Jump to content

GPS Unit - Hunting and Driving, Need Opinions


JennyW

Recommended Posts

Hi.

 

I want to get a GPS unit for my father for x-mas.

 

However, I don't know much about them, other than they provide great/easy directions.

 

I was talking to a guy at Best Buy and he said the Tom Tom One is the best for what my father needs.

 

What my dad needs it for is:

- Hunting in forests

- Driving to work

 

I need it to be dual for both means.

 

My budget is $400 to $500.

 

If anyone could provide any input out there, that'd be great!

 

Or, if someone could direct me to a good site that has info on what I need!

 

Thanks guys!

Jenny :D

Link to comment

Get him the Garmin 60cx with City Navigator and the Topo US software.At GPSNOW.com you can get everything for 569.95-50.00 rebate. Sightly over budget, but he will have everthing he will ever need with the added bonus of expandable memory.

 

Hi.

 

I want to get a GPS unit for my father for x-mas.

 

However, I don't know much about them, other than they provide great/easy directions.

 

I was talking to a guy at Best Buy and he said the Tom Tom One is the best for what my father needs.

 

What my dad needs it for is:

- Hunting in forests

- Driving to work

 

I need it to be dual for both means.

 

My budget is $400 to $500.

 

If anyone could provide any input out there, that'd be great!

 

Or, if someone could direct me to a good site that has info on what I need!

 

Thanks guys!

Jenny :D

Edited by Castanea
Link to comment

Castanea gives good advice!!!!

 

Koikeeper and I have been using Garmin Map60C units for caching and driving for almost 2 years. The new "x" series are better than ours because they can hold more maps or all the maps depending on the size of the replaceable memory chip, and get faster / better Sat reception.

 

If driving direction is the priority item ..... then units that give voice commands while driving may be a more appropriate choice. Garmin NUVI or IQ3600?

 

:D ImpalaBob

Link to comment

I have only used the Garmin 60Csx with City Navigator - and I use it for both driving and walking in the woods and am generally happy with it for both uses. I have a vent mounted in the car for easy viewing on the road. One word of advice, make sure for hunting that there is adequate battery length - when I briefly looked at car mounted models the battery life was like 4 hours if you were carrying it which is not adequate for hunting (I won't think).

Hi.

 

I want to get a GPS unit for my father for x-mas.

 

However, I don't know much about them, other than they provide great/easy directions.

 

I was talking to a guy at Best Buy and he said the Tom Tom One is the best for what my father needs.

 

What my dad needs it for is:

- Hunting in forests

- Driving to work

 

I need it to be dual for both means.

 

My budget is $400 to $500.

 

If anyone could provide any input out there, that'd be great!

 

Or, if someone could direct me to a good site that has info on what I need!

 

Thanks guys!

Jenny :D

Link to comment
Get him the Garmin 60cx with City Navigator and the Topo US software.At GPSNOW.com you can get everything for 569.95-50.00 rebate. Sightly over budget, but he will have everthing he will ever need with the added bonus of expandable memory.

 

I agree that this is the way to go. Great unit and and the two (CN and Topo) software packages will cover driving and hunting. You can load both to the unit and switch to topo when in the woods and CN on the road.

Link to comment

Castanea indeed gives good advice. That's what I have is the Garmin 60cx with Mapsource City Navigator Version 8 and Mapsource Topo. Here are some recommendations of where to purchase them cheap.

 

Garmin 60cx from Buy.com

$285.23 (after $50 garmin rebate and $20 off using Google Checkout)

 

City Navigator North America V8 NT from PlanetGPS.com

$106.95

 

Mapsource Topo from Amazon.com

$67.99

 

ALL WITH FREE SHIPPING!!!

 

Total: $460.17

 

Don't forget about a 1Gb micro SD card or two. Usually another $40-50

Link to comment

The search for a GPSR that works well both in and out of a car comes up frequently and I always have the same reply. Check out the Garmin Quest. The minimum requirements for a car unit today include a bright color display and voice prompts. I have a Garmin GPS V and it was great in its day but no one should buy a GPS for road use without trying a voice prompting unit first. The minimum requirements for trail use include a compass screen option, track logging, waterproof, and decent battery life. At the present time, only the Quest and the Quest 2 have all of the above features, and they work fine in and out of a car. The Quest original is much less expensive and works faster for looking things up.

