I Have To Ask.

[+limp and saw mill]

I have just started doing this caching thing and am loving it. I have been using my older (about 3 or 4 years old) Garmin GPS 12 and it seems to be doing fine. My question is are the newer WAAS Garmins really that much better? I am such a cheap skate that it is hard for me to drop money on an upgrade without some sort of input from others with much more experience. Thanks in advance for any help.

[+Pasha]

I found my first couple hundred caches with a GPS12; I still keep it in my pack as a backup to the backup. I know a couple locals who still use their 12 preferentially over more modern units, but they're also curmudgeonly types.

 

The biggest difference I noticed when upgrading to an eTrex Legend and then a GPS60C (and then a Globalsat BT338) is the ability of the unit to keep a solid lock on satellites in conditions that are not conducive to same - in the woods or the canyons of a big city... my 12 will lose its lock and any semblance of knowing where it's at with very little prompting, and each newer generation that I've purchased does this better. The BT338 has a lock on 9 satellites and a positional error of ~14' right now in the basement of my house, which is about 9 more satellites than any of the others will lock up down here.

 

If the majority of your caching is in more open areas, and you don't need the routing and reception abilities of a newer gadget, (and you aren't subject to the sort of techno-lust that prompts most of my purchases), then I see no reason to upgrade from what will allow you to find 98% of the caches out there.

Edited April 12, 2006 by Pasha

[+Kayak Kouple]

I used my GPS 12 to cache for about a year....I did very well with it & I liked it ...but then I updated to a 60CS & have not regreted it at all ...I love the autorouting & color .....if u can afford it I'd recommend a 60CX ...but just my opinion

[+limp and saw mill]

Man what a response already. Thanks. I was actually looking at the Legend or the basic GPS 60 for an upgrade. Both should be well under $200. Another reason I am a little shy about upgrading is I can ue the GPS 12 with my eyes closed. I hate to learn another unit all over again.....

[+Pasha]

Well, I really found that a Garmin is a Garmin. There's a few new functions to learn, and of course the buttons are in different places, but the software on the 60C grew out of the software on the GPS12 et al. Learning to use my Legend as competently as the 12 took all of 30 minutes, and learning the 60C about 5 minutes. That shouldn't really be a concern, I don't think.

[+Miragee]

I got my first GPSr last year, but after I saw how wonderful the auto-routing feature was on my friend's Garmin GPS Map60CS, I upgraded from the Vista to the Vista C.

 

My Vista C also gets a lock much more quickly than the other unit.

 

If you can afford it, I think you will be very happy with the features of the new color units.

[+Sputnik 57]

I started with a 12. They are rock steady units and very dependable. I then upgraded to a 60C.

 

The main drawback to the 12 compared to modern GPSrs is that the distance to the cache is listed in miles, and the resolution is .01 miles (52.8 feet). That was fine when selective availablity was turned on, but is pretty rough now. Of course, you can switch to the satellite page and walk until your coordinates match those of the cache, but it isn't an elegant solution.

 

Other differences between the 12 and, say, a regular Legend: Legend offers longer battery life on 2 AAs, lighter, maps instead of just a trail, better screen resolution, and WAAS accuracy.

 

You can drive a Willey's Jeep or a new Range Rover in the back country. They both get you there, but Range Rover makes the travels more comfortable.

[+CheshireFrog]

You can drive a Willey's Jeep or a new Range Rover in the back country. They both get you there, but Range Rover makes the travels more comfortable.

 

And when you get that monster Range Rover stuck, there's usually a Jeep somewhere nearby to winch you out.

Edited April 12, 2006 by CheshireFrog

[+LandRover]

You can drive a Willey's Jeep or a new Range Rover in the back country. They both get you there, but Range Rover makes the travels more comfortable.

 

And when you get that monster Range Rover stuck, there's usually a Jeep somewhere nearby to winch you out.

A winch! Only a wuss would need a winch.

[+Renegade Knight]

I leave WAAS turned off on my GPS. It can make things more accurate, but it's not vital.

[+limp and saw mill]

Well I went and did it anyway. I ordered a Garmin Gps 60. I really don't need the map stuff but I do hope this unit will keep a better lock and be a little more accurate than the GPS 12 I am using now. Heck it is just $150. They are making more money everyday.