What would you buy and why?

[+carolnbarney]

 

Well folks, there is a new GPS in my near future. My birthday is next month. My wife asked me this morning what I wanted and I told her money toward a new GPS. She said OK. We have an 8 year old grandson that she thinks would enjoy it too which may have helped. I'll take it.

 

So my question to you folks is this. What GPS would you buy and why? I realize there is a wide range of prices here. I'm probably not necessarity looking at the cheapest, but certainly not the most expensive either.

 

I looked this week at Circuit City and they had three handhelds. They had the yellow Etrex for $99, the blue Etrex Legend for $149, and the Magellan 210 for $149. I'd like to stay in that $150 range if possible, but wouldn't rule out a "little bit" higher. So in an effort to get the most and, best I can for my available amount, I"d appreciate your telling me what you would suggest and why. I value your experience and knowledge.

 

Thanks

[+jimear1e]

My advice would be to wait a little if you have a working GPSr. Electronics have such a low resale value and inevitably you will want to upgrade.

 

I started with an Explorist 200 and then bought a Legend; a very short time passed before I purchased a Garmin 76Cx.

 

I do have a Magellan Explorist 200 and a Garmin Legend for sale CHEAP!!!

[+Fhantazm]

From my findings and several others, My opinion is to stay as far away from the b&w Legand as you can(The Legend C works great tho). It would loose its signal sitting on top of the satellite. I think given your price range, the 210 would be your best bet. Great reception and a wealth of features aimed and GC.

NOTE: I just found a Garmin Legend C refurb on amazon for $179 that may be worth looking into.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002MQ74...ce&n=172282

Edited August 19, 2006 by Fhantazm

[SandyGarrity]

The first question you need to ask is WHY do I need this?

 

Once you have that one sorted out then you can start your quest.

 

As a Mountain Navigator the GARMIN 60MAPCXs was the natural choice.

 

I get a map to compair with the really good maps the UK Ordance Survey provide and I get a second compass and altimiter.

[+BlueDeuce]

From my findings and several others, My opinion is to stay as far away from the b&w Legand as you can(The Legend C works great tho)

 

The Standard Legend is still the best basic no frills geocaching GPS around. Legend C as been discontinued probably due to the Legend Cx but as for that model

 

Garmin Etrex Legend Cx, Is not giving accurate readings

 

However to answer the OP questions I think if you are going to spend the money you should go with a colored unit. 60cx? eh maybe too high. You should probably be looking at a magellan

[+Fhantazm]

Thus the reason I reccomended the Legend C and not the Cx. The same GPS minus the removable storage and the current headaches. As far as the B&W Legend being the "best BASIC no frills geocaching GPS around", I'm just going to smile and walk away.

 

From my findings and several others, My opinion is to stay as far away from the b&w Legand as you can(The Legend C works great tho)

 

The Standard Legend is still the best basic no frills geocaching GPS around. Legend C as been discontinued probably due to the Legend Cx but as for that model

 

Garmin Etrex Legend Cx, Is not giving accurate readings

 

Edited August 19, 2006 by Fhantazm

[+carolnbarney]

and the current headaches. As far as the B&W Legend being the "best no frills geocaching GPS around", I'm just going to smile and walk away.

 

[

 

Why??

[+Fhantazm]

Well, I actually had the B&W Legend for about 5 months. Tried using for pretty much everything from road navigation (no autorouting tho) to hiking, to geocaching. And saw it consistantly loose signal even under nothing but cloud cover. I have a close friend that I geocache with and he pretty much stopped geocaching until he could get another unit. He ended up taking the Legend back and buying a basic eTrex yellow, which mysteriously did a better job, until he got his 60csx. I have also talked to at least 5 other people VERY dissatisfied with their B&W Legends. They are great little units otherwise, but unfortunately signal reception is the ONE thing that makes or breaks a GPS. The Legend color I linked you too earlier was a GREAT unit for me, however.

 

and the current headaches. As far as the B&W Legend being the "best no frills geocaching GPS around", I'm just going to smile and walk away.

 

[

 

Why??

[+BlueDeuce]

As far as the B&W Legend being the "best no frills geocaching GPS around", I'm just going to smile and walk away.

 

Best basic no frills geocaching GPS. Quote me correctly please.

[+Fhantazm]

Fixed. Feel better?

 

As far as the B&W Legend being the "best no frills geocaching GPS around", I'm just going to smile and walk away.

 

Best basic no frills geocaching GPS. Quote me correctly please.

[penguinluvr]

and the current headaches. As far as the B&W Legend being the "best no frills geocaching GPS around", I'm just going to smile and walk away.

 

[

 

Why??

 

I actually bought the b/w legend - two days ago. Returned it yesterday to the store for a magellan eXplorist 400

 

Like someone mentioned the legend would not be able to find the location if it were on top of the satellite is exactly it. Not to mention it is obviously low end, has a serial port not usb, no expandable memory.

 

Until 2 days ago I never even held a gps - honestly didn't really know why one would have one. Then I went to the store told the guy I wanted a good beginner model for camping and geocaching. He said the best model price wise and quality was the legend. Was he wrong. At home I had to use the windows machine to connect to computer. I had to stand in the street to get the satellite signal.

