DazeDnFamily

These are 279 on Bass Pro Shops web page. Just letting you know. Later!

I think you can just hit the menu button while on the map screen, and scroll down to "add waypoint". Then you can edit the numbers as noted. Later!

Several people have mentioned that sometimes school libraries will let you check out a GPS. You may wanna look into that as well. Later!

I just got my 60CSx today, and have been fumbling through it as well. A working solution I found is to use the export macro (it's 60CSx specific, but they prolly have one for yours as well), which creates a .csv file, then use the Garmin POI Loader (free download from Garmin) to load them onto the sd card in the 60. Wish I could be more help, but maybe this'll give you a nudge. Later!

This is me, and our geomutt Molly, after she found her first cache. (A puzzle, matter of fact.) He doesn't cache much, but we had this guy, until we moved about 6 months ago. he lives with a family member now. Later!

If $150 is a hard limit, you can get a Magellan eXplorist GC that has a color screen, does paperless geocaching very well, and is fairly easy to use. The signal lock isn't amazing, but has been sufficient so far. You can not upgrade the map on it, but it has decent coverage on roads and hydrology features. It does not do autorouting (on road navigation...it only points you directly at the cache). The battery life is good, but not amazing. It was designed to be a starter GPS, and was designed specifically to support geocaching. (The first GPS to be designed like that.) Now, for full disclosure, I only own a GC because I broke my Garmin, and I should have another Garmin (60CSx...YES!!!!) delivered tomorrow (!!). I'll prolly get my wife another Oregon, or maybe a Montana, if she's good. LOL We like the ability to add maps, do autorouting, and more, that the GPS units above the low end have. But, like I said, if your figure is a hard limit, the GC is a decent device, and works pretty well. Later!

If you're looking for new, you'll be hard pressed to find everything you want in that range. For about $200, a Garmin eTrex 20 would be a perfect fit. You might be able to find deals, or maybe a used Garmin Oregon or DeLorme PN series. Both meet your requirements, but you can usually find free maps for the Garmins. The Magellan Triton series is a bit older tech, but I've seen some cachers who like them as well. Otherwise, welcome to the habit! If you already like doing out doorsy stuff, caching will only make it better. We didn't camp or hike. Now we still don't camp (I quit camping out when I stopped getting paid for it...LOL), but we hike often, and have even taken a couple of weekend road trips to find caches, or cache in certain areas/states. Best of luck, and again, welcome! EDIT TO ADD: Any modern hiking/trail unit should be sufficiently rugged and waterproof for almost all of your caching needs.

I don't use any software at all. I run a PQ, download it, open the zip files, and put the geocaches.gpx in the geocaches folder and the waypoints.gpx in the waypoints folder on the GC. Takes like 30 seconds to upload 1,000 caches, and hasn't failed to work yet. Yeah, like I said, I have a 60CSx on the way, and I'll prolly get another Oregon for Mrs. DazD (she likes the ease of use and touch screen, as well as the better mapping) in the next few weeks. After that, I'll either give the GC to a friend or family member that I know who cache, or maybe keep it as a back up. Later!

As a tanget to a cache hunt.... We were looking for a cache in a part of Georgia I'd never been to, and of course, it was pitch black dark out. My wife forgot that our truck is not a 4x4, and got us stuck, in the woods, next to a cemetery that dates back to the late 1700's. Her dad has a 4x4, and lives about an hour or so away. (We were out on one of our random cache runs, so I'm not entirely sure how far from home we are. I call her dad, and the only positional reference I can give him is our GPS coord, which he then punches into google earth, and figures out where we are. The wife, 2 kids and myself, then make the alomst 2 mile hike out to a real road, and await his arrival. he shows up at about 2 AM, and we ate breakfast on the way home. Later!

You don't need Vantage Point to geocache with the GC. You just copy the GPX files into the directory in the GPS where they go. But, if you are looking for a apples to apples comparison, I'd go with nearly any Garmin over a GC, if it's an option. As noted, the ability to add maps is an awesome selling point. The GC is great for what it is. And, it is a beginner level GPS that does paperless caching well. The new etrex line look solid, and with proper paperless, I can't see how you could go wrong with one. I just read that the etrex 20 supports bird's eye imagery as well. As noted, you're stuck with what the GC gives you, and while it is adequate, it isn't enough for me. (I currently us a GC because I broke my Oregon, and wanted a cheap, fast replacement. I have a 60CSx currently in shipping.) If you're seriously constrained by cash, or are incredibly easily impressed, the GC is a solid entry level rig. If you even think you might outgrow it, I'd go for the etrex.

So..... Exactly what I said? :laughing:

Not to step on the OP's toes, but I bought this unit. Later!

I may not be completely correct, but I think that the GPS system is based in WGS84. So, the default for anything involving GPS should be WGS84. Your GPSr can convert a coord from what ever datum to WGS84 on the fly, however, assuming I'm remembering correctly. The only time I could see you needing another datum is if you have a locally produced map (or map data), of a generally small area, that has an odd datum, or if it was produced before WGS84 (incidentally, 1984). Later!

