GPS for both car navigation and geocaching

[+kdv]

Hi there,

 

I was wondering if there are any GPS'es around that can be used for both car nvigation and geocaching. I assume they exist, but I don't know what to look for in the spec sheets. Do all car navigators only accept street addresses as input or also satellite coordinates preferably in a N .... W..... format. From another discussion here I seem to understand that the Garmin Quest ofers both? I could get an interesting deal on a Nuvi 320, but I suppose it's not suitable for geocaching. Basically, I need to know what to look for in spec sheets. I would be looking for either a removable car navigator that accepts satellite coordinates, or a handheld GPS with maps and voice prompts... Mission impossible?

 

Thanks for any feedback!

 

Katja

[+Scoobmaster]

Hi there!

 

It appears that you are looking for EXACTLY what i was looking for in a GPSr - one that can do turn-by-turn voice propted vehicular navigation, perform autorouting, have the ability to use removeable memory cards, load custom maps, and be small yet rugged enough to take out in the field for Geocaching.

 

The "holy grail" of "best-bang-for-your-buck" multi-purpose GPSrs.............

 

I searched ALL over cyberspace (including this forum) and found only ONE unit that attempted this by design: The Lowrance iWay 100M. The bad news: it is discontinued. The good news: you can still order remaining stock from vendors at a fantastic price (I JUST bought mine - for $139 shipped!) that includes the GPSr unit, 12 power supply/speaker unit, 128MB MMC card, RAM mounting kit, and Mapcreate 6.3 turn-by-turn mapping software (covers U.S. and Canada).

 

It is not "perfect" by any means. MANY GPSrs do auto navigation better. MANY GPSrs perform geocaching better. HOWEVER, it is pretty darn good at *BOTH* ( a claim very few, if any others can make).

 

It is a B&W screen (but a VERY good crisp and clear one) and lacks the "compass rose" (navigation screen) that many geocachers like to use. I am able to use it for geocaching just fine by using the map screen though, works like a charm. Search these forums for "Lowrance iWay 100M" for inormation in many posts (some mine). I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Good luck on your search! Remember, the "BEST" GPSr is the one that YOU will like, does everything YOU want, and fits in YOUR budget!

[+thefiveofus]

Hi there,

 

I was wondering if there are any GPS'es around that can be used for both car nvigation and geocaching. I assume they exist, but I don't know what to look for in the spec sheets. Do all car navigators only accept street addresses as input or also satellite coordinates preferably in a N .... W..... format. From another discussion here I seem to understand that the Garmin Quest ofers both? I could get an interesting deal on a Nuvi 320, but I suppose it's not suitable for geocaching. Basically, I need to know what to look for in spec sheets. I would be looking for either a removable car navigator that accepts satellite coordinates, or a handheld GPS with maps and voice prompts... Mission impossible?

 

Thanks for any feedback!

 

Katja

 

how important are the voice prompts to you? I use the 60csx for both, and I think it's excellent..very usable for driving and very good form factor / durability for outdoor use. I take it everywhere and it's indispensible.

 

pure auto units will do more - voice, bluetooth connection to phone, landscape / larger display, but I've had no issues with the 60csx, and when I go hiking / camping / geocaching, or just walking around in a new town, it's superberb.

 

auto routing is good, lots of POIs, find by address, etc.

 

just a suggestion.

[+kdv]

 

how important are the voice prompts to you?

Voice prompts are not essential, but aren't they the only safe way of using a car navigator, at least when travelling alone? How do you use it safely if you have to watch the screen all the time? Or ho do you use it exactly?

[+kdv]

 

I searched ALL over cyberspace (including this forum) and found only ONE unit that attempted this by design: The Lowrance iWay 100M. T

Sounds good! I'll do some research for sure. Specifically I would need to know if European maps are available too, since I am located in Italy...

[Jeepstr]

Hi there,

 

I was wondering if there are any GPS'es around that can be used for both car nvigation and geocaching. I assume they exist, but I don't know what to look for in the spec sheets. Do all car navigators only accept street addresses as input or also satellite coordinates preferably in a N .... W..... format. From another discussion here I seem to understand that the Garmin Quest ofers both? I could get an interesting deal on a Nuvi 320, but I suppose it's not suitable for geocaching. Basically, I need to know what to look for in spec sheets. I would be looking for either a removable car navigator that accepts satellite coordinates, or a handheld GPS with maps and voice prompts... Mission impossible?

 

Thanks for any feedback!

 

Katja

There is in the Toyota FJ Cruiser they have a garmin gps that comes out and can be used for stuff other than directions, like GEOCACHING

[Birdman 1]

 

how important are the voice prompts to you?

Voice prompts are not essential, but aren't they the only safe way of using a car navigator, at least when travelling alone? How do you use it safely if you have to watch the screen all the time? Or ho do you use it exactly?