 

I know there are better units for either use alone, but for dual use, check into a Quest.

Link to comment

The 60 series is a good choice, and the Quest is too.

 

I own a Quest.

 

Think of the 60-series as 2/3 trail, 1/3 auto. The Quest is 1/3 trail, 2/3 auto.

 

The voice prompts of the Quest make it really nice in the car, but it simply isn't as rugged as the 60, although it is water resistant to the same standard. The 60 fits better into your hand and is rubber coated. It lacks voice prompting in the car, though.

 

Either will work.

 

Jamie

Link to comment

One of the posters above mentioned to not forget a 1GB microSD card - usually around $40 - $50. I think Amazon is still running their credit card promo. I applied online for their credit card which was instantly approved. I then received $40 off of my first order using the card. I bought a 1GB microSD card for $44.95 with free shipping. When I received the card the invoice showed the full amount but, when I received the BILL, it showed the $40 credit and I only paid $4.95 total for the card. I then cancelled the credit card. Check it out and see if the deal is still running. It was a pretty sweet buy for me. :mad:

Link to comment

I purchased a Garmin 60csx from PCNation recently for $374.80. After the $50 rebate the total came to $324.80. Not bad. Shipping was free and it was here in 3 days. Great GPS, by the way.

I am another for the 60csx or 60cx. I got a 60cx last January and got to use it this year for archery hunting and loved it. I would mark trails and my treestand and then had no problems at all finding them in the dark. I also use it for driving and find it very easy to use. Just mount it were you can glance at it and you are good to go. Don't forget to get navigator and topo software for the unit to make it complete.

Link to comment

I vote for the 60csx or 60cs. I am a bowhunter and my 60csx works great for that especially with the Mapsource topo software. I also travel quite often for my job and with the City Navigator software it works great for Navigation also. The vehicle navigation does not have voice but uses sound warnings for upcoming turns. Being a surveyor I have utilized about six different recreation grade GPS units as well as several survey grade GPS units. On the recreational side the 60 series has so far been the best unit for my overall usage needs.

Edited by FSurveyor
Link to comment

I am sure the 60cx is a great trail unit and a servicable car unit. When considering price, you must include the cost of the maps which are necessary but not included. The Quest price includes the latest road navigation maps. Reception is better with the 60, but if you add an amplified external antenna to the Quest, the reception is great. Can't say better as I haven't compared the two. Then again, one must try a voice prompting unit before deciding to forego that feature.

Link to comment

Holy kamoli! Thanks for all the posts - so much!

 

And we all know that information leads to... More Questions!

 

So, I'll start easy, and I post them seperately over time.

 

1. What is the difference between the Garmin 60cx and the Garmin 60csx?

 

 

Thanks again guys!

Jenny :tired:

Link to comment

1. What is the difference between the Garmin 60cx and the Garmin 60csx?

 

c is color

s is sensor (has barometer and electronic 2-axis compass

x is Xpandable memory.

 

The Map60 is B&W, fixed memory, no barometer or compass (I think this is a highly under-rated model)

The 60c has color screen.

the 60cs has color screen plus barometer and compass

the 60csx has all of that plus uses micro-SD memory.

 

Jamie

Link to comment

Wow! Thanks guys!

 

Someone wrote up above about Expandable Memory.

 

What does that mean?

Sorry if this is basic!

 

Thanks.

Jenny :tired:

 

The new cx models come with a micro sd card. The 60cx models have a 64mb card. This card is mostly used to store your maps on. So if your father in law decides to buy a bigger micro sd card he can fit more maps on the unit. The 64mb card though should be big enough to get him started.

Link to comment

I am sure the 60cx is a great trail unit and a servicable car unit. When considering price, you must include the cost of the maps which are necessary but not included. The Quest price includes the latest road navigation maps. Reception is better with the 60, but if you add an amplified external antenna to the Quest, the reception is great. Can't say better as I haven't compared the two. Then again, one must try a voice prompting unit before deciding to forego that feature.