In my humble opinion, the PN series is -vastly- less user friendly than the Oregon series. And, yes, I've owned both. Later!

I wouldn't buy from them, but based on an approximation of recent exchange rates, that price is about right. The GC goes for about $150 US just about anywhere.

I think these are some slick hides, but they can be annoying. This is exactly the advice that I'd have given, though.

Any time. I also need to note that to really benefit from paperless, you'll need to be a premium member, but that will be one of the best $30 investments you'll ever make. Other than that, best of luck!

To be honest, and I'm a hardcore Garmin guy myself, the best "dummy proof" noob GPS for caching is the eXplorist GC. Even with no map upgrades. It offers some of the best functioning paperless of any GPS, no need to figure out macros or other software. The signal lock isn't as good as some of the higher end units, but we've found at least 50 with ours (that I have because it was cheap after I broke my Garmin... ...60CSx in the buying process... ), and unless you are under heavy heavy tree cover it will be fine. Or, maybe one of the discontinued Oregons can be got for cheap. But, the GC was designed (and is the first to be so) -specifically- to be friendly to new geocachers. They sell for about $150 US here in the states new in stores, but you can find crazy deals on them used. (Most cachers outgrow them fast.) The new eTrex line does paperless as well, but from reading the forums, there are still some kinks being worked out. The GC is usable, and fairly intuitive for most things you do, right out of the box. That might be about 3 cents worth, but it's my opinion. Later!

Two words: FREE MAPS. And, plenty of store bought / subscription service stuff too. Just saying.

They have all sorts of twisted little things on the geocaching page.......

If I read this right, you're asking if a Magellan eXplorist GC will allow you to read coords and vector yourself in, or if it will give you an arrow. Is that correct? If it is, the answer is yes, it'll do either, but I highly recommend the arrow/distance method. The GC has a base map that has streets and hydrology features, but does not have topo contours. And, you can not upgrade the map, as you can on most (if not all) modern Garmin units. The GC does support completely paperless caching, and does it pretty well. If you are looking for a functional, fully paperless GPS at the low end of the price scale, the GC is a solid rig. If you want more flexibility and bells and whistles, I'd look at some of the others out there. But, if you're using something that's a few generations old, any modern rig will likely blow your mind, honestly, with all the things they do now, even the low end ones. Hope this helps!

As noted, I have a GC. I'm looking for a more fully featured unit, because I already had one. The GC was designed to be a user friendly, entry level geocaching device, and it is. It doesn't have a compass (it triangulates direction on the move, but when you stop that arrow goes goofy), it has a fair quality map (you can not upgrade it, and it does not show contours, but the one on mine is decent for roads and hydrology, nor does it do auto-routing(turn by turn directions - the GC sends you straight to the cache), but it is in color, and fully paperless geocaching compliant (this actually works well), and fairly intuitive to use. The signal lock isn't as good as a unit with the helix antenna (60CSx, for example), but it's good enough for a good majority of caches you'll likely look for. Battery life is decent, but not off the charts. So, to sum it up, the GC is a great entry level unit, or a great unit for someone on a tighter budget. However, if you can afford it, I'd look at something higher on the scale, so you don't out grow the GC, and then spend more later on a better unit. (Although, the price should be lower in the future on other units as well.) Hope this helps!

Someday..... http://coord.info/GCJEQ0 We had thought to make this one our first 5/5, since my mom lives on the nearby island. But, our cache group in GA solved that one for us, so it'll likely be our 2nd.

www.gpsfiledepot.com should have topo maps, www.openstreetmap.org should have routable ones, though I'm not sure if that unit supports routing. Later!

Full Disclosure, I had a DeLorme PN series, and disliked it enough to sell it, and buy a Garmin. I now have a Magellan eXplorist GC because I broke my Garmin. Any future GPS I buy will 99% chance be a Garmin. Here's why - there are tons and tons of free routable maps at www.openstreetmap.org. I had all of GA and SC, plus portions of all the surrounding states loaded into my Oregon 200. (That I got after deciding that I did not like the Pn-30.) And, I never loaded a true topo map onto my Oregon, or paid for a Garmin map, ever. (DeLorme uses a proprietay map file format, and you have to -pay- for the software to create your own maps, even if you know how.) The OSM map was all we ever used. Garmin also has a subscription based service that allows you to download imagery and maps for $30 a year like DeLorme. One recommendation that has been made, and is made often, is find a local outdoor store, and put hands on the units you're thinking about to see what you think. Or, at least one in the same model line. (They tend to be the same size/shape and weight, and the internals are different.) EDITED TO ADD: When we talk of 24k or 100k, it refers to the scale of a map or imagery. If written out, it would be 1:24,000 or 1:100,000, where 1 inch on the map = 24,000(100,000) inches on the ground. In this case, a 24k map is roughly 16x more detailed than a 100k map. (NOTE: I intentionally did not say more accurate, because scale does not define accuracy of a map. Maps are accurate TO a scale, not because of it. It only refers to the resolution of a map or data set.) I added this because the OP specifically asked what the numbers referred to.