 

I also have the GPSMAP 60CSx and use it in my truck. You do not have to watch the screen all the time. It beeps as you approach a turn and then beeps again as you get to the turn. I keep it in the bean bag mount and sit it on the dash or on top of the cup holders and plug it into the power point. Real easy to look over and see what my next turn is when it beeps.

[+Sputnik 57]

If you want voice prompts for car navigation in a Garmin handheld that can be used for caching, your best bet is the Garmin Quest (or Quest 2). I got my directionally-challenged daughter a Quest for Christmas last year. It gets her around Houston with flawless voice prompted turn-by-turn directions, and she and her husband use it for caching as well.

 

 

All units offer trade-offs. The Quest does an outstanding job of balancing full automotive functions with good hand-held durability and portability.

[+apersson850]

I've tried the "one unit for all" concept, but it's much better to have one car navigator and another when you go bushwhacking.

[+Seedillume]

I want a car nav, and handheld nav, and PDA all rolled into one unit. Also, I want it to have all of the same features and perform as well as their standalone counterparts.

Edited October 18, 2006 by Seedillume

[+space_man]

i have my 60cx that i use for everything. Using a bike mount i even use on my motorcycle and it works great. Its not like you need to watch it all the time. But i could see where a unit for a car might be better if you drive alot and need to use it all the time. But if you need one once in a while a 60cx would be great. Just my one cent worth.

 

Alex

[+kdv]

I want a car nav, and handheld nav, and PDA all rolled into one unit. Also, I want it to have all of the same features and perform as well as their standalone counterparts.

 

Exactly, plus I want it to make coffee too.

[+amy55407]

I found that I couldn't use the same gps for both functions. I got an Etrex Venture CX initially but found the color screen washed out in the sun, the screen seemed small, the beeps are way too soft to be heard and there is no way to adjust the volume. Maybe the 60CX and others like it have a bigger screen. I loved the Venture CX and kept it but bought a Streetpilot i2 for the car. It's just about the most basic auto gps but does the job.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

I have seeked that "Holy Grail" of what I call a "car-outdoor" hybrid and have written many a forum piece (as well as reviews on Epinions and eBay) on the IWay 100M. It is really a shame they didn't continue that model, nor continue the idea in their future models. I think the iWay 100M (which I have) is a close as anyone has come to doing both. Maybe the reason it did both so well is that it was the very first modern "auto GPS" (that is, to have turn-by-turn and voice prompts) and perhaps they started out with a "hiking GPS" design and added the car navigation features.

 

I don't think the iWay 100M severly lacks for the car except that its maps are now almost 2 years old with no hope for an update and that you need the special "car adapter" with speaker to hear any voice prompts. But seeing it as little as $139 for a new unit on eBay it can't be beat.

 

It is decent for caching too (though I often use my IFinder GO for that instead), the only minus I can think of not already mentioned in this forum thread is that you will need an external antenna for decent tree cover reception. One thing the iWay 100M does that I haven't seen in any other car GPS is that you can turn-by-turn voice navigate to a lat/long waypoint instead of just a street address; sometimes I do this to drive to the parking point for a cache hunt if the MapQuest or Google map aren't clear.

 

If you have the $$$ and don't mind just a beep instead of a voice, the Garmin 60cSX comes really close and has the best satellite reception of any unit out there, you'll certainly have more recent maps and POI's. I imagine turn-by-turn voice to a waypoint is possible with it as well.

 

Good luck!

Edited October 19, 2006 by HaLiJuSaPa

[+avgraphics]

I have a discontinued Magellan SporTrak Color with MapSend DirectRoute loaded for turn-by-turn driving instruction (it too only beeps - no voice instructions). Its a rugged device that's well suited for geocaching (waterproof, etc.). I'm not sure if any of Magellan's current offerings might be a suitable solution for you.. perhaps you should see what they have on the website.

 

I'm curious to see what you decide on since I too have a similar desire to have a device that "does it all". Good luck!

 

avgraphics

[Team_Gecko13]

This unit coming from Magellan looks promising. It's called CrossoverGPS:

 

http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=391

 

It's the same basic form-factor as their RoadMate series with the same features, but in a waterproof case.

 

They list it as coming in January 2007.

[+Curious Technology]

Before I learned about geocaching, I had been using a pocketpc based PDA for all my car navigation for several years. I currently use TomTom navigator and a bluetooth GPS receiver, and it's been invaluable.

 

When I learned about geocaching a month ago, I naturally started using the same setup. I bought cachemate and GPS tuner to turn the PDA into a geocaching tool, and I have been very pleased with it so far.

 

That being said, I also go and geocache with my 7 year old son. He loves it, but I am not excited at the idea of handing him my PDA while we trek around up/down hills, over creeks, etc. I recently picked up a magellan explorist 210 for him to use.

