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What GPS would you recommend to a newbie.


S1eepygrl

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Hello Y'all,

 

I have just learned of Geotracking in the past few days from another Girl Scout Troop. This sounds like a great deal of fun and an additional way of teaching my girls about respect and honesty. I would like to know what GPS system y'all would recommend for a beginner? Price would be a big factor on what the troop could afford for the hunts in local parks and shopping centers. I looked on E-bay for GPS, but I have no idea what I am actually shopping for, so brand and model numbers would be very helpful.

 

Thank you all for your help.

S1eepygrl and Troop 663

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Well, it's a pretty broad question as to what GPS to use. If you want simple and cheap the simple yellow Etrex from Garmin is pretty cheap and very capable for basic caching although it lacks some of the more advanced features (no WAAS, no maps, no compass).

I use the Garmin Etrex Vista which has some basic mapping built in and you can download maps to it if you purchase the optional mapping software in the future. The vista also has a built in compass which will point you in the right direction if you are stopped. The Etrex Legend is in between these.

 

Next up, you can move into the color units which add some to the price. If price is not a factor for you, many folks are using the Garmin 60CSx which has some really nice features and a great receiver. These can be found online for pretty good prices. There is a $50 rebate on many Garmin GPSr's until the end of 2006. Check out www.garmin.com to look at their units.

 

My wife is a girl scout leader and they have had successful events with our Etrex and Extrex Vista units.

 

Sorry, I don't know anything about other brands of units..

 

Enjoy...

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Since you seem to be on a budget, I would suggest a Garmin yellow eTrex which runs around $89, a Garmin Geko 101 which is around $109. These are very basic models that will let you find the cache nearly as well as a $400 unit.

 

For a bit more money the Garmin Venture CX is a great choice. This is about $150 with the current Garmin rebate and is a full featured model that you should never outgrow. It has a color display, mapping capability, expandible memory and the ability to autoroute (turn by turn driving directions to a destination or address) with the proper software. Its nice because you have the option to add features as find a need for them.

 

Another good choice is the Lowrance iFinder H20. Its around $135 and like the Venture CX, has expandible memory and mapping capability and you can add features later on. Unlike the Venture CX it doesn't do autorouting or have a color display, but it is known for excellent reception.

Edited by briansnat
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I use the Magellan 210. It is pretty much made for geocaching. It has usb connectability and you can load geocache downloads with the software that comes with the unit. You can also add detailed maps for the locations that you will be going to, and this is a very very very worthwhile feature. You can pick one up at the gps store for 149, an additional 40 dollars and get the wilderness package with includes the mapsend topo maps (which on their own are 90 bucks). You can get the less expensive model (the 100) for 90 dollars, but the 210 is really worth the extra if you can afford it.

 

A great deal of how well they work, or how comfortable you are with a gps, has to do with your experience. If you have a chance to talk to others that have these different units and have them let you use one with them looking over your shoulder giving you help, it would answer a lot of your questions far better than this forum can...

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