Electronic compass

[+OnHisBike]

Hi, I have had a basic Garmin eTrex for many years and I have only just started geocaching. Unfortunately when I was on holiday my rucksack was stolen and my Garmin was in the rucksack. Anyway I am now looking for a new device - I want to stay with Garmin but I am confused with the scope of devices :- Summit, Legend, Venture, Vista (too expensive) and GPSMAP, and no real descriptions about the groups the models are targeted.

I am settling towards the Legend or the GPSMAP 60. But, I read one spec that said the Legend did not have a electronic compass. It has, I believe, a navigation screen. Is it that you must be moving for it to calculate North and your target - therefore it cannot be called a compass ?

 

Secondly, what is a muggler?

Edited December 27, 2007 by OnHisBike

[+Chuy!]

I had to look up "rucksack". The loss is a bummer.

 

The Legend as a similar compass screen to the Etrex you used to have. The compass works when you are moving in a linear pattern. Yes, to navigate to a waypoint (a set of coordinates), you must move for the GPS to triangulate your relative position to the cache coordinates. Or, you can also use the satellite screen to navigate; it's trickier but useful in some situations.

 

If you're on a tight budget, or don't care for fancy units, I recommend the Venture HC (or Etrex H at minimum) if you can afford it. The H means the unit has the more sensitive chip - believe me, it makes a big difference. The C means it has a color screen, a nice feature that helps in reading the screen.

 

Go here to compare Garmin's basic handheld units.

Go here to compare Garmin's mapping handheld units.

 

Muggle 1: a marijuana cigarette (1920's slang)

Muggle 2: a common person, esp. one who is ignorant or has no skills (1920's slang)

Muggle 3: a person without magical powers (Harry Potter)

 

Source: Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English

 

For geocaching purposes, a muggle is a non-caching individual.

[+fratermus]

But, I read one spec that said the Legend did not have a electronic compass. It has, I believe, a navigation screen. Is it that you must be moving for it to calculate North and your target - therefore it cannot be called a compass ?

 

The ones with electronic compasses don't work unless you spin in circles first; they also cannot be called a compass?

 

I figure a thing that indicates North is a compass. That is pretty broad, but it works for me.

[+admo1972]

t has, I believe, a navigation screen. Is it that you must be moving for it to calculate North and your target - therefore it cannot be called a compass ?

 

All the models have a navigation screen, which looks like a compass and rotates around such that the letter N faces North. The arrow, in most cases where you are having the GPS point you to a cache, points to the cache. The units that claim to not have an "electronic compass" will point to the cache, but you need to be moving, ideally in a straight line and relatively quickly to actually be pointing towards the cache, as it calculates your past positions and current position to figure out what direction you are facing.

 

Those that have an electronic compass will point towards the cache even when standing still, which is nice but not necessary, as either type will tell you a bearing to the cache, and you can always use a regular magnetic compass to figure out the direction.

[+kenk]

After having the GPSMAP 60CSx I really really like having the electronic compass. I used to be one of those folks who say you don't need an electronic compass, but now, after having one, I won't buy one without it again -- even though I am VERY skilled at using an electronic compass and map. It is just so convenient to have the GPS point to the destination even when not moving.

 

My advice is to look at the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx, GPSMAP 60CSx, or GPSMAP 76CSx.

 

The HCX is the smallest and lightest unit and has the brightest display. It seems to be your best bet. The 60CSx has the labeled buttons on the front. The 76CSx is similar to the 60CSx but floats.

[+TrailGators]

After having the GPSMAP 60CSx I really really like having the electronic compass. I used to be one of those folks who say you don't need an electronic compass, but now, after having one, I won't buy one without it again -- even though I am VERY skilled at using an electronic compass and map. It is just so convenient to have the GPS point to the destination even when not moving.

 

My advice is to look at the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx, GPSMAP 60CSx, or GPSMAP 76CSx.

 

The HCX is the smallest and lightest unit and has the brightest display. It seems to be your best bet. The 60CSx has the labeled buttons on the front. The 76CSx is similar to the 60CSx but floats.

The Vista HCX still has a bug that causes the odometer to quit working when you are moving slower than 2mph. Garmin has known about it since July but still has not come up with a fix. I really like the 60csx myself.