 

Don't discount a PDA based solution. With cachemate, you also get the benefit of going paperless, which is something that a standalone unit may not give you.

Edited November 1, 2006 by Curious Technology

[beauxp]

I have a GPSmaps 60csx and it works really great for both of these.

 

On the street routing. Maps are very clear. You have option for shortest or fastest route and it you make a wrong turn it automatically gives you the correct manuvers you need to make.

 

I have also had an explorist 400. It does street routing but not nearly as good as the Garmin unit does.

[+GRNZOOM]

This unit coming from Magellan looks promising. It's called CrossoverGPS:

 

http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=391

 

It's the same basic form-factor as their RoadMate series with the same features, but in a waterproof case.

 

They list it as coming in January 2007.

 

 

That could be a winner. Hope they keep the price resonable.

 

Nick

[appletree]

Another vote for the Quest. I really believe voice prompts are essential for safe, easy in car navigation. The Quest is small, light, waterproof, and fairly easy to use for finding caches. I have not heard of anyone who has one that has found it inadequate for either use, although there certainly are better units for either use alone. The current price is remarkably low, considering that maps and all needed accessories are included.

[+Crew 153]

I'll add a vote for the Garmin QUEST as well.

 

The only thing missing is a wrist strap as security but the shape of the antenna allows you to wrap your hand around in.

 

I also have a Garmin 72 (Brick) which I tend to use a lot of the time when I get to the parking area but the Quest also doubles as a cache finder when I leave the 72 at home.

[+hikergps]

This unit coming from Magellan looks promising. It's called CrossoverGPS:

 

http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=391

 

It's the same basic form-factor as their RoadMate series with the same features, but in a waterproof case.

 

They list it as coming in January 2007.

 

 

That could be a winner. Hope they keep the price resonable.

 

Nick

 

I'm going to guess the price at over $500. Looks like they are putting a lot of mapping into it. The optional real-time traffic reporting won't make it cheap either.

 

The single biggest thumbs down for me is going to be the battery. The claimed battery life is 8 hrs on their Li-Ion battery, so plan on it being more like 7 real world hours. If it was a AA compatible unit I would consider it as an outdoor tool.

[+naviguesser74]

Like "Curious" above, I use TomTom on a Treo. Wonderful. I put the cache locations in as POIs and then get voice prompts to them. When close, I switch to GeoNiche. It does the CacheMate stuff in addition to making the Palm a functional and very customizable GPS. True, it is not rugged or waterproof, but there are waterproof bags and cases made specifically to address that shortcoming.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

This unit coming from Magellan looks promising. It's called CrossoverGPS:

 

http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=391

 

It's the same basic form-factor as their RoadMate series with the same features, but in a waterproof case.

 

They list it as coming in January 2007.

 

 

That could be a winner. Hope they keep the price resonable.

 

Nick

 

I'm going to guess the price at over $500. Looks like they are putting a lot of mapping into it. The optional real-time traffic reporting won't make it cheap either.

 

The single biggest thumbs down for me is going to be the battery. The claimed battery life is 8 hrs on their Li-Ion battery, so plan on it being more like 7 real world hours. If it was a AA compatible unit I would consider it as an outdoor tool.

 

 

Though I don't think I will run out and get one (don't have the budget for it, and I'm fine with using my iWay 100M right now), I am happy to see that someone out there finally realized there is a market for what I call a "car-outdoor hybrid" GPS. Amazing too that Magellan is doing it since it seems the last couple of years they have really been de-emphasizing the handhelds and heavily pushing/marketing their Roadmate car series. Hopefully satellite reception is good too!

 

But I think it it went down to about $300 I would go buy it and would eBay my two Lowrance GPSr's

Edited November 18, 2006 by HaLiJuSaPa

[+GadgetMonster]

My advice is to get 2 separate units. This is especially true if you have more than 1 car. I have a C320 streetpilot that I got off of ebay for $250 for my wife's car. It goes a long way towards keeping her from yelling at me when she gets lost or needs to find a specific address. No more does she call me at work telling me she is lost and I have to try to use google maps to figure out where she is and help her get home.

 

I have the 60csx and I use it for everything in my car (navigation and geocaching). It works great. I only recently got maps loaded onto it and I'm surprised at how great it is at car navigation also. I think someone already said that in an earlier post and I agree.

[+Night Stalker]

I travel all the time in my work. I find the 60CX or 60CSX to be the best of both worlds. It is designed for use as a handheld, but with City Navigator and a bean bag mount on the dash it makes and excellent unit for turn by turn directions. When it beeps (You can customize the sounds to make it easier to know what it wants) you only need to glance at the screen to know what it wants you to do and how far away you are from your turn etc. It is set up for 2 beeping sounds. The first to let you know that a change is comingup and the 2nd to let you know that the change is immanent. I have rented cars with Magellan's never lost and prefer this setup to their voice system.