GPS with terrain

[Chris Kennedy]

I am thinking about purchasing a GPS for chasing and driving. I found at REI a Garmin nuvi 500 for $289 normally $499. It includes preloaded topo maps and can be off a charger for 8 hours. The only down fall is that it doesn't say the street name out loud. My question is how important are topo maps for chasing?

 

[Jason Boggs]

Honestly Chris, in my opinion, topo maps are of no real value when chasing. You want a GPS that can zoom in and out, and one that will show roads from interstates down to dirt roads.

If you have a laptop that you use, Delorme street atlas maps along with a GPS puck will do the trick just fine. You can buy the software and the puck for probably less than $100 or so.

EDIT: I have no real experience with handheld GPS units, but I know there are others here that can chime in about those.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

I know that when I was asking chasers this question, they all said that the DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 to be used with a laptop and GR3 for the best and most affordable results.
There is a lot of different kind of GPS devices available for different uses. I really depends on what you want and what you need. Some guys use the small screen GPS devices and it does the job just fine - if that is what you want.
The DeLorme USB GPS 'puck' can be used with a number of different program - including the SpotterNetwork. I use the SN too - as does a number of spotters AND chasers. I know that some use the Garmin device - but be warned that it doesn't have a USB or a program that can plug into your laptop.
I am not saying this is definitive, as I am a newbie this year. Maybe the Garmin has changed its connectivity in the newer models for a laptop function too. I certainly am no expert with the Garmin-style gear, but I do know what many chasers are using - they chose the DeLorme unit.

 

[John Erwin]

I am thinking about purchasing a GPS for chasing and driving. I found at REI a Garmin nuvi 500 for $289 normally $499. It includes preloaded topo maps and can be off a charger for 8 hours. The only down fall is that it doesn't say the street name out loud. My question is how important are topo maps for chasing?

Topographical information can be useful at times, particularly if you have a lot of features that may interfere with your ability to get to the storm ie. rivers, hills etc. Still, I find I'm mostly interested in a good display of the road network overall.

I use a Garmin Nuvi 750 in my "secondary" chase vehicle (my wifes car) and it certainly doesn't match up with what I can get with a puck and laptop, however it's still better than trying to find something on a paper map when you're trying to pay most of your attention out the window.

Unless you really want one of these portable units for a lot of non-chasing related stuff I would strongly consider the laptop route so that you have access to other chaser tools such as radar data etc.

 

[Chris Kennedy]

Yeh Ive been back an forth, on a laptop run gps or a dash mount. I will also be using it for non-chasing driving. I want terrain maps because most of our thunderstorms stay in the mountains and deserts. I will also be chasing in Arizona and New Mexico during the Monsoon season. The gps states "usb cable not included" so I presume that it has usb capabilites. How do I find out if it is compatible with spotternetwork or other radar software.

 

[John Erwin]

The gps states "usb cable not included" so I presume that it has usb capabilites. How do I find out if it is compatible with spotternetwork or other radar software.

It's not. Virtually none of those "Driving" type GPS units put any kind of GPS data output via a USB cable or otherwise, making them useless for things like GRlevel3 or other applications.

The USB cable is usually only needed for firmware updates, uploading maps or downloading trip info etc.

 

[Robert Rohloff]

I run my Garmin 2620 and use a USB to the laptop, it runs GR III GPS, Spotter Network. I use Franson GPS Gate. I am thinking of going to laptop GPS for a larger view this year.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

Honestly Chris, in my opinion, topo maps are of no real value when chasing. You want a GPS that can zoom in and out, and one that will show roads from interstates down to dirt roads.

I run TOPO on my laptop which is synced with the GPS, and I must say it comes in handy sometimes... There have been a few times where I'm questioning whether I should take a road, I take a look at the topography, and notice that the road crosses some dry stream beds. With this in mind I've chosen alternative routes or held back, because I'd like to keep my road options open and not be stuck between two previously dry stream beds.

 

[Chris Kennedy]

I pulled the trigger and bought it. I really like it. The TOPO map came in handy the other day, I was "chasing" a small thunderstorm and only could see the top of it because of buildings and trees blocking the bottom portion of the storm. I switched to topo mode and found the tallest hill to go to for a clear view. This is also my first gps so Im totally stoked with the fact that I can lose myself in a city and still get home in a breeze.