Link to comment

Hi guys!

 

Thanks again for all the information!! :(

 

iwski said, I should have the following, if my dad is in to hunting and driving and buy these features seperately:

 

1. Garmin 60cx from Buy.com

$285.23 (after $50 garmin rebate and $20 off using Google Checkout)

 

2. City Navigator North America V8 NT from PlanetGPS.com

$106.95

 

3. Mapsource Topo from Amazon.com

$67.99

 

4. Don't forget about a 1Gb micro SD card or two. Usually another $40-50

 

I just want to make sure, that, if I'm buying the Garmin 60cSx or cx that I have to buy all of the above seperately?

 

And, do I need the 1Gb micro SD card if I'm getting the City Navigator and Mapsource too?

 

 

Thanks so much!

Jenny :D

Link to comment

Hi guys!

 

Thanks again for all the information!! :)

 

iwski said, I should have the following, if my dad is in to hunting and driving and buy these features seperately:

 

1. Garmin 60cx from Buy.com

$285.23 (after $50 garmin rebate and $20 off using Google Checkout)

 

2. City Navigator North America V8 NT from PlanetGPS.com

$106.95

 

3. Mapsource Topo from Amazon.com

$67.99

 

4. Don't forget about a 1Gb micro SD card or two. Usually another $40-50

 

I just want to make sure, that, if I'm buying the Garmin 60cSx or cx that I have to buy all of the above seperately?

 

And, do I need the 1Gb micro SD card if I'm getting the City Navigator and Mapsource too?

 

 

Thanks so much!

Jenny :D

 

If you are going to buy a new card, i wouldn't bother buying anything smaller than 1 gig. Not that you absolutely need it, but if you're going to buy a new one, get one that you're sure will be big enough if you ever decide to add even more maps later. Even 2 gig.

Link to comment

Hi guys!

 

Thanks again for all the information!! :)

 

iwski said, I should have the following, if my dad is in to hunting and driving and buy these features seperately:

 

1. Garmin 60cx from Buy.com

$285.23 (after $50 garmin rebate and $20 off using Google Checkout)

 

2. City Navigator North America V8 NT from PlanetGPS.com

$106.95

 

3. Mapsource Topo from Amazon.com

$67.99

 

4. Don't forget about a 1Gb micro SD card or two. Usually another $40-50

 

I just want to make sure, that, if I'm buying the Garmin 60cSx or cx that I have to buy all of the above seperately?

 

And, do I need the 1Gb micro SD card if I'm getting the City Navigator and Mapsource too?

 

 

Thanks so much!

Jenny :D

You got it right. If you buy all 4 things you will have a complete unit.

Link to comment
And, do I need the 1Gb micro SD card if I'm getting the City Navigator and Mapsource too?

 

The card that comes with the unit will provide pretty good map coverage with both CN and Topo. For instance I have CN and topo maps for all of northern and central NJ, Manhattan, Long Island, Southern NY from the NJ border to Albany and west to Binghampton as well as parts of CT, eastern PA and VT on my unit's 56 megs of map memory. You'd get even more coverage if you live away from a major population center.

 

With the 1 gig card you'd probably be able to load maps for a good portion of the US.

 

So if your dad will use his unit mostly within 50-100 miles of home, the card that comes with the unit would be sufficient. If he travels widely then the 1 gig card would be beneficial.

Link to comment

I could have done fine with my 64 meg card if I just needed maps for my home state, but I travel all over the western United States to I upgraded to a larger card. I was able to get my topo maps and my auto navigation maps on my GPS in my home state using the 64 meg card. This will differ depending on where you live.

Link to comment

Hi guys!

 

I have another questions - more detail, I guess!

 

2. City Navigator North America V8 NT

 

What is this...I tried doing a search for it, but I can't seem to find it.

 

Do I need it?

 

Thanks!

Jenny <_<

 

City Navigator is the mapping program that provides detailed street maps and supports turn by turn driving directions. So no you don't need it, but it is very, very useful and critical if you want the unit to give directions. As I understand it, the NT version takes up much less memory than the regular version.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...