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Garmin Rino 110 Handheld GPS Navigator and 2-Way Radio
Product Review Imagine a cross between a walkie talkie and a Star Trek communicator, that's the best way to understand the Garmin's Rino 110. Not just a powerful GPS receiver, this two-way radio can even track your friends and transmit your location to others. These innovative features and low price makes it ideal whether hiking, hunting, playing paintball or just checking up on your kids.
The other antenna offers the advanced WAAS-enabled GPS tracking you'd expect from Garmin (see chart at right). Using the large 160 x 160 pixel backlit display you can save up to 20 different routes and 500 waypoints in the unit's 1 MB of memory. Plus, in addition to the built-in cities database, you can even upload maps from Garmin's Points of Interest CD with an optional adapter. The fun really starts when you combine these two features. The Rino can transmit its location to others at up to two miles and track up to 50 contacts simultaneously. So, for instance, you can display a map on the screen with the names and locations of all of your friends, or select a friend and have the Rino guide you to their location. The Rino's graphical interface makes it easy to control its myriad functions with a 5-way cursor, similar to those found on laptop keyboards, which lets you move quickly across the menu screens. This waterproof device runs on 3 AAA batteries. Once you use the Rino 110, it's hard to imagine purchasing a two-way radio without GPS functionality, the two features go so well together. --Ken Feinstein Pros:
Product Description The Rino 110 is a GPS-enabled handheld that integrates radio functionality to provide two-way communications. It's waterproof, can send communications up to five miles (using GMRS channels), and can "beam" your exact location to another Rino user within a two-mile range (on the FRS spectrum) using "Position Reporting". And because the Rino 110 has standard FRS capabilities, you can talk to friends or family who own conventional FRS radios. Reader Reviews For those who love to hike, camp, hunt or enjoy outdoor activities, this little device may soon become a standard. It has remarkable communications range, with the option of choosing from the Family Band (range: 2 miles or so) or the wider-ranging (but more battery-consuming) General Mobile Radio Service (5 miles or so). These frequences aren't used nearly as much as other bands and are more likely to be free from unnecessary cross-talk and interference, which makes for clearer communication. But what makes this stand out from standard outdoor devices is the GPS satellite link, which allows you to pinpoint your position accurately, and even has a feature that keeps tabs on your trail, making backtracking a breeze. You can also send your current position to another person (as long as they are using one of these, of course), which is handy if someone gets separated, hurt, or needs assistance. In addition, they are waterproof up to one meter (so dropping one into a stream--as I did--won't kill it), and it's pretty durable--one of my friends dropped his nearly twenty feet onto rock, and it still works! All of these features help account for the somewhat high price, and since they are sold singly, count on having to buy two or more. But they are more than worth the cost, especially for those who take their outdoor activities seriously. Highly recommended. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)
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