+treebark Posted August 14, 2005 Posted August 14, 2005 Which GPS are you using? What do you like and or dislike about it? If you buy another GPS which one and why. Quote
+graveyard mom Posted August 14, 2005 Posted August 14, 2005 I got the only one I could afford, the Geko101. I know you have to add everything in by hand, but I don't care. I also use it to search for local cemeteries(which is what I bought it for in the first place) and those don't come with coords that are downloadable. It finds me the caches just fine so far. I like that it is small and fits in my pocket and is pretty simple to use. Yes, perhaps someday I will upgrade, maybe when I hit the lotto or get the cars paid off, but I will still have to add the coords of cemeteries by hand. So for now, I love my Geko101!! Quote
+robert Posted August 14, 2005 Posted August 14, 2005 Garmin GPSMap60CS with CitySelect v6 (for now, 'til v7 is out) Quote
Keystone Posted August 14, 2005 Posted August 14, 2005 Moving topic to the GPS Units and Software Forum. Quote
+tflight Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 I use my cellular phone (Treo 650) connected to Delorme's Blue Logger Bluetooth GPS. Quote
+Wrench&Wench Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 Garmin GPSMap60CS with CitySelect v6.8. I'm so new to this my body sqeaks when I make a turn. But so far i really like the 60cs. I've had several questions that were answered in this forum but for the most part I figured it out in it's basic mode that gets me to the cache with no problems. If I belive there should be a menu for a certain screen, it's usually there. I have allot more to learn but love this gpsr. Quote
+Miragee Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 I had the Garmin eTrex Vista and recently upgraded to the Vista C with City Select and the auto navigation kit. WOW!! Is that wonderful! I don't know my way around the suburbs or the nearby big city, so it is great to let the unit tell me which way to go. Sometimes I have to argue with it a little bit, but other times it finds routes I would not have guessed existed. Quote
+Spoo Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 I am in my Third Generation Magellan unit having been with them for about 12 years now. I currently use the SporTrak Topo model. In my area, EVERYTHING is in the mountains and I find the Topo features to be invaluable. (and highly accurate) I have not had any trouble with it tracking me in the valleys and trees and think the WAAS is a real benefit. Quote
+Cryptid Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 (edited) Garmin GPSMAP 60CS, with City select v6.8.0 And a Garmin legend loaner for any friend I try to get interested in Geocaching. Then there is the Rino 120 back-up GPS. Edited August 15, 2005 by Cruiserdude Quote
+briansnat Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 I have the Garmin 60CS, and eTrex Vista and a Geko 201. If I were to buy another it would be either a Legend C, or a Lowrance iFinder H20. Both have better reception than the 60CS. I like the size of the Legend C and the memory expansion capabilities of the H2O. If Garmin made the Legend C with 1 gig of internal memory, it would be the ultimate GPS in my eyes. Quote
+apersson850 Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 The Quest 2 is not too far from a Legend C with 1 GB of memory. Well, it has 2 GB, but... I used to use the iQue 3600 for car navigation. Have now changed to a 3600a for that. Going into the cache I use the eTrex Vista. If I need special cache information, I also bring the other 3600a (removes the hazzle of having to unplug the one and same from the car all the time). They easily exchange information regarding waypoints via IR. The next GPS is going to be a Forerunner 301, which will be more appropriate for running than carrying the Vista, as I do now. Quote
+Indotguy Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 (edited) I've been finding caches for over a year using a Meridian Gold with Mapsend Topo. I am very satisfied, it is a dependable unit and does great in the woods although the so called "boomrang" effect did get a bit annoying at times. This weekend I took my brand new Lowrance H20 out for its first trial runs. Even without the Topo map software (which is on its way) I am impressed. It locked onto sats fast and seemed to do everything it's suppose to. I don't want to judge it prematurely but from what I've seen so far I expect it will become my full time Geocaching unit. *Although off topic, I too cache paperless with a Dell X30 (in a sturdy Rhino-skin case) running GPXsonar, Pocket Streets and Outdoor Navigator. Edited August 16, 2005 by Indotguy Quote
+IVxIV Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 GPS: Lowrance iFinder Pro w/FreedomMaps streets MMC/SD PDA: Sony Clie SJ33 w/ Palm O/S & Cachemate Great combo Quote
