Original Message:

Hello list!

Our organization would like to purchase a GPS unit to do simple field
inventory work. We need to be able to:
1. Set the projection info (will almost always be UTM/NAD83)
2. Either enter simple attribute info for each waypoint (a must-have), or to
pre-program the unit with a pic-list/data dictionary (a would-like-to-have)
3. Download the data to my Windows NT box and use it in ArcView 3.2
4. An added bonus would be the ability to collect points at regular
intervals automatically (pseudo-stream mode)

We are interested in spending somewhere in the neighborhood of two hundred
dollars but of course want to go as cheaply as possible. We're pretty
low-budget here! I figure with SA turned off, we should be able to do fine
with one of the sportsman type models. Any suggestions?

Thanks to:

T. Sandlin, who uses Garmin units in addition to their survey grade Trimble
set-up. S/he is satisfied with their performance for simple data collection.
S/he also recommended two incredibly extensive web sites that I've included
in the list below.

Koulla Pallaris, who likes his Garmin 12 and recommended several sites as
well.

Kirby Papineau, who uses a Garmin 12XL commented that he has great satellite
capture time, even in a closed forest canopy, and the accuracy is quite good
now that SA is off (+/- 5 meters).  He also discussed downloading using
Garmin's PCX5 software, which seems quite easy.

Chris Dinesen Rogers, who uses a Garmin 12 Map for recreational uses and
warned against fluctuating accuracy--anywhere from 11 to 500 feet, depending
on tree cover.

Nathan Ogden, who replied: "Its a few more $, but you might look at the
Magellan Promark XCM or similar model. It has what you are looking for."

Jan Henderson, who had an entirely different opinion: "The best solution
I've come up with so far is the DeLorme Earthmate GPS receiver with PostPro
Software.  These are both available from the DeLorme website (~$250 for
both). The Earthmate can be attached to a Palm Pilot or Laptop which allows
you to configure any type of input screen you want.  The desired projection
can be specified in the .ini file (this isn't in the DeLorme documentation -
you have to call their helpline) and the unit can either be used for single
point or line data.  The PostPro software lets you write data to a file and
then corrects it against base station data (CORS or anything else).  The
beauty is that you can output the corrected data to a text file for input
into ArcView.  (it works!)  Single Point corrected data is accurate to about
a meter.  (I wouldn't depend on submeter accuracy, but sometimes it's been
dead-on in heads up trials against my Trimble Pro XRS)." I checked out the
web site and this product gets rave reviews. Unfortunately for me, you need
to use it with a laptop or Palm Pilot--it doesn't have its own display.

GENERAL INFO SITES:
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/1140/maps.html
http://joe.mehaffey.com
http://www.thegpsstore.com/
http://www.garmin.com
http://www.delorme.com

DOWNLOAD TOOL SITES:
http://gis.esri.com/arcscripts/details.cfm?CFGRIDKEY=-962379091
http://www.tapr.org/~kh2z/Waypoint/

Thanks everyone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katie Alvin, Natural Resource Planner
Katie.Alvin@mt.usda.gov
Gallatin Conservation District, Bozeman, MT
http://mt.nacdnet.org/gallatincd