How many years have you had a GPSr?

I got mine last Oct 2007 when I bought my van. I told my wife that this will be my early xmas gift. I love it but I would have waited if I just know that nuvi 650 will be on sale at almost the same price as my 350.

BTW. I was able to ask Circuit City to adjust the price to 298 same price as walmart.

I've had the Zumo about a year, but I've had my eTrex Vista around 5 years.

nt

Got mine in 1999. Used it for hiking and in the car paired to my Palm T3 using mapopolis. Never thought I would want another until a friend brought his StreetPilot along on a road trip. Have since bought two nuvi 660's and I am loving the new world of GPS in the car!

Got my first one, MIO 310x, at last year's Black Friday at Circuit City for $149. Then the Nuvi 350 in January 2007.

I picked up my C330 from a friend who had lost his job. It was only two months old at the time and he paid ~$325. In my work I travel KS, OK, NE and MO going to nursing homes and hospitals. I don't know what I did before.

I've since bought a c550 as well. My wife thought it was a toy until I told her to use it to find garage sales. The c330 now goes with family and friends on their vacations - and then they buy one when they get home !!

Daniel

Sounds like you have bad memory! Since you can't remember what you did before the current job.lol

I started back in 2001 with the Magellan Map 330 and used it for camping/hiking. I subsequently bricked the Map 330 and then, moved on to the Garmin GPS V in 2003... used it for hiking but it was also my first taste of car navigation. After using Hertz Neverlost during a vacation in 2004, I got hooked on car navigation and got a Garmin StreetPilot 2620. Last but not least, I upgraded to the Garmin Nuvi 660 just last week when Best Buy had them on sale. Quite a progression eh?!

really nice for that, use it all weekend for garage sales for the hard to find places

I have been using marine GPS since it came out. I bought a Garmin GPS38 in 1997. I Can remember first using it, navigating 200 miles across open water and being able to throw a rock at the bouy I was looking for. I was amazed, and that was pre-WAAS with selective availability still turned on.

I have a Garmin GPSmap 182 on my boat now and love the full chart plotting ability. My next unit for the boat from Garmin will be the 5212. It looks like Nüvi but with a 15" touch screen. It is integrated with both sonar and radar to give the boater the ultimate in situational awareness.

My first street navigation GPS was the DeLorme Earthmate hooked to my laptop. Fun to have but kind of a pain to use in the car. My wife hated it in my sports car as she had to hold it on her lap.

Thoroughly enjoying the Nüvi 250W.....I don't go anywhere without it.

Hi all,
I got my first gps in 1993.5 it was a /\/\otorola encore black box GPS. It only had NEMA out There is no display at all period no flashing lights no nothing. I used a computer with APRS see aprs.net to send location reports over ham radio. Then 145.79 now 144.39mhz. I still use it some times as it is a darn good reciever and built like a tank

You must use the external antenna and back then people had never seen such a thing so they would roll down their windows and shout at "your gas cap is on the roof!!!!"

Lin
PS i did hear the system updates back in 1989 on WWV 10mhz about the system. I seem to remember that the earth station in Liberia was always down.

My first was in 2000 using a color Pocket PC and a Pharos receiver...

That was truly state of the art back then using a color screen PDA and Pharos GPS navigation software with voice prompting... and I have been hooked ever since

I am afraid to count how many I have tested out and gone through over the years

I bought a handheld (ETrex Legend) back in January. In a few months I sold it and bought an ETrex Venture CX (which does autorouting and can be used in the car, if you don't mind the small screen). Once I saw how handy it was, I ordered a Nuvi 200 (just about a week ago) and am waiting for it to arrive.

I just checked some of the early waypoints on my Garmin GPS 45. The earliest was Feb 1995.
GPS has come a long way since those days.
Chuck

I didn't mean to reply to you. I was trying to be part of the conversation as a whole. My apologies.

I just bought my Nuvi 650 about a week ago. So far, I love it.

I bought a Garmin GPSmap 76CS about three years ago for hiking and kayaking. It was a Garmin eTrex Legend before that. Not wanting to go the big bucks for a vehicle GPS I tried using my 76CS loaded with topo maps in my vehicle. I was so impressed with the time saved looking for unfamiliar destinations I purchased the Garmin nuvi 750.

I can’t give you a report on the nuvi 750 just yet as Santa will be officially bringing me this unit. Ho Ho Ho! My wife has hid it in the house so well I can’t find it to play with it. Guess who getting a good laugh right now.

