steenroller

Good to talk to you again. I have tried the 60 series a few times when somebody had one at an event but I have been using the 70 series for so long I am used to it. You are right about the same operating system and I like that. It all comes down to personal preference between the two styles. I have looked at the 64 and just don't know that it is worth switching to.

Got to throw my $.02 in on this one. I have bought my first gps, a Magellan 4000, in 1997. Since then I have gone through a Map76, Map76s, Map76CS, Map76CSx, and a Map 78s. The Map 78s with its paperless caching capability and ability to load aerial photography is the best for geocaching. But the 76CSx finds the position quicker and seems to be slightly more accurate. I have started using it when I put out a new cache. When I got it I used a palm pilot for paperless caching. Now I am thinking about ordering another Map 78s to replace my current one because I have not seen a unit I like better.

Another McManus fan here. When I am in the woods I have my dedicated GPS, smartphone, and compass so that I can find a route back to a road if all else fails. In SW Mississippi where I hunt and work you can generally hit a ridge and follow it to a road if you know the general direction. I also have my handheld ham radio with the local repeaters set up in it or my fire department radio so that I can get help one way or the other if I am out of phone coverage. I have been turned around a few times. I thought I was going to spend the night in the woods less than a mile from my house when I got caught without a flashlight. I had my gps and knew the way out but it got dark quick and there were a lot of gullies around. The breadcrumb wouldn't work because I had been mapping a hiking trail coming in and I knew it was to rough to follow in the dark. I finally got on the main trail but I was just about ready to go back to an observation deck on the trail and wait for daylight.

Placed several ammo boxes over the years and where practical I am replacing with Lock n Locks when needed due to some of them disappearing. Can't afford to replace them since I also use them for storage and they are getting harder to find and have doubled in price when I do find them.

I have looked for caches hidden by phone users and the coordinates were way off. This may improve with technology and I know different models are going to have different levels of accuracy. I check the accuracy of my GPS's against a benchmark in town and have not had the chance to check any of the phones. That being said I will not be without a handheld GPS because it will do things that a phone cannot do. I use it for work and hunting in addition to geocaching and the ability to store and download waypoints and tracks is invaluable. The ability to download aerial photography in the newer models is a big plus, especially since a big portion of the counties that I work in do not have adequate cell phone coverage to pull up google maps. I have gps capability on my phone but I am not going to pay a monthly fee to use it. To reply to the original poster, I respect your opinion about the phone apps and I am happy that you like using it for geocaching and other gps roles. However I would rather stick with a good handheld GPS that will stand up to being used outdoors in a rough enviroment. My Map 76csx took a slide facedown across an asphalt parking lot and came up looking better than me. A phone would not have faired that well.

Currently own: GPSMAP 78s GPSMAP 76csx GPSMAP 76cs Prreviously owned: GPSMAP 76s GPSMAP 76 (Does anybody notice a theme. My agency still uses these two). Magellan 4000

Glad to know its not me. I downloaded a couple of maps and then it quit working this weekend. I was waiting for a reply from Garmin but figured this was the problem.

ryan3295, that works just the same on my 78s. Thanks. I won't need it often but its good to know.

As Kit' n' Kaboodle suggested you can take the cache files and move them to a folder on your computer and move them back when you want to cache. I don't know of a way to turn off just the geocaches.

Hey Bam, I got the equivalent in the 78s and used it when I did the abbreviated run on the Hang'em High series and View Carre. It is extremely fast to acquire a fix when you turn it on. New it had a fix inside the building in two minutes. Now it will have a fix in a building or vehicle in about 15 seconds. The compass works fine. Paperless functions seems to be similar to what I have seen from the Oregon although I have never used one. You can print out the cache logs and field notes using the word or notebook program. I even opted for the Birdseye for one year. I have also tried importing some custom maps thru Google Earth and that function works good. Should be the same system as the 62 except in a different case. If you have any questions send me an email or PM me on MSGA since I will check that one more often.

I got the 78s and really like it.

Came close to the PN40 and then the 78 series came out. Ordered one and like it because of my experience with the 76 series. Like the paperless and the ability to import custom maps. Another gun nut and amateur radio nut here.

