Accessories

RE: Warning: Rino should not be used in Iraq
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.

wish both of them worked
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!

Warning: Rino should not be used in Iraq
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 While commercial GPS receivers have definitely filled a gap (the old PLGR is laughably outdated, and the new DAGR is more complicated than what you can buy off the shelf), the Army Program Manager for GPS has specifically target the Garmin Rino as a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.

DO NOT PURCHASE IF!
Every picture I saw advertised for this unit showed detailed maps. Even in the owner's manual on several pages you'll see detailed maps downloaded from MapSource. This is not possible, even if you purchased the expensive software, it is not possible to download this info to the Rino 110 Unit. If you can live with a totally blank screen and 'bread crumbs' (because this is all you get in the GPS mode) then this unit is okay. If you would like more detail or even the most basic detail in the GPS mode, then purchase the 120 or 130 unit. These units will store additional info and include the cable for downloading from laptop to unit. The 110 does not include the cable. I own a 110 and 120 unit and both are great and are easy devices to work with but beware of the 110's blank screen in the GPS mode, it offers nothing but a blank screen and bread crumbs! (items were purchased for deer hunting and emergencys)

Defective Product
The radio portion was inoperative straight out of the packaging. Made this "discovery" after ordering a second unit but one couldn't send or receive messages. Figured out which was the defective unit by using a third two-way radio. Wrote to Garmin who suggested that I send in both units. Thanks to Amazon who was very accomodating with an excahnge. Wonder what hoops Garmin would have put me through. Maybe the product is "normally" ok but I ended up with a lemon.