appletree

Check the manual. My Quest has the home feature but you hold the find button down once for about 1or 2 seconds. I would be surprised if all autorouting Garmin units do not have this function.

For in car use, the Quest ships with a mounting cradle that is permanently attached to a power cable which terminates in a 12V car plug. The plug is attached to a speaker with a volume control dial on the side. One can snap the Quest out of the cradle in which case it will beep and display guidance info but not speak. However, normal car use is with the cradle and voice prompts through the included speaker. It works great. I just used my Quest to find several caches in deep woods in western Md. last week. It was dead on for all 3 caches, showing less than 15 ft. at the actual cache sites. You must set the route preference to off road to get the arrow, but that takes seconds. I use it with a short cable external antenna attached to my hat and I never lose signal. It is small, light, easy to read, and easy to use. The Quest is the only voice prompting GPSR that is fully functional for use as a handheld for caching. At its currrent price with the included maps, I do not know why everyone isn't buying one, unless people prefer to spend the extra cash and have separate devices for car and trail. If anyone has used the Quest for caching or for car navigation and found it unsuitable, I would really like to hear about it.

Consider the Garmin Quest. At this point, it is the only autorouting, voice prompting GPSR that is also fully capable as a hand held device for caching. Some of the newer features of car units such as preloaded maps, voice synthesized street names, 3D overhead display, and touch screen are lacking, so the price has plumeted. However, none of the newer units works on the trail. The quest works great, especially with an external antenna.

You will not find a GPSR that does what you want for the price you would like to spend. Remember, any unit is of limited use without detailed maps, and those are usually pricey. My recommendation would be the Garmin Quest which is primarily a voice prompting autorouting car unit. It is very small and light, waterproof, and easy to use in or out of a car. I do not know about bike mounts for a Quest. The purchase price, which is very low due to the appearance of many nice but non-essential features in newer models, includes the current version of CitySelect road maps. An even cheaper option is the GPS V, which also includes the current maps, but the features are old and limiting so I can't recommend it, even though I still use and like mine.

Downloading waypoints has no effect on existing waypoints with the GPS V or other Garmin units. This is different from a MapSource map set which will, in all cases, erase and replace any and all previously installed maps, except for the basemap, which cannot be erased or over written, even though it is not displayed if some other map of the same area is loaded and active. Waypoints can only be deleted by a deliberate set of actions on the GPSR itself.

On the other hand, the Quest includes one extra unlock code for a second unit (e.g. 60CSX, Vista, 76 etc.) but the Quest 2 doesn't. Then there is the price difference, and the Quest does hold lots of coverage area, especially if you use the basemap to travel between destinations.

The battery is built-in, small, and very light compared with those used in most if not all other GPSRs. The run time is very long, especially if you do not keep the back-light on continuously, and the battery gage is easy to access and read, so one need not be surprised by a sudden shut-down. It pops easily into and out of its charging cradle in the car, so it will usually be fully charged if you drive to the vacinity of a cache, then pop it out, turn off the road lock, and go. Again, the charge lasts a long time, and the Li ion battery doesn't discharge when not in use, unlike NiMH cells. As for viewing angle, I prefer portrait for hand-held use, But I do not have to turn my head to view a landscape oriented screen.

I have 2 Vistas, a GPS V, and a Quest and I like them all, but for you, I would strongly recommend the Quest, or the Quest 2 if you really need every street and address etc. loaded at the same time, which I doubt. The critical issue is voice guided navigation as compared to beeps. There is no comparison - the voice is the only way to go, and of the units that can be used as a hand-held, only the Quest has it. Marking waypoints is no trick at all, and setting it up for hand-held use merely requires changing the routing preference to off road. I would prefer to be able to shift the display orientation as I can in the GPS V, but it works fine as is. I like to use a short external antenna so I can fold down the built-in, but that isn't necessary either. It really does work fine for the uses you describe, and the Quest 1 holds lots of detailed map coverage in addition to the base map.

