Etrex?

[+nerdling]

I was just wondering if anybody uses the standard yellow Etrex and what their views are on it. I see quite a few of them on ebay for fairly decent prices. Are they fairly accurate? I really don't need to many bells and whistles. I just want something nice and basic that will get the job done.

[+Team Teague]

If you go to the "GPS Unit" forum, there's a lot of information on the ETRex. I just purchased yesterday from Ebay an ETrex Legend for $80 for my son and myself as my husband is getting very possessive of his....

 

Stacey

 

I was just wondering if anybody uses the standard yellow Etrex and what their views are on it. I see quite a few of them on ebay for fairly decent prices. Are they fairly accurate? I really don't need to many bells and whistles. I just want something nice and basic that will get the job done.

[+StarBrand]

I was just wondering if anybody uses the standard yellow Etrex and what their views are on it. I see quite a few of them on ebay for fairly decent prices. Are they fairly accurate? I really don't need to many bells and whistles. I just want something nice and basic that will get the job done.

Lots of caches have been found by lots of cachers using those units.

 

A used one shouldn't go for mare than $60 or so.

 

New ones can be had (with a little looking) for about $85.

[+briansnat]

It is a popular starter unit that will do the job.

 

As far as the bells and whistles, nobody needs them. But as soon as you go to an event and see someone with a unit with all the bells and whistles, you will want one.

[+Miragee]

If you live in an area with very many caches, the most important thing is getting a GPSr that connects to your computer. So, whatever you get should come with the cable . . . and not cost extra.

 

Then, since many newer laptops, should be lucky enough to have one, don't have Serial ports, your GPSr should connect to a computer with USB.

 

Then, unless you are very familiar will all the areas where you will be looking for caches, you will want maps on your GPSr.

 

After you see how handy the auto-navigation feature is on someone else's GPSr as you drive through unfamiliar territory, you will want a GPSr that not only has maps, but is capable of auto-routing you to your destination.

 

So, go ahead and get the little yellow eTrex. It will work as a nice spare after you immediately upgrade to a Garmin Venture CX, Legend HCx, or GPS Map 60CSx.

 

[+Team Crime Scene]

We have both the yellow and the blue legend. It makes it simple to download waypoints for two of the same units. My daughter uses the yellow one and it works great. The only problem is we had to buy a serial/USB adapter to connect the units to the computer....

[+Robespierre]

I've been in large groups with various equiptment often. Accurancy of units just isn't an issue. They pretty much all do the job. Maps might be the issue. I like the elec. compass. Some acquire more quickly, or do a better job indoors....... but accuracy isn't the issue. And yes, the yellow one is a dependable gpsr.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I found my first 500+ caches with an eTrex Yellow.

 

It's what got me into geocaching - Ordered it out of a Marlboro catalog for $25 and a bucketful of coupons.

 

I've had seven GPS since then, all with an increasing level of whistles and bells, but none 'better' or more accurate than that little eTrex.

 

I actually use most of the advanced features, so a GPSMap 60CSx makes sense for me today, but if I broke mine and had to go back to a Yellow I could cache just as well.

 

That said, read the feature set and buy the GPS with the features you will use... features you don't use are a waste of money.

[+Rockin Roddy]

Signal reception is the most important thing with any GPS unit! If there is a lot of tree coverage, that Etrex may not be your best choice. I used and loved my Etrex for about 600 or so caches, got my Magellan 500LE and noticed the difference right away! Like night and day...seriously!

 

The unit came on straight out of the box in just a minute or so, the Etrex takes it's time. I had and kept signal inside of our local Lowe's...NEVER would have happened with the Etrex (the one I owned at least). I've been out hunting with both of them (youngster uses the Etrex), most times, the Etrex was looking for a signal while the Magellan never blinked!

 

Buy the best GPS you can afford. Best doesn't = most bells and whistles, but best reception.

Edited July 2, 2007 by Rockin Roddy

[Keystone]

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

[+paulmc]

You can now get the eTrex yellow with the new high-sensitivity receiver and all Garmins now have WAAS. It doesn't bump the price up by too much either. I used my eTrex yellow since 2001 and just got a new Venture Cx this year. I still love the simplicity of "old yeller". My yellow only handles 6 character waypoints and the new caches have 7; this may have changed on more recent models.

[+sbell111]

... The unit came on straight out of the box in just a minute or so, the Etrex takes it's time. I had and kept signal inside of our local Lowe's...NEVER would have happened with the Etrex (the one I owned at least). I've been out hunting with both of them (youngster uses the Etrex), most times, the Etrex was looking for a signal while the Magellan never blinked! ...

As I understand it, part of what you are seeing is that the garmin will tell you as soon as you have lost the signal while the Magellan often will not. Instead, it will blindly lead you in the direction that it thinks you need to go.

[freeday]

Signal reception is the most important thing with any GPS unit! If there is a lot of tree coverage, that Etrex may not be your best choice. I used and loved my Etrex for about 600 or so caches, got my Magellan 500LE and noticed the difference right away! Like night and day...seriously!

 

The unit came on straight out of the box in just a minute or so, the Etrex takes it's time. I had and kept signal inside of our local Lowe's...NEVER would have happened with the Etrex (the one I owned at least). I've been out hunting with both of them (youngster uses the Etrex), most times, the Etrex was looking for a signal while the Magellan never blinked!

 

Buy the best GPS you can afford. Best doesn't = most bells and whistles, but best reception.

Did you have a eTrex Venture® Cx ?

Or what etrex do you mean?

[+careygang]

You can now get the eTrex yellow with the new high-sensitivity receiver and all Garmins now have WAAS. It doesn't bump the price up by too much either. I used my eTrex yellow since 2001 and just got a new Venture Cx this year. I still love the simplicity of "old yeller". My yellow only handles 6 character waypoints and the new caches have 7; this may have changed on more recent models.

Correct. But if you download to your 'yellow' via EasyGPS or similar software, it's easy to edit the name, so just drop the G from the front and they all become C***** waypoint names instead of GC*****. Not a problem.

[+powercatjeffy]

It's what got me into geocaching - Ordered it out of a Marlboro catalog for $25 and a bucketful of coupons.

 

 

 

So nothing but park and grabs, huh?

[+AlmondEyes]

The plain old yellow one was the only thing I used for 3 years I think it was. Got it the same way Alabama Rambler got his (Marlboro catalog). Actually had no clue what a GPS was or what I had ordered; a friend took me caching when I received it. Had no trouble with it except that the backlight quit working within a few months from purchase). I recently upgraded to the best of the best Garmin makes, but I'll keep my yellow one.

Edited July 10, 2007 by AlmondEyes