+Thrak Posted August 15, 2005 Posted August 15, 2005 (edited) Garmin GPSMAP 76CS. I like it! I was thinking of the 60CS but decided that I wanted the extra memory in the 76CS and I got it new from eBay for a very nice price. I'm waiting for my CitySelect v6 to arrive so I can do the free upgrade to v7 which just came out. Much cheaper to buy v6 from eBay or somewhere else and get the free upgrade than to buy v7 from Garmin. Only been out caching twice on brief trips but have logged 12 caches so far. [Edit] Also using my old Palm Vx for paperless caching. I'm using Plucker rather than Cachemate but mainly because I got it first and didn't have to register it. Cachemate only let's you have 10 entries if it isn't registered. I know it's cheap as heck to register Cachemate and it is nice to be able to load those files from GSAK but I like the way Plucker works so I'll just stick with it for now. The Palm has the hard clamshell case and I can stuff it in my back pocket with no worries at all. Edited August 15, 2005 by thrak Quote
+GrandpaKim Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Garmin GPSMAP 76CS. I like it! I was thinking of the 60CS but decided that I wanted the extra memory in the 76CS and I got it new from eBay for a very nice price. I'm waiting for my CitySelect v6 to arrive so I can do the free upgrade to v7 which just came out. Much cheaper to buy v6 from eBay or somewhere else and get the free upgrade than to buy v7 from Garmin. Only been out caching twice on brief trips but have logged 12 caches so far. [Edit] Also using my old Palm Vx for paperless caching. I'm using Plucker rather than Cachemate but mainly because I got it first and didn't have to register it. Cachemate only let's you have 10 entries if it isn't registered. I know it's cheap as heck to register Cachemate and it is nice to be able to load those files from GSAK but I like the way Plucker works so I'll just stick with it for now. The Palm has the hard clamshell case and I can stuff it in my back pocket with no worries at all. One thing you might want to think about is that with CacheMate, you can actually write your log entry right while you're at the cache site. Then mark the cache as found. When you get done caching, go to your found category and export all of the logs to your memo pad. Then, when you sync your Sony Clié, the logs will be uploaded to your PC. Then you can either cut and paste them into the log entries on GC.com when you log your finds, or you can run CM2GPX (from the CacheMate site) and then update your entries within GSAK. I haven't done this part, so I'm not exactly sure how it works. I just do the cut and paste right now. Quote
ImpalaBob Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Koikeeper and I each have a Garmin 60C. Both have City Select 6.0 maps (2 unlock codes come with product), gillson remote antennas and Garmin 12 volt power cords. Koikeeper has a Tungsten E with Cachemate. ImpalaBob Quote
Major Catastrophe Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Magellan SporTrak Map. I use both MapSend Topo for uploading detail maps to the GPS, plus I have a cable to connect the SporTrak directly to my PDA so I can use GPS-aware apps there. The biggest drawback (perhaps the only real one) to the SporTrak is its lack of support for SD cards, which will be a must-have if I replace. In the meantime, I get around some of that by having G7toCE on my PDA, which lets me upload and download waypoints to the GPS. So I can get around the 500 waypoint limit while in the field, although I have no portable way to upload more detail maps. I'm completely convinced that all GPSRs are, under the skin, the same. Quote
+scottjl Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 my first GPS was purchased about 10 years ago. a lowarance eagle pro. sold it 5 years ago or so and was replaced with a garmin vista. which was sold a month ago and replaced with a garmin 60cs. i'm loving the garmin 60cs very much, gpsr's have come a long way.. here's my comparison between my ex-vista and 60cs likes: color - far more useful than i thought it would bememory - more than my vista hadoptions - so many options and functions. very good all-purpose unitform factor - good sized unit for my hand. lightweight.usb - much faster than serialgames - nice idea, haven't tried any yetauto-routing - very nicely implemented, i love it!dislikes: color - can't change the color of things like the ground (i'd make it white/clear vs yellow)form factor - harder to use one-handed than my vista (buttons on the bottom/front vs. the sides)memory - low amount and not expandable. get with the program garmin. 1G pen drive costs $50. give us a decent amount or a slot for SD cardsrubber buttons - i've read many threads about the writing wearing off and i can see that happening easilyspeaker - too low, no volume adjust. easy to miss hearing the turn beepson-screen keyboard - PLEASE give us a QWERTY layout!accuracy - best i've seen is about 20' or so. my vista would get down to 9' easily all in all. i can definately recommend the 60cs unit. and shop around. there are many places on the internet far cheaper than the MRSP. Quote
+1mech Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 I've been using a Lowrance i-Finder for about 2 years now and it works quite well. I like the large memory capacity, the large screen and it fits my hand. I can enter coordinates on the go just using my thumb, and it uses AA batteries, rechargable of course! If I were to replace it, it would probably be with the i-Finder H2O, which is more waterproof than my current model. Mike S. (1Mech) Quote
+scottjl Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 just as a follow-up note. i recalibrated my gps and i've seen as low as 7' accuracy now. so i'm much happier.. Quote