I have a Quest and it works fine as a hand-held and for caching. When used for caching, set it to off-road in the route preferences. Only then will you be able to acess a navigation page with an arrow pointing the way as long as you keep moving. There is no true compass, so if you stop moving, you will need a magnetic compass to point you toward the cache. The Quest will give you the bearing and distance, even if you are stationary. The built-in antenna works well, but I prefer to flip it down and use an external antenna with a short cable and attach it to my collar or hat using its magnet. The Quest is light, small, easy to read, holds extensive maps, and has excellent battery life. I can think of no reason why it would not be an excellent caching GPSR, but I would love to hear of any problems anyone has encountered using it for that purpose.

I have had 2 vistas for many years. Early on, I experienced some shut downs, but after I inserted small pieces of closed cell foam behind the flat battery contacts, the problem disapeared. Early models of the vista had problems with a cable connection that resulted in display problems, usually horizontal lines. Pushing on the screen usually resolves the problem temporarily. Garmin service is terrific and they will usually repair of replace units with known defects at little or no cost. No guarantee of this, but well worth a try if problems continue. Both of my vistas work perfectly, but they do have the little pieces of foam enhancing the battery contact. From your description, the vista is a good, inexpensive GPSR for you.

One option to consider for in the pack use of units without external antenna jacks is a re-radiating antenna. They are fairly cheap, work great, and aside from the hassle of having to carry one more device, are easy to use. I have used one with my old b&w vista with great results. I must admit, though, that on my trip to Amsterdam, Paris, and London last month, I generally used my Garmin Quest with an external antenna attached magnetically to a small clip on my collar or to the windows of trains, planes, and busses. I used metroguide Europe because I didn't need to auto-route, and it was much cheaper than CitySelect.

The Quest is fine for geocaching and it does have a compass page and will point you to the cache as long as you keep moving, which is true for all gpsr's that do not have an electronic compass. The compass page is only displayed when the Quest is set to the "off road" navigation option, which is easy to do. You can, of course, use a magnetic compass in concert with the navigation screen when standing still. The Quest will give you a bearing and distance and the compass will point you toward the cache. I wouldn't worry about a reconditioned unit, but the prices for new Quest 1's have been incredibly low since they are "old" technology - they do not speak the name of the streets, can't take memory chips, must load the maps from a PC, buttons, no touch screen, etc. What it doesn't have is nothing compared to what it does and how well it performs, in and out of a vehicle. Remember, the purchase price includes the latest version of CitySelect, plus the right to load the maps into one additional gpsr (e.g. Vista, 60CX, 76, etc.).

One more vote for the Quest. Considering the purchase price includes the latest version of CitySelect maps, it is a great deal. I particularly like using it with an external antenna with a short cable (3 ft) so I can put it in my pocket without losing a signal.

Consider the Garmin Quest. Great in the car with fast autorouting and voice prompts, waterproof, small and very light with a built-in Li ion battery that has excellent duration, though maybe not enough for a 3 day wilderness treck with continuous use and no chance to recharge. When out of the car, I often use mine with a small, light, external antenna with a short cable. The antenna sticks to a small steel clip on my collar or hat and I get great reception with the unit in my pocket. Color screen, easy to read, easy, intuitive controls, really cheap considering that the price includes the latest CitySelect maps.

Even though it's your first GPSR, there are two things you really need in order to get reasonable functionality: autorouting capability and the mapping software required for that capability. With the price limit you have set, the best you can do, and it's not bad, is a Garmin GPS V Deluxe. It is old technology but is designed for both hand held and in car operation, autoroutes well, though slower than newer units, and comes with a free upgrade to the latest version of CitySelect maps for the US and Canada. For more money, you can get color, faster calculations, more memory for loading maps, voice directions, etc. but a GPS V will route you to your destination and take you to a cache as surely as any new model, and at the lowest price. Giving up the maps and/or autorouting in exchange for color, speed, or any other feature would be a big mistake. Investing some more cash in a better unit, like the Quest which also comes with CitySelect and has many of the newer improvements at an excellent price, would be my suggestion, but it's your money.

