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GPS for Nav

H

huntnjim

New member
I just purchased a new 2013 Tucker 2000XL. Drove out to Medford last week and did the plant tour and training. we are a telecommunications company in Colorado and have 30 years expierence accessing mountain sites in the winter with customer owned machines or helos. I am searching for the best GPS for navigation. What are you guys using and are there any search and rescue guys here? I would like to find a unit that can depend on the tracking feature during white out conditions.
 
Good question.

I use a Garmin Montana unit but I'm not in isolated back country. I'm curious to see the answers come in from some of the guys who trail groom and go into really remote areas.
 
Lyndon see a tucker up at work with radar to run on a narrow path during poor weather .
 
In Agriculture we are using GPS auto steer, and it is capable of the kind of accuracy you are asking for. Using WASS (uncorrected) signal we are seeing 4-6" accuracy, some times better. If you use a differentail correction signal with it, ( paid substription BTW) it is capable of sub 2" accuracy... I think my Trimble CFX 750 unit is also capable of tracking back on the same line it has pasted on before. But be forewarned it isn't a cheap deal at $15K for everything you need plus the installation. http://www.trimble.com/agriculture/cfx-750.aspx?dtID=overview&

The installation can vary substantially the cost of the unit, depending on the requirements of your machine. The tucker, is it power steering? If so the steering wheel can be run with a wheel motor, the least expensive way...

Regards, Kirk
 
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here are some ways we are working out here in nome a buddy of mine has a gps snmart phone with a topo map app it works real well and he just leaves it plugged in to a cigarette lighter plug. i use a garman nuvie and just use the cookie crumb trail in the event a storm comes in i can always get home safely the slickest system i have seen is a small net book with a garmin hokie puck reciever mounted out side. this gives a nice large screen to see the down side is unlike the smart phone or i pad app it's not verry portable as in going from 1 vehicle to another the garmin mapps are useless up here and the computer based usgs maps work much better hope this helps you out bid screens are better.
 
Does a snowstorm affect them Don? I wonder if it is like Direct TV where the signal washes out. If not the Trimble should be a good unit as they are accurate position wise on job sites.
 
Many times we are asked to dispath at the tail end of the storm to make our way to the tower. White out can be on the way to the site not allowing for the cookie crumb tracking. We don't always have cell service so depend soley on gps and hopefully knowing the road. 15 g may be out of the budget for the ag system.

What are the ice road folks up north using?
 
muleman said:
Does a snowstorm affect them Don? I wonder if it is like Direct TV where the signal washes out. If not the Trimble should be a good unit as they are accurate position wise on job sites.
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i have not seen it yet but, pre running the trail and saving a track is a good idea, as things can look way different from what the topo says especialy in the hills where snow also blows above the treeline i spend a lot of time running in blizzard conditions with blowing snow and can tell you first hand as i have hit stuff that isn't there on the map like blow holes bent a fender and broke an axle in one i even had a ground guidee walking in front of me because we knew the aera was known for blow holes
 
I use a Garmin 60cs when grooming and riding my snowmachine. I primarily use it when grooming for data collection as it is great for logging average speed, top speed, current speed etc. It also gives me a record of where I went, total miles etc. and I down load it on a mapping program at the end of the day.

It is helpful in "finding" the trails in open swamp areas, especially when the wind is blowing from behind or from the side and visibility goes to zero. It is accurate to about 50' give or take so I rely on other indicators too in poor visibility. I would never rely on it 100% if there was any danger of driving of a cliff or into open water.

The great thing about them is having the mapping software as you can draw routes on the computer using a USGS map and then uploading that into the GPS. Then when you are out in the field you have a known route to reference as you route find what is actually doable on the ground.

Last year I got the SPOT tracking device so my wife and others can follow along as I go and it also gives me a way of communicating with her and emergency resources in case I don't have cell reception.
 
Cat uses CAES which I think is called Terrain now but they are like Trimble, very $$$$ and not sure if you could even get those systems.

I agree with Don, pre-running the trail and mapping the track for later use in inclimate weather would be the way to go.

Been too many times when scouting/mapping a hunting area out that the terrain was very different than looking at a topo map. Be a bad time to find out when in a white out.

Cletis
 
I agree with you Don on pre running the trail and mapping with the tracking feature. Does anyone here use the Garmin 500 or Lowarnce Elite Baja and how reliable and comparable they are?
 
Don,

Is your area supported by TomTom? My son has it on his new phone, and it shows the trails by my cabin. Google has not updated my area yet, so I have low resolution. His phone shows high resolution for the same area. Might be something to look into.
 
How about the Garmin 500. You can download 7.5 minute maps and it has tracking features too. The short fall is not much memory for saving tracks. I spoke with garmin and he said up to 10 different tracks.
 
i still stick by the pc based models on an i pad or smart phone i have seen them work and there capabilitys to store roughts they work nice aslong as you don't get too far from your vehicle
 
Got the Garmin Montana 650T after many discussions with others. This will be a good start and if a more accurate gps comes to light the Montana will be a good backup.
 
After you have had a chance to use the garmin,please let us know what you think. Also,congrats on the XL, let us know how that works for you as well ! The crew at tucker have always been really helpful with any questions I could come up with. (and I've had some really dum:unsure:b ones!)
 
Northcoast said:
After you have had a chance to use the garmin,please let us know what you think. Also,congrats on the XL, let us know how that works for you as well ! The crew at tucker have always been really helpful with any questions I could come up with. (and I've had some really dum:unsure:b ones!)
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I agree, I met the Tucker family and had the complete tour, what an American dream company. It is amazing that the majority of the snocat is fabricated right there in Medford and with American pride. I salute these guys.
 
I still use my handheld eTrex garmin.. I also have a topo map program on my iphone with downloaded maps so I can use it with out cell service.
I will admit I have been turned around a time or two going to and returning from a tower site.
at times I have had a guy walk out in front to help spot the next marker.

I am sure you are already aware, but eyeware can make a BIG difference in white out conditions. some people amber, some the blue lens, ruby. etc. but a good pair of goggles even in the cat can help you see more detail in the snow.

also Flir doesnt work very well in snow :-/
 
I agree eyewear that shows the dips and shadows of snow can make a difference.
Learned that snowmobilling the hardway several years ago...ouch at high speed in a dip ..hard on the back.
 
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