krystalbot's Full Review: Cobra Electronics 100 Handheld GPS Receiver
After looking for an entry-level GPS unit, this one seemed too good to be true. On sale with a full US street map CD set for $140!
The disappointments started when I loaded the Whistler Map CD software. There's no setup program, so I copied everything over from the two CDs manually. The Whistler Map software looks like it was a total afterthought. It appears to be designed for Windows 98/2000. I plugged the USB cable into the Galileo and went to the software's upload/download menu. You're supposed to know that uploading is sending data FROM the GPS. And you have to go to a corresponding menu in the GPS to start the uploading. Twice the Galileo stopped responding, requiring the batteries to be pulled (all GPS buttons where non-functional, including the power button).
Sending and receiving any files from the unit is horrendously slow. I started the dowload from the GPS to the PC and went to fix a cup of coffee - it takes about 5 minutes to retrieve the 133kB worth of track data at 9600 bps. There is no provision on the GPS to increase the data rate. I can't imagine loading a 20 MB map set at that rate - it would take hours! Thankfully you can use a flash card writer to put the maps on the 32 MB CompactFlash card without sending them through the GPS. Unfortunately the GPS stores waypoint, route and track log information internally, so you can only send/retrieve this information over the USB cable.
The software has no provisions for merging track logs or waypoint/route files. You must create waypoint/route data for the trip you're taking as a single file - you can't combine previously created route/waypoint data from earlier excursions. Not a problem really for a short jaunt, but a daunting task if you're plotting a 5-day hike with alternate routes for day hikes along the way.
There is no overview map like that provided by the Topo! software - everything is done by zooming and moving. This becomes quite tedious with clicking on the "hand" button to move the screen, then the "waypoint" button to set a waypoint or two, then the "hand" button again.... I guess I should mention that the Galileo, being the only GPS offered by Whistler, isn't supported by any of the other GPS software vendors, unlike Garmin/Magellan/Eagle units. You're stuck with the Whistler Map software. I should have checked the Topo! software compatibility list before buying, as this is the software I normally use to plan my hikes.
All that said, the maps are up-to-date and complete, with names on even the smallest streets. The GPS displays the street names nearest the unit's location with box labels. Unfortunately, the labels often obscure the roads beneath them and CANNOT be turned off.
So now the unit has a map and I want to see how it performs. I took it outside in the back yard so it could aquire satellites. I waited...and waited...and waited...for at least 15 minutes. Finally the unit popped up a message that said "Poor GPS Signal". So I took it over to the park just down the block and repeated the same thing. It finally locked on after about 7 minutes with 5 satellites showing bars. I ran it around the park and it did work OK until I stopped under some trees - it immediately lost all satellites.
Granted, many GPS units have trouble with tree cover, but these weren't huge trees - the park is only 8 years old and the trees were planted then. I can see the sky through the leaves. My friend's Garmin Etrex had no problem under much more extensive foliage.
The next test was in the car. What good is a GPS loaded with street maps if you don't use it in the car, right? So I laid it on the passenger seat, where it promptly lost all satellites. The only place it would work is on the dash - just barely. The problem with the dash was that being a sunny day, the unit quickly got hot and the screen darkened to the point it was unreadable. I took it off the dash before any permanent damage could be done.
Now the unit does have an external antenna jack, so I bought one (an active GPS antenna) off of Ebay for $20. Strangely, Whistler doesn't appear to sell an external antenna, so I had to settle for one designed for Garmin units. The antenna comes with a right-angle plug which I tried to plug into the unit - whoops! The plug won't seat all the way. Whister placed the jack so deep in the plastic shell that the right-angle MCX plug won't mate properly. I had to scramble to the local electronics warehouse to find a straight MCX plug.
With the antenna attached, most of the GPS satellite aquisition problems went away. I was getting 7-10 satellites without a problem. This leads me to believe the internal antenna of the Galileo is just not up to the job.
Using an external antenna when walking WAS a problem. I ended up sewing a square of scrap steel to the top of my daypack so I could stick the magnetic antenna on it, but having that cord stuck to the GPS to get a decent signal is still a sore point. Talk about looking like an ultra-geek!
The Galileo did seem perform quite well after that. Then I noticed that the road maps were suddenly off by quite a bit (300 feet or so). Cycling power on the GPS did nothing to correct the position. Putting a fresh set of batteries in did.
Which brings us to the issue of batteries. Whistler says the batteries should last 12 hours if you don't use the backlight. When I took the unit out for a weekend fishing trip last week, I got about 5 hours off a set of brand new freshly charged 2000 mah NiMH cells before it came up with the exhausted battery message. Maybe it's the extra 12 ma draw from the external antenna, or maybe the unit has difficulty working on 2.4 volts from the NiMH cells, but that's unreasonably short. When you change the batteries you also lose the trip information (mileage, elapsed time). Don't plan on using rechargeables on a trip longer than 5 hours I guess.
The final straw was when we got back to the dock and I realized that in changing batteries I must have managed to knock off the data/power jack cover. This is a rubber plug that is only secured to the unit by friction in the jacks. Now my unit is no longer sealed from the environment. Well, I guess it isn't sealed either when I have to use the external antenna - another rubber plug to lose if you don't put it in a safe place.
I've had it for two weeks and took very good care of it. No scratches and it's just missing the plug cover - do you think I can get a refund at Walmart? I bet I can! I guess it's true - you get what you pay for, so I'll be buying a Garmin next.
18-channel GPS receiver for faster satellite acquisition WAAS-enabled for 3-meter accuracy Store up to 500 waypoints Create 1 route with up to 50 wayp...More at Amazon Marketplace
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