clachan girl Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I have a Garmin Legend and have incredible challenges when I'm in a forest of any density. What GPS do you have... any problems holding a "lock?" Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Until recently, my Brother cached Georgia with a Vista. Same antenna as the Legend. Once he got under any dense tree coverage, the dreaded, "Satalite Reception Lost" message would appear. I convinced him to upgrade to a 60CSx and he's happier than a pig in..... uh..... mud? I can hide in my closet with the door closed and still get a reading. A very kewl toy! Quote Link to comment
clachan girl Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 thanks clan... i think my first preference would be the 60CSx, but its out of my price range... saw an Explorist500 for $200, and wondered if I would be any happier with the satellite reception.. I love all the other features of the Legend. I hate to jump ship from the Garmin to the Magellean... but.... Quote Link to comment
+Airmapper Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I have a Lowrance, it does great, and it's an older model without the new chipset. I bounces around a little if I get into some really heavy cover, but all of them do that. I'm very happy with it. Quote Link to comment
+Cpt.Blackbeard Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I still have my Legend but haven't used it since I bought the 60CSx last spring. In the truck AND inside the garage and it still reads, drop it in my lunch box inside the truck, inside the garage and when I check it, it STILL has satellite lock. Legend would lose signal if it just flipped over hanging from my neck. Quote Link to comment
+Okiebryan Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I agree. I have the Legend. I love it, it's a great unit. However, it loses signal FAR too easily, and that gets on my nerves. I se an upgrade in my future, but I'll stay with the Garmin line. I have a Girlfriend and a daughter who both want my Legend when I upgrade. The problem is gonna be deciding who to give it to. Quote Link to comment
GermanSailor Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Just bought a used very old Lowrance GlobalNav 12. The Software is from the old SA days (before May 2000), so it calculates a very big horizontal error, even if it is spot on with the coords. It has the best signal reception I've seen so far. Much better than my Geko 301. But you can check the signal strength if you use the diagnosis page. (Hold OK while powering on). It gives you a SNR, which is a the Signal to Noise Ratio, a pretty good indicator of the signal's quality. GermanSailor Quote Link to comment
+D@nim@l Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I too use the Legend, but I can deal with the periodic loss of satellites because when it is locked it's tight. I was forced to cache with my explorist 300 once and felt like a chicken with my head cut off. The funny thing is I can loop my legend over my neck on the way to a cache and lose signal but I will put in my jacket pocket on the walk out and it will keep a lock. Oh well, can't wait to get a 60csx though. Quote Link to comment
+cache_test_dummies Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 (edited) I have a Garmin Vista that sometimes loses the satellites under tree cover, especially pines. It isn't that much of a problem for me, but it helps to remember that for best coverage, the Vista and the Legend like to be held flat on their backs, face up. If you hang them around your neck, the satellites get lost pretty quickly, but even in a pocket or inside a pack if you keep them in a more horizontal position, they tend to keep the satellite lock. Edit: meant to say horizontal, said vertical. Edited October 28, 2006 by cache_test_dummies Quote Link to comment
+Bad_CRC Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I have the legend too. I'm not happy with it for more because it's so inaccurate than for losing signal, though that is annoying too. Quote Link to comment
+kati3l3unny Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 we have the explorist 210 and so far we've never lost our signal, we have been in forests, but maybe not as dense as you are talking about, it usually gets us within 5-10 feet of the target. (assuming the last person put it back where the co-ordinates say it should be ) Quote Link to comment
+GeekBoy.from.Illinois Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Well, in our husband/wife team, I use a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx most of the time, and my wife uses a Magellan eXplorist 600. Since I got the Garmin, I have never had a time when it lost a satellite lock, but I have had times when it's accuracy was in then 50-70 foot range (as reported). In the same time frame, the Wife has lost lock twice with her Magellan, and I think one of those was only a few minutes before her battery died (she forgot to recharge that day and luckily I had a spare she could use). Quote Link to comment
+gof1 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I have moved from the Legend to a 60Cx. When it has a sat loc the legend is just as accurate as the 60. The big differance is that the 60Cx is way more likely to hold the sats. If you want I can give you the co ords for the furnace in my basement using the 60Cx. Quote Link to comment
+hukilaulau Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I got a legend after my SporTrak was stolen. I hate it. Often I have transfer the coords to my old eXplorist 200 to find a cache in the woods. I also hate the tiny screen on the Legend. Did I mention I hate it? My next gps will be the eXplorist XL. Quote Link to comment
+m.pedersen Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I have a Garmin Legend and have incredible challenges when I'm in a forest of any density. What GPS do you have... any problems holding a "lock?" I'd like to put in a positive note for a Garmin ForeTrex 101. The only time I lose the signal is when I'm sitting indoors. It does a fantastic job. I've been very happy with it so far. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 (edited) I have a Garmin Legend and have incredible challenges when I'm in a forest of any density. What GPS do you have... any problems holding a "lock?" I had a Legend and have a Vista and rarely lose a lock under trees. The few times I do, I get it back in moments. The thing you have to remember is that they are very sensitive to position. They need to be held flat, face up to the sky for best reception. If you are under trees and do not have it in this position you will likely lose a lock. I see people with them clipped to their belts, hanging upside down from their necks, or in their hand swinging at their side, then complaining about the reception. You need to hold it out in front of you almost like a waiter carrying a tray of beer (all the time). If you do this you should see improved reception. Holding it in that position is fine for short walks but can be problematic for longer hikes. For those I clip the unit to the top of my packs shoulder strap where it faces skyward. It also helps to turn the unit on well before you enter the woods. I turn mine on when I leave the house and stick it on the dashboard. Edited October 29, 2006 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+Glenn Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I got a Magellan Meridian for Christmas in 2001. I've used in the forests of the Northwest, the canyons of San Diego, the Rain Forests in Hawaii and I've had very little problems with reception. When I took my Meridian for a swim earlier this summer one of the seals wasn't working any more and let some water in. The unit stoped working and didn't want to have to wait to get it fixed before being able to geocache again so I bought a Garmin eTrex. I wanted something inexpensive that I use a replacement. What I got was something cheap that has trouble with reception even under very light leaf cover. I opened up my Meridian had found some sea salt dried on the circuit board. Nothing a little alcohol couldn't take care of. I put some petroleum jelly in the seals and let alcohol evaporate before putting the unit back together. The unit works once again but there is a black line that runs up and down the very left side of the screen the entire time the unit is turned on. But I still prefer my five year old Meridian over my new eTrek any day. Quote Link to comment
DogFleazJR Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I have a 5+ year old Garmin GPS V and a fairly new 60CSx. With an unobstructed view of the sky, both have similar accuracy. In fact the V will report better accuracy, although I suspect this is just how the calculation is done and not necessarily true. When I first got my CSx I did a lot of field comparisons to my old V carrying both at the same time. The CSx is better, no doubt, but the ol' V was actually quite adequate (why did I upgrade again???) The CSx does hold location better under tree cover and around ledges, cliffs and other obstructions. I clip it to the carry loop on the top of my fanny pack while hiking, it maintains accuracy, never loses signal. It will even hold acquisition in the side pocket of the pack, but accuracy will degrade appreciably. The CSx records smooth tracks without the spurious odd-ball points that the ol' V is prone to do. The CSx has a cone-type antenna and will perform best when pointing vertically to the sky. The CSx reports a position when I'm standing in my garage and will continue to report one when I walk into my basement, reporting an accuracy of +/- 38 ft or better. However, I find these readings dubious at best. Quote Link to comment
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