Need Help

[dallanwagz]

I am looking in to buying a GPS. I am looking to buy one for about 100 or less (on ebay so there actual price is probably way higher) I have looked at the garmin e-trex and i dont know if i like it or not. Its a good price and all but the accuracy it what kills me. Im a begginer so i do not think i will be able to handle the 50 foot accuracy. I have looked into the Magellan eXplorist 200 and have liked it solely because of its 2-3 meter acuracy. Does anyone know which is better? I would assume they both load maps, am i correct? I am also wondering if they both have a pc interface. Does anyone have any suggestions of what GPS to buy and where i can get a good price? Thanks-

Dallan

[Neo_Geo]

The yellow eTrex has 3-meter accuracy, has a PC interface port (but no cable), but it won't load maps. If you're looking for a good, cheap GPS that does mapping, consider an old Garmin EMAP. While it has been discontinued by Garmin, they are plentiful on eBay and can be had there for between $60 and $80. Anyone who owns one loves them. It can accept a proprietary memory card for up to 128MB of map data!

Edited August 22, 2005 by Neo_Geo

[+Renegade Knight]

Any GPS you can buy thats fairly new is good enough for geocaching.

 

The #1 thing you will want is the ability to connect that GPS to a computer so you can load waypoints. That rules out the Gecko 101, and the Explorist 100, 200, and 300 and a few others.

 

Without WAAS a GPS will have 3m accuracy or about 10' with good reception. Typically you can expect 20' or more accuracy. 20' is close enough in geocaching. Once you are that close it's time to look for the cache. With WAAS once you have it going you will see 10' or better accuracy much more often than without it. WAAS is nice but you don't need it.

[dallanwagz]

The yellow eTrex has 3-meter accuracy, has a PC interface port (but no cable), but it won't load maps. If you're looking for a good, cheap GPS that does mapping, consider an old Garmin EMAP. While it has been discontinued by Garmin, they are plentiful on eBay and can be had there for between $60 and $80. Anyone who owns one loves them. It can accept a proprietary memory card for up to 128MB of map data!

so your saying the emap is better than both the e-trex and explorist 200? does it have a pc interface? how much is a gps with waas that has a pc interface?

[+bear&fox]

I do not entirely agree with Renegade Knight: connectivity to a PC is not always a must. If you are happy to type in all the info using the interface buttons, then fine. But it's nice to have!

 

Another is external power - will you be using your unit in a car for many hours at a stretch, perhaps during long cross-country drives - in this case external power is a benefit too.

 

A mapping unit is great (possibly a used unit for under $100), but not at all necessary. Color screen are also nice, but more difficult to read in sunlight. Some basic units will only allow you to save one route - if you need/want more, buy a more advanced unit. The Garmin Etrex Yellow is a fantastic unit (even if it does not have WAAS), and more than capable of finding caches.

 

If I were you I'd list exactly what you want out of your GPSr, then go find it:

PC connectivity?

External power?

WAAS?

Mapping?

Multiple routes?

 

Also look at battery run-times, and subtract a third of what the manufacturer claims.

 

Bear

[lakeuk]

To me connection to a PC is a must so you can up/download waypoints, routes and tracks. So much quicker than manually entering them into a unit.

 

I got a Garmin Legend (US model) of ebay for around £90, it has space for 8Mb of maps - I've got mine loaded with contord land map of the North of England (available free on the net).

[Neo_Geo]

The yellow eTrex has 3-meter accuracy, has a PC interface port (but no cable), but it won't load maps.  If you're looking for a good, cheap GPS that does mapping, consider an old Garmin EMAP.  While it has been discontinued by Garmin, they are plentiful on eBay and can be had there for between $60 and $80.  Anyone who owns one loves them.  It can accept a proprietary memory card for up to 128MB of map data!

so your saying the emap is better than both the e-trex and explorist 200? does it have a pc interface? how much is a gps with waas that has a pc interface?

If you're looking for a low priced GPSr with mapping ability, then yes, the eMap is better. It does have a PC interface which allows data transfer as well as external power.

[+JohnnyVegas]

You can get a Garmin e-trex yellow new for $95.00 from Tiger GPSand you will a GPS with a warranty. They also have the E-trex venture which include the data cable for $125.00, you may not think you will need a data cable but if you start to do a lot of caching you will most likely want one at that time.

