Portable GPS Tom Tom vs. Garmin

[Kevin Askew]

Im new to the GPS thing, we used a small hand held garmin this past weekend for a chase in KY & it worked real well. But I want a nicer one for us. looking on the 2-300 dollar range If need be. Any advice on either pro or con related to chasing would be great. look to use to plot target/intercept & eliminate maps

 

[Michael Towers]

I just bought the Garmin Colorado 300 in preparation for this year's chases. It retails for $499 but you can get it on sale for $349 from various retailers. After chasing the last 8 years using paper maps I wanted to clear the clutter and eliminate the hassle of frequently checking maps for routes or to determine where that little country road in the middle of nowhere goes. Much to my disappointment I found the base map that comes with the unit would lack severely in it's capacity to achieve my navigation needs; not only would it not show a little country road it mostly omits all but major roads. In an effort to meet my needs I just ordered Garmin's North American City Navigator map SD card for about $100 which should provide the comprehensive mapping data I expected would come with the unit in the first place. Bottom line financially for anyone considering buying a Garmin 300 for chase navigation be prepared to spend an extra $100 if you want adequate mapping.

On the positive side the Map Source program that came with it will allow me to display the mapping from the GPS on my laptop. Not only will I not have to fumble around with paper maps I won't have to check the unit itself for navigation, it'll all be clear and easy to see on my widescreen. Combining that and the ability to integrate with GR3 should bring a nice improvement to my chasing experience.

 

[Jerry Prsha]

Im new to the GPS thing, we used a small hand held garmin this past weekend for a chase in KY & it worked real well. But I want a nicer one for us. looking on the 2-300 dollar range If need be. Any advice on either pro or con related to chasing would be great. look to use to plot target/intercept & eliminate maps

I'm a BIG FAN of Garmin's GPS-18 that comes with nRoute and City Navigator in one bundle. If you already have a laptop, why not use the big screen instead of the tiny thing that you stick on your windshield?

...And it's cheaper!​

I have my computer plugged into my stereo so that I can hear the navigation even with the windows open and while playing songs with iTunes on the computer.