GPSr Suggestions

[+troyeryan]

I have made 12 finds now and totally nuts about geocaching. My Explorist 200 has been great. We have used it for caching and on all of our car trips. I love having it in the car, but primarily interested in caching and hiking. Now that I'm committed to GPSing, it makes me wonder what better units there are out there. I am really only familiar with Garmin and Magellan, but a friend at church said that Lowrance units really give you a 'lot of bang for the buck' and are packed with features. What units do all of you experienced GPSers like or recommend? Thanks.

[+BlueDeuce]

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Edited December 23, 2006 by BlueDeuce

[+briansnat]

I like Garmin units. They have a very well thought out user interface. Lowrance does usually give the most for the money but their handheld units don't autoroute. For those who want that feature in a handheld can rule out Lowrance. I have a Magellan too but am not crazy about it.

[Keystone]

Moving thread from "Geocaching Topics" to the "GPS Units and Software" forum.

[+troyeryan]

I have made 12 finds now and totally nuts about geocaching. My Explorist 200 has been great. We have used it for caching and on all of our car trips. I love having it in the car, but primarily interested in caching and hiking. Now that I'm committed to GPSing, it makes me wonder what better units there are out there. I am really only familiar with Garmin and Magellan, but a friend at church said that Lowrance units really give you a 'lot of bang for the buck' and are packed with features. What units do all of you experienced GPSers like or recommend? Thanks.

Thanks, guys, for moving my question to the right area! Lots of info here about various units.

[+media601]

What units do all of you experienced GPSers like or recommend? Thanks.

 

This question comes up about once a week. You may as well ask what kind of car would someone recommend for general commuting, but an occasional trip across country and racing on weekends. You'll get about as many different opinions.

 

I think the most bang for the buck right now is the Garmin eTrex Venture CX, provided you already have a miniUSB cable. Other people hate them because the screen is too small, or they don't like the thumb button. A lot of people will recommend the 60CX or 60CSx, but they cost upwards of $300-$350 from discounters. They do some things that the eTrex doesn't but are also bigger and heavier. In my experience I get just as many DNFs with the 60 series as the eTrex.

 

My biggest gripe about the Lowrance, aside from lack of auto routing, is that you have to pull out the batteries, remove the memory card, and plug it into a card reader in order to transfer info from a computer. At least that's the way it was with the lower end Lowrances I looked at a couple years ago.

 

I have no experience with Magellan.

 

Whatever you decide, go to a retailer, look at several models and get an idea of the look and feel you want--that's really the biggest difference between them.

[+unicyclist]

I loved my Magellan Gold. I lost it and now I am back with my garmin hehe

[+troyeryan]

What units do all of you experienced GPSers like or recommend? Thanks.

 

This question comes up about once a week. You may as well ask what kind of car would someone recommend for general commuting, but an occasional trip across country and racing on weekends. You'll get about as many different opinions.

 

I think the most bang for the buck right now is the Garmin eTrex Venture CX, provided you already have a miniUSB cable. Other people hate them because the screen is too small, or they don't like the thumb button. A lot of people will recommend the 60CX or 60CSx, but they cost upwards of $300-$350 from discounters. They do some things that the eTrex doesn't but are also bigger and heavier. In my experience I get just as many DNFs with the 60 series as the eTrex.

 

My biggest gripe about the Lowrance, aside from lack of auto routing, is that you have to pull out the batteries, remove the memory card, and plug it into a card reader in order to transfer info from a computer. At least that's the way it was with the lower end Lowrances I looked at a couple years ago.

 

I have no experience with Magellan.

 

Whatever you decide, go to a retailer, look at several models and get an idea of the look and feel you want--that's really the biggest difference between them.

How about the number of channels? Is that significant at all? I see that some models are 12, and others are WAAS enabled with 16 channels. Sorry for my ignorance but I really want to know more about how these things work, what features are important and which ones are insignificant. Definitely, the most useful emphasis for me is geocaching. Other uses are just a bonus to me. Thanks.

[+Cardinal Red]

On a wide open desert or a large lake with no obstructions between you and the horizon you MIGHT see 16 satellites. In the forests of Pennsylvania I NEVER see 12. It's not an issue. They would have to launch a lot more birds to increase the number overhead before that would be an issue. And the Satellites just above the horizon give you the most valuable information. So would 16 overhead actually do anything for you? Probably not.

 

Whatever you get you will probably get used to and like. I use Garmins. 76 and 60 series are mostly interchangeable. Got a tiny Garmin etrex Legend C just to see what I thought of it. I'm getting better with learning the buttons, but I'm never going to like it. Just too different than what I got accustomed to.