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Garmin Rino "Peer to Peer"

donbrown

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I have had the 110 and it is a big POS did not pick up sats alot seem the guy who bought it said the antenna wire inside cam off..

I now have a 530 and it works great gps is awsome have the topo map and that is great can see the peaks and how high they are --NO COMPLANTS

the two way works great but im looking for a mic for it"anyone?"

Make sure you hook up the USB cable and get the latest chip upgrades.

There is suppose to be a patch to help GPS reception in trees

A good mic .... I was thinking of a throat mic like used in the military but have yet to find a good brand.
 
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firecatguy

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Nov 26, 2007
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End of the Road!!
i was hoping on finding a mic like this one, I would like to leave the unit in my backpack and then hook the Mic on my shoulder pack strap that way you can still use the radio with helmet.
last year i keep it in the side pouch of the snobunji handlebar bag and it works great you can hear and if you can find the two way button you can talk without taking it out BUT I would change channels on the radio that way..
I hook it tomy the handlebar mount,--- I only use my GPS to find my way back IF NEEDED


4YK20.jpg
 
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firecatguy

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End of the Road!!
I'm also thinking about turning GPS radio down and the using a Motorola two-way in my back pack then i can keep the GPS in my handlebar bag still
 

christopher

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Well, after reading all the comments on the Garmin Rinos here on SnoWest I decided to go ahead and take the plunge.

I order two of the Rino 530HCx units this afternoon from PCNation who is offering them for $358.80 each. Which is the best price I could find anywhere on new units.

http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0655&GEN0=Y

1211596.jpg


After the mail-in Garmin rebate of -$50.00 my net price will be $308.88 each.! And they offered Free Fed-Ex delivery and NO Sales Tax as well!

Considering they are selling the factory refurbished units for $285.15, it seems like a No-Brainer to buy the brand new ones for just the $23.73

I added in a pair of the 8GB Min-SD data cards and a copy of the 24K Mountain North Topo map.

The next step will be to get an In-Helmit Mic and earphone system installed so I can use this badboy while I am riding!
 

christopher

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I do not know how to alter it BUT I know a guy who knows a guy "STORY" where he removed the to insulation where the two antennas are and installed an antenna jack.
One of my "HAM" buddies is working on a potential solution to this very issue.

Problem is, federal law prohibits you from modifying this type of antena.

So anything you do, has to be done on the sly. Nevertheless, we are looking into rigging the unit for an external antena.

Just imagine a full quarter or half wave antena mounted to the back of your sled. that could make a HUGE difference in reception and transmission ability when your in the back woods.
 

donbrown

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Well, after reading all the comments on the Garmin Rinos here on SnoWest I decided to go ahead and take the plunge.

I order two of the Rino 530HCx units this afternoon from PCNation who is offering them for $358.80 each. Which is the best price I could find anywhere on new units.

http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0655&GEN0=Y

1211596.jpg


After the mail-in Garmin rebate of -$50.00 my net price will be $308.88 each.! And they offered Free Fed-Ex delivery and NO Sales Tax as well!

Considering they are selling the factory refurbished units for $285.15, it seems like a No-Brainer to buy the brand new ones for just the $23.73

I added in a pair of the 8GB Min-SD data cards and a copy of the 24K Mountain North Topo map.

The next step will be to get an In-Helmit Mic and earphone system installed so I can use this badboy while I am riding!

I ordered the refurbished ones from PC nation.

Same unit, no rebate hassles, same warranty. Only the refurbed ones go through even more testing before they are sold.
And the only thing used is the internal main circuit board if it is not initially damaged and can be updated to the latest version of CMOS and BIOS.

I bought some 4GB mini SD cards and was told they will work but the "software" of the rino 530HCX will only use 2012 MB of the card.
Are you sure the 8GB card will work?

All data is stored inside the 530HCX EXCEPT for maps ... maps can be stored in the mini SD card.
 

christopher

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Well, "I" am not certain.
But I came across a review of another owner that had installed the 8GB card and was able to load up ALL the topo CDs.

So I am taking his word on it, but will have to conduct my own tests.

Either way, they are VERY cheap now.
 

donbrown

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I bought the 4GB micro SD for $8

When I called Garmin they first said to use 2GB then I read 4GB on their website and they were unsure about it.
 

phatty

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I bought the 4GB micro SD for $8

When I called Garmin they first said to use 2GB then I read 4GB on their website and they were unsure about it.

LOL you got the same run around i did... no one knows for sure. I got the 2gb card for $2. Loaded all the maps i needed on it just fine. I might upgrade to the 4gb card to load in canada/california...

I will see if i can dig up the forums i found for modifying the 530...

Used it this weekend on my 3 day backpacking trip... battery lasted all weekend, GPS worked fantastic, weather reports were spot on... its awesome!
 

donbrown

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LOL you got the same run around i did... no one knows for sure. I got the 2gb card for $2. Loaded all the maps i needed on it just fine. I might upgrade to the 4gb card to load in canada/california...

I will see if i can dig up the forums i found for modifying the 530...

Used it this weekend on my 3 day backpacking trip... battery lasted all weekend, GPS worked fantastic, weather reports were spot on... its awesome!

Yep ... right now the batteries are lasting over 24 hours of total daytime use.

I can only guess GARMIN is unsure what the software can handle with a memory card.
 
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