If Money Were No Object ...

[lumpynose]

It seems like you can get color ones that don't take memory expansion cards, or grayscale ones that do take an expansion card, but not color with an expansion card.

 

Anyhow, I'm new to geocaching and thought I'd ask what handheld gps you'd get if you didn't have to worry about the cost.

 

Thanks

[+user13371]

It seems like you can get color ones that don't take memory expansion cards, or grayscale ones that do take an expansion card, but not color with an expansion card.

SUre you can ... Look at Explorist 500 & 600. Color, expansion cards, standards-compliant USB, and more.

 

Now if only they would work the bugs out of the firmware and get a handle on basic QC issues.

 

... thought I'd ask what handheld gps you'd get if you didn't have to worry about the cost.

For me personally, Lowrance iFinder H2O -- and other Lowrance models offer all of the bells and whistles at very competitve pricing. Because money IS a concern!

Edited September 8, 2005 by lee_rimar

[+Renegade Knight]

Money was no object. I would get a 60C and pay someone to soldier in more RAM so I had enough for my entire normal caching area. That way I would not have to load maps or waypoints and so on. It would just work.

[lumpynose]

And now there's the eXplorist XL. I don't remember seeing this on their web site when I was last there.

 

http://www.magellangps.com/en/products/pro...asp?PRODID=1113

 

http://www.magellangps.com/en/products/pro...asp?PRODID=1113

Edited September 8, 2005 by lumpynose

[+tirediron]

I'm quite happy with my 76CS thank-you!

[robertlipe]

Money was no object. I would get a 60C and pay someone to soldier in more RAM so I had enough for my entire normal caching area. That way I would not have to load maps or waypoints and so on. It would just work.

Since money is no object, you'll presumably have an EE on retainer to deal with the possibility of missing chip select/decode lines on the bus and/or a firmware guy to deal with the possibility that the software is looking at unit ID's to set up address space and memory maps. As a practical matter, they may very well be retrofitting a 76C or a Quest 2 into a 60C's injection mold. Surface mount chips and cycle times in the nanosecond range pretty much ended the days of piggybacking 4016s and 2732s atop each other and running an extra address line down the top.

 

Stated another way, please don't think it's necessarily as trivial as RK makes it sound. :-)

 

But back to the original question, the perfect GPS for _me_ isn't necessarily the perfect GPS for _you_, even if money were no object for either of us.[1] We will have different things we do with them, different likes and dilikes, and different ergonomics. For example, my nimble fingers don't mind a 60 or an explorist - my father who made a living holding power tools for decade couldn't possibly type on those, let alone see them - he'd be much happier with a 76/Meridian/Explorist XL. But the big size would drive me batty.

 

[1] Which is one reason I tend to avoid these threads. By the time you've extracted what the question poster actually wants a GPS for, the question is usually already lost in an avalanche of "I have an XXX and love it..." posts...

[tubemonkey]

I'd get two units:

-- Legend Color for hiking and benchmarking (24mb is plenty for this use)

-- some real expensive dedicated car unit for cross country travel

 

If I were forced to pick just one unit, then I wouldn't buy any of them until someone came out with a unit that had: color TFT display, fast processor, 1-2gb of built-in memory, memory expansion slot (SD), USB 2.0 connectivity, and a AA power supply.

 

Until then, I'll continue to use my b&w Legend and AAA maps for the car.

[+briansnat]

I'd proably get a Garmin Quest 2 for the car and a Vista C for hiking and geocaching. If the Lowrance H20 were smaller, I'd go for that over the Vista C.

[Curious George]

I'm quite happy with my 76CS thank-you!

But give it back the bigger screen like the 76S, and a memory card for unlimited storage.....now we're talking!

[+GOT GPS?]

I would get the Garmin 276C with at least a 256 meg memory card, because this GPS has a 480x320 pixel color screen. This is more screen for helping you see the upcoming turnes a little easier, than the tiny little screens of other GPS units.

[+IVxIV]

Well I'm a devoted Lowrance fan myself, but.,.. if someone were handing me a blank cheque & told to grab whatever I wanted, then it would be a Trimble GeoXT of course! At around $4000 it's a real bargain

[+scottjl]

it would be handy if it were stated very obviously on the web site somewhere (and it isn't, i looked) that the registration fee is:

 

$13.30USD

 

the only place i found the fee amount was to click on the paypal link itself.

[+leatherman]

I'd buy them all! DUH!

[+Brendal]

I am very happy with my Explorist 500 and I have a buddy that is very happy with his Garmin 76C. I am not the first one to say this, but a lot of it is personal preference. Find what you like and go with it.

[rynd]

Tricorder

[+TotemLake]

Well I'm a devoted Lowrance fan myself, but.,.. if someone were handing me a blank cheque & told to grab whatever I wanted, then it would be a Trimble GeoXT of course! At around $4000 it's a real bargain

Without a triaxial compass, it's a total waste of $3700.

