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Garmin Foretrex 201


The Foretrex 201 is a wearable Personal Navigator, perfect for outdoor and marine enthusiasts who desire hands-free GPS navigation in a lightweight, affordable package. At a mere 2.75 ounces, this waterproof wonder is lighter than most watches, and its wrist-top mount frees up hands for outdoor activities and sports an ergonomic wristband. The 201 model comes with a recharging unit so you never have to stock up on batteries for all your daily adventures, but consider the Foretrex 101 that runs on 2 AAA batteries if you're wandering away from the power outlet for a while.

With a user-friendly interface, the rugged Foretrex 201 simplifies navigation, making it ideal for the backcountry or water. Its six dedicated buttons (GoTo, Page, Enter/Mark, Up, Down and Power) make it easy to operate. It offers the most essential navigation data -- enhanced GPS accuracy, extensive storage for waypoints, and reversible routes and tracks -- on an easy-to-read display. Don't worry about packing extra batteries, because the Foretrex 201 runs on an internal lithium battery for 15 hours (typical use). Simply recharge and go.

The Foretrex 201 also comes equipped with special features sure to please mariners and hikers alike. It includes a unique application for sailing and paragliding racers that allows them to configure the start sequence of a race. The countdown is displayed in a large-number format that audibly alerts the user at each phase of the start sequence. With the help of Garmin's exclusive TracBackŪ technology, hikers can mark a campsite, go trekking all day, and follow the electronic "breadcrumb trail" back to camp in time for dinner.

The WAAS difference
  • 100 meters: Accuracy of the original GPS system, which was subject to accuracy degradation under the government-imposed Selective Availability (SA) program.
  • 15 meters: Typical GPS position accuracy without SA.
  • 3-5 meters: Typical differential GPS (DGPS) position accuracy.
  • Less than 3 meters: Typical WAAS position accuracy.
WAAS is a system of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections, giving you even better position accuracy. How much better? Try an average of up to five times better. A WAAS-capable receiver can give you a position accuracy of better than three meters 95 percent of the time. And you don't have to purchase additional receiving equipment or pay service fees to utilize WAAS.

How it Works
WAAS consists of approximately 25 ground reference stations positioned across the United States that monitor GPS satellite data. Two master stations, located on either coast, collect data from the reference stations and create a GPS correction message. This correction accounts for GPS satellite orbit and clock drift plus signal delays caused by the atmosphere and ionosphere. The corrected differential message is then broadcast through one of two geostationary satellites, or satellites with a fixed position over the equator. The information is compatible with the basic GPS signal structure, which means any WAAS-enabled GPS receiver can read the signal.

Who benefits from WAAS?
Currently, WAAS satellite coverage is only available in North America. There are no ground reference stations in South America, so even though GPS users there can receive WAAS, the signal has not been corrected and thus would not improve the accuracy of their unit. For some users in the U.S., the position of the satellites over the equator makes it difficult to receive the signals when trees or mountains obstruct the view of the horizon. WAAS signal reception is ideal for open land and marine applications. WAAS provides extended coverage both inland and offshore compared to the land-based DGPS (differential GPS) system. Another benefit of WAAS is that it does not require additional receiving equipment, while DGPS does.



Customer Reviews

Average rating:

Perfect for the Backcountry

I use a large variety of GPS devices in work and play ... this is a very useful device in the backcountry.

Convenient to configure and with adequate speed and coverage even with rather substantial tree coverage.

For HAMs it is also quite convenient to configure to your APRS station.


Impressed

I use the GPS for biking across country and it is an outstanding addition with the bike computer. It has everything you want to know in relation to your bike trip. I would suggest that you purchase the bracket for the bike, it makes very good sense to have the GPS mounted on the handle bar to your front for convenience and safety. I was so impressed that I purchased one more to be given as a gift.


Great for yacht racing

I've had my Foretrex 201 for almost 2 years now and it's still going strong. It's able to withstand a decent amount of punishment as mine still looks new after countless races. Having a wrist mounted GPS is very convenient and allows both hands to be free while still having access to crucial navigational and tactical information. Battery life is also very good, but since the batteries can not be changed I would not trust it for a long distance race unless you purchased the DC charger. I only have two minor gripes with it. One, the yacht timer would be more useful if it could display both the time and the countdown, therefore I don't bother using this feature and instead use the yacht timer on my watch. Second, when using routes if you have a race course that starts and ends at the same mark it's very difficult to get it to route to the first mark since if you're close to the start/finish mark it thinks you're already at your final destination. Also on routes, it doesn't set to the next mark easily. Ifyou set it to change marks automatically it does it either too early or too late. I tend to avoid using routes and just pick the mark I need manually.


the best GPS for a traveller

I have been using the Gramin Foretrex 201 for close to 3 months now and can never step out on a weekend without it.. I travel a lot in the US, Europe and Asia.. my primary use for the Foretrex is to use it on my roadtrips, hikes etc to record tracks and upload them to Google Earth Plus...I like to take a birds eye view of places i've been to... and the Foretrex does its job better than i expected...
The Foretrex Intergrates very well with Google Earth Plus... if using the serial port is a problem or your notebook doesn't have one you can get a Serial to USB converter for under 15$.. i have one and it works perfectly..
The accuracy is good if you enable the WWAS mode... even otherwise i found it wasn't too bad.. accuracy is about 30 feet without WWAS...
The Battery life is also good... i used it on a 12 hour road trip and it still had some life at the end of the day... so Gramin's 15 hrs may be accurate..
The track memory was also very good... i have never maxed out the memory even on my 12 hr road trips with record interval at 'highest'...
So bottem line... worth every cent.. and an awesome gadget for a traveller..


Missed the Mark

I purchased this unit of beach cat sailing as I had hoped to use it as a starting watch and perfomance monitor. Unfortunetly I found the unit to be sub par at best. I used the unit for two days of sailing before it's failures became too great for me to deal with.

The first issue I experienced was the paint on the front all came off on the first day I used it after a touching it with sunscreen on my hands. This isn't exactly something I would expect from an outdoors product.

The second issue I had with the unit was that it locked up frequently, requireing a reset of the unit. I am willing to tolerate a mild amount of this in an electronic product, but once every few hours was far too much.

The third issue and the one that really made it unusable for sailing was the pins that held the unit to the wriststrap would easily pop off when the unit was mildly bumped. I had the top pin pop out twice and the bottom pin pop out once while in the middle of a race. After each time I was forced to just take it off and stuff it in my pocket until after the race for fear the other pin might pop and I would loose the unit overboard.

I was excited when I saw the feature set of this unit, but I would say it has a long way to go to live up to what it is billed as.


Get the Garmin Foretrex 201 from Amazon.com.