 

I returned the machine and bought the magellan - it was $100 more (I bought the bundle with the software, a sd card, and a case) but is about $1000 better. I am sitting in my bedroom at the computer playing with it - the strength is that good. It is very accurate and easy to use. It also can be used with the direct route software which I bought and it is great. Very accurate.

 

It is much easier to use the buttons at the bottom of the unit than at the top and sides too.

[+GSVNoFixedAbode]

I strongly suspect the YMMV* note is needed here! I had an etrex Legend for 18 months beofre moving to a 60CS last year. I still far prefer the ergonomics of the little Legend, and apart from colour Topo maps, it has a clearer screen.

 

I've never had a problem with reception on the Legend. The CS is faster no question but the Legend served me well!

 

Cheers,

G.

*Your Milage May Vary for those who may be wondering

[+bigdog999]

I've had the basic etrex, the etrex legend, a GPSMAP 60C, and shortly a Magellan 500. The older b&w etrex line has a lot of signal reception problems. I've found quite a lot of caches with the 60c, but that was living with its signal shortcomings. If I had the money, I would have upgraded to the 60cx for the new chipset and extended memory storage. I was able to get the 500 on ebay for 165 plus S&H. If the reception is as good as they say, it should be a good unit. Check on ebay, you might end up with a better buy. I also bought my 60c online originally.

[+CheshireFrog]

I actually bought the b/w legend - two days ago. Returned it yesterday to the store for a magellan eXplorist 400

 

Good choice. I would have suggested the 400 had I seen this thread earlier.

 

Like someone mentioned the legend would not be able to find the location if it were on top of the satellite is exactly it. Not to mention it is obviously low end, has a serial port not usb, no expandable memory.

 

I have a Legend to back up my 60CSx, and it's still a great receiver, although it's not worth the $149 you said Circuit City is asking for it. Before knocking too hard on it, look at it's age. When it was introduced ALL port enabled GPSr's were serial, and none of them had expandable memory. While it can't hold a candle to my 60CSx, I don't have any reception problems with mine. Still, you made the right decision.

 

It is much easier to use the buttons at the bottom of the unit than at the top and sides too.

 

I've had an Etrex Yellow, Etrex Legend, Legend Cx, Magellan MeriGold and 60CSx. I don't have any problem going back and forth between buttons on the side and the bottom. The only placement I don't like is above the screen, a la 76CSx, but that's just personal preference.

[+resqroz]

My Explorist 600 was just stolen and I replaced it with a 500 that I bought from Amazon for 199. It receives pretty well even on mountain tops full of radios. I like the SD card. Even though I don't have any maps I like that I can store zillions of geocache waypoints. I find it pretty easy to use but I have been using the 600 for over a year.

[appletree]

Consider the original Garmin Quest. Because it lacks some non-essential features of newer models, the price is very low (about $315 new) and that includes the current version of the road mapping software. It autoroutes quickly and well with voice guidance, color screen, USB interface, large memory, included long-lasting LiIon battery, mounting hardware and cables. For caching or other hand-held use, it is very small and light, waterproof, and easy to use. It gets good reception with its flip-up antenna, but is much better if you add a small, light external antenna (extra but cheap). With the antenna on my hat or collar, I never lose signal, even in deep forest cover.

 

I would never want to be without a voice-guiding, auto-routing GPSR in the car, and for now, the Quest and Quest 2 are the only such units on the market that are also well suited to hand-held use and geocaching.

[+gpsblake]

Either the B&W Legend or 210 will make for an excellent geocaching GPS. If you are mainly going to use it for geocaching, the 210 has a USB connection while the B&W legend has a serial connection. But if you are not going to be buying mapping software, this isn't a a big deal. If you do plan on buying mapping software, you want USB. it's also a big deal if your computer doesn't have a serial port although you can buy a USB to serial connector.

 

I prefer the Garmin series of GPS units because I mainly use them for recording data about my bike rides and the Magellans simply lack the data I am looking for like AVG MOVING SPEED, TOTAL MOVING SPEED etc.

 

The Yellow Etrex works fine for geocaching also but it doesn't come with the serial cable. In fact, any GPS unit works fine for geocaching.

[+briansnat]

$149 is high for the Legend, but I often see it for $119. Its a fine unit that works well under tree cover if used properly. I used my Legend for a few years under the very heavy leaf canopy in the northeast and rarely lost a lock. It is much more sensitive to positioning than other units and has to be held flat, face up to the sky at all times to get best reception, but as long as you do that, you should not have reception issues.

 

That said, if the Legend and eXplorist 210 are the same price, I'd go with the 210. It has more memory and is not as sensitive to positioning.

 

Not to confuse things more, but one unit that you really should consider in that price range is the Lowrance iFinder H20 (or H20 Plus). The iFinder H20 is an excellent unit with outstanding reception and is the only unit in that price range with expandible memory. You can find the basic iFinder H20 for around $135, but for around $210 you can get the plus package, which includes mapping software, memory card and a card reader. Its a very good deal.