I bought my first 10 year ago, a Delorme Tripmate (no screen) it was connected to a Kantronic 3+ and a motorola MOCOM for mobile APRS (I was sending my position on the air on HAM frequency at 144,390).

After that I had an etrex for fishing and hunting.

Change the Delorme three years ago for a DUELO (no screen), this time connected to a TinyTak III and a NEUTEC SM-1645, again transmiting on 144,390 for APRS.

And for christmas 07, I had a NUVI 250W as a gift, still learning to PLAY with it. I'm aware of this site since 1 month, great site for newbie, Thanks to all for all the topics.

Initially bought a C330 and used it for the drive down to Florida from Toronto. Eventually traded it in 6 months later for the Nuvi 360.

Have not regretted it since...except for maybe how the price keeps dropping for fast

I have had my 550 since April and love it. My wife is getting the Nuvi 680 for Christmas

almost a year. How did I live wi thout it?

Garmin GPS 45XL: 1996
Garmin GPS V: 2002
Delorme Earthmate USB: 2004
Garmin Nuvi 660: 2007

Guess I've been doing this a while now.

Yeah, that is what we all think after having one

Got my first Garmin a GPS III+ for about $600. Replaced it a few years later with a Garmin 126 for land/aviation/marine use and it was over $1,000. Got my c550 about a year ago.

Hmmm...Can I remember that far back? hahaha

First GPS for me was a Garmin way back in 1992, or perhaps it was 1993. Can't recall. It was an aviation unit. It was huge (remember the 'brick phone'?), it ate batteries, and it was heavy. It had a greenish gray colored screen with black 'dots' on it. Didn't do much. It tracked your route, told you how fast you were going and you could do some basic point to point routing with it. IIRC, it cost about 1500 bucks. Updates were pretty spendy as well. We used it till it died and then we got a Garmin GPSComm 190. Still have that one, but it hasn't seen the light of day in several years. I wonder if it still works..........?

All of the units we have had since then have been aviation specific Garmins. Both handheld and panel mount. Bought a 376C about two-three years ago and I got my Zumo 550 in early 2007.

I think the only one that I've used that hasn't been a Garmin was the one that the company I used to fly for got for the King Air. Can't remember what brand that one was. But, that was years ago and long before there were such things as published civilian GPS routes. We used to make up our own.

Got my first GPS a Garmin Venture in 2003, I have my Nuvi 350 for about a year now.....

bought mine just last Thanksgiving

I've had three GPS receivers. First one was an eTrex Legend that I got back in October 2006, then an eTrex Vista, which I obtained in January of 2007, and now, since August 2007, I've had a GPSMAP 76CSx.

I first got my hand held Garmin 12 years ago, which was mainly for travel co-ordinates, altitude and some weather settings. It cost me ~$770.00 CAD.

Garmin eTrex which cost me $95.00.

Ive since used Garmin Nuvi 200, TOMTOM ONE, GARMIN Nuvi 66O and now with LG. I've been pleased with the way ALL the units have performed and in all honesty I prefer LG. Garmin users, sorry. I think I needed to break away from Garmin and give some other guys a shot. Well, happy to say I am glad I did.

I Had a GPS since 1998 my first three GPS were garmin GPS Model 45 gps76 gps map172C and now I own a garmin nüvi 650 It is quite a progressin the functions the GPS assumes. For the road I did not expect so many extras with the ability to update so easily the POI. Great help in the water and on the road.

wow,i cant remember the first one it was reeeeeaaally basic,but i think it was a magellan somthing.and that was in '97.then i went to garmin etrex venture which was a bit better than the first,then i went to magellan meridian color,which still works great but the screen is quite small and use it for geocaching cause my new one which is the c330 doesnt have long/lat on it. but dont get m wrong the c330 is excellent,i love it! so what ill buy next who knows itll be a while before i get another,curious to see what they will be like in 3 or 4 years.

It was a Trimble Scout M hand held unit I bought while in the Army. Being in the Infantry it came in very handy many times. I was good at Land Navigation but having a GPSr as another navigation tool worked out pretty well but it only ran for 5 hours on four AA batteries.

ive had mine for 20 years ,oh wait thats my wife ive had for that long ,but she does tell me where to go all the time ...lol....does that count

Around 1996 I started using a Delorme Tripmate GPSr connected to a laptop running Win 95 with "AAA Map-N-Go" software.

I later modified the Tripmate to allow it to be used with other software packages such as MS Streets & Trips.

I upgraded to a Delorme Earthmate GPSr with "Street Atlas" software in around 2000.

