Your Gps History?

[+jacobsen1]

OK, so I know I'm new here on this site, but I've been using GPS (and loran) for quite a while... We started on my parents boat back in 1989 with a loran and then upgraded as newer technology became available. Being sailors, the +-100 meters was better than nothing. Also back during the gulf wars it was nice when they juiced up the signals... Anyway, I figured I'd start a thread to see where others are comming from...

 

Also when I got my new GPSr (GPSMAP 76) I was a bit surprised by the terminology they use now... No COG or SOG, but at least VMG is still there... These things are much more user friendly, but hard if you are used to the old terminology, trying to adjust. All our marine specific units still have COG, and SOG and the whole 9, so I was a bit surprised by the "layman's terms" but have adjusted...

 

I'm "only" 27 but I have been using GPS/loran for a while (16 years) considering my age.

Ben

[Hugh Jazz]

My first GPS was a Garmin 12XL, long before geocaching was invented, bought to use while hiking. I've been a Garmin head ever since. eTrex vista lasted through two units and now I'm using a GPSMAP 60CS. I think my samsung A760 cellphone has a GPS chip in it too but who knows how the heck to use it?

 

I think in the future there will be a GPS chip embedded in everything. You won't be able to take a photo, make a phone call, or buy a cup of coffee without the GPS chip calculating your precise location.

[+NoLemon]

My first GPSr was a Magellan Trailblazer XL which I purchased in 1997 to use on camping trips. Link I liked the widescreen display but it was a bit bulky compared to current models. I still have it and it may still work -- though the display is shot. Used it for geocaching in my pre-online-logging days.

 

Next was a Garmin eTrex Legend. It was a great unit, perfect size and rugged for a consumer grade product. The screen went out on the first one about month after the unit was out of warranty. Garmin replaced the unit with a refurb anyway at no cost. I used this for the next 733 finds. Now it sits on the dash of the truck and is used in conjunction with M$ S&T for real-time tracking.

 

Current GPSr is a Garmin 60C, which I've had for just about 3 months. I'm very happy with this unit. The color display is great; reception seems to be exceptional. It has more buttons that the Legend and I'm still not quite used to the different menus and user interface.

[+New England n00b]

Still ony my first GPS, a Garmin eTrex Legend. Got it for hiking, googled for modifications (never did any, but I like tinkering) and wound up here on gc.com. Used it for geocaching more than hiking.

 

No regrets. Might upgrade next year, dunno. It still serves me quite well. If I do upgrade, it's a lock to be a Garmin (no pun intended).

[+olbluesguy]

My first unit was a Magellan Trailblazer .

 

After reading the original post I just had to dig it out and put batteries in it to see if it still worked.

As I remembered, the opening screen gave its birth date which is 1994.

 

Bought originally for hunting, fishing, and hiking it had served me well.

From Hunting the Great north woods of Maine to Fishing hidden trout waters in the Adirondacks.

Back then I even fished on lakes in Canada that probably were never fished at night because of the dangerous boulders and hidden snags.

 

I was always overwhelmed by the notion that this little gadget that I held in my hand gave me more navigational expertise than Magellan, Columbus, Lewis and Clarke and all the great navigators before me

Rolled up in one.

Wow isn't Technology great.

[+tankboy]

"My" first GPS'r was a Trimble Scout, which actually belonged to the U.S. Army. That was in the early/mid 90's. Then I upgraded to the PLGR. I got tired of the Army being so possessive about their toys and bought my own in 2003, a Garmin E-Trex Venture. Specifically to try this "geocaching" thing I'd stumbled across on the WWW. It worked well. Then a buddy got the Vista, the map feature of which I suddenly could not live without. Then I managed to misplace the Vista - seems to me I loaned it to someone, but that someone swears I didn't. His memory being slightly worse than mine, it's anybodys guess. I suspect it'll turn up in his house one of these days, and he'll sheepishly sneak it back into my locker at work.

Currently using my brand spankie new Garmin GPSMAP 60cs. I don't miss the Vista at all.

Edited November 3, 2005 by tankboy

[+carleenp]

I asked for a GPS for Christmas in 2001 and got a Magellan 315. It served me well for some time. I now have a Garmin V, which I like quite a bit. I have considered moving up to a color screen GPS, but the ones out there have various things that make me pause at wanting one. So far I am very happy with my current GPS.

[+shawhh]

got a garmin 12xl to back up compass and charts on a canoe trip to the everglades back in 98. wound up not needing it, but it was comforting to know it was there. used it very little until geocaching appreared in 2001. now own 3 garmins: the 12xl (still the best at getting and holding signal), a 76s (used the most now. love the mapping), and a foretrex 101 (for when i'm in a minimalist mode). -harry

[+Renegade Knight]

Started with a GPS V, still have a GPS V. There are nicer GPS's but...Like Carleen nothing has made me want to upgrade yet.

