+Arnold Evrkachen Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I have been offered the opportunity to buy a used Garmin GPS 12. This one was made a few years ago, probably before the signal restriction was lifted. Do you own one? Have you ever owned one? What are it's good points and bad points? Is it sufficient for geocaching use? What is a fair price for it (used, remember)? Æ Quote Link to comment
+cottonmouth Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I´ve got one. It´s a pretty robust unit with buttons that can be operated even with thick gloves on. It´s easy to operate and gets a fix quickly. A downside is that the unit is not fit for external power supply above 6V. It´s bulkier than most more modern units. You have to decide whether that´s a problem. It´s adequate for geocaching. I use it for navigation with my motorcycle too. I´m satisfied with this unit. It was build before SA was lifted. But that´s not a problem. SA had an impact on the received signal but not on the math. Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I have one and use it now as my second unit. It is older but a great GPS. Tough as heck. Dropped mine off the top of my car at 35mph once. Not a scratch. Works fine. But not a mapping unit. When you get to within .01 of a mile you need to look at the coords to get closer, or just follow the arrow. New it was $140 about 4 years ago. I use a Map76 now. I'll probably but a 60cs next. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 It will do the job. Its a big and heavy unit. Garmin still makes them for some reason. They have better units for the money now so I hope yo're not paying too much for it. Quote Link to comment
+Sagefox Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Hold on a second. I've cached with a friend who used a Garmin 12. Garmin 12 cachers seem to love them but perhaps I can be a little more frank. Big problems. Under .1 of a mile the count goes to hundredths rather than feet. My friend found it easier to lock in on the cache lat or long and then concentrate on the opposite and work his way to the cache. We found that we were always waiting for him to work his way in when ours took us right to ground zero. No mapping cabability. It is a real detriment not to have roads and streams on your screen as you go after a cache. Unless you have it connected to a laptop mounted in a safe location you will constantly drive down dead ends or wrong roads. I recommend looking for a mapping gps and buy a compatible map cd. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 In my opinion, it all depends on price. They can be had on ebay for around $50-$70. This is the same range that a yellow etrex can be had for. Personally, I'd buy the etrex before I got the 12 for the same price. If he is offering it for less than $50, go for it. If you don't care for it, you can always dump it on ebay and get your money back. Quote Link to comment
+sept1c_tank Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I owned one from 1997 until last year when I dropped it out of my canoe. It has all the basic features you need for geocaching, although the measurement to a waypoint shows with hundreths of a mile (only under .1 mile) instead of feet. I was always pretty good at calculating in my head quickly that .05 mile is about 250 feet. With the normal accuracy fluxuation on most GPSrs, those calculations were never a problem for me. On more than one occassion, caching with people using more updated units, I was more successful at finding caches than them. As already pointed out, it is extremely durable and user friendly for those of us who have trouble handling little electronic gadgets. Another very fine point: although it is considerably heavier and bulkier than most newer units, it hold 4 AA batteries and last forever with constant use. My new Vista is very light and compact, and I love the mapping features, but I give two thumbs up for the Garmin 12. If I found a used one for a reasonable price, I would be tempted to buy it. Quote Link to comment
+dblrngr Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I am fairly new to GPSr's but I have used a garmin 12 since I started. Though it is somewhat bulky I have had no problems with it. Easy to use, durable and I have found that the arrow will bring me to within probably five feet of every cach I have looked for. Quote Link to comment
Keystone Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I am moving this thread to the proper forum, "GPS Units and Software." Quote Link to comment
+shawhh Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 i found several hundred caches with a garmin12xl before upgrading to get mapping. i'll not reiterate the features already mentioned, but will say that the antenna on the 12 is superb! it will get and hold lock just about anywhere. the accuracy of the unit is acceptable though it will not count down to less than 10 meters (i recommend using the unit in metric mode as 10 meters is less than .01 miles). it is rugged and reliable, but i'll second the vote to get a newer model if you can to get waas, a countdown that goes in feet, and possibly mapping (depends on your budget). -harry Quote Link to comment
marty621 Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I have the 12xl which is the same as the 12 except for the 12 volt capability. With NiMH rechargeables batteries as cheap and available as they are, I do not view the lack of 12 volt capability as a fault. For $ 20 at Wal Mart you can get 8 batteries and 2 chargers., less than a 12 volt adapter. Second point about the display being able to only resolve down to 0.01 miles, firstly change to metric as previously stated and get from 53 foot readout resolution down to 33 feet. But more importantly, this is not the best way to zero in on a cache with this unit. A better way, when you get close is to go to Nearest Waypoints, the closest waypoint, your cache, will be at the top of the list. Highlight it, hit enter, and then memorize the last two digits of the lat and long. Then go to the position screen where lat and long are displayed to 0.001 minute, which is nearly equal to 6 feet. Work into the cache location by watching the last digit of the lat and long. I see no practical difference being within 6 feet of ground zero as opposed to 3, 2 or 1 feet. Alternatively, work in UTM and get screen resolution to 1 meter. The 12 and 12XL are workhorse units, and unless your backpacking, slightly larger weight hardly matters. I would buy a 12 over a yellow eTrex anyday just because the 12 is so much easier to scroll thru screens and operate with all the dedicated buttons. Try the two side by side and you'll see what I mean. Quote Link to comment