In 2003 I moved to a Garmin Street Pilot 2610 and in 2007 I moved to a Garmin Street Pilot 7200. I also got my first handheld, a Delorme PN-20 in 2007.

I've only had mine for around 2 months.

First post here. Had mine for about 3 months and now starting using it more since I moved to another city.

Glad to be here.

Also almost one year for me too...

it's been almost 14 years, since I fired up my laptop with a external bulky delorme gps receiver for the roof of my car and map & go software. I must admit it was the most accurate mapping I ever seen, and probably since seen, Even in the day of Gps degradation.

In the day when Civil Gps signals and Military Gps were Two different signals and very different in accuracy. in 1996 President Bill Clinton ordered degradation eliminated and in may of 2000 DOD shut off the SA signals.

Innovation** 1991 The present relates to the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS), such as the NAVSTAR GPS, and, more particularly, to a method and means for enhancing the accuracy of a civil or degraded accuracy GPS receiver by compensating for its inaccurate position solution with data derived from an accessible military or precise accuracy GPS receiver.

GPS Selective Availability signal degradation was discontinued May 1, 2000!

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release May 1, 2000

STATEMENT REGARDING THE UNITED STATES' DECISION TO STOP DEGRADING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM ACCURACY
Today, I am pleased to announce that the United States will stop the intentional degradation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) signals available to the public beginning at midnight tonight. We call this degradation feature Selective Availability (SA). This will mean that civilian users of GPS will be able to pinpoint locations up to ten times more accurately than they do now. GPS is a dual-use, satellite-based system that provides accurate location and timing data to users worldwide. My March 1996 Presidential Decision Directive included in the goals for GPS to: "encourage acceptance and integration of GPS into peaceful civil, commercial and scientific applications worldwide; and to encourage private sector investment in and use of U.S. GPS technologies and services." To meet these goals, I committed the U.S. to discontinuing the use of SA by 2006 with an annual assessment of its continued use beginning this year.

The decision to discontinue SA is the latest measure in an on-going effort to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide. Last year, Vice President Gore announced our plans to modernize GPS by adding two new civilian signals to enhance the civil and commercial service. This initiative is on-track and the budget further advances modernization by incorporating some of the new features on up to 18 additional satellites that are already awaiting launch or are in production. We will continue to provide all of these capabilities to worldwide users free of charge.

Bought a Garmin 195 17 years ago for flying. The company was only a couple of years old then and not well known. Aviation was its only product line. It never occurred to me that there was a market for anything other than aviation and maybe marine. I bought my only other GPS (200) two months ago for 15% the price of the 1991 one.

Actually, On gpsr's Costco gives you about aa long as you could want. It is not subject to the same return policy as tv's, cell phones, and cameras.

If I remember correctly, it was a Garmin II (not plus) in about 1996. It was a fantastic unit for the time. I still use it when I want NMEA input.

Got a little hand held GPS as a gift maybe 8 or 9 years ago. I think it was a Magellan and when I say small I mean the screen was the size of a large postage stamp. It drove me nuts was hard to figure out and cost around 175.00 ended up returning it. I just got a Garmin c330 in December. Wow what a difference easy fun to use and has me wanting a second with a few more features.

I've had my 350 for two years and the 650 for one. Started out with a Delorme connected to my laptop about 4 years ago, but the wife didn't like navigating.

Just got mine a couple of weeks ago. Got the nuvi 660 and I love it.

I was torn between buying the TomTom Go 720 and the nuvi 660. In the end I went with the 660. After reading counteless reviews, it seemed like the Garmin was the better unit.

I started out with the Garmin GPS-45XL I think it was about 11 years ago. It still works. I still use it with the TinyTrakIII for APRS when mobile and doing public service events.
My wife bought me the Garmin Nuvi 200 a few weeks ago as an anniversary present.

I love the Nuvi 200, I have added the ham radio repeater POI file to it. Even my 12 yr old daughter likes it. She like to change the vehicle icon.

Ed, ka4vmp

Got my lil' Nuvi 200 at Xmas and it is my very first GPS.

PT

Just over 6 months now ...

I've had my unit for just over 7months and I love it to death..so does the wife.

Some of you have had a unit since the '90's, I've had my nuvi 660 since Nov. '06 and it's my first and only GPSr. Caught the "GPSr bug" on a Sept. '04 trip to Disneyland where we tried Hertz's Neverlost nav unit in a rented car and just loved it.

My children gave me an emap for my birthday in either 1999 or 2000, replaced with StreetPilot 3 in 2003, just got a c550 but am changing to a 760 next week..