ROCKCRAWLER - Garmin GPSIII Plus Tested

Garmin GPSIII Plus

Garmin GPSIII Plus Garmin International, Inc. released their first Global Positioning System (GPS) in 1991.Since then, they have guided everyone from Gulf War pilots to backpackers. A few years ago, they released a ground-breaking model called the GPS III. Unlike any other GPS in its class, the GPSIII came right out of the box with roads maps, railroad lines, and bodies of water. Not to be outdone, Garmin kept working to improve the on their baby and released the GPSIII Plus.

The GPSIII Plus is a small, handheld or dash-mounted unit that can be mounted either horizontally or vertically. The attached antenna can swivel to whatever angle is necessary for best results. The screen can then be switched between portrait and landscape settings. So, if you want a wide screen, you would run it horizontally and, conversely, if you want a tall screen, you would set it vertically.

The unit comes with a PC interface cable, lanyard, and manuals and is powered by 4AA batteries. You can also get an adapter and cable to run off of your vehicle's 12volt adapter.

The PC interface cable serves several purposes:

The GPSIII Plus probably has the easiest user interface of any unit we've tried. It can be used with one hand and is very easy to figure out. If you have any experience with GPS's or even just using computer interfaces, you will immediately understand the logic and find your way around with ease. Whatever you can't figure out on your own, the comprehensive manual will help guide you.

One very nice feature of the GPSIII Plus is its light adjustments. By pressing the light button you get two sliders which control brightness and contrast. This makes it very easy to adjust the screen for daytime or night viewing. You can also set a timer to shut off the light after a period of time in order to save battery life. Without using the light much, you can get as much as 36 hours from a good set of batteries.