Garmin GPS II Plus MultiTrac8 Personal Navigator

Garmin GPS II Plus MultiTrac8 Personal Navigator
by Garmin

List Price: $309.07
Category: CE
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Digital product summary information

• Accurate position, direction, and speed
• Solidly constructed unit
• Quick setup
• Gasketed, waterproof case

• Energizer? "AA" Alkaline Batteries "AA" 12-pack
• GARMIN 010-10268-00 Cigarette Lighter/PC Cable Adapter
• Garmin Automotive Windshield Mounting Bracket
• Garmin PC Interface Cable for Garmin GPS Units (010-10141-00)
• Garmin Data Transfer Cable (Unit to Unit)

Digital camera reviews of Garmin GPS II Plus MultiTrac8 Personal Navigator

Digital camera Review: Good in the bush
Summary: 5 Stars

Summary of Garmin GPS II Plus MultiTrac8 Personal Navigator

GPS II Plus is a lightweight, handheld unit that's extremely simple to set up. All you really need is a clear view of the sky--the graphical display shows the available satellites and the signal strengths of each. With the rocker pad and function keys, you can scroll through a variety of menus to store up to 500 way-points, display a real-time map of your movements, and even calculate the sunrise and sunset times for your present position or any stored waypoint. The GPS II Plus reports positions in latitude and longitude or the Universal Mercator grid system. Requires four AA batteries for operation. The unit is perfect for mountain bikers, fishers, hunters, backpackers, and boaters. --Harry C. Edwards

Setup for the GPS II involved nothing more than inserting four AA batteries, turning it on, and performing an initialization. This involved prompting the unit with our approximate location and letting it get a fix on three or more GPS satellites. When prompted for Washington state, USA, our test unit found its location in under a minute. During initialization and use, you'll need a reasonably unobstructed view of the sky. We were able to get good fixes from parks, under light tree cover, on a car dashboard, and from the deck of a ship.

The GPS II displays location on several different user-selectable screens. The satellite page shows the current location and signal strength of all visible satellites relative to your current horizon. This can be useful for checking that you are receiving good signals or for finding a better spot from which to read the unit. The position page shows your longitude and latitude, your altitude (if four satellites are visible), speed and compass heading (if you are moving), and a resettable odometer. Other pages show a graphical map of all currently set waypoints, a graphical compass of your current heading, and access to system menus. Additional features let you see sunrise and sunset times for your current location or a waypoint and heading and distance to a large number of national and international cities.

We checked a series of indicated positions against nautical charts and found that the position, heading, and speed indications were impressively accurate. Altitude indications were generally within 100 feet of the correct value, and if you know your altitude from an external reference, you can enter it to refine the accuracy of your 2-D position.

Pros:

• Robust construction
• Readings highly accurate in testing
• Quick learning curve
• Good documentation

Cons:

• No built-in road atlas