aketch

I really just want a unit for its navigation capabilities, something that's accurate and the ideally records the time of waypoint (altho I dont' think either of these do) - I want the unit that picks up satellites the fastest. Which one of the two would you all recommend? Didn't see a head-to-head comparison of these two units, so thought I'd ask the board... On an unrelated note, has anyone had any experience or heard of anyone modifying the firm software so that the unit will do things like collect time of waypoint when it doesn't do so in its original form?

I'd like units that record the time/date that I record the waypoint. Of course, I'm using the GPS units for research pruposes, but it seems to me to be a useful piece of information, and such a simple data element shouldn't be so much trouble to record, should it?

So here's my report-back - it's definitely not the software, it's the etrex GPS yellow unit itself that doesn't seem to be recording time, and indeed as got_gps guessed, doesn't seem to have a comment field. I wish I'd checked before I purchased. I should explain, I'm trying to learn how to use GPS for the purposes of data collection. Looks like the GPS12 might be the cheapest unit that records time (I froogled it at ~$150 per unit). If anyone has a different opinion, or if any computer-savvy soul (timpat??) has any ideas about whether or not I might be able to extract the data somehow, lemme know.

Thanks all for feedback and suggestions - I'll check out some of yr suggestions, and report back. Tricky Garmin etrex yellow.

A humble appeal to your collective expertise: I want to be able to record the time I mark a waypoint. I downloaded some waypoints to my ArcGIS using some freeware from the Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources. I had marked them using my Garmin eTrex yellow, and to my dismay I don't seem to have a record of the time that I marked them. So question 1: Do any gps units actually record the time of the waypoint mark? Or is this an issue with the software I'm using? Question 2: In the event that I'm not going to find any units that record time, I could probably guess what time I marked these bc the tracks have times assigned to them so I could just select the track closest or coincident to the waypoint, but it's not ideal. Any other suggestions? -aketch

Hey there: I'm a graduate student in Ohio. I ran across geocaching in my literature searches. I'm actually planning on integrating GPS technology into my dissertation work, and here I run across this forum and find there's an active presence of this sport in my area...! I just bought a Garmin etrex and I've been carrying it around for a few days. I might join in the geocaching fun as I get my proposal written... I should learn how to use the technology, it's all in the name of science.