is buying a handheld GPS eTrex a good investment for a deployment to Iraq??
Not Unless It Is Programmed For That Area,And Has Satelite reception,I Would Not Replace The One Uncle Sam Gives You With It,You May Make Yourself A Target,Ask Some Of Your Superiors,And Check With The Boys In Communicationsyes,you don't want to get lost in a hostile area and not know which way to turn when the bullets start flying and you need to make a quick retreat. Or if your unit is cut off and nobody knows how many clicks away the safe zone is or in what direction either . Buy one is my best adviceIt's not really necessary, you should have access to a PLGGR any time that you might need GPS. Also, a civilian GPS devices won't give you locations using military grids like a PLGGR will, so it won't be as easy to use a civilian device in conjunction with a military map.An Etrex is a great investment. You can program it to give military grids just like the PLGGR, and it's smaller. You might not have the detailed road maps from the area, but you can still plug in way points so you don't get lost. I used one on every patrol. I never regretted having it. I even used it to mark locations where IEDs were set off along our route, mosques in the area, and anything else of interest to me or my LT. Last time I was there not everyone have a damn PLGGR on them so don't believe that crap about being able to check it anytime you need to. Also, I got great reception there, never had a problem getting a reading.Everybody carries a commercial GPS in Iraq. They are far superior to the PLGR. The only real use a PLGR has is to attach to a BFT (Blue Force tracker) unit. Otherwise we all used commercial GPS units.
The features you should look for are:
1) Battery life
2) Compatibility with MGRS (Military Grid reference System)
3) Large and easy to read position readout
Forget the built-in maps and such - you will be referencing of a military map that is more up to date than anything in the software.a garmin etrex saved my and my squad's life one time over there. It is better to have one that tells your position relative to other waypoints than the pluggr that just gives you your position in a numeric display. I don't remember the model I had when there but I put in a waypoint at the gates of each base and used the track log to plot MSR's and other routes. It worked great.
Best Handheld GPS makes Maps Obselete
Article by Peter OBrien
Garmin GPS technology has changed society forever. With the new Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS, traveling in your car or backpacking up a mountain just got a whole lot easier. Instead of using large and annoying maps that flop in front of your face while your in your car, try using the new Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS. This new model will make your traveling experience wherever you are, more enjoyable and less stressful.
The Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS has a very bright yellow design and is very easy to use. The Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS is easy to use with one hand therefore you can get other tasks done at the same time. This device is essential for navigation excellence. All travel locations (500 way points and 50 routes) are easily accessible in the device. On the other hand, the routes on maps are spread all over and it is difficult to decipher which route is which. The WAAS enabled GPS receiver allows the system to quickly determine your exact location so it can give you the correct directions. The best handheld gps tells you exactly where to go unlike a map which you have to figure it out yourself. The Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS is the best handheld gps because it serves as a great guide to wear you are going and it is worth it to buy it.
This device is also waterproof so it can be taken fishing or boating without worry of ruining it. Just think what would happen if you dropped a map in the lake: completely unreadable. The 1.7 by 1.3 inch LCD screen makes it easy to view the screen and be able to see the exact direction where you are going. The TFT display screen is extremely helpful because it changes the tint of the screen in relation to the time of day. This makes it easier to see at night or during the day when sunlight can be very glaring. The device runs on AA batteries and has a long lasting battery life of 14 hours. With all of these features the Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS is the best handheld gps unit that garmin has to offer.
So whether you are driving, hiking, backpacking, or boating the Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS is the perfect guide and it can get you to your desired location swiftly without stress. With this new unit, reading a map will be like using a type writer. The Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS is clearly a great value and the best handheld unit garmin has to offer. With an easy to view screen and navigation excellence, why wouldn't you buy one for your car.
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