Noob on a MAC. Which GPS should I buy?

[+INVID]

So my bro talked me into Geocaching. Went on a hunt with him and Im hooked.

Now I want my own GPS. Problem is Im on a Macintosh.

Any Recommendations? I have a budget of $300.

I would really appreciate any help.

Thnx

[+Beaverbeliever]

Welcome to the Sport!

I don't own my own GPS, but I have tried many. It really depends on what kind of thing you want. If you want to save the hassle of typing in your own coordinates into a gps, and download them directly, I have no clue about MAC's. But if you want to punch in your own coordianates, a good starter gps would be a garmin e trex or a magellan explorist.

[+briansnat]

I read somewhere that Garmin is working on Mac capability for their units. They don't have it at this time that I'm aware of.

 

With a $300 budget you can get something like a Garmin Venture CX (around $180) and spend the rest of the money on mapping software. Unfortunately you'll have to find someone with a PC so you can load it to your unit.

 

I'm moving this to the GPS Units and Software forum where the experts lurk and might be able to add to this, or correct me.

[andylphoto]

Yes, Garmin is working toward Mac compatibility for all their software. Not there yet, but at least they're committed to it.

 

If you get a newer model with USB, you should be able to use several different programs available to transfer waypoints and tracks. I use MacGPS Pro, which is a commercial product. There are also several freeware offerings for basic waypoint transfer.

 

If you get mapping software, you WILL need a PC, or an intel Mac with Windows, to load the maps. Or, you can do like me and try waiting to buy the maps until the Mac version of mapsource is available.

[+Macinvilas]

I love my Garmin etrex legend Cx works great with a topo micro sd card installed. I might also recomend Geocaching Menu to D/L caches right to your GPSr. Glad to see another Mac user join the ranks!

[+T F T C]

I se a Magellan eXplorist just fine on my Mac. I made a website about it.

 

http://chimbisimo.googlepages.com

[+TeamBarstool]

I love my Garmin etrex legend Cx works great with a topo micro sd card installed. I might also recomend Geocaching Menu to D/L caches right to your GPSr. Glad to see another Mac user join the ranks!

 

you have a link to Geotoad on your page. I would not recommend as it violates the Groundspeak terms of use

[+Crystal Sound]

Do a search - alot of Mac & GPS unit discussions have taken place here.

 

What the others have stated is true.

 

With a USB-RS232 adapter, about any of the Garmin or Magellan GPS units can do waypoint transfers on a Mac. There's a ton of software available - mostly it depends on what GPS you have, and what you want to do with it.

 

Dont buy the hype about just because you have a Mac, you cant do "whatever". There is very little I have found that I cant do on a Mac.

[+JoenGPS]

I have been using MacGPS pro. I also use their Topo DVD's and it plots the caches on the Topo's nicley. If you have a laptop it will trace and show you a birdseye view of you and how to get to the cache too. Works with USB & serial ports. I used it with Garmin etrex, etrex summit, Vista CX and 60csx. Great support and they have been around quite awhile.

 

http://www.macgpspro.com/

[+T F T C]

MacGPSPro is also $50.

[+Knight2000]

A note about Magellan.

 

I just bought one. I like the unit itself BUT *** As i was warned on this message board, Magellan has little customer service. They also provided no tangible manual for the GPS.

 

I dont think i would buy a Magellan again.

 

Be forewarned.

[Parsa]

However... the big advantage of the Magellan eXplorist is that all the files are simple text files. The software is still PC-only, but you can create a ton of maps in one session, load them into the full-size SD card (I have a 4GB card), and then put all the files into your Mac for transfer to the card as needed and for backup. You can create geocache (.gs) and waypoint (.upt) files using GPSBabel+ for Mac and simply drag them into your SD card using a card reader. I drag files back and forth, and delete them right from the Mac. I have tons of map files that I can load as needed, and with a big enough SD card you can hold a great many maps and waypoint files. The only problem I had was with the PC, not the Mac. The PC I was using had trouble recognizing the bigger card, so I had to use a 1GB card to put the maps on. Once the files were in the Mac though, I could use the 4GB card since it had no problem seeing it.

 

I think the Garmin 60 series units are cool geocaching machines, but they are definitely not Mac friendly. All the files and software are PC specific, not simple text files.

 

Also, I noted that MacGPS has added the eXplorist to their list of compatible units. Earlier, only the older serial-and-converter units were working, not the USB units like the eXplorist.

 

I've been talking to the folks at RouteBuddy, a vector mapping and tracking program, about the explorist. They seem to be working on getting it to work. Right now the software only recognizes serial connections or ones with a virtual serial driver. The eXplorist NMEA data comes through to the Mac as a USB modem. The data is streaming in, but most of the software companies aren't used to looking for this type of data.

 

Parsa

[swissmike]

I have a Garmin eTrex Vista cx and with Parallels I can run mapsource just fine, my GPS was recognized right away without any problems

[shacker23]

I have a Garmin eTrex Vista cx and with Parallels I can run mapsource just fine, my GPS was recognized right away without any problems

 

I just installed Parallels because I can't wait any longer for a way to load maps onto my eTrex Vista cx. However, MapSource can't find the eTrex on the USB bus through Parallels.

 

When I click Find Device it says that I may need to set the Interface for the GPS to Garmin or Host. But in Setup, Interface, I can't select anything -- nothing is choosable.

 

I'm using Win2K under Parallels. Which Windows are you using?

 

In Device Manager, Windows did not recognize anything on the USB bus. I had it re-install the USB drivers, and now they show up properly in Device Manager. Rebooted. But the GPS still says "Not connected" and the Unlock Wizard still says the GPS is not connected.

 

Did you have to do install any additional drivers or anything, or did it just work right away?

Edited May 22, 2007 by shacker23

[shacker23]

Solved!

 

Replying to myself, for the sake of the archives. On Parallels' "Devices" menu, I found a "Garmin" entry, which offered to install the correct driver. In the process of doing that, it said it couldn't find

 

C:\Garmin\USB Drivers\grmnusb.sys

 

I searched for this file and found it at:

 

C:\Garmin\USB Drivers\i386\grmnusb.sys

 

Altered the path to it in the wizard, continued the installation, and came up golden. GPS switched to "Connected" and the Unlock Wizard was able to find the device.