navigate just like a track. For simplicity, you could also further edit the route so that it only contains the single path and use the reverse route feature to navigate back. Useful for out & back trails.
A track or tracklog is a breadcrumb trail of your current activity on your GPS. This could be your day of hiking in a park. You can use the tracback feature on your garmin gpsmap 62 to navigate back using the same track if you are unable to follow the trail.
You can also save the track for future use.
Routes are a little different. Typically they contain less points than your trackfile. So in our example of hiking, we want to save only the trails we hiked to send to our friend or use at a later time.
We can edit the track file in Basecamp, split a single track into 2 or more segments. From there we can save each track as a route. From here, we can save each new route under a new name and send it back to the GPS.
From there, you can navigate the route by using the FIND | ROUTES menu and navigate just like a track. For simplicity, you could also further edit the route so that it only contains the single path and use the reverse route feature to navigate back. Useful for out & back trails.
Garmin Basecamp terrible?
I'm a software developer. I know how to use a computer. Complex software doesn't bother me (Final Cut Pro, XCode, etc).
Yet, I've been trying to use Basecamp to plan a ~7,500 mile trip and I find it nearly unusable. It is exceedingly slow on both my i7 desktop with Windows, and my 2013 Macbook Pro w/Retina display. I'm using it with a somewhat older Garmin GPS, but I figure that shouldn't matter too much right?
Is there an alternative? I'd use Google Maps for everything, except it doesn't do everything I need.
ANSWER::
Microsoft Streets and Trips is decent planning software. You can plan routes and then save them as a .gpx file for export to Basecamp which you can then use to load the .gpx file into your gps. Other programs may be just as good or better but I've been using S&T for so long that it's second nature.
ANSWER::
Yet, I've been trying to use Basecamp to plan a ~7,500 mile trip and I find it nearly unusable. It is exceedingly slow on both my i7 desktop with Windows, and my 2013 Macbook Pro w/Retina display. I'm using it with a somewhat older Garmin GPS, but I figure that shouldn't matter too much right?
Is there an alternative? I'd use Google Maps for everything, except it doesn't do everything I need.
ANSWER::
Microsoft Streets and Trips is decent planning software. You can plan routes and then save them as a .gpx file for export to Basecamp which you can then use to load the .gpx file into your gps. Other programs may be just as good or better but I've been using S&T for so long that it's second nature.
ANSWER::
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