Gadget Bag: GPS Made Easy

Touch-screens and intuitive menus are making new GPS units more photographer-friendly

By Jon Sienkiewicz

Labels: Gadget Bag, Gear

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Garmin Oregon 550; Lowrance Endura Out&Back; Garmin Dakota 20

Although they may never fully replace a trail map and compass, compact touch-screen GPS units pack convenience, ease of use and navigational power into a device small enough to slip into a shirt pocket. Most go well beyond telling you where you are in two-dimensional terms and allow you to track your route, mark waypoints and do various things that Lewis and Clark only dreamed about. Some provide altitude, barometric pressure, weather data and an ultra-reliable compass; they also tell you what time it is.

Garmin Rino 610, 650 & 655t

The list of features offered by the Garmin Rino 650 and 655t makes you wonder whether we’re talking about a handheld touch-screen GPS or a NASA space lab. These pro models include an FRS/GMRS radio for spoken communication, barometric altimeter, three-axis compass and NOAA weather radio. The 2.6-inch, color touch-screen can be operated while gloves are worn. Both the Rino 650 and 655t come with a worldwide basemap and can be updated with a wide variety of detailed topographic, marine and road maps via a microSD card slot. They also support BirdsEye Satellite Imagery, which enables you to download satellite images and integrate them with your maps (subscription required). In addition, they’re compatible with Custom Maps, a free software application that transforms paper and electronic maps into downloadable maps.

The Rinos receive NOAA weather broadcasts and support Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) that pinpoints National Weather Service warnings and watches displayed county-by-county on the LCD. The Rino 650 has a $499 MSRP. Priced at $599, big brother Rino 655t includes a built-in, 5-megapixel digital camera with autofocus, 4x digital zoom and automatic geotagging. Both include a lithium-ion battery pack and charger.

The Lowrance Endura Out&Back GPS was designed for easy, out-of-the-box use, especially for first-time GPS users. It features a large, 2.7-inch color touch-screen, a simplified user interface and hard buttons for quick access to key functions. It comes preloaded with mapping content that includes key land features such as lakes, rivers, primary roads and points of interest (POI). The Out&Back supports a wide range of optional mapping content and accepts public domain files, including GPX trails, routes and general outdoor POIs via USB download or microSD card. Totally updatable, the Out&Back is enclosed in weatherproof rubber body armor for added durability; it’s powered by two AA batteries. MSRP: $199.

Suunto X10
The power of the Suunto X10 doesn’t fit in the palm of your hand—it goes on your wrist, where it’s as convenient and accessible as any sports watch. This full-featured GPS allows you to record routes, mark waypoints, track speed and distance, and view tracks on Google Earth. On-the-go navigation is facilitated by a sophisticated compass. The X10 also functions as an altimeter, providing altitude and vertical speed data (with altitude alarm). As a barometer, the X10 delivers sea-level pressure, absolute pressure, a weather trend graph, ambient temperature and a weather alarm. It’s a timepiece, too, and features dual time zones, a calendar, multiple alarms and, of course, a stopwatch. It’s water-resistant up to 100 meters and charges via a USB cable.

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