+roygpa Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 Lowrance IFinder H2O for caching, Eagle Intellimap 320 for fishing/boating. Quote
+Bear Paughs Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 Garmin eTrex Legend C and Gecko 201. Got the Legend C earlier this week and it is amazing! I've already found it to keep a lock under heavy tree cover way better than the Gecko. The first caches we've found with it we walked right to the hiding spot. I love the custom icons, the color screen, the user menus, everything about it. I also like the mapsource software that came with it -- only because it helps me plan a route with a series of caches at a glance, rather than inputting waypoints into Lost Outdoors or other applications (very time consuming.) Otherwise I don't have much use for it because of GSAK. I haven't gotten the auto-routing map software yet, but I look forward to and trying that out. I plan at some point to get the Topo mapping software for it, too. If there was one thing I'd change about it, it would be the addition of expandable memory. If I were to get another GPSr my choice would be the Lowrance iFinder H20. I'm also very curious about the PhDs that are supposed to be available soon. I'd also go with another Garmin model (although none have impressed me as much as the Lowrance) simply because they have the best customer service I've ever experienced. Quote
+Jhwk Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 Magellan meriplat (for routing/getting to the cache site) and a new eXplorist 600 for the actual on-the-ground hunt. I love both of them, mainly for the expansion capability through the SD card slot. Yes there are known bugs with the 600, but nothing that stops me from huntin' the cache! Would I buy again? Probably, but I would like to try a Garmin 60 or 76 to see what the main player is like. Quote
+Evanslmtd Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 I used a Garmin Legend for about 3 years (with no problems) and upgraded a couple of years ago to a 76s to get the larger screen. IMO, the 76s is bullet proof. Quote
Pinon Posted August 26, 2005 Posted August 26, 2005 I bought a Magellan Gold back in the spring. It is a fantastic unit. I will be putting it to the real test this October. I am going backpacking for 10 days in Arizona. With a good map..a good compass and my trusty Merigold, I should be OK. Time will tell.... Quote
Neo_Geo Posted August 26, 2005 Posted August 26, 2005 (edited) I LOVE MY 60C! I jumped on this baby when they first came out! Autorouting, 56MB map memory, and color. Had I known they would come out with the 76C soon afterward, I would've waited for the additional memory. Still, as it is with 56MB, it has served me well. I haven't felt terribly squeezed by the 56MB limitation of the 60, although Washington, DC to New York City does cut it pretty close! The autorouting feature is a gas! I would feel like I was living in the stone age if I didn't have it now! I will say that the color screen wasn't a make-or-break issue. I would've bought the unit if it had only come in a B&W display. But now that I've had color, I'll never go back! It is just soooooooo much easier to see everything! The calculator, alarm clock and games are all just icing on the cake. I've used them all on numerous occasions, but wouldn't feel lost if these features were somehow taken away. Still it's nice to know that they're there. I originally started with a Legend. Then I bought MetroGuide 5 maps and found the 8MB of memory to be terribly limiting. So then I bought an eMap and a 128MB data card for map memory. I traded display resolution and trip computer options (on the Legend) for the ability to upgrade the memory. I didn't use the Legend much after I got the eMap, but I always felt like something was missing when using the eMap. Edited August 26, 2005 by Neo_Geo Quote
flir67 Posted August 26, 2005 Posted August 26, 2005 orginally had sportrack color and loved it , upgraded to a explorist 600 and enjoying it even with the bugs in it, now I want to wait and try the rhino 530 to see how it competes with the other handheld color units. drop 500.00 on a new gps unit get soaked by rain covered in mud, chased by bees, bitten by bugs, covered in posion ivey, meeting fellow cachers in these conditions in the middle of nowhere looking for a tupperware box. priceless, geocaching its everywhere u want to be flir67-------------------- Quote
rooster97 Posted August 26, 2005 Posted August 26, 2005 I bought my first GPS a month ago. I bought a Garmin VistaC. My original purpose was to aid in a trip to China next year. Now I'm learning new tricks with it for hunting and this crazy geocaching thing-a-ma-bob. I think the compass feature is worth the extra ching over the Legend. I still think in paper maps. I like to be able to fix my position and orientaion while STANDING STILL! What a concept! As a rookie, I've found the VistaC is a decent compromise for most features. The color is great. It is very readable mounted on my truck dash. I wouldn't consider B&W for road navigation at this screen size. On the timber trail, it is small, accurate and functional. I am a little upset that I don't have an external antenna port or upgradable memory. If price was no object, I'm thinking the 60CS is a lot of money for the memory, but how else do you get it from Garmin? Best regards, Quote
