Tree Farmer - July/August 2009 - (Page 12)

GPS Handhelds in the Woods testing By No endorsement of products or services in Tree Farmer Magazine by ATFS or AFF is implied or intended. Swearingen Kurt After my article on GPS mapping in the november/December 2008 issue of Tree Farmer, i received quite a few e-mails wanting to know more specifics about which GPS handheld to buy. Which GPS handheld to buy and where to buy it can be downright confusing. So i’ve tested a few of the major brands and a range of models within each brand. Let’s first be clear about what I was looking for in each handheld. I wanted the complete package right out of the box. That is, I wanted to be able to easily record Tree Farm features — from acreage to deer stands — and create and print custom maps without needing a Ph.D. in rocket science. I also wanted to answer some of your questions, such as: • Which GPS device is easiest to use? • Should I spend the extra money to get a “higher-end” device? • What kind of support can I expect with each device? • Where can I go for more support? In answering these questions, I discovered that most GPS handhelds can be used for typical Tree Farm mapping, but that some are better than others. First Impressions Garmin, DeLorme, and Magellan are the major brands of GPS available today. All three companies sent me their latest models to test and review (see Table 1). At first, I wanted to see how intuitive each was to use, so I skipped the manuals. Surprisingly, I discovered some big differences after turning each of them on. I wanted to compare position accuracy, ease of using the menus, and ease of finding key screens such as the map, compass, and satellite screens. But first, I had to change the measurement units and datum of each for use in my area, which was easily done for all models reviewed. The position accuracy was easily found on the satellite page of the DeLorme PN-40 and the Garmin handhelds when I first turned them on, but not on the other makes/models. There was a consistent difference in the accuracy: The Delorme averaged +15 feet, while the Garmin’s averaged + 9 feet — potentially a big difference if you are looking for a small rebar corner. Neither one of the Magellan Triton models provided an accuracy reading, but each used WAAS averaging, so they should be comparable. I found the DeLorme PN-40 to have the easiest-to-use menu system. No matter what screen I was on, the menu was always the same. The Garmin Colorado 400t also had the same menu on each screen. This was not the case for the Garmin eTrex or the Magellan, which gave me a different menu depending on which screen I was on, making it difficult to find the specific function I wanted. With practice, though, I was able to get 12 Tree Farmer JULY/AUGUST 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - July/August 2009

Tree Farmer - July/August 2009
Contents
Cover Story
Testing GPS Handhelds
No Child Left Inside
Tree Farming in Paradise
From Your Committees
Ties to the Land
Wildlife Matters

Tree Farmer - July/August 2009