Newbie Questions On Buying A Gps

[Todd&Sarah]

Hello all,

 

We are totaly new to the Geocaching thing and are very excited to get started... But not knowing if it will be something we will like, or have the time to do very often we are a little cautious about spending big money on a GPS. So we have been shoping around trying to find something that fits a few catagorys.

 

we have sorta narrowed our choices down to a few units.

 

the Magellan eXplorist 100 and Magellan eXplorist 500 are avalable at our local Best Buy and Walmart. However they have a Huge pride diffrence and a quite a vast diffrence in features. Memory is also a big diffrence.

 

we have gotten to the point that I it requires asking advice...

 

:D Will the 100 do what we will need it to do for a good time Geocaching? It has a price tag that we are not to scared of... Or do we need to get the 500?

 

Next Question is ... Is the 500 worth the price, and would it be better to have in the long run?

 

Ok this has been sorta rambling and probly quite a few spelling errors however, Any advice will be Most welcome.

 

For that matter ... If there are other brands of GPS we should consider please do not hesatate to make recomendations we are more than willing to listen to the advice of others that have been down the path ahead of us.

 

Thanks for your time

 

Todd&Sarah

 

Valparaiso, Indiana

[+Renegade Knight]

Out of what you have listed I would avoid the 100 for one main reason. It does not let you use a computer cable to download waypoints.

 

The 500 does in addition to it's other features.

 

You may want to check out the following Garmins while you look at the 500.

The eTrex Legend C, the eTrex Vista C, the Garmin 60c or 60CS. In the best bang for the buck catagory (but Black and White Screen) the Garmin GPS V is hard to beat since it's a good GPS that comes with City Select software which lets you pick a destination and the GPS will tell you how to get there from where ever you are. The other Garmins I mention will run City Select but you have to buy it separatly.

 

Someone will have to tell you if the 500 will run DirectRoute which is the Magellan software that does the same thing as City Select does on the Garmins.

[+Yamahammer]

Check Garmin. Garmin GPS Map 60 works real good.

 

My advice is since you are new to this, buy something a little less expensive. Garmin eTrex go for $85-$99 range. If you like it and still are excited and want to do more, then move up to bigger/better/new & improved.

 

$0.02

 

[+El Diablo]

It really depends on what you want from your unit. The cheapest model will allow you to caches as good as the most expensive. The diferrence is the bells and whistles.

 

The more memory you have, the more maps you can download. Do you need to download maps for the entire state, or just the local area?

 

The bottom line is that every unit offers something that the others don't, but the arrow on the cheapest will point the same direction and distance as the most expensive.

 

You can buy a 100.00 unit and have as much fun, and be as effective at finding caches as someone that has a 600.00 unit.

 

El Diablo

[+geognerd]

I'll chime in, since I seem to be one of the few folks who posts about the eXplorist 100. I've had mine for just about a year now and have been pretty satisfied with it.

 

Yeah, it won't sync with a computer. I wish it did, but I never search for more than 10 caches at a time, so it isn't a big deal having to enter those coordinates. I've made an error inputting coords maybe 5 times out of the 200+ caches I've searched. But I always had the printout to refer to when I noticed my error.

 

I got to mess with a co-worker's GPSmap 60 for a few days recently. I hunted a couple caches with it too. It's definitely a nice unit, but it wasn't nice enough to make me go out and spend $240 when I already had a GPS that gets the job done. That's my problem. The computer connectivity and auto-routing are nice, but I can't justify dropping the bucks for a higher-end receiver when I already have something that works.

 

If you don't plan on doing caching marathons and have no interest in using the GPS for street navigation, you'll do just fine with the 100. If you go with the eXplorist 100, you may envy the bells and whistles of other receivers, but you won't be disappointed with the unit's performance.

[+JohnnyVegas]

as has been said, the 100 will get you to the cache, you might want to start with the explorist 100, just take the print outs with you so that you can re check any coordinates if need be. You can also upgrade to a mapping unit like the 500 later.

 

I have an explorist 500 which I like. if you buy the exporist you will be able to load waypoints from your computer, it includes the date cable.

 

If you want to have a detail map (the base map is not detailed) you will also need to buy the software to load the map into the GPS and you will also need to buy and SD card. This adds to the price. Of course the software will also load Points if Interest files for the detialed map, this can be handy if your are seeking food or fuel even ATM machines$$$

[+Mudfrog]

We started out with a basic no maps GPSr and had a great time with it. Cached about a year with it and then got a Garmin GPSMAP 76s. The maps make all the difference in the world and i cant imagine caching without them.

 

Granted the older unit did just as well as any other GPSr after you arrived to the cache area. It's when you go caching in unfamiliar territory that things become more difficult. There's no telling how many wrong turns and deadends we came to while just trying to get close to a cache area by following the arrow on the old unit. With gas prices as high as they are now days, it might not take too long for a mapping GPSr to pay for it's added cost!

