Advice For New Mom&son

October 18, 2005

Hello all. I'm a single mom with a 10 yr old son that has expressed interest in geocaching. I looked it up (which led me to this site) and it does sound very interesting, actually sounds like a lot of fun! I have looked at different GPS units and it's all very confusing to me. Could any of you give us a recommendation of what GPS is easiest to learn and to use? I'm not concerned with all the bells and whistles, but just something that is easy to understand.

We're both excited to try this out. I just don't want to get a GPS and it takes days or weeks to learn it which prolongs us going out to get our first 'cache'. He has his heart set on next weekend and i'm hoping to be able to do it by then.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

October 18, 2005

My sugestion is the Garmin Etrex, the yellow one. It's as basic a you can get. And probably the least expensive. As for getting started this weekend, all you would need to know is how to type in a waypoint. Simple on any of the Etrex series, only one or two steps.

Happy Caching

October 18, 2005

It might be a good idea for you and your son to hook up with another geocacher from the area. They can show you how to use your GPS, how to look for suitable caches, and answer any other questions you might have. It's fun, you learn stuff, everyone wins!

October 18, 2005

i'd go w/geko 101...as basic and simple andas cheap as possible...love mine!

3.9k · October 18, 2005

Yep, hook up with a local so you can figure out which bells and whisltes you might actually need. Computer hookup, screen size, ability to upload detailed maps, etc.

It may also give you a chance to figure out how long this hobby will last. Being a single parent myself, my kid got bored after a few months and doesn't come along as often as she used to. At least not as willingly as she used to!

October 18, 2005

I second the yellow garmin etrex. It's the one we have and even I was able to figure out how to use it! Don't get bogged down in figuring out all the gps technical mumbo jumbo, just learn how to enter in a waypoint and go caching. You will learn as you play. Pick 1/1 rated caches till you get the hang of it. Have fun, you two will love it!

24.7k · October 18, 2005

If you go Gecko go 201. The ability to download waypoitns for caching will save you from looking where there isn't one (due to a miskey..it happens).

October 18, 2005

We bought my 13 year old son a Garmin etrex Legend and this is the one we all used to get our start with geocaching.

October 18, 2005

I know for computers there is a quote "The computer is only as smart as the user" or somthing like that which means most cachers wont have a problem

October 18, 2005

I am pretty new at this also. I bought my gpsr off of ebay. It is a Magellan Sportrak Map. It does the job and has some nice features like the detailed map. If I had it to do all over again I would have spent less. But now that I am sure I like geocaching and know what features I want in a gpsr, I want to upgrade. So here is my advice as a newbe. Go with a cheap name brand model. But be sure you can upload waypoints into it. Punching in waypoints is tedious and you can easily make a mistake which I have done on two occasions (before I figured out how to upload waypoints into the gpsr). I've only used the one model, but it didn't take me long to learn the basics, when you start caching more you will learn more. If you have problems you can always search the forums. Alot of stuff I've learned has come from there. Have fun, don't spend alot of money until you know what you want, then go from there.

2k · October 19, 2005

My 4 year old, 8 year old, and myself use the Garmin Legend. We all use it and I have had it since day one.

October 19, 2005

I own a Garmin etrex Legend and have been very happy with it. I noticed at a local Geo Event/Meet that a lot of people used them, at least the folks who aren't über-geeks. I suggest that whatever GPS you buy, and before you go looking for your first cache, you do a practice run. This would involve figuring out how to set a waypoint, going outside and marking one in your GPSr, and then trying to find it using only the GPSr.

Speaking from experience, any 10 year old boy is going to want to use the GPS himself, so teach him how to use it. You may have to look over his shoulder on the first few caches an give him pointers, but that is the nature of the beast. Also, read the logs for the first few caches you seek and see what people are posting, they may indicate if the cache would be a good one for kids.

Here is a recent log for a cache I placed that made me smile.

"This cache was a lot easier than the Snoring Cache.....and it also gave me a few minutes to rest before leaving the camp......I think i will take my grandson here on a future excursion......TNLNSL....Thanks again....."