 

Keep in mind that even with the Legend or eXplorist you'd need to shell out another $90 to $130 for the mapping software to get the most out of the unit. If you add in the cost of the mapping software to all these units, the iFinder H20 starts looking really good.

[+EScout]

I prefer the Garmin series of GPS units because I mainly use them for recording data about my bike rides and the Magellans simply lack the data I am looking for like AVG MOVING SPEED, TOTAL MOVING SPEED etc.

 

The eXplorists have two customizable fields each on two pages, the compass and map pages. These include: Speed (current speed), Avg Speed, and Max Speed. They do not have the moving speed field.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I'm enclosing my standard advice.

 

From what I have read I am convinced the Magellan Platinum is superior to the newer units. I have used them for years and currently have 4 , 2 of which I got on ebay. They have a 3 axis compass, sd card slot, sunken-large screen, wonderfull operating buttons, quad-helix antenna all of which the new ones lack ( some have some features, but not all) The Mapsend software works great with these.....I'm including a list which may be of use to you......it was posted by a couple of us on our states website. You can get these on EBAY with extras.

 

LIST OF USUFULL GEOCACHING ITEMS

I can’t say that mine is better than any other because I have only used 1 other. But my Magellan Meridian Color with Mapsend Software gets the job done. I can carry the whole Southeast US on my 500 mb sd card and have plenty of room for more. That includes dirt and gravel roads. Last summer, I lead a column of cars carrying 19 people across the Florida countryside in the middle of the night for 4 hours, and I did it from the rear of the column via CB radio. Missing signs were not a problem. That’s real-time mapping capability in a practical application. Superior signal stability under harsh conditions, etc, etc. So Watcha, what kind of Magellan are you using? And what did you do to provoke it?

 

Doggy is right.......again.

Bamette and I each use a Meridian Platinum ( Magellan) with Directroute Software and I have a Platinum for a spare. With the SD card capability you can store maps, lists of caches, etc. ( an immense amount) and you also have an electronic compass, big screen, easy to use buttons, and maintain a lock under heavy canopy for hours. I also have two Garmins but the Platinums are the way to go.

Grab you a couple of Palms on ebay, download spinner and plucker, and you're good to go. On a cross country trip you could load dozens of spinner files ( one for each city?) on your Magellans SD card and use plucker to put each one on your Palm, charge your batteries, and you're ready for weeks of caching ( you can also get the Platinum GPS on ebay w/ lots of extras for about $150.).

 

A convenient holster will give you a place to carry and protect your gpsr. A PDA holster will do the same for your PDA. An adaptor for your cig lighter will stretch your batteries life. A probe will help you avoid biting varmints. A mirror with an intense pocket flashlight will get you past those out-of-sighters. I like to use a lensatic compass for precision. I also use a wrist compass clipped to my watchband for qlance orientation. That’s just on the weekends of course. I like it so much that I’m looking for 2 more, one for my dress watch and the other for my son. I guess they’re out of season? If you are really loaded for bear, bring along a metal detector. If the cache has a coin in it or is made of metal, it will give you the edge. I guess that’s about it. I’m not saying I do that. It’s an interesting thought though

 

To add to the geocache tool list you must buy a top of the line MAHA battery charger ( I use three) and a supply of MAHA POWERX Ni MH batteries .....these are the best made ( don't take my word for it, look it up ) then you will have plenty of batteries for your digital camera ( my wife and I each carry one), GPS unit, flashlights etc.

For a small , powerfull flashlight you can't beat a Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax ( 5 blinding watts of LED driven by two 3 volt lithium batteries.....the batteries are $15 for a box of twelve and have a 10 year shelf life....kind of pricy but well worth it...will light up the woods.

I don't know if the most important thing was mentioned....a good walking stick. Local cachers and special guests can get one free at the View Carre' cache.......don't leave your car without your stick.

Also a small pocket screwdriver for digging out micro logs and other probing.

AND DON’T FORGET TO BRING A PENCIL.

LIST From Above :

 

1. Magellan Meridian Platinum GPS Unit + Belt Holster (EBAY- If you will have a regular partner , get two )

2. Palm M500 PDA and case ( ebay- buy an extra for backup )

3. 12” metal probe for searching tree cavities etc. for micro caches

4. 2 “ or 3” extension mirror

5. Small, intense flashlight ( Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax )

6. Pencil

7. Sharpie ( Fine Point)

8. Cotton Gloves

9. Pocket Screwdriver

10. Walking stick

11. Plastimo Iris 50 Hand Bearing Compass ( Great for offset caches)

12. C401FSDC MAHA NiMH Battery Charger

13. Maha 2500 mAh NiMH PowerX AA Batteries (GPS,camera,flashlights,etc. )

14. Digital Camera

15. Access to computer w/ internet connection ( premium membership in geocaching.com is best )

 

INFORMATION ON PAPERLESS CACHING

 

I got started with step by step info. I got from the Florida Geocaching website and I keep copies here at my View Carre' cache to hand out to others. I am not hi tech and can't quite use my cell phone but this guide is can't miss. If you can't find it email me and I can fax it to you.

 

http://www.floridageocaching.com/paperless.htm = step by step instructions.