$100, more likely:

"If the original, single *and* all unlocks were ALL unlocked on or after 4/22/02, you will receive the upgrade at no charge. If you unlocked your single original unlock before 4/22 the update will be $50 for one region or you may purchase the all unlock for $100. This also applies to the all unlocks whether purchased before or after 4/22 if you unlocked the original before 4/22. If you unlocked the original single unlock on or after 4/22 you may purchase the upgrade to all regions for $50."

For reference, I think the "new" V that has all unlocks included out of the box is about $50 more.

I think the new map data includes nearly all roads, as opposed to the "metropolitan areas" in the current data, but I'm not 100% sure.

Alex

Geez. I unlocked mine on 4/18!!! Grr.

- Jon

yeah that fuckin' blows man. I unlocked mine on like 4/20

Just got off the phone with Garmin. Sounds like this new release is gonna be 100 bucks flat and will have updated City Select data and all area unlocked... Buying the unlock code now would be a waste of money as you'd still need to spend the 100 later to get the updated data...

Also, the base maps that are in the V can't be upgraded without a chip swap. Bummer.

Lastly, the guy said that there's an upgrade for the V that is being worked on now - he couldn't give a date, but it's in Beta now. Wish I could get on that Beta team...

- Jon

Sweet... looks like i get the full upgrade for $50.

So... how do you go about taking advantage of that deal? ( he says without checking the Garmin website...)

Support at Garmin says that they are going to be emailing all registered GPS V owners in the next few weeks...

- Jon

Ah, thanks Jon. Guess i better scoot over there and register.

I still have half the manual to read, and i still have no clue how to use the mapsource software on my PC... lot's o' reading to do.

This thing does a LOT of stuff.... it's one of those gadgets that you need to keep the manual around for just so you remember how much crap it actually does

totally.

Mapsource is a really easy program to deal with. Uploading 18 mb of maps took about 45 minutes.

I still havn't gotten to all the features that the GPS V can do, although i probably wouldn't use them anyways.

BTW, for geocaching, i've found that putting the coordinates as a waypoint and using the "Off Road" feature makes it easier to narrow down the location of the cache.

Yeah, the off road feature is the next cool thing i wanna check out. I gotta go find me a geocache. It looks like it does some really cool tracking stuff, so you can backtrack offroad and stuff. The off road compass feature looks pretty sweet. I think i'm gonna plant a geocache on the hill behind my work...

How much memory does the GPS V have?

Calvin

19 megabytes.

See this:

http://www.garmin.com/specs/GPSV_1101.pdf

- Jon

It's already an amazing little tool... but oh, the step up it would have taken if it had an upgradable memory expansion slot and a slightly faster processor.

Agreed. That will probably be the GPS VI !!!

- Jon

Is the GPS V the best Garmin handheld right now? I've been itching to get my hands on a Rino. I woner if the Rino would be as capable?

Calvin

Hm. Never heard of the Rino. The GPS V can do address to address, which doesn't have a lot of competition in a small form factor now...

Going to search for the Rino right now.

- Jon

It's a little Garmin GPS with a built in FRS and GPRS radio. They use those frequencies to transmit tracking information from one to the other. So you can essentially play hide and seek in the mountains, or track one another down, do at-a-distance following. Etc. Very damn clever application of this spectrum. The GPRS feature requires faa licensing but allows for greater distances.

Calvin

Wooo... That would rock! Geocaching is like treasureh unting for adults... that would allow hide and go seek adult style! I've been hearing lots of buzz about it, but couldn't find any info on the Rino. Got any links? How much is it supposed to cost?

I found two geocaches, one yesterday and one today. So much fun!

[edit] n/m... here's the link to the Rino.

K, after reading up on the Rino... The Garmin V is way more capable. The only thing the Rino has over the V is FRS/GMRS Radios. Otherwise the Garmin V has more memory and does turn by turn directions, and apparently a few other things the Rino doesn't.

The thing with the Rino is, the GPRS only works decently well on flat terrain. If someone is on a ledge 1/10th of a mile away from you, it doesn't work very well. Same with the FRS radio feature. Or at least thats what i understand from other peoples reviews.

Check out the forums at http://www.geocaching.com, there is a good section where people take about GPS units.


Hey any of you guys tried your first geacache yet? If you're havin' trouble, lemme know cause I bet you guys will have the same problem i had with the V.

I found two of them over lunch the past two days. The first one was awesome.

What problem were you having? Seemed to work perfectly for me. A digital compass would have made it a little easier, but as it was it wasn't that bad... you just had to move a little in one direction to get a corrected bearing.

The first cache i found was 350 feet away from where the GPS said it was. On other hunts, the unit just gave me weirdass readings. I would walk in the direction that the V told me to go, only to have it completely change directions on me once i got within a few feet.

I don't know if you use the "Off Road" feature, but that helps me. Secondly, make sure "Lock to Road" is off. This feature is good for when you're in the car following directions, but for geocaching, it needs to be off.

I had awful luck my first few times. I'm going out again this weekend so hopefully i'll have better luck.

Hamid

For all of you with V's, there was a software update (2.03) posted yesterday with a number of features that you'll probably want:

• Improved the next turn notification when turns are close together.
• Reduced off route distance threshold for City Select maps.
• General improvements to auto-route calculation processing.
and lots more little things.

http://www.garmin.com/products/gps5/download.html

I just uploaded it to my V, and haven't had a chance to try it out yet. The "close turn" fixes and faster off-route detection are very welcome. (My SO was just complaining about the close turn problem a couple days ago.)

Alex

RIGHT ON! Thanks man!

Off to go update.....

Off to update tonight.

As for the problems with geocaching, well... i dunno. That hasn't been my experience at all. The second one i did, it was acurate to within 2 feet! I'd experiment with using both WAAS on and off, and see if it makes a difference on your next try.

Well, the appeal to me is the ability to follow another Rino. For example if you are on a road cruise you can give one Rino to one person and another to the tank/shepherd car. GPRS gives extended range over FRS.

Calvin

I thought GPRS had much more transmitting power than FRS does. Thus the license requirement.

Calvin

I don't think your guys luck could be as bad as my first Geocache. I had bee hives and poison oak. The rash still hasn't gone away after two weeks.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=20902

OH christ. That sucks. I've been scared of poison oak after reading that almost every cache around here is in or around patches of it, and i have no idea what it looks like... well, now i do. I've looked it up, and am going to be sure to bring pictures of it on my next cache so i know what to avoid. I'm used to the Poison Ivy in the South, Poison Oak is new to me, though i know we have plenty of that down there too.

Where I live, Poison Oak is like grass, it's everywhere. I think I'm immune, as I've never gotten it, even when directly exposed.

With as much outdoor stuff as you do, Loren, I'd think that if you were suceptible to Poison Ivy or Poison Oak, you would have gotten it by now.

Poison oak is pretty easy to spot once you have a vauge idea of what you're looking for. Next time you're out with someone who would know what it is, just ask them to point it out to you. I think all outdoor camps for kids are forced to do a unit on identifying it, so most people who group up around it can spot it... Now is a good time to start looking, as it's got leaves. Once it looses its leaves it's just as bad and much more dificult to spot.

Matthew