Garmin Rino 110 Handheld GPS Navigator and 2-Way Radio

This item is simply a walkie-talkie that locates others of its own kind and shows you your position relating to dots (waypoints). No maps. No elevation graphics. Not even roads. I'm sure the newer models are much better, but how hi-tech can something be when it only has one Meg of on board memory. I had no idea an item from 2006 could be so outdated by now. This would only be useful for locating others in a hunting party who also have a rino. My nuvi auto gps does more on the trail than this does. I'm a hiker and I'm pretty sorry I wasted three years worth of my wife's safety incentive points on this thing. I will try to send it back, but I may be stuck with a huge digital compass that runs on 3 AAs.

I used the Rino attached to my harness when windsurfing. This allows me to both stay in contact with a buddy and see what speeds I reached. It works very well and the interface is easy to master. However, Garmin overpromised on the waterproofness of the product. The battery compartment caught some water which I discovered after a few days. Luckily it only damaged the batteries and not the device itself. Next time I will seal it with an aquapac which will give it a second layer of protection.

For anyone concerned about giving away a position in Iraq, why not go into the radio setup menu, disable the "Send Location" feature under the Send Location tab, and disable position polling under the Allow Polling tab? If these features are disabled, the Rino will not send its position when the radio is keyed. People really should read their user manuals.

Big tip...set up is fairly easy...but read the WHOLE manual TWICE!!! before attempting set up! One of the two I bought had a short circuit in it somewhere and didn't work for very long (should a set up before the big hunting trip!). It got pretty hot then just quit. The other one was fine..batteries lasted a day and a half...it did lose satelite in some of the deeper valleys when we were high in the mountains but regained 2D sat nav soon enough. I liked the tracking feature. I marked junctions in some of the logging roads and it led me right back the way I came. I also liked knowing the elevation. The best time to hunt and fish feature was cool...(jury's still out on usefulness though) Navigating the screens was not simple and the menu select button is a little touchy. It will scroll up/down or left/right when you just want to select (push in) if you get even a little off center when you push it. Before the other one died it did store a location in the working unit and I liked knowing exactly how far away I was getting from the last known location of the defective unit. I can't wait to recieve the repaired unit. I'll let you know how long it takes Garmin to fix and repair or replace the defective unit....to be continued!

There are several testimonials from soldiers who have used/are using the Rino 110 in Iraq or concerned loved ones looking to buy one for their Soldier. While commercial GPS receivers have definitely filled a gap (the old PLGR is laughably outdated, and the new DAGR is more complicated than what you can buy off the shelf), the Army Program Manager for GPS has specifically target the Garmin Rino as a security risk.

Every time the mic is keyed, the Rino broadcasts the sender's location over a non-secure channel to anyone on that same channel. With the built-in scanner, anyone with a Rino 110 within range can pick up the transmission and determine the sender's location--including our enemies. So, every time you key the mic in the FOB, you may be giving away important locational data to the insurgents--especially if you and your buddy use the radio to find each other. "Hey, I'm in the DFAC, where are you?" "I'm at the PX".

I'm not saying that the Garmin Rino is a bad GPS receiver; I'm sure it works fine. But if you're a Soldier or are buying a GPS receiver for a Soldier, you should probably look elsewhere.