Team Sidewinder Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I had a older 12XL and loved it. Used it for all my early geocaching with no problems finding caches with it. It is almost indestructible and weight or size were never a problem .I would 2nd the choice to get the 12 over the etrex. A good first unit IMHO. team sidewinder Quote Link to comment
+Kayak Kouple Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I have one & I just ordered a 60CS & I think the gps 12 holds the satelites better than the 60 cs ...if the price is right get it u wont b sorry Quote Link to comment
+c88m Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I own 2 gps 12 and will never part with them . Great basic unit started caching with it before upgrading . Always carry one for back up on long hikes . A great starter unit worth the weight and money . 5 out 5 star rating in my book . Quote Link to comment
nchmura Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I also have 2 gps 12's - i loan out for mapping bike trails and not really for geocaching though. They are certainly tough units, have all the basic gps features and I find the menu-ing and such on them to be pretty intuative. Oh yeah, and they have pc connectivity - which is very important if you ask me. On the downside though, of the 4 different units we have, the 12's have the worst reception under heavier tree canopies. I picked them both used on ebay for $24 and $38 ( i watch ebay a lot) so don't pay too much! Quote Link to comment
+Sputnik 57 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I started with a 12 with no data cable. It worked fine for caching. When I got within 50 feet or so of the cache, I switched to the satellite page and walked until my coordinates matched those of the cache. Entering coordinates manually got old after a while, so instead of spending $30 on cable, I spent more than 10 times that on a 60C, maps, RAM mount, etc. etc. Quote Link to comment
+sept1c_tank Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 ...Second point about the display being able to only resolve down to 0.01 miles, firstly change to metric as previously stated and get from 53 foot readout resolution down to 33 feet. But more importantly, this is not the best way to zero in on a cache with this unit. A better way, when you get close is to go to Nearest Waypoints, the closest waypoint, your cache, will be at the top of the list. Highlight it, hit enter, and then memorize the last two digits of the lat and long. Then go to the position screen where lat and long are displayed to 0.001 minute, which is nearly equal to 6 feet. Work into the cache location by watching the last digit of the lat and long. I see no practical difference being within 6 feet of ground zero as opposed to 3, 2 or 1 feet. Alternatively, work in UTM and get screen resolution to 1 meter... I have done that, but the great majority of the time, my arrow would lead me to within six feet of the cache, even when other types of units were swinging in circles. ...On the downside though, of the 4 different units we have, the 12's have the worst reception under heavier tree canopies. When I was caching with my Garmin 12 alongside a big variety of other GPSrs, I almost always got the best reception under a canopy; I don't think my new Vista does as well. Quote Link to comment
+ChinCache Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 AllI'll tell you is that when I'm looking at the cache my friends with etrexs' are still looking at their gps units Quote Link to comment
+Arnold Evrkachen Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 Any more opinions? There must be a lot more GPS 12 users out there? Quote Link to comment
+Limax Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I have to say that I love my GPS12. I bought it from a fellow geocacher who had switched to using the Rino. I have mine set up on the 'bread crumb trail' screen most often so that I can see what caches are around me as I'm walking somewhere. (This was most helpful at Disneyland) You will find no complaints here. Quote Link to comment
Neo_Geo Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Any more opinions? There must be a lot more GPS 12 users out there? Frankly, I'm surprized to see THIS many! Quote Link to comment
nchmura Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 ...On the downside though, of the 4 different units we have, the 12's have the worst reception under heavier tree canopies. When I was caching with my Garmin 12 alongside a big variety of other GPSrs, I almost always got the best reception under a canopy; I don't think my new Vista does as well. I hear ya - for geocaching I am sure it does just fine as you are moving a little slower and probably have it 'out in the open' (i throw my units in the mesh on my camleback) a little more - my experience was more flying through the woods going fast as i can pedal, and when i would download the track it would often have 'dead spots' in the track. But I would certainly recommend the unit, especially if you can get it pretty cheap Quote Link to comment
+NorthWes Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I started on a GPS12, acquired a GPS45 with a boat, and now use a Vista C. The GPS45 has horrid acquisition time (5 minutes is typical); the Vista C often 'reverses' north on me (but I hunt/hike/boat/cache with a good compass hanging from a shoulder strap anyway); the GPS12 still has my vote as the most intuitive and easy to use control panel, and it initializes quickly. Good reception (yes - I agree with everyone regarding speed etc on tracks, but by golly it keeps the satellites locked in better than the Vista C). It is devoid of a map, but I 'grew up' on it so I'm used to it & I carry a paper map ALWAYS anyway (besides - I'm in Alaska - they build new roads overnite here!). It is heavy, and when it says the batteries are low it really means 'good-bye'! For a low price it's a great unit. Mine gets used by my teenage daughter/caching partner, and is occasionally loaned out. It also rides in her Personal Floatation Device when we're out boating Prince William Sound etc as a back-up to the GPS45 on the boat's dash & the Vista C in my PFD pocket. Reliable, quick, and absolutely more accurate in 'hasty' search mode with the arrow (me'n'my Vista against daughter'n'GPS12). I like all the bells & whistles on the Vista & I'll use it first, but the 12's not going away unless I lose it! Quote Link to comment
+rontved Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 I can only recommend this reciever. I have a 12Map. Basically a GPS12 with mapping. It's one of the most durable recievers I have tried. It has never let me down at any time. A little on the heavy side, but 100% waterproof and easy to use. I would say go for it if the price is right. Quote Link to comment
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