I have had the 78s for a week now and went caching with it the day after I got it. I have been using the 76 series for seven years so that was a factor in getting the 78. If you are used to the 60 series and like the pushbutton instead of touch screen I would get the 62. I am very pleased with the 78.

Just throwing my $.02 in the mix. I quit trying to trade for anything in the caches within about 6 months of starting to cache. Too much trouble to try and carry trade items all the time. I do try and keep something in the truck in case I see something in a cache that I want to trade for. I confess that I have gotten a little lax in stocking a cache when I start one but I try and keep some small items in there. I try to put out caches where the destination is the main reason for hunting, which reflects my primary reason for going after caches now. I know everybody caches for different reasons and objectives, and I try to have a good description in the cache page so people will know what to expect. I will still put an ammo box out in an area that will support it so there will be room for trade items and travel bugs, and it will have some trade items in it, but it probably will not be as well stocked as other cachers.

Early 2003 here. Still trying to maintain one cache a month but the price of gas and available time is keeping me limited. Have to drive at least an hour or two for a decent cache concentration and the microspew is starting to hit some areas. Still there are some good caches out there from some new cachers and there are some challenging micro hides around that are not just drive up to the lamp post and lift the skirt.

Cardinal Red, I am glad to see this info because I have overlooked this feature. I am going to have to try this for a while and see how I like the yards setting. It looks like it may have some advantages for my uses.

Check this board for a thread on the Garmin Colorado. It is the one you are looking for but it has not been released yet. My guess is late spring. Do a web search and you might find some more information.

MtnHermit, you are not alone in your concern about the price. It has taken me about 2 years to upgrade to the new technology of the CSx recievers. I figure with the Colorado MSRP of $650 it will sell for around $600 and will be down to around $350 in 2 years. Thats when I may buy it. By then the bugs should be worked out of the system.

I will have to toss another opinion in here. I have been using the 76 series for 5 years now and have upgraded several times. I have used it for work, driving, geocaching, and hunting and have found it to be very conveniant and easy to operate. The bottom line is it is all in what you get used to. I like the hookup for the external antenna and the fact that I can use the same mount for both my work and personal GPS. The 76csx is now running a little over $300. From what I have seen there is not much difference in the internals of the 60 and the 76, just the case.

I was coming through town and saw a couple looking for one of my caches. I went around the block and parked and came in from behind. I asked them what they were doing and told them it sounded strange to me, just trying to give them a hard time. Finally could not keep a straight face any longer and introduced myself and we talked for about 20 minutes. Turns out the cache was missing(again) and I replaced it with a different type hide.

Always sad when an accident like this happens. I have a cache in the National Forest near my home that I check while I am hunting. I frequently hunt in the National Forest. However, if I see a car on the road where I am planning on parking I will find another area. Its not worth the chance when you don't know where someone is hunting or how safe they are.

With the 76 series you can go to the route page. Then you can press menu to display the options and take the "use map" option. Then you can use the pointer on the map to select a new point for the route. It will save a new waypoint if the spot you pick is not labelled as a feature. If the spot is a feature such as a road or point of interest, it will not create a waypoint but will save it as a point in the route. Hope I did not confuse you.

Just my $.02. I started off with a Map76 becuase we had one at work. I could use the software at work on my personal GPS that way. I figured 8MB would be plenty. After a year I got the Map76s becuase I found I liked the extra storage. For about $50 difference the extra storage is worth it. I have also found that I like the on-board compass, too. I like the layout of the 76 units. However the best advice is to try as many out as you can to see what you like.

I have had a 76 that I bought after we got them in at work. Just bought a 76s for the increased map storage after I drove off the map a few times. Now Garmin comes out with another reason for me to spend my money. I could not justify the 60cs because I really like the style of the 76series and the features. However, I will probably be in the market for a 76cs in about a year after the debugging period and the price comes down. Then my 76 will be up for sale.

I have used the Plugger some with the USDA. Agency bought them and had access to the codes. I had my own Magellan 4000 at the time. The accuracy of the plugger was better when SA was active. I still used the 4000 most of the time unless I needed the accuracy, since it is smaller and more user-friendly. After the SA was turned off I could not tell the difference. Since then we have gotten rid of the pluggers and have Garmin gpsmap 76. I like them so well I bought one for myself.