jt228 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I am looking for a gps unit for geocaching, I found this old unused Garmin GPS III unit that my dad bought when it first came out but never used it! So I am wondering, is it neccesary that I buy another GPS unit? I mean can anyone tell me is this old unit so out dated that it is no use for geocaching? I am looking for a unit that can lead me to a cache as close as possible, such as it can lead me to the cache so I can be right next to it easily, which I'm considering the Garmin vista HCX now but the price is a little problem, so make this short, should I buy a new one or the current one I have is good enough? and if I need to buy a new one, which one is the best out there? is the HCX the best? I thought of the 60csx, but way out of my price range, suggestions? Quote Link to comment
+twolpert Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I am looking for a gps unit for geocaching, I found this old unused Garmin GPS III unit that my dad bought when it first came out but never used it! So I am wondering, is it neccesary that I buy another GPS unit? I mean can anyone tell me is this old unit so out dated that it is no use for geocaching? Up until a couple of weeks ago (when I bought a Colorado -- long, sad story) I was using an 8 or 9-year old GPS III+ to geocache. Works fine, although you probably can't use any of the fancy "download to my GPS" features of the web site. The GPS III+ is a mapping unit. Not sure about the GPS III. You don't really need maps to cache, although they are nice to have. There is also a potential issue as to how long an old GPS III will continue to function. These units have an internal battery which keeps the memory (waypoints, maps, settings) alive. Like the (much more recent) iPod, the battery cannot be replaced by the user. Garmin claimed a 10-year life for the battery. Mine's still going after 8 or 9 years. Read what you want into that. You have nothing to lose by giving the GPS III a shot. If you don't like it, you can always invest in a newer unit. Quote Link to comment
+NVRDUNN Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I am looking for a gps unit for geocaching, I found this old unused Garmin GPS III unit that my dad bought when it first came out but never used it! So I am wondering, is it neccesary that I buy another GPS unit? I mean can anyone tell me is this old unit so out dated that it is no use for geocaching? I am looking for a unit that can lead me to a cache as close as possible, such as it can lead me to the cache so I can be right next to it easily, which I'm considering the Garmin vista HCX now but the price is a little problem, so make this short, should I buy a new one or the current one I have is good enough? and if I need to buy a new one, which one is the best out there? is the HCX the best? I thought of the 60csx, but way out of my price range, suggestions? I'm using a GPS II and it's been working ok. The hardest part is not having any street info as it's not a mapping unit. I beleive the GPS III is the same. I have had my unit for about 10 years with no problems. I take that back, just a couple of months ago the rubber seal for the data port finally broke Over the years the unit has been dropped, gotten wet, etc and keeps going. But the need for street info is getting to great and now with the seal broken, it’s about time for me to upgrade. Chris Quote Link to comment
+LightHouseSeekers Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I am looking for a gps unit for geocaching, I found this old unused Garmin GPS III unit that my dad bought when it first came out but never used it! So I am wondering, is it neccesary that I buy another GPS unit? I mean can anyone tell me is this old unit so out dated that it is no use for geocaching? Up until a couple of weeks ago (when I bought a Colorado -- long, sad story) I was using an 8 or 9-year old GPS III+ to geocache. Works fine, although you probably can't use any of the fancy "download to my GPS" features of the web site. The GPS III+ is a mapping unit. Not sure about the GPS III. You don't really need maps to cache, although they are nice to have. There is also a potential issue as to how long an old GPS III will continue to function. These units have an internal battery which keeps the memory (waypoints, maps, settings) alive. Like the (much more recent) iPod, the battery cannot be replaced by the user. Garmin claimed a 10-year life for the battery. Mine's still going after 8 or 9 years. Read what you want into that. You have nothing to lose by giving the GPS III a shot. If you don't like it, you can always invest in a newer unit. The battery CAN be replaced by the user; however it is not a job for the faint-hearted. I can send a link to a site that has instructions and a website where you can buy the battery. The unit is suitable for geocaching, though lacks fancy features. Quote Link to comment
+twolpert Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 The battery CAN be replaced by the user; however it is not a job for the faint-hearted. I can send a link to a site that has instructions and a website where you can buy the battery. The unit is suitable for geocaching, though lacks fancy features. I would be interested in the link if you'd be kind enough to post it. Always good to have a backup plan. Tom Quote Link to comment
Wintertime Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I've been using a GPS III+ for geocaching and benchmark hunting for several years now. Sure, it doesn't have WAAS or downloadable maps, but it works just fine. Go for it! Patty Quote Link to comment
+LightHouseSeekers Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 (edited) The battery CAN be replaced by the user; however it is not a job for the faint-hearted. I can send a link to a site that has instructions and a website where you can buy the battery. The unit is suitable for geocaching, though lacks fancy features. I would be interested in the link if you'd be kind enough to post it. Always good to have a backup plan. Tom Repair info can be found at http://www.f-ms.de/ta/gps.html If you don't read german feed that website to babelfish at http://babelfish.altavista.com/ and it will translate it. Found the battery at several websites and bought it here: http://www.panasonicbatteryvalues.com/+-+-...t-b301vlp2.aspx i used a knife to break the old battery loose from its connecting pins then soldered the new one to those points. Edited March 11, 2008 by LightHouseSeekers Quote Link to comment
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