5.3k · October 19, 2005

I do not know your price limit, but you might also look at the Magellan explorist 210, it is about the same price as the Garmin Legand but has more bulit in memory. Legand 8mb vs explorist 26mb.

As others have said, get a GPS with a computer data port for loading geocache coordinates, it will save you from a lot of headaches down the line.

These are two events that are comming up, it one of them is in your area it may worht attending to meet some local cacher

Caching in heartland

KTAG

Edited October 19, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

October 19, 2005

I'm using the Legend which is perfect for my needs. My 15yo son bought himself an Etrex Camo (exactly the same as the Etrex yellow but don't drop it in the woods). I don't know about your side of the pond but in Blighty you can pick up a camo about 20% cheaper than a yellow if you shop around - no idea why as it's the same spec.

9.3k · October 19, 2005

On a side note regarding the heading of your post; "Idiot Proof GPSr".

I've found that when the marketplace develops an idiotproof product, the world retaliates by developing a better idiot.

Back on topic; Definetely go with one you can download to. You can upgrade later for more bells & whistles as you deem necessary, but that's one feature that is a minimum requirement for me.

October 19, 2005

Thank you all so much! It has come down to the etrex yellow & the etrex legend. Leaning more towards the Legend based on it being able to have other maps, which him & I will learn to use later on.

I do have a question though. On the Legend, because of there being a basemap will there be a little dot representing "us" on the map, and will it move in realtime?

This is so exciting, thanks!

October 19, 2005

If you want to start this weekend you can try finding some caches without the GPSr. Just read the discriptions of some of your local caches and there will probably be a few that you know the area being discibed.

Good luck and have fun.

October 19, 2005

I have the Legend and have found it very easy to use.

I thought you could download waypoints to the etrex yellow. Please let me know if this is correct.

October 19, 2005

Thank you all so much! It has come down to the etrex yellow & the etrex legend. Leaning more towards the Legend based on it being able to have other maps, which him & I will learn to use later on.

I do have a question though. On the Legend, because of there being a basemap will there be a little dot representing "us" on the map, and will it move in realtime?

This is so exciting, thanks!

Actually it is a triangle (at least the default is, not sure if you can change the symbol of you or not) and yes it will move with you.

Edited October 19, 2005 by Polar B's

October 19, 2005

I have the Legend and have found it very easy to use.

I thought you could download waypoints to the etrex yellow. Please let me know if this is correct.

you can download waypoints, you can't download maps into it

1.7k · October 19, 2005

I have the Legend and have found it very easy to use.

I thought you could download waypoints to the etrex yellow. Please let me know if this is correct.

you can download waypoints, you can't download maps into it

And the cable is sold separately.

38.2k · October 19, 2005

The Garmin Geko (101 and 201) are by far, the easiest GPSes to use. They are inexpensive and very compact (I think they are the smallest units on the market).

My wife loves her 201.

I recommend the 201 because it hooks up to a PC, while the 101 doesn't.

Thank you all so much! It has come down to the etrex yellow & the etrex legend. Leaning more towards the Legend based on it being able to have other maps, which him & I will learn to use later on.

I do have a question though. On the Legend, because of there being a basemap will there be a little dot representing "us" on the map, and will it move in realtime?

The Legend is a good choice, though it isn't as easy to use as the Geko. You will see your location on the map and it will update as you move. If you get the Legend you will probably want to get mapping software eventually because the base maps that come with the unit are very limited in what they show.

I recommend Mapsource Topo for the Legend because it takes up a lot less memory than City Select or Metroguide in most areas, giving you much wider map coverage with Topo.

If ease of use is your chief criterion, the Geko is a better choice than the yellow eTrex. But the Legend is the best GPS of the bunch.

Edited October 20, 2005 by briansnat

2.5k · October 19, 2005

will there be a little dot representing "us" on the map, and will it move in realtime?

most GPS units update your position every second, so when you start walking, almost immediately the triangle will start moving.

When I showed my GPS to people who had never seen one before I told them to take it and start walking. It's weird how you can hand someone a GPS and instantly they start running back and forth, in circles, and not paying attention to whats going on around them.

Edited October 19, 2005 by Airmapper

October 19, 2005

good ole yellow etrex....cant be any easier than that.....

38.2k · October 20, 2005

good ole yellow etrex....cant be any easier than that.....

Yes it can.

Edited October 20, 2005 by briansnat

3.3k · October 20, 2005

will there be a little dot representing "us" on the map, and will it move in realtime?

most GPS units update your position every second, so when you start walking, almost immediately the triangle will start moving.

Movement of the triangle will depend on how zoomed in you are.

Set it on 2mile range, and it will hardly move; set it on 80feet, and the thing will run across the screen.

Polar B's stated you can't download maps into the Legend. That is false; the Legend has 8MB and accepts the optional MapSource Metroguide sofware with detailed mapping.

38.2k · October 20, 2005

Polar B's stated you can't download maps into the Legend. That is false; the Legend has 8MB and accepts the optional MapSource Metroguide sofware with detailed mapping.

He was referring to the yellow eTrex.

October 20, 2005

Polar B's stated you can't download maps into the Legend. That is false; the Legend has 8MB and accepts the optional MapSource Metroguide sofware with detailed mapping.

He was referring to the yellow eTrex.

Yes I was referring to the Yellow Etrex, not the legend. Would have edited the earlier post for clarity but for some reason I can't edit my own post in this thread.

18.9k · October 20, 2005

I'll echo briansnat on the eTrex legend. Not the easiest to use but certainly the most features for only a bit more than the yellow eTrex and the Geko. Also a very rugged unit - have flung it off the roof of my moving Jeep on 2 occasions*. Other than a scratch or 2 it works fine still.

*(very bad choice of a shelf while buckling in my son)

October 25, 2005

Single mom here, too. My 12 year old and I have been using a Garmin eTrex Yellow ($99) all along and have no complaints!

October 25, 2005

For the easiest to use I would go with the Geko either 101 or 201. They are both under $100 and the 201 comes with some games which might be fun. The yellow etrex is also a good unit in that same price range, but for me, I don't like the buttons on the side as much for learning... Once you learn how to use the etrex series they are great, but for a complete GPS n00b the gekos are easier to pick up and figure out IMO. So I would say:

Easiest cheap: Geko 101

Easiest cheap w/games Geko 201

Easy and cheapest Etrex

Easiest with mapping ability Etrex Legend

Persnonally I love the mapping, so I that ruled out the gekos for me. I don't have any of the additional mapping software yet, but I have a feeling Santa might be good to me this year!

Ben

Edited October 25, 2005 by jacobsen1

October 26, 2005

If you want cheap + maps you need to consider the Lowrance Ifinder Go series. Comes with maps at about $75. Of course, we have to enter waypoints manually and getting one number wrong does indeed make it hard to find a cache!

October 28, 2005

I'm a single chick and figured I should just go straight to Barnes & Noble and buy GPS for Dummies.

But...I purchased a Garmin Etrex Legend and I LOVE IT. I'm pretty smart, but sometimes electronically challenged. However, the Legend is very easy to use, the user's manual is easy to read and the instructions are very clear.

1.1k · October 28, 2005

i'd go w/geko 101...as basic and simple andas cheap as possible...love mine!

No go with the Garmin Etex Yellow, The Geko 101 does not allow you to download waypoints which your eventually want to do, typically after you misenter your first cache waypoint and end up in the middle of a building, LOL. So the Yellow is a good choice.

cheers

October 30, 2005

I'll thow my vote in for the etrex yellow, I've seen a few of them and they are easy to use.

October 30, 2005

We did it! I got the Etrex Legend and manually entered 5 waypoints last night. Surprised the kids with it this morning (my 9yr old daughter is now involved also, lol) and we went caching today. 2 finds, 1 dnf, 1 too many people around to look for and 1 find but it was all over the path (not sure how to log that one actually). This was so much fun and the kids had a blast! They really wanted to trade for items but we didn't bring anything because I wasn't sure how this would go over. Next time we'll have our items ready :santa:

They chose our new team name " The Zodiac Pack" (which there is actually 6 of us. 2 moms, 4 kids) The Legend is very easy to learn and use and I had the swing of it within the 1st hour. Thanks to all of you for the great advice & info! :santa:

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