CacheFreakTim

Thanks man I think I'll wait and see about the new eTrex, also I bumped the price to 250 it seems that's where to good one's are At $250 I would defiantly go with the Dakota 20, and you will have a few bucks left over.

The Dakota 10 lists for over $200 but every once in a while I see it on sale and drop down as low as $150. Also the Dakota 20 has gone as low as $200 a few weeks ago. I believe currently they are the best units around the $200 mark. Also if you can wait a couple months Garmin is coming out with a new line of eTrex units, two of which will cost under $200. They should be out by September.

According to 9to5 Mac it looks like the new iPod Touch will have a GPS. A screen shot is shown with the iPod showing a GPS On/Off slider like the iPhone and iPad. This is huge news for the Geocaching world as a $200 iPod with GPS is a very compelling option to those looking for a GPS. If the GPS in the iPod is the same as the iPhone 4 it will be very accurate. Just add a good case to protect against drops, and an extended battery and this is going to be a huge hit for the Geocaching community.

You will want to make a new waypoint. To do this hit "menu" then "new waypoint." You can also do it by holding down the joystick on the map screen.

Not sure what kind of netbook you have, but some of them have quite excellent battery life. Adding a GPS (either via USB or bluetooth, or might even be able to use the GPSr) is also easy, but integration with applications might be difficult/pointless. Ya I should have been more clear. Some of them do, but in my experience they are more expensive. The cheap ones seem to be pretty poor when it comes to the battery. Mine happens to be a Acer Aspire (which works very well just poor battery.) Also many units come with a standard battery and have an extended battery you can buy 3rd party or from the manufacturer. This is also an option if one were considering a netbook.

I think Birds Eye is cool and worth the price, but my only issue is with the quality. Some areas look great while others do not. In just about every instance Google Maps has so much better quality maps and are 100% free. As long as you have a cell signal I almost always use them over BirdsEye.

Personally I load my GPS before I leave the house but also carry the iPad in the car. The passenger can use the iPad to navigate in the car to the parking site. The iPad works great for this. Once there I then use a GPS and iPhone to walk to the cache, and when I get back to the car use the iPad to log the cache. Personally I would never carry the iPad out on foot to the cache. The problem is not accuracy as the iPad 3G's GPS is actually very good, but it is just not a comfortable unit to walk with. It is kind of bulky and pretty much requires to hands to use. Also if you drop it you are out $500-$800 (depending on the model you own.) I think a cheap netbook is also a great solution for Geocaching. For starters they only cost a faction of what an iPad does (mine was $250 but I have seen them cheaper as well.) You can usually get a car power adapter and use you cell phone to tether internet to it while on the go. This is a great solution for the car but the downside over the iPad is that it does not have a GPS built in. There are several add-on USB/Bluetooth GPS units for laptops that cost around $100 if you do require this functionality. Both the iPad and a netbook are great solutions. Each has its advantages, and disadvantages so the decision is up to you. iPad Advantages: Has built in GPS (3G only; however you if you also have an iPhone you can tether the GPS signal over to the wifi only iPad.) Battery life (10 hours with wireless on) Many ready to use Geocaching apps iPad Disadvantages: Expensive! Cannot connect to GPS to load caches Netbook Advantages: Inexpensive Can connect to GPS and load caches at any time Can run any app you want for Geocaching (GSAK, Basecamp, Easy GPS, etc...) Netbook Disadvantages: Battery life is horrible (if I hit 2 hours on mine I am surprised.) No built in GPS

You cannot communicate between the iPad and a standard handheld GPS. Maybe down the road but nothing exists to do this today.

Both good and bad news... Which one are you going for?

Garmins site says that all the montana models do not have Wherigo but lists the Oregons as having it. This just seems odd as it is there top of the line GPS and has everything but the kitchen sink. It's not like the unit does not have the capability or processing power to pull it off. I hope they didn't leave it out on purpose expecting those that want it to buy another unit in addition to the Montana.

