Best GPS for newbie?

[anakin008]

My family just started Geocaching, and so far have only found the ones for which a GPS isn't completely necessary. I would like to pick up a GPS, but would like to pay $150 or less. Any suggestions?

 

TIA

E

[stryder717]

A suggestion would be the garmin:

 

eTrex H

eTrex Legend HCx

 

You could get them off line for less then $150. Try ebay

[+embra]

For those with cost as a big factor, I'm suggesting they look at the Delorme PN-20. TigerGPS is selling refurbished units at $170, which is a fantastic value considering that it includes detailed topo software that allows for autorouting.

 

Several caveats apply:

--because of all the features it has, it is more complicated to learn than other models

--those who haven't liked the PN-20 usually complained that it was too slow in screen redraws (especially when moving fast, as in a car)

--it doesn't sometimes doesn't calculate a street route quickly enough to be usable in dense urban or long distance routing.

 

It's great for outdoor activities, including geocaching.

[MagicNats]

I'm looking to spend £20 or £30 at the most on a basic GPS as this is only a new hobby, can't spend loads on a gps.

 

Is this realistic? What can I get in this pricerange as i was looking at the Garmin Geko 101 but they're going for about £45 on ebay. Can't pay that much...

 

Thanks,

 

Nat

[Motorcycle_Mama]

That's only about $35 - 60 US, is that correct? That's a pretty tight budget even on eBay.

[Ken in Regina]

I'm brand new to caching. I've only done one with my Garmin iQue 3600 and that wasn't a very satisfying experience because the GPS receiver is five or six year old technology. So I wanted to get a new unit that would be accurate and quick to lock for geocaching, small enough and waterproof to be really handy for cycling and hiking and with a screen that is really easy to read in all light conditions.

 

I can't help anyone with geocaching but I can tell you this: eBay isn't all it's cracked up to be for price. It's like the big box stores: you have to know your prices. I've been watching eBay for Garmin eTrex units for the past couple of weeks. I happened to check GPS City for their current prices and found that they have the eTrex Venture HC on sale for C$135. That's cheaper than any of the "Buy Now" units on eBay and the same or less than the prices people are bidding for them (go figure!). I ordered it on Thursday and received it on Friday: total including relevant tax and expedited shipping was C$166.

 

It's a fabulous little unit if you don't need autorouting and big amounts of detail map data. If you do, GPSCity also has the eTrex Legend HCx and eTrex Vista HCx on sale. The eTrex line don't do paperless caching but I plan to use my Garmin iQue 3600 (Palm OS) with CacheMate for the paperless part and for autorouting.

 

For anyone concerned about its ability to get a location fix (the main thing I bought it for), I opened up the box, inserted the batteries, powered it up and set it on the desk beside my keyboard. Right out of the box in under five minutes it had a lock on five satellites and a position fix with 5 meter accuracy ... in the basement right underneath the cold air return ducts!!! Upstairs in the kitchen it's twelve seconds to boot up, get a position fix and display the map. As someone else pointed out, to get this performance you need the eTrex units that have an "H" (High sensitivity) in the model designation.

 

I think I'm in love...

 

...ken...

[+mrrandy]

I looked at an Etrex H yesterday at Wal-Mart for $99. Can I