+Cheminer Will Posted August 28, 2005 Posted August 28, 2005 I have a sportrac color. Real good satellite reception even under heavy cover. Color screen can be hard to see in sunlight. My son has a Magellan Gold. Reception is not as good under trees as my STC, but the gray-scale screen is MUCH easier to read. Quote
+trail hound Posted August 28, 2005 Posted August 28, 2005 Garmin Legend, Garmin GPSMAP60C, and Magellian Sportrak Map. The legend is a great little unit , (Great price too) ~But the 60C is my weapon of choice~ Quote
+Tjdreams Posted August 28, 2005 Posted August 28, 2005 Magellan Miridian Color works good for on road routing but it's accuracy for finding caches is not too good off by a averag of 50 to 75 feet. I have bin saving to get a garmin 60cs (will be my x-mass present to me) Quote
+Team DEMP Posted August 28, 2005 Posted August 28, 2005 Garmin GPSMap 76CS and I love it. Battery life is excellent, track capacity is excleent, plenty of memory, excellent color screen, etc. Would be neat for future versions to have expandable memory (SD, CF, miniSD, etc) as well as BlueTooth. Of course, if I could get the same features and same screen size in a smaller unit, that would always be a nice bonus. Quote
+omegabane Posted August 28, 2005 Posted August 28, 2005 I am currently using the eXplorist 200 which I bought about a month and a half ago when I started Geocaching. Got a great deal on it and it has served me well so far, but I am getting tired of all the manual waypoint input and the fact that I can't add detail maps. I am strongly considering upgrading to a Garmin GPSMap 60CS, but haven't decided to commit yet. Quote
+Miragee Posted August 28, 2005 Posted August 28, 2005 When you decide to commit, you won't regret getting that unit. Quote
+Quoddy Posted August 29, 2005 Posted August 29, 2005 Switched from a Meridian Color to Garmin 60cs about 18 months ago. Have City Select v7, Topo, and Tides loaded. Never go anywhere without it, and wouldn't change it for any other. The only one that comes close is the 76cs. Quote
+mornik199 Posted August 29, 2005 Posted August 29, 2005 I have an Etrex Legend and a 60C. I'm still learning how to use all the 60Cs bells ans whistles. It's my primary w/ the Legend as a backup. Quote
+wornout Posted August 29, 2005 Posted August 29, 2005 Garmin GPSMap60cs, Cachemate, GSAK, Palm Tungsten E, priceless. Quote
+BoomerFZ1 Posted August 29, 2005 Posted August 29, 2005 Just got a 60cs and I love it. This after a well discussed snafu with Harmony computers and a eXplorist 600. That and my discontinued Clie PEG-TG50, Cachemate and GSAK...Caches don't have a chance. Quote
+ZyaL8er Posted September 1, 2005 Posted September 1, 2005 I got my Garmin GPS V, about 3 weeks ago. I love it , color would be nice but it gets me to the caches just the same. Quote
+Wishbone86 Posted September 1, 2005 Posted September 1, 2005 I bought an eTrex Legend about four weeks ago when I first started caching. It works like a charm and had no intentions on replacing it. But, just this last Saturday I found a Ique 3600 that was on clearance for $109 and couldn't pass it up. The legend I'll use for the long treks into the forest and the 3600 for those stop and grabs. Quote
gps_dr Posted September 1, 2005 Posted September 1, 2005 (edited) Garmin GPS 76 This was a replacement for the Garmin 12XL (Early version) that was due for memory battery replacement. The 76 Series is hard to beat for ease of use, sharp display & external antenna connection. I've been using it to map bicycle trails of the Denver Area. Brunton Atlas MNS I've only had this unit a few weeks. I wanted to try a mapping unit with 50' contour topo, electronic compas etc. Still learning it's idiosynchracies. Have Colorado & Wyoining data loaded on SD memory card (~240MB) It has better forest road coverage than Garmin or Magellan TOPO as far as I can tell. Also Game management units. Allows 100 tracks in memory, provides track name if cursor positioned over it. Magellan & Garmin units I've tried do not do this. National Geographic Backroads explorer & Colorado The backroads explorer covers the US, works with state product to allow updated road overlays. (New expansion pack for state products adds this, map updates, 3D views) Would like this one more if allowed uploading of tracks to GPS like DeLorme. DeLorme TopoUSA 5, Xmap4.5 & Sat10 Colorado This is the main mapping program I use, bettter zooming, uploading of tracks, split screen views of different data. Can create a tracklog by drawing on screen & upload to GPS to follow afield. Still not a program to backup GPS data. GPS Track Maker Great free tool to backup GPS data. ESRI ArgGIS Professional GIS software. Use it to create my GPS enabled bicycle trail system maps. Edited September 1, 2005 by gps_dr Quote
Azaruk Posted September 1, 2005 Posted September 1, 2005 Compaq iPAQ with Navman GPS sleeve using BeeLine GPS software. Awesome combination. Don't use maps because the quality and resolution of maps for this part of the world (South Africa) are abysmal. Quote
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