What app are you using? If the official app just create on in the PQ section of the website. Once you do that login to the app, and then tap the "pocket queries" button on the main screen.

i do not own the bad elf but have read tons of reviews on it. The consensus seems to be it is a good GPS but not better than one of the newer handhelds. That sounds like your comment as well. 30' of accuracy is not too bad though considering many of the better stand alone units are 10-20ish. It really is not bad for $99 considering the amount of Geocaching apps you can download for the iPhone. Also something else you can do that you cannot do with any other GPS is cache on the fly with the official app. For this reason I think it has a huge advantage. The only downside I would really think of is battery life. How was your battery results when it came to using the phone along with the bad elf?

hmmmm. Maybe it is something they didn't have time to finish but will add with a firmware update. Who knows.

Any of the eTrex models with an H in their name would be the most inexpensive way to go and still keep accuracy. The basic yellow etrex H is the most inexpensive, but I dont like it because it is not as user friendly, and it also does not come with an update cable. The Legend H and Venture HC usually are around $110-$120 and do a great job and also come with a USB cable.

Motion X is a very complicated program for using to Geocache, and Google maps on iPhone will snap to the closest road when entering the coordinates (unless you enter loc: before them.) There are 3 iphone Geocaching apps I like:The official Groundspeak app, Geosphere, and Geo Bucket. Both the official app and Geosphere have a ton of features and are great but costs around $10. Geobucket has less features but is completely free.

With that price point you are kind of limited. Since you have an iphone you might want to go use it for the paperless data and then get a Geomate or eTrex H to use as the GPS. Only downside is both of those do not come with update cables ($15-$25.)

+1 on the free maps. I have found (in my area) that the free topo maps from gpsfiledepot have more information than the 100k topo maps from Garmin.

Ya the Dakota 20 is an amazing GPS. I think it often gets overshadowed by the Oregon, 62, and Montana but it does most of the same functions as those, just has a smaller screen.

Currently no way to do this. Our only hope is that someone comes up with a way to utilize the USB camera add on (which some others have done for other purposes) to allow you to connect the Oregon to the iPad. Also this may be possible with a jailbreak but I have not seen anything myself.

Yes, all you need is one cable. You can use it for as many Geomates as you want. This is a huge benefit for people or a class room with multiple Geomates....you only need to buy one update kit.

And why you are at it just go for the Oregon....but since you are going that far just go for the $550 Montana....j/k I'm a huge magnetic compass fan, personally I would not buy a new GPS from now on without it. Some others on the board say it is unnecessary, but I feel it really helps out once you get within a couple hundred feet. With the 20 once you stop moving physically the arrow will still point to the cache no matter which direction you are facing. With the 10 you need to be moving for the arrow to point the right way. This one is personal preference and it depends on how much more the 20 is. If it is under $50 I say go for it. There have been deals on these as well. They were on sale for around $200 last week. keep your eyes open.

Yes you need to use the official Geomate update kit/USB cable for updating. In addition to being just a USB cable there is electronics in the cable that does the transferring magic.....this was one of the things that the designers stated they had to put in the cable to keep the GPS price so low.

The app you are using would need to support directions. None of the Geocaching apps offer this to my knowledge. You may want to suggest it as a feature request in the iPhone section of the forum. On a side note it may be possible to use Motion X GPS drive to get directions and cache with....I have not tested this though.

There are three really good apps for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The official app, Geosphere, and Geo Bucket. Both Geosphere and the official app have their advantages. I flip beteeem them as I go....just depends on the mood I am in. Geo Bucket is newer and its advantage is that it is free. It is very basic and does not have as many features as the other two but if you want a free alternative to play with give it a shot. Also all of the apps will work on the iPod....you just need to load them before you leave the house.

I have seen the Dakota 10 on sale from time to time around $150. I would really recommend going for it over the Magellan GC even if it is a few more bucks. The GC is limited because you cannot even add maps to it (if you don't want to now you will.) Also the reviews are overwellmingly more positive for the Dakota than the GC. Lots of complaints of bugs, etc.... Also if you can wait a month or two the new Garmin eTrex units will be out. The base model MSRP is $119 and will have paperless caching. It looks to be a very good entry level unit. Also no unit requires you to have a premium membership. You would need that for creating pocket queries, and getting paperless data, etc... You can use any GPS without paying a membership.