 

I am not a real big fan of buying used stuff from E-Bay. Most people spen to much money on the item they sell purchase on E-bay, A fair price for a used Yellwo e-trex should be about $50.00 for a venture $65.00

[+TV-dude]

To me, it comes down to what you want to use the GPS for. If 99% geocaching then I would go with the eTrex Legend. 8mb of internal memory is plenty unless you are planning of caching the whole world in day It, like most, have the option of being WAAS enabled or not. The WAAS will get your accuracy down to about 6-8 feet. And on eBay you can find new in the box ones for under 100. I have had a Legend for about 3 years now and enjoy it. I would stay away from paying more for a color display. To me that is more for looks then function.

[+Lincolnshire Mountaineer]

Sportrak Ipaq 2410 and Palm IIIxe.

 

Apologies if this has been asked before...

 

Does anyone have any knowledge of:

 

Does installing MS Outlook 2002 to download to an Ipaq 2410 on an XP PC which is running MS Outlook Express 6 present any problems?

 

Does the software needed to support both PDA's on the same PC create any conflicts?

 

Is Autoroutes' Pocket Streets any good on either of these PDA's in conjunction with Sportrak?

[+JasperCowe]

And on eBay you can find new in the box ones for under 100.

Are these ebay sellers legitimate? I've seen a virtual store selling Garmin units retailing for $250 with starting bid of 99 cents and allegedly no reserve. I know the bids will take the price up some, but how do these guys sell this stuff so cheap? It looks like a case of something sounding/looking to good to be true. Where do they get all of these "new in box" and "scratch free" units? Are they stolen, counterfeit? Or, are GPSrs really that cheap when imported, but marked up about 1000% when put on the shelf? (There probably is some etiquette, unknown to me, prohibiting the asking of such questions. If so, sorry.)

[+JasperCowe]

[sigh...I hate computers--not really.]

Edited August 23, 2005 by JasperCowe

[+JasperCowe]

[apologies again. best i can do is edit out the message so the posts don't take so much space. argh...]

Edited August 23, 2005 by JasperCowe

[+JasperCowe]

[sorry for multiple posts. browser errors, don't know how to recall or delete posts.]

Edited August 23, 2005 by JasperCowe

[+the hermit crabs]

Are these ebay sellers legitimate?  I've seen a virtual store selling Garmin units retailing for $250 with starting bid of 99 cents and allegedly no reserve.

 

Checking shipping. I remember seeing an eTrex Legend on ebay several months ago, with a starting bid of 99 cents -- shipping was $159.00!!

[+Gypsee]

Hello, All! Noob to the sport here and hooked! Using a borrowed Garmin eTrex Yellow right now, but looking to buy. Bear&Fox, I liked your list of preferences and will start there for sure. A few questions however...

 

Do any have a lighting feature that allows you to use them at night?

 

Do any have a feature where you can add topographical maps?

 

Looking in the $100-$200 range. Any suggestions/input appreciated

[+Miragee]

In that price range, the eTrex Vista would be good. It can hold 1000 waypoints. It has a light when connected to the cigarette lighter adapter, or when you push the on/off button slightly.

 

You can load either the Mapsource Topo maps or "road" maps.

 

The 24 MB is large enough for the maps unless you do a lot of traveling and need maps for a really large area.

[+Thrak]

Regarding WAAS........ I have a GPSr that is WAAS capable - but I haven't turned it on. So far I've been able to find caches just fine without using that option.

[+TV-dude]

WAAS is a nice little feature and out here in the desert where everything looks like a cache site it comes in handy. The only downside to WAAS is it eats up the battery life on the GPS.

 

As for teh issue rasied on the eBay GPS units maybe being part of a scam, I can't say yes or no..I ahve been an eBayer for several years and haven't had a problem. I lot of the people selling the GPSs New In Box often buy a lot in bulk and get a wholesale or lower price for them so they make a profit there. And make a killing on the shipping. They often charge the same amount of shipping if it is going across town or across country.

[+scottjl]

most ebay "stores" are legit. but in addition you might consider searching:

 

buy.com ( i recently got my 60cs through them for $370!)

eopinions.com (they have links to resellers with reviews on the resellers)

froogle.com (great to search for prices and places to shop)

 

remember. if you spend $100 on a GPS and you really like this you're going to have to spend more for another GPS and hope to sell yours (or give it as a gift to a friend/family member). so you might want to spend a little more up-front for a more capable unit (waas, pc connectivity, memory, etc) and save more in the long run.

 

if this isn't an activity you really think you're going to enjoy (don't like hiking, the outdoors, exploring, etc) then just go out with a friend who has a GPS a few times to be sure. or buy one from a place with some sort of return guarantee.

 

just my 2 cents! happy gps'ing!