Do any of you ride with a GPS unit? I would be interested in sharing GPS rides of different locations this winter.

Mark
PowderBound

I haven't in the past, but I plan to this year. I think it's a good idea where I ride (Cooke City,Mt)because last year I got kinda lost a couple of times and I had to find someone to follow back. Also, visibility can get really bad sometimes and it's hard to find roads and trails if it's snowing hard.

Just watch out for cliffs and trees while riding in zero visability conditions. I plan to use GPS this year too.

Mark
PowderBound

Just remember that if your relying on a GPS to get you home you better have a back-up plan! The fastest way to get lost is to think the little arrow will just point the way home, 99% of the time it will, but what if it quits, or is having trouble picking up satalites. Great when they work, but not garanteed.
Just some advise!

I plan to use a GPS this winter. Does anyone know where the best location is on a '99 RMK700 to tap in to 12v power supply??

I have used a gps for the last couple years. They work great, but you still should have a map with coordinates and a compass as well. I have used mine more than once, and was glad I had it.

Snownut

Sometimes they don't work very well in heavy cloud cover, dense trees, or in the bottom of steep canyons--be aware.

They may take a few minutes to get a satelite fix when you first turn them on. Have it running while you are unloading your sled at the sno-park and mark your position there before you take-off, this will give you a good "starting waypoint".

Keep the unit warm (inside pocket) when not using it. Some batteries don't work very good in cold temperatrures. Don't trust rechargable batteries; when they begin to get weak, they will die very quickly with little warning on the unit's "Battery Indicator".

Get a unit that can be used with an auxiliary antenna. I mounted my antenna using a Velcro strip on top of my helmet. This allows the reciever to get a fix on the satelites behind you when you are riding and greately helps the accuracy of your position. They can get signals through the winshield but not through your body. It also allows the unit to keep recieving if you have the receiver in your pocket.

I recommend Garmin. I had a Magellan 2000, and it only lasted about 6 months. I have had my Garmin GPS II Plus for about 3 years now and it still works flawlessly. It also recieved more accurately and had better mapping features. Other (newer) Magellans might be fine, not sure; just my experience with the two main brands.

Kris

I have a satloc slx with 10 hour rechargable batteries. We use them in the field all summer long. I wonder how they would work in the winter mounted on a sled?

Mark
PowderBound

Try it out, but you better keep a spare set warm and handy just in case.

I remember seeing an article someplace that did a test on certain "household" batteries. They would subject them to different conditions such as temperature. I remember that rechargeable (NiCad) tested poorly below 40°; but I can not remember if it was Alkaline or Lithium that did extremely well in these conditions.

Alkaline will die in 10 min @ +10deg. Lithium will last all day at -15deg, but your gps screen will fade...its still tracking, just warm up the screen with the palm of your hand (assuming your hands are not frozen). I mount my GPS III on my pod. Lithiun batteries will last 3 days at +10deg, but cost $5.50 for a pair of AA's.