Jump to content

PJG3

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2

  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

 Content Type 

Posts posted by PJG3

    Best GPS for less

    in How do I...?

    Posted

    I vote for the eTrex Vista. I've had mine for a while now. When I was driving to jobs for work & such, I could load up the 24MB of memory with MetroGuides from Williamsport to Washington DC and everything in between. This includes the ability to search by street address or locate the nearest restaurant. Very cool in a strange town.

    Now I load up Topos for miles around my planned hikes -- and the basic maps still show the main highways to get me around.

    Form factor of the Vista is cool. Small & light, I don't mind carrying it when backpacking. (When not in use it travels nicely in a little neoprene sleeve designed for those little candle lanterns!) I'm right handed and quite happy with the left-handed use of the click-stick control. It frees my good hand for important tasks like moving briars out of the way and wiping sweat.

    I have been pleasantly surprised at the reception of the Vista. Many years ago I had two Magellans (1200 & 1200XL) that didn't work on rainy days, let alone with any trees in the area. Yeah, I know they're better now, but what can I say? They're the reason I didn't look at the new Mags.

    Battery life (2AA) on the Vista is a little spotty though. Alkalines work for about 12 hours. Lithiums (lighter than alkalines, too!) go closer to 16, but die with little advance notice. The compass and altimiter do drain the power, but you can easily turn the compass on/off as needed. And there is a system setting that turns the compass off when you are moving since it can figure which direction you are going without it.

    Tips: Set to Battery Saver mode, WAAS off, compass off, North up, backlight off for best results. When you are zeroing in on the cache, turn on the compass. WAAS is useless unless you have a "broad" view of the sky, so don't bother under trees.

    Summary: I really like my Vista. It packs well, it works well, it maps well. And the little arrow points right to the treasure. icon_wink.gif It definitely meets the "best" requirement, but not the "for less". The eTrex Legend (the clear blue one) would seem to be a nice compromise -- still load your own maps, no compass, no altimiter, save $107. (Buy a regular compass for $7 & you're still $100 richer!)

     

    [This message was edited by PJG3 on August 01, 2002 at 01:12 PM.]

    Best GPS for less

    in How do I...?

    Posted

    I vote for the eTrex Vista. I've had mine for a while now. When I was driving to jobs for work & such, I could load up the 24MB of memory with MetroGuides from Williamsport to Washington DC and everything in between. This includes the ability to search by street address or locate the nearest restaurant. Very cool in a strange town.

    Now I load up Topos for miles around my planned hikes -- and the basic maps still show the main highways to get me around.

    Form factor of the Vista is cool. Small & light, I don't mind carrying it when backpacking. (When not in use it travels nicely in a little neoprene sleeve designed for those little candle lanterns!) I'm right handed and quite happy with the left-handed use of the click-stick control. It frees my good hand for important tasks like moving briars out of the way and wiping sweat.

    I have been pleasantly surprised at the reception of the Vista. Many years ago I had two Magellans (1200 & 1200XL) that didn't work on rainy days, let alone with any trees in the area. Yeah, I know they're better now, but what can I say? They're the reason I didn't look at the new Mags.

    Battery life (2AA) on the Vista is a little spotty though. Alkalines work for about 12 hours. Lithiums (lighter than alkalines, too!) go closer to 16, but die with little advance notice. The compass and altimiter do drain the power, but you can easily turn the compass on/off as needed. And there is a system setting that turns the compass off when you are moving since it can figure which direction you are going without it.

    Tips: Set to Battery Saver mode, WAAS off, compass off, North up, backlight off for best results. When you are zeroing in on the cache, turn on the compass. WAAS is useless unless you have a "broad" view of the sky, so don't bother under trees.

    Summary: I really like my Vista. It packs well, it works well, it maps well. And the little arrow points right to the treasure. icon_wink.gif It definitely meets the "best" requirement, but not the "for less". The eTrex Legend (the clear blue one) would seem to be a nice compromise -- still load your own maps, no compass, no altimiter, save $107. (Buy a regular compass for $7 & you're still $100 richer!)

     

    [This message was edited by PJG3 on August 01, 2002 at 01:12 PM.]

×
×
  • Create New...