Garmin Rino 130 5-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio and GPS Receiver

Garmin Rino 130 5-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio and GPS Receiver Review

Garmin Rino 130 5-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio and GPS Receiver Feature

• Combination portable 2-way radio and GPS receiver with built-in electronic compass, barometric altimeter, and weather receiver
• Radio specs: 14 FRS channels for 2-mile range, 7 GMRS channels for 5-mile range, 38 subcodes per channel, hands-free VOX
• GPS specs: 12-channel, WAAS-enabled receiver, up to 500 waypoints, trip computer with speed tracking
• Marine-point database and basemap of North and South America includes major cities and highways; 24 MB of memory for downloadable maps
• Features bilingual (English and Spanish) packaging

The the most feature-rich device in the Rino family, Garmin's Rino 130 (bilingual edition) 2-way FRS/GMRS radio and GPS receiver comes fully loaded with an electronic compass, a barometric sensor, a weather receiver for 7 NOAA weather channels, and 24 MB of internal memory for downloading and storing MapSource detail--including data from products like U.S. Topo 24K, U.S. Topo, Recreational Lakes, BlueChart, and MetroGuide (MapSource products sold separately). The Rino 130 is also outfitted with a marine-point database and a basemap of North and South America. The database includes nautical navaids for North and South America. The Americas Highway basemap includes the United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America, and covers an area from W180 to W30 Longitude and S60 to N75 Latitude. Also included is a high-level worldwide map with political boundaries and major cities. Among many other included elements are oceans, rivers, and lakes (greater than 30 square miles), principal cities and many smaller cities and towns, major interstates and principal highways, and political boundaries (state and international borders). The Rino 130 also offers 10,000 tracklogs versus 2,048 with the Rino 120. The 130 also comes ready with a massive 24 MB of memory unlike the Rino 120 with 8MB. Lastly the 130 shines with the very useful electronic compass, altimeter, glide ratio, glide ratio to destination, and vertical speed to destination features that the Rino 120 lacks.

Integration has its advantages: the Rino 130 sends and receives GPS locations using FRS channels and shows them on the map. The GPS device is a 12-channel, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver. WAAS, which stands for Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), is the global-positioning-system of choice for mariners. The handheld's built-in electronic compass give a heading while you're standing still, and its barometric altimeter provides accurate elevation and pressure readings to help you identify and analyze weather conditions.

The Rino 130 also provides two-way radio communication with a transmission range of up to two miles using FRS channels and up to five miles with GMRS (be aware that use of GMRS requires an FCC license). The integration of two-way radio and GPS lets you transmit your position with a simple button press, so others can easily navigate to your position. The Rino 130 also has a polling feature so you can manually request GPS location information from other Rino units.

You get 14 FRS channels, 8 GMRS channels, and 8 GMRS repeater channels, as well as 38 sub-audible squelch codes per transmission channel for semi-private radio communications.

The unit's ergonomic design grants single-handed operation, with its Call, Page mode, and Press-To-Talk (PTT) buttons mounted on the side, Power/Backlighting button on top, Volume and Zoom buttons on front, and a Thumb Stick positioned in the center. The thumb stick allows channel selection and volume adjustment in FRS/GMRS mode, as well as quick map panning, enter, and selection functions in GPS mode.

Other features include a backlit display (160 x 160 pixels), external voice activation (VOX), waterproof construction to IPX-7 standards (immersible in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes), storage for up to 500 waypoints with graphic identification and 20 reversible routes, 10,000 trackpoints and up to 20 saved tracks to retrace your path or a companion's path via the location-reporting feature, trip computer with speed tracking, sunrise/sunset read out, trip time, and trip distance, and multiple grid formats including MGRS and Loran TD. The Rino 130 even sends and receives short text notes for quiet communication.

The Rino 130 has a battery life of 14 hours (typical use) on 3 AA alkaline batteries (not included).

The WAAS difference

100 meters: Accuracy of the original GPS system, which was subject to accuracy degradation under the government-imposed Selective Availability (SA) program. 15 meters: Typical GPS position accuracy without SA. 3-5 meters: Typical differential GPS (DGPS) position accuracy. Less than 3 meters: Typical WAAS position accuracy.

WAAS is a system of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections, giving you even better position accuracy. How much better? Try an average of up to five times better. A WAAS-capable receiver can give you a position accuracy of better than three meters 95 percent of the time. And you don't have to purchase additional receiving equipment or pay service fees to utilize WAAS.

How it Works
WAAS consists of approximately 25 ground reference stations positioned across the United States that monitor GPS satellite data. Two master stations, located on either coast, collect data from the reference stations and create a GPS correction message. This correction accounts for GPS satellite orbit and clock drift plus signal delays caused by the atmosphere and ionosphere. The corrected differential message is then broadcast through one of two geostationary satellites, or satellites with a fixed position over the equator. The information is compatible with the basic GPS signal structure, which means any WAAS-enabled GPS receiver can read the signal.

Who benefits from WAAS?
Currently, WAAS satellite coverage is only available in North America. There are no ground reference stations in South America, so even though GPS users there can receive WAAS, the signal has not been corrected and thus would not improve the accuracy of their unit. For some users in the U.S., the position of the satellites over the equator makes it difficult to receive the signals when trees or mountains obstruct the view of the horizon. WAAS signal reception is ideal for open land and marine applications. WAAS provides extended coverage both inland and offshore compared to the land-based DGPS (differential GPS) system. Another benefit of WAAS is that it does not require additional receiving equipment, while DGPS does.

What's in the Box
Rino 130 receiver, a PC-interface cable, a wrist strap, a belt clip, a user's manual, and a quick-reference guide. Keep tabs on your friends and keep your eye on the weather with the Garmin Rino 130. This waterproof FRS/GMRS radio plus GPS navigator has a built-in barometric altimeter and electronic compass, NOAA weather radio, voice scrambler and vibrate mode for your wildest outdoor adventures. Rino 130's barometric altimeter pinpoints your precise altitude, and its built-in electronic compass provides bearing information even while you're standing still. To help you keep tabs on changing weather conditions, Rino 130 has a built-in weather radio that scans for the nearest NOAA weather radio station. You can also set up a weather alert tone, so when your radio is on, it will alert you when a storm warning is being broadcast for your area.