One more unit to consider if price is a major concern. Look into a GPS V Deluxe by Garmin. It works great for both hand held and in car use, and does a respectable job of autorouting. Most importantly, it comes with the most recent version of CitySelect map software included (actually, it comes with an older version, but Garmin will send you the latest version free for the asking, including a second unlock code to use on another unit that you might purchase later, like a Legend C, 60 CX etc. which need but do not ship with the maps). There are better and fancier GPSRs on the market, but for the price, there is no better deal available, considering that no unit is useful without the maps, and maps are expensive. An even better unit that includes maps at a higher but still excellent price is the Garmin Quest.

I have the Western Parks CD and I like it. No lock - can be loaded onto any GPSRs. Good detail, and you can search for specific trails and other park specific POIs. It covers much more than just Natl Parks, but check Garmin's site to see the exact coverage.

Do not rule out the Quest for hand-held use until you try one. The antenna isn't all that fragile, but I keep it folded down and attach a small, light external antenna for better reception when the Quest is in my pocket or clipped to my belt. The battery lasts a long time, though maybe not long enough for a 3 day backpack with the unit on most of the time and the backlight in use, but I doubt many people have had the battery die in use. Considering the included maps and its great in car navigation features, it's a steal at the current price.

The GPS V is the cheapest unit that will do the job, and do it well, but for not too much more money, you can get a Garmin Quest that adds a color screen, spoken directions when mounted in the car, much faster processor for quick route calculations, much more memory for map storage, usb interface for fast data transfer, built-in long lasting Li ion battery, lighter weight, better external antenna jack, and probably a few more advantages. Current CitySelect maps are included, as in the V. People who haven't used one for caching may tell you it is not a good choice, but don't believe them. It is light, easy to use, accurate, and waterproof.

Buy a Quest 1 or, if you want to stay really cheap but still get an excellent navigation system, a GPS V Deluxe. Both come with CitySelect maps including free upgrade to the most recent version, and that also includes a second unlock code to use the maps on one additional GPSR. At the current available pricing, the maps are essentially free. Yes, there are functions that these "legacy" models do not have, but both will easily calculate and navigate a route to almost any place in the USA or Canada.

One more difference between the two units: the Quest includes a second unlock code for the CitySelect maps so they can be loaded into a second GPSR, a hand held like the Vista C, for example. The Quest 2 comes preloaded but doesn't come with the DVD maps or the code for loading into a second device or for using on a computer.

Depending on when you bought v6, it might cost you nothing to upgrade to v7. If you bought it one month before the official release date of v7 or anytime after that, Garmin will send you a DVD with v7 free and you can go online to get the unlock codes, also at no charge. You can call Garmin or check their online support for details.

American and all other airlines allow GPSr's on all flights, some just do not let passengers use them in flight. The usage rules do not apply to hijackers (how could they?) so it couldn't be a real security concern. If it were a rational concern about RF interference as a safety issue, no airline would allow them on any plane, even in baggage, as passengers could never be relied upon to turn them off and keep them off. Some would forget, others would ignore the rule. Passengers are people, are they not? The real reasons for the rules, like most rules, are ignorance, arrogance, and paronoia.

A basic etrex will give you an arrow pointing in the direction of the cache and tell you how far away it is. That is all you really need in order to find a cache, along with some hints to handle the final 10 meters or so. However, there are so many remarkable and enjoyable other things that GPS's can do, such as display your precise location on a road or topo map, in color or b&w, calculate and display driving routes to get you from place to place, etc. As new features have evolved, older units with impressive capabilities have plumetted in price, making it reasonable to question the wisdom of buying the most limited units whose prices have not been falling nearly so much, percentage wise, as the newer ones. The ability to display detailed maps is a particularly nice function, but the price of the maps, even older versions, is usually fairly high. I think the best deals on Garmin units are on models that ship with the road map software included, specifically the GPS V and the Quest (original). Even though the included maps are older versions, Garmin will send a copy of the latest version at no additional charge, which drastically reduces the real price that you will be paying for the GPSr itself. If one will not be using it on roads, this is not a great deal, but I do not know why anyone wouldn't want to have and use the road navigating features of these small, light weight devices.

Sorry, but you cannot save the tracklog on the Quest. You must upload the track to a PC. I miss that feature too (I have a Vista and a GPS V, both of which allow you to compress and save multiple tracks on the unit) but I still think the Quest is a great GPS at a phenomenal price (I paid $346 total).