actual field repairs or maintenance

[Blake Sobiloff]

Excellent responses so far! FWIW, I'm quite happy with my Garmin 76Cx--great GPS reception and functionality, plus it'll float if I ever go on water. Note that Garmin's releasing a new "Colorado" series with much larger screens, a modernized UI, better terrain maps built-in, and a multi-dimensional input device in the next month or so. If you want tracking and SOS capability, however, Brian nailed it with the PLB and SPOT descriptions. My buddy Matt Knowles got a SPOT for Christmas and has been pretty happy with it so far. (He was in the Bay Area a few days after Christmas and we got to try it out on our way to dinner and visiting a friend of his.) The SPOT seems to hit the reasonable price and function intersection pretty well for the average explorer/dual-sporter. -- Blake Sobiloff http://www.sobiloff.com/> San Jose, CA (USA)

[traderpro2003]

Blake - It's great discussion. This is where we all walk away with things to consider... Thanks for the SPOT feedback. I've been curious to hear some field- use experience. I run an older 2610 on the handlebars with BMW's aluminum mount and carry a back-up 76CSX (also 2nd BMW mount) in luggage in case I have to separate from the bike. The 2610 doesn't have battery-ops, but I simply love the touch screen functionality and larger screen. If I had to replace it, I'd go with one of the new Zumo moto-friendly versions. Still, I like separate units for redundancy and complimentary data. For example, I use City Navigator software on the 2610 and use Topos USA on the 76CSX for terrain/marine data. I've used the 76CSX all over the world (albeit without local data/map installed) and have been extemely pleased. I used position and heading data with information gathered from detailed Russian maps 'working' in Mongolia. Everyone I met complained navigation was horrendous...I had no problem whatsoever. In fact, I ofren traveled in the dark soley on instrumentation...fond memories crossing 100 miles of Lake Hovsgol at midnight in an unmarked, unlit boat. To me when shopping for GPS, ease of use, cost and trans/portability matter most. I like to be able to switch from truck to moto to boat to on-foot fast. The only limitation I have with my Garmins is they don't hold both Topos and City Navigator at the same time or even store 100% of the datasets. I always have to reconnect to a computer and with Topos have disks handy...pain! I think I can get around this with the new maps on a chip...for more money, of course...but then I have to deal with carrying the fragile chips. As for SPOT, I'm delighted to hear someone using it. Like sat phones, I'm not keen on a monthly fee but at least minutes don't expire! Every time I charge my sat phone it's $500 and without extending minutes over and over for a significant fee, I always forfeit a block of minutes within say 6 months. I definitely think SPOT has a place on expeditions or otherwise working in the field. A friend's father is a real, old-time cowboy still working solo the canyons. When he falls off a horse, something like this could make life easier than death. Sure, we all have to go at some point, but then again why get vaccinated? Why climb with ropes? My answer: I love life. So why take $1,000 with you if SPOT allows you to play tomorrow? If you have resources, why not stack the odds in your favor? I realize self-rescue is the best in both preparation and extraction, but accidents do happen. Have a plan and stick to it...still works.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Blake Sobiloff wrote: > > Excellent responses so far! FWIW, I'm quite happy with my Garmin > 76Cx--great GPS reception and functionality, plus it'll float if I > ever go on water. Note that Garmin's releasing a new "Colorado" > series with much larger screens, a modernized UI, better terrain maps > built-in, and a multi-dimensional input device in the next month or so. > > If you want tracking and SOS capability, however, Brian nailed it with > the PLB and SPOT descriptions. My buddy Matt Knowles got a SPOT for > Christmas and has been pretty happy with it so far. (He was in the > Bay Area a few days after Christmas and we got to try it out on our > way to dinner and visiting a friend of his.) The SPOT seems to hit > the reasonable price and function intersection pretty well for the > average explorer/dual-sporter. > -- > Blake Sobiloff > http://www.sobiloff.com/> > San Jose, CA (USA) >

[Eric J Foster]

Number one rule: NEVER rely solely on gps in a do-or-die situation. GPS units are complicated machines, and the one time you truly need it is when it will fail. A few years back gps went down for a long period due to a solar storm. Get good maps of the area, get a reliable compass, and learn how to use them. THEN go get a nice gps with mapping anduse it for convenience. As for tracking, I've heard a lot about SPOT that was mentioned earlier and seems to be oriented to the masses. OR, I'm surprised none of the ham radio guys have piped up, consider getting your amatuer radio license and using APRS. Check out the following links. All data was done via rf being gated to the net. http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=ke1lb-9&terra=4&radar=*** http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=ke1lb-14&terra=4&radar=*** http://www.db0anf.de/app/aprs/stations/mobile-KE1LB-14 E -- Guns kill people like silverware made Rosie O'Donnel fat......... Eric J Foster www.xr650r.us http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=ke1lb-9&terra=4&radar=***

[Blake Sobiloff]

On Jan 6, 2008, at 4:31 AM, Eric J Foster wrote:

> OR, I'm surprised none of the ham radio guys have piped up, consider > getting your amatuer radio license and using APRS.

Actually, I am a ham (KI6JLX), but APRS is an order of magnitude more complex than the SPOT device. It's kind of like telling someone who wants to send email and surf the web that they should learn all about Linux and use its tools. -- Blake Sobiloff http://www.sobiloff.com/> San Jose, CA (USA)

[Tengai Mark Van Horn]

At 4:26 PM +0000 1/7/08, Tumu Rock wrote:

>No matter how long or short a trip (if it's actually a trip, not >just a run to the store) I always >roll with these:

....

>That's just my list, > >da Vermonster (the way I ride, I oughta just bring a spare bike)

On the longer trips, Tumu should just strap a spare KLR to his Happy Trail pannier mounts. He'll usually end up needing it. Mark