[+TotemLake]

it would be handy if it were stated very obviously on the web site somewhere (and it isn't, i looked) that the registration fee is:

 

$13.30USD

 

the only place i found the fee amount was to click on the paypal link itself.

Eh? for what?

[+Airmapper]

I think I might try a Garmin 96C Handheld Aviation unit, it's color screen, has airport / airspace maps, and autorouting for the car, plus IPX7 ruggedness and other handy features.

 

But I'm still a Lowrance fan, and if money was no object, I would go for an I-finder Hunt or H2O, AirMap 2000c and a I-Way 1000, but 2 of those aren't handhelds.

[+av8ndv8]

I'm easy to please. Just put Magellan's 3 axis compass and SD card slot in a Garmin 60CS and I'd be very, very happy.

[+Thrak]

The only one I have experience with is my GPSMAP 76CS. I'm quite happy with it.

[+pamgod]

First I bought a Rino 130 love it. But what good is it without the matching rino to use the radio and locating features So I bought a Rino 120 on ebay. I now can keep track of my grandchildren.

 

But all along the screen was just to small and to dark my old eyes have trouble seeing it. So I bought a new Garmin 76cs. Just got it today. Love it but...... no antenna so I can't pack it in my waist pack as I did with the rino letting the antenna stick out and mapping trails.

 

Now I am so broke. I don't know what I was thinking. My grandchildren probably won't be able to go to college

 

I would love a combination of the 2 rino and 76cs.

[+2Wheel'in]

I would love a combination of the 2 rino and 76cs.

Garmin is coming close to granting your wish...the new RINO 530 was supposed to be released yesterday. If money were no object I'd buy one just to evaluate. Presently satisfied with my Map60CS though.

Regards,

Bill

[+Thrak]

First I bought a Rino 130 love it.  But what good is it without the matching rino to use the radio and locating features So I bought a Rino 120 on ebay.  I now can keep track of my grandchildren.

 

But all along the screen was just to small and to dark my old eyes have trouble seeing it.  So I bought a new Garmin 76cs.  Just got it today.  Love it but...... no antenna so I can't pack it in my waist pack as I did with the rino letting the antenna stick out and mapping trails. 

 

Now I am so broke.  I don't know what I was thinking.  My grandchildren probably won't be able to go to college

 

I would love a combination of the 2 rino and 76cs.

I carry my 76CS sometimes in the Garmin carrying case - the plain case with no plastic window - hooked to my cache bag and it usually keeps the signal. If you have issues with that and can't keep a signal simply buy a $20 Glisson antenna on eBay and wear a hat with a little pocket on it to hold the antenna. You can make your own or buy one ready made with a pocket for the antenna. It's a standard baseball cap type of hat. I read where one cacher always wears a plastic hard hat to which he has superglued a large washer. He uses the washer for the magnetic mount of the antenna.

 

The 76CS is a great unit and I don't think it needs that protruding antenna that the Rino has. It uses a different type of antenna that I haven't had any problems with.

[+media601]

I'm easy to please. Just put Magellan's 3 axis compass and SD card slot in a Garmin 60CS and I'd be very, very happy.

Can we throw auto averaging mode into the mix?

[+media601]

Tricorder

I had one--didn't like it. Looked great on the showroom floor, but in the field proved to be way too noisy and kept attracting too much attention from muggle Klingons. They should have had an option to turn the sound off, but I guess they weren't too concerned about battery life.

[HugoOne]

A GPS with one of those flexible roll-up screens, the size of a magic marker when the screen is rolled up. Should have all the bells and whistles, memory card bluetooth, wifi, usb, waterproof, cellphone, camera. And last but not least, the perfect OS that handles all the functions (geocaching/autorouting/phone/camera....) flawlessly, effortlessly and intuitively without an overdose of menus and settings but still allowing access to customize all advanced features. Oh yeah and a Google Earth like interface, yeah gotta have that.

Off-course it would have to run on a fuel cell (and money being no object I wouldn't have to care about airline regulations as I'd have my own plane )

 

Not gonna happen, guess I'll just stick to my 60C and 2610 for now ...

[+av8ndv8]

I'm easy to please.    Just put Magellan's 3 axis compass and SD card slot in a Garmin 60CS and I'd be very, very happy.

Can we throw auto averaging mode into the mix?

OOH yeah, and make it switchable. Magellans do lay down some nice smooth tracks.

[+av8ndv8]

Tricorder

I had one--didn't like it. Looked great on the showroom floor, but in the field proved to be way too noisy and kept attracting too much attention from muggle Klingons. They should have had an option to turn the sound off, but I guess they weren't too concerned about battery life.

Problem with tricorders is that dylithium crystals only last so long and they're getting expensive after the solar storms on Rygal IV. What were they thinking running off those things? Might as well run 'em off gold plated latinum. This replacing them every century change is getting real old...

 

And did you notice they use special crystals? Sheesh....