 

I would go with the cheapest GPSr that allows you to load maps onto it. It needs to have at least 8 megs of memory for storing the maps. You'll also have to buy the mapping software seperately. Sometimes you can find this bundled with the GPSr and that can make for a better deal. Also, color screens are nice but add to the initial cost and are definitely not necessary.

 

I like to buy locally when i can but i'll tell you that you can probably save quite a bit if you order from an online GPS store!

[ScottFla]

I also own an exoplorist 100 and it works fine for finding caches. I was also not sure I wanted to invest that much for this new hobby so I went with the 100. Entering waypoints isn't such a big deal, just make sure you type them in correctly.

 

I'm sure once I upgrade, I'll love the maps and downloading coordinates but that is not necessary to geocache.

 

The only thing I want to add is that most of the geocaches in my area aren't several mile hikes over mountains and through rivers, so a map here isn't a needed item. Some locations, though, it seems as if a lot of geocaches are very long hikes, where having a mapping feature might be needed.

[+Zen Cooker #1]

I own an eXplorist 600, my fourth GPSr. It's basically the same as the 500, plus an altimeter. It's by far the best GPSr I have owned or used, so I think you will be pleased with the 500. Uploading/downloading from a computer is important with all units, but the 500 lets you store huge amounts of data on an SD card (purchased separately). The 500 will also calculate street routes, but I believe that you must purchase the Magellan MapSend Direct Route or 3D Topo to do that. The 500 will also store geocaches (with limited information).

 

My advice: go for the 500, buy the Magellan software, and the GPS Swiss Army Knife (GSAK) software. There is some expense involved, but it's well worth it.

[+budd-rdc]

Although I do not own the Magellan eXplorist 500 or the 600, I've seen them perform and they are excellent units. Great choice for the price range.

 

For the $100-$150 price range, I'd recommend a Garmin eTrex, or even the Garmin Geko 201, since both have PC connectivity. If you become addicted to Geocaching, you won't need to "upgrade" to another unit to increase your cache finding efficiency - waypoint downloads from PC will save you considerable amount of time.

 

I would avoid models like the Magellan eXplorist 100 or the Garmin Geko 101 for that reason alone, but they are good little units if you have a very tight budget.

[+ZingerHead]

I'm just repeating what's been said, but for "testing the waters" of geocaching, buy the least expensive GPS you can find. Garmin and Magellan are the two heavy hitters - Lowrance has a good reputation. Avoid the Cobra brand. Like others have said, the PC connectivity is nice to have, but not essential. And if you find that you just love geocaching and want to do more, then you can consider spending more money. At that point you will be sure you want to do it, and you will have some more experience to tell you what features you want or need.

 

One point to make is that the basic GPS part, which tells you where you are on the planet, is EXACTLY THE SAME in every unit, whether you spent $75 or $500. There are differences in antenna performance, but as far as accuracy goes, there is virtually no difference among them.

 

As a long time geocacher, I have a short list of must-haves in no particular order:

1. Mapping capability. Not so important when starting out, when you are searching for caches near your home, on familiar streets. But after a few months you will have found all of those caches, and you'll be venturing into unfamiliar territory. That is when the maps will come in very handy.

2. Autorouting - once considered a true luxury, most of the mid to upper range consumer units now offer this feature. This gives you the freedom to change your plans on the fly, as the GPS will automatically calculate driving directions for you. Autorouting turns your handheld "toy" into a full-fledged automobile navigation system for a fraction of the price of a built-in unit. And as you cache farther and farther from home, you will really come to appreciate the nearly instantaneous directions the GPS will give you.

3. Computer connectivity - for loading waypoints and maps, and downloading tracks to the PC.

4. Must run on AA batteries. There are nifty GPS units with built in rechargeable battery packs, but if that battery goes dead in the woods, you can't replace it. When your GPS runs on AA batteries you can take the batteries out of your flashlight or camera and get the GPS up and running again.

5. Waterproof. A little rain never kept me from caching, and I actually dunked my GPS in the water more than once by accident. No trouble with a waterproof unit.

 

Shop online - most of the online prices I've seen have beaten my Local Wal-Mart by a big margin, even with shipping. I bought my latest GPS from Amazon.com. And I've had good luck with www.tvnav.com.

[+briansnat]

I agree with those who said to avoid the 100. The fact that it won't hook up to a PC is a big negative. Some of the other ones mentioned her are good ones, including the Garmins that RK mentioned.

 

Another one that is a good bang for the buck is the Lowrance iFinder H20 Plus package. It comes with mapping software, memory card and card reader for under $280. Its a very good GPS. It has a more of a learning curve than the Garmin units (which are easy to use) and even Magellan units, but unless you're one of those people whose VCR clock is always flashing because you can't program it, you should eventually figure it out.

[Todd&Sarah]

Thank you all for the advce!'

 

We will be buying on line http://www.gpsonsale.com/index.html has the unit we will be getting for about $150.00 less than our local Best Buy.

 

Thanks agin

 

Todd&Sarah