[+jackratt]

We had an old Garmin E-trex at work which was used occasionally for coordinates for new water wells we installed. I read an article in the paper about Geocaching and it took 6 months before the well crew got their GPSr back. I finally went with a Garmin Vista C and I was amazed at the difference in accuracy.

[GeoVet]

My buddy bought a Nissan X-Terra and was offered 2 choices as options: 1) a mountain bike or 2) Garmin emap. He goes over 300lbs so he took the emap and gave it to me when he couldn't (wouldn't) figure it out. Lucky me. No reason to upgrade either.

[+wolfmaster]

I bought a Garmin E-Map back in 1997 or 98. I liked it then and I like it now. I don't know what I'd get if this one broke. I was caching a few weeks ago and set it on a rock as I searched for the cache. I came back to the rock and it was gone. I looked all over not remembering if I picked it up and put it in my pocket as I searched. I back-tracked every where I thought I was at least three three times. This was deep woods in a heavy rock formation. Finally I went back to where I laid it and searched some more. It has slipped off my backpack and slid under the rock. Thank goodness I found it. The whole while I was searching, I was wondering if I could replace it from E-Bay. I keep much better track of it now []

[+vulture19]

I was a Navy Quartemaster in the mid-80's, so I got to play with NAVSAT, LORAN, and that other LORAN thing that I can't quite remember.

 

Got my first GPS in 2003/4?, a Magellan Sportrak Map specifically for GC'ing. That got stolen out of my luggage in Mexico City last year. I held off buying anything for a bit, being winter in the Northeast. Bought a Garmin Ique M5 for my travel and the PDA, but really have had nothing but problems with it. It also isn;t any good for GC'ing, so when I bought a portable unit, I got an eTrex Legend. I really would have preferred a Magellan, but I already had Mapsource and the deal I got gave me Topo.

[Lesbaru]

eTrex Yellow. It was expensive enough for my budget, and simple enough for me to use. The salesdude really wanted me to buy a Legend or Vista, and i was really tempted, but reality set in. I have no regrets, though. It has been dependable and has survived being handled by my kid and his friends. It's accurate enough for the easy caching we do. And it is awfully cute...

[Team Sidewinder]

I used a Garmin 12XL in 97 or 98 for use for finding my way back to the truck after hunting. I even used it for geocaching when I fell upon the web site by accident one day in 01. I have since passed on the 12XL to one of my sons but I doubt he ever uses it. Like your first love you never forget your first gps.

 

Team sidewinder

[+Team Lazarus]

I bought a Magellan attachment for my PalmVx a couple of years ago. It was marked down to $19.99 at CompUSA. After a while, it just took too long to grab a 3D fix. I still have it. I was bitten by the geobug this Summer and bought a Magellan Meridian Marine. I like the larger screen, the SD expansion for maps and the spacing between the buttons for my large hand. I still search pawn shops for the next one, but for now, I like the Meriblue.

[+wadel]

Still using the same Garmin 12 I got in 99. Some of my caching buddies make fun of my relic but I have 2 other caching friends that still use 12's.

[+Blaidd-Drwg]

I also started with a Garmin 12, moved up to a Yellow Etrex, then onto a Vista, and now I've got what I consider the best of the best, a GPSMAP 60CS. I love the long batterylife and it works fairly well under overhead cover.

[+Thrak]

I never held or even saw a GPSr until August 8, 2005. That's when my GPSMAP 76CS arrived in the mail. 20 minutes later I was out after my first cache and about 10 minutes after that I was sitting on a log goggling at all the stuff I'd found in an ammo can hidden in a hollow tree.

 

I must have thought it was fun because I have averaged 50 caches per month for these first 3 months. Not as many as some but hey, I work full time!

[+Pablo Mac]

My first exposure to GPS was while I was doing land survey work. I strapped on a backpack wired to a 2-meter antenna pole, and they set me out into a hundred-acre field to find a survey tack the size of a pencil eraser placed in the ground months before. I found it and set the tip at the bottom of the pole into the dimple in the tack. The virtual plumb bubble on the GPS data collector helped me plumb the antenna, as I stood by in disbelief. Land Survey-Grade GPS ROCKS!

[+W7WT]

My first GPS was a Garmin 45. I use to get coordinates from aeronautical maps and then make routes from the waypoints. I still have it and it still works. With an external non-amplifing antenna it did fairly well. Tried it on my first geocaching adventure and it was no good in the heavy tree cover. Went the same day and bought a Magellan MAP 330. Then I bought the f irst model of the Garmin Street Pilot. Next was a Garmin 76S that my wife uses and in the Land Cruiser set on the compass page pointing to the cache coordinates. Wanted to go paperless so bought a Garmin iQue which still does a great job of routing and going paperless.

Bought myself a 76C which is great for routing as well as looking for the cache. Bought two Foretrex 101s for my Grandson and Granddaughter. Liked it so well that I bought one for myself. I just like GPSs. Dick, W7WT

[+Team Silver]

First GPS was a Garmin etrex Legend C...thought that it did a pretty good job. thought that it would be better to have a faster model with a new, cool, better? antenna for faster sat acquisition and tracking under trees...bought a Garmin GPS 60...a total waste...i thought maybe if i bought a higher end one that the tracking would be better and still not lose reception under heavy tree cover...bought a Garmin GPSmap 60...just as crappy as the GPS 60...so i use the etrex Legend C everywhere i go and am trying to pawn the other two because i am totally dissapointed in their performance. to bad i couldnt get a GPS to track like the Legend with the hardware layout of the GPS 60/map 60 series...i could fall to the middle of the earth and the Legend would still not lose reception...God bless the Legend..it was named appropriately!

[+reveritt]

I used Loran A over 30 years ago when I was a fisherman (briefly). I used Loran C when I had a sailboat, but bought my first GPS (a Garmin) about 10-11 years ago for marine use. I used it for geocaching when I first started, but soon upgraded to a Magellan Sporttrack Pro.

[+Team Red Oak]

I have a friend named Luke who is in the Air Force and this guy is such a gadget freak. He always has the newest thing. We were living in Germany, I don't remember which year but it would have been 2000 or 2001 and I saw Luke and he just had to show me his newest toy. It was a GPSr. I have no idea what kind it was but he walked with me and showed me how the thing tracked where we were going and how it made a line on the screen so we could back track and we wouldn't get lost.

 

I saw absolutely no point in the GPSr thing and I told him I could use a map so I wouldn't get lost and if I truly didn't know where I was I could just ask someone. Poor guy, I really think I had burst his bubble. But I really saw no point in this silly thing.

 

Fast forward to 2004 I was looking for a map of a state park in Florida when I found gc.com accidently. Looks like fun but we need a GPSr. Hah we could never afford one. I was pretty sure Luke told me his was something like $500.00 or more. I told the hubby about the game and forgot about it. A few months later I stumbled on the site yet again and mentioned it to the hubby.

 

So as a gift I received a Garmin etrex Legend in May 05. I love it, have no other use for it besides caching, so I can't see upgrading. It came with some basic map software on it so no need to purchase any.

[n0wae]

My first GPS was a Garmin GPS100 which I purchased in 1992 for the small sum of $1,350. Most people back then never heard of GPS and the units were very expensive. I had a hobby of mapping 4WD roads and just had to have this new technology. The first GPS units didn't have a built in map base display. The GPS100 only had a Long/Lat display that I used with Topo Maps. I had to prepare my map borders with the Long/Lat marks hand drawn in every 10 seconds. The unit also took 2 to 6 minutes to acquire the satellites!

 

My second GPS was a Garmin 2+ and my third is a Garmin V which is now mounted in my jeep. My current handheld is a Garmin GPSMAP 76S that I use for Geocaching and hiking. GPS has come a long way and It's been fun watching and experiencing it's evolution.

[+Pablo Mac]

...bought my first GPS (a Garmin) about 10-11 years ago for marine use.  I used it for geocaching when I first started, but soon upgraded to a Magellan Sporttrack Pro.

A lot of us here wouldn't exactly call that an upgrade.

[QuigleyJones]

Im still using the garmin yellow that I got in 2001 though I never started caching untill this year.

[+Indotguy]

Garmin Etrex ---> Magellan Gold ---> iFINDER H20 (the Gold died and was replaced with a second-hand Magellan Meridian from Ebay as a backup) One must have a backup. The Etrex is now a backup for the backup...

[+BlueGerbil]

I bought a used Garmin II+ from a friend when I got my first jeep back in 2000. The same year I started looking for Degree Confluence Points. The II+ worked good for me.

 

When the Display of my II+ begins to show errors in September 2004 I bought a used Garm etrex @ ebay for about 6 weeks. I sold it for more then I paid for it and got me a GPSMAP 276c, which I use for caching, confluencing and street navigation. I plan on getting a 60cs or 76cs just for caching and as backup

Edited November 9, 2005 by BlueGerbil

[+W4G_SOTAGoat]

My first was an Appolo Precedus which I used when flying. It was THE thing back then. Full Jeppeson charts, 10 nearest airports at the push of a button, runway extension, airspace warnings, etc.