garmin rino 110

In addition to its basic two-way radio functions, the Garmin Rino 110 adds GPS technology, which allows you to visually track your position as well as the positions of other Garmin Rino users in your group. Other features include voice activation, a hunting/fishing calendar, a PC interface and built-in memory. A big negative, however, is that the Garmin's range is fairly limited (five miles on GMRS channels and two miles on FRS channels). It's also relatively expensive, and an $85 FCC license is required for the GMRS channels. If GPS isn't an important consideration, you may be better off with the less expensive TriSquare TSX300 (*Est. $70 per pair), which doesn't require you to purchase an FCC license.

Though much more expensive than the other radios tested, we chose the 110 because it was the Garmin unit that came closest to our price range. The only one here with GPS, it allows you to send your exact location to other Rino users. The waterproof unit takes three AA batteries and has built-in celestial tables.%u2028Testers found that the peer-to-peer location reporting complemented the radios well. They were impressed with the sound quality and durability (the Rino survived a number of river dunks by Helms). Rosenberg liked the LCD screen but wished the buttons were larger.

%u2028HITS "Waterproof feature is critical for flyfishing or hunting in rain or snow."

%u2028MISSES "It would be hard to use with bulky gloves."

The Garmin Rino 110 is a dual-purpose global positioning system (GPS) device with a built-in FRS/GMRS two-way radio.
The FRS/GMRS functionality can be used to broadcast your location to other Rino 110 devices that are within range.
The first step to getting the most out of your Rino 110 is understanding the basic functionality and operation of the device.

Basics

1 Familiarize yourself with the set up of your Rino 110 device. The power button is located along the top of the receiver, directly below the antenna. Along the left side of the receiver are buttons that are used to call other Rino 110 devices and talk when you are within range of another Rino 110.
There is also a button that is used to page through the menus on the screen. On the face of the Rino 110 is a volume control and zoom button. There is also a navigation stick that is used to cycle through the menu options on the screen.%u2028%u2028
2 Press and hold the "Power" button to turn the Rino 110 on. Once the device is powered on, press and release the power button immediately to adjust the display settings.%u2028%u2028
3 Press the "Page" button to cycle through the five Rino 110 menus. These menus give you access to the radio, maps, navigation, trip computer and a central menu.

1 Press and hold the navigation stick until the shortcuts menu is displayed and then select "Find 'N Go.

2 Select the search method you wish to utilize for navigation. You can search locations by waypoint, city, contact, nearest location or enter a custom address.

3 Type or select your destination and then select "Goto" to display the navigational map.

Send Your Location

1 Press and hold the navigation stick until the shortcuts menu is displayed and then select "Find 'N Go.

2 Select "Waypoints" and then select "Nearest.

3 Highlight the waypoint that pertains to your location and then hold the navigation stick.

4 Select the "Option" menu and then select "Send Location." Your location will be sent to Rino 110 receivers within range.

Using the Two-Way Radio

1 Press the "Page" button to cycle to the "Radio" page.

2 Enter your name and select the channel and code used by the other members of your party.

3 Press and hold the "Talk" button and speak into the microphone with your face roughly 3 inches away from the receiver. Release the "Talk" button when you have finished speaking.

Garmin's waterproof, handheld Rino 110 and 120 are remarkable examples of evolution: fully capable GPS/WAAS navigators and Family Radio Service/General Mobile Radio Service communication radios.

One of the Rino's unique features is its ability to automatically send and receive GPS position information. Garmin calls this Peer-to-Peer positioning. As many as 50 users can form a network, allowing each to instantly see the position of any other.

No more speaking in code when you've come onto a biting school of fish. No more difficulties keeping track of other members of a flotilla, even in areas where navigation can be confusing. There's barely a need for voice communication.

Here's how it works:
The Rino will send your boat's geographic position every time you press the Call or Talk keys. Other FRS radios within range and set to the same channel and squelch code will announce receipt of your call, and other Rino radios will record your GPS-derived latitude and longitude. The first time you receive a position report from another Rino, a new contact page appears on the screen.

If you accept the new contact, the Rino stores the information and updates it with every subsequent call from the same radio. The position information can be used with the equivalent of a blank plotting sheet or whatever map is loaded into the Rino 120's 8MB memory.

Mariners will find the navigation and trip computer pages particularly valuable as extensions of and backup for equipment already on the boat-and as a separate means for recording voyage information.

The normal navigation page display superimposes a course pointer (with an aircraft-like course deviation indicator) on a rotating compass rose. The "to waypoint's name is shown along with distance, estimated time en route, time of arrival and speed over the ground.

A number of display/data options beyond what is normally available in marine GPS navigators can also be selected. The trip computer page allows access to current lat/lon, plus six digital data displays.

The Rino is small, measuring 4.5 inches by 2.3 inches by 1.6 inches, plus an additional 2.5 inches for the transmitter/receiver antenna, the longer of the two Rino horns. The unit weighs 7.6 ounces. With its cellular telephone-style rear fixing stud, it can be used with a standard cell phone belt clip.

Its three AA alkaline cells, when running only the GPS, will last about 28 hours. FRS operating time will be about 20 hours. Battery life with both GPS and FRS operating will be about 15 hours. Batteries other than the standard alkaline type can be used, including NiMH, NiCad and 1.2- and 1.5-volt lithium cells.

A power cable for use with an external 12-volt supply is available, as are earphones, earphones with push-to-talk microphones, headsets with voice-operated microphone transmit (VOX) and a variety of mounting clips.

The Rino's full range of capabilities is far too extensive to present properly in this article. At a suggested retail price of $194 for the 110 and $268 for the 120, the Rino is a great value.

Rino 110 features WAAS-enabled GPS receiver 22 communication channels: 1-14 FRS, 15-22 GMRS 38 sub-audible squelch codes per transmission channel for semi-private radio communications Transmit distance: up to 2 miles using FRS, up to 5 miles with GMRS External voice activation (VOX) Ergonomic design for one-handed operation, with Call, Press-To-Talk (PTT), and Page mode buttons on the side, Power/Backlighting button on top, and Volume and Zoom buttons in front Unique 5-way cursor for channel selection and volume adjustment in FRS/GMRS mode, and quick map panning, entering, and selecting functions in GPS mode Built-in worldwide city point database, with 1 MB of internal memory for downloading additional points-of-interest data from a MapSource Points of Interest CD.

Additional features of the Rino 110 include external voice activation (VOX), built-in worldwide city point of interest database, zoom and pan on the Map Page, a calendar page, an alarm clock and stopwatch, a calculator, and the best times for hunting and fishing by date and location. And if the outdoors ever get dull, it even has four video games to entertain you.

All these features are packed into a 4.5" H x 2.3" W x 1.6" D waterproof case. A 1.4" square, 4-level grayscale LCD provides the display. The screen has adjustable contrast and backlighting for use under all light conditions.

The Garmin Rino 110 runs off of three AA batteries which can last up to 28 hours if GPS is used alone, or up to 15 hours if the radio is used too. There's an optional cigarette power adapter for use in vehicles.