Garmin RINO GPS/Radios

Picture this: you get the latest edition of the RBA and learn a rare vagrant warbler has been found at migrant trap 3 counties away. You go there ready to rack up a state bird only to discover that the park has a landmass the size of Denali National Park, and that the directions to the bird’s location are inadequate, and you have no idea where to look. There are probably local birders all over the park – some of them may even be looking at it right now, but how do you find out? Cell phones and FRS (Family Radio Service) radios can help, but only if you know someone who’s there on the bird, or local birders are using the ABA standard channel/code of 11/22. Such scenes may soon to be a thing of the past, thanks to a new, space-age (literally!) device from Garmin International. Garmin produces a product called RINO - Radios Integrated with Navigation for the Outdoors. The two models - the Rino 110 and Rino 120 - combine FRS radio, GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radio, and GPS (global positioning system) into an integrated unit with powers beyond the capability of the separate components.

Birders have been using FRS radios for several years now. The ability to network with other birders spread out over a wide area has many benefits, from being able to share the location of a bird without disturbing it, to helping keep vehicle trains together during field trips. FRS radios are now almost as indispensable as binoculars. GMRS has a longer range - 5 miles compared to 2 for FRS radio – but unlike FRS, it requires an FCC license ($75.00 for 5 years). GMRS is not needed to bird your local turf, but may be useful for large car caravans. The radios most birders use only operate in the FRS band, so save your money and leave GMRS turned off.

Birders are starting to use GPS for many reasons ranging from marking the locations of nests or birds to following set routes for Breeding Bird Survey work. With an FRS radio and a GPS unit, you can tell someone where you are, and they can navigate to your location. Garmin Rinos combine all these functions into a single, hand-held unit. GPS units allow you to track your movements and then retrace your path ("electronic bread crumbs"). To set up a Rino, first assign yourself an ID (such as your initials or nickname) and select one of 50 available icons to represent yourself on other birders' map screens. In Peer-to-Peer Positioning mode, using FRS radio (Peer-to-Peer doesn’t work with GMRS – another reason not to get the license) and GPS with the Send Location option turned on, each time you broadcast, your location is transmitted to anyone with a Rino who is on the same channel and code. Once received, your icon appears on the map on their screens. If they want, they can select your icon and do a Find-and-Go, which shows them the direction and distance to your position.

Rinos come in two models, the 110 and the 120. Both come with a base map of the major roads and towns in North America and a limited set of "Points of Interest" data showing restaurants, gas stations, etc. There may not be enough information in the base maps to provide sufficient detail for birding applications. Details for city parks are sketchy, not all streets are shown, and the detail gets thinner away from towns. The Rino 120 allows you do download up to 8 MB of Garmin map definitions from any of their MapSource® map CDs. The Rino 110 has only base maps and has no download capability. Thus, the Rino 120 and some map software may be the best combination for birders. One map set that has some interesting features for birders is the Fishing Hot Spots® CD. There isn’t a Birding Hot Spots CD yet, but give them time! Other CDs available include MetroGuide®, Topo, BlueChart®, and the new U.S. TOPO 24K National Parks, West, which contains higher resolution topological maps for National Parks and selected other areas in the western United States. Central and Eastern sets are due out soon.

All MapSource map sets run in the same software engine, and may be chosen for download from menu selection on a desktop or laptop. Customized map sets can be created by clicking on the screen with a selection tool to add or remove map sectors from the set. The map set window states how much memory is required for the set and alerts you if it exceeds the 8 MB maximum size. Unfortunately, 8 MB is insufficient to hold enough detailed maps for an extended trip to remote locales such as Alaska, California, Florida, or Texas. You can save some room by not downloading route and point of interest information, but when in an unfamiliar area, finding the next gas station or restaurant can be very useful. At the moment, the best solutions are to take along your map CDs and a laptop or make sure you can find places to use a computer with a CD drive where they will let you install software. Future Rinos may have a slot for SD or xD memory cards, but neither the 110 nor the 120 have that capability now. Downloading is performed over an included serial data cable. If the serial ports are all in use or unavailable on your computer, using a serial-to-USB converter and plugging into a USB port works well.

In addition, the Rinos come with several other programs installed, including a few GPS games. Of special interest to birders are Sun and Moon, a program that reads the position and computes sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and moon phase, a calendar, and an alarm clock. The alarm clock can be good for reminders while the Rino is on for its normal uses, but because of its multiple functions, it uses up batteries faster than either single use device, so if you use it for a wake-up alarm, be sure to turn off the radio and GPS.

All in all, the Rino is a very useful tool for birders and its utility will only increase as more of them appear in the field. The Rino 110 and 120 have MSRPs of about $195 and $270 respectively, but are available on the internet (including here) for as low as $167 and $230. Recommended accessories include the cigarette lighter power adapter to save batteries while driving, and the suction cup windshield mount to position the Rino in a safe viewing location.