GPS Vehicle Tracking Tools and Blog

GPS and Garmin have become synonymous. They are the leading GPS manufacturer in the world today by a long way. They started out in 1989 and today they have sold millions of GPS receivers.

So how do we know which Garmin GPS device will be perfect for our needs? There are so many which makes it very difficult to decide. The Garmin Nuvi and StreetPilot are some of the most popular GPS devices on the planet. Lets take a look at some of the automobile GPS systems and compare the differences.

Garmin StreetPilot 340

The Garmin StreetPilot c340 has a big advantage over the c330. That advantage is text converted to speech. Instead of GPS saying, turn right in 50 meters, it will say, turn right at Glover Street. This feature helps a lot when you dont want to look down at the device to confirm the street name.

Another great feature of the c340 is that it can easily be upgraded with an optional FM traffic receiver. What this means is that live traffic information can be sent to your GPS device to warn you of construction work, accidents etc. The StreetPilot c340 can then
show you the way around the traffic and guide you to your destination.

Garmin Nuvi 250

The Nuvi 250 is famous for its simplicity. It doesnt have the advanced options most of us never use. So many buyers waste money on GPS systems that have features they will never use. They could have saved a lot of money and at the same time satisfy all there needs with a cheaper GPS system. If youre not the hard core type then the Garmin Nuvi 250 will be the perfect match for you.

The Garmin Nuvi 250 comes with a 3.5 inch display, which is the standard among the entry level GPS devices. 3.5 inch display is a big enough screen to find your way with ease. You can also insert a SD card if you would like to load additional products and maps.

The only feature the Nuvi 250 doesnt have is the text to speech feature I explained with the Garmin StreetPilot c340. Things like Bluetooth, MP3 player, FM transmitter and widescreen is not available on the Garmin Nuvi 250 but many will agree that its not necessary. If Garmin decided to include text to speech it would have been the perfect GPS system at entry level but if that doesnt bother you it might just be the one for you.

If you travel a lot using several different modes of transportation then you probably are looking for a handheld GPS to help you find your way. Locating a source of discount handheld GPS units can be a problem. Being just a little bit bigger than a standard cell phone, handheld GPS receivers offer the ability to navigate to any location on earth. When not in use you can put in its holster ready for the next use.A quality handheld GPS unit can range from less than $100 to as high as $2,000. A good quality unit with the best features will cost you about $500.00.

Manufactures that commonly offer handheld GPS systems include Cobra, Magellan, Garmin, Lowrance and Bushnell. Lowrance offers the best prices for handheld GPS systems that contain monochrome coloring. Their cheapest model is only $63.99, however we do not recommend buying a gray scale or black and white display. Unfortunately, Lowrance is not the best choice when it comes to colorized GPS handhelds, as their prices, (which can be over $1,000) are almost expensive as more well-known Garmin or Magellan brands. For colorized handheld GPS, it is best to go with Cobra, (with their cheapest colorized unit costing only $922) and Bushnell, (whose cheapest colorized unit costs only $500). Bushnell is a new manufacture of GPS. However they offer unique GPS aerial photo mapping and weather tracking features.

Where
can one buy a handheld GPS systems at a discount price? http://Amazon.com is one place that offers dozens of discounts on various brands of handheld GPS systems. Some of their handheld GPS systems are offered at a reduction rate as high as 41%. Others are discounted through special rebates. If this is not enough of a discount, one can try an online auction site. Since sellers on most auction sites are not professional vendors like Amazon. Usually they are just selling their used personal units allowing them to offer more in terms of price negotiation. It is not uncommon to buy discount handheld GPS systems at hundreds even thousands below retail price when purchasing from online auction sites.

Manufactures that market a large number discount handheld GPS receivers are: Cobra, Lowrance and Bushnell. These and other brands can be purchased from sites like http://Amazon.com or online auctions. Doing your homework and searching carefully you should not have any excuse for buying an overpriced handheld GPS system. Initially it might seem nice to get the most expensive, most popular brand-name handheld GPS available. However,if you can get all the features they need from a discount GPS system. The bottom line is that discount handheld GPS systems will function in the manner and have most of the same features as any retail priced handheld GPS receiver. A good handheld GPS receiver is a great travel necessity that will open the whole world to you, don’t leave home without it.

If you’re tired of looking in dense cover or tall grass for your hunting dog, the Garmin Astro is the first GPS dog tracking system specifically designed to help sportsmen and hunters keep track of their dogs. This system shows you exactly where you dog is, even when you can’t see or hear your pet and it’s functionality and features go beyond the needs of your normal pet owner.

The Garmin Astro 220 is made up of a handheld GPS device with a bright color LCD screen, and DC 20, a wireless transmitter. All you need to do to get started is take the system outside and turn on both transmitter and handheld unit. They will acquire signals from GPS satellites, and you can attach the DC 20 wireless transmitter to your dog. There is a harness included with the device that you can use or you can thread the DC 20 onto a one-inch E-collar. Set-up is simple and quick. Once finished, you can let your dog run right away.

Once the device is set up, your dog’s position will be transmitted to your handheld device every five seconds or so. You have several choices of receiving this information, since the receiver has several viewing options. Check the Map image, and you’ll see where your dog is…and where he or she has been. Switch to the Dog Tracker page, and you’ll see a compass that points out the location of your dog, as well as tells you what he or she is doing. You’ll
know if your dog is sitting, running, on point, or treeing quarry. An alarm can be activated to tell you when your dog goes on point so you’ll know when your dog has sensed an animal right away.

The Garmin Astro 220’s high sensitivity receiver tells you where your dog is even through dense cover. It allows you to track as many as ten different dogs, and can track each dog as much as five miles away. The terrain effects the way the Garmin Astro 220 works, however, so take that into consideration when planning your hunt. Flat territory works best, since the unit transmits by line of sight.

There are useful features included in the Garmin Astro 220 other than dog tracking, too. After you find your prey, you can mark the spot with the Covey Counter feature, detailing the time of day, and even the elevation, as well as the number of animals you flushed versus how many you took. You can also drop important waypoints, like your vehicle and your lodge for each hunt, so you’ll never lose your bearings. Special icons are available to represent different hunting related points, including tree stands and food plots.

The Astro also includes a barometric altimeter, electronic compass and area calculator.

The Garmin Astro 220 uses two AA batteries that last for up to 24 hours, meaning you won’t have to stop and recharge. The unit is waterproof, so swimming dogs can’t hurt it. At around six hundred dollars, the Garmin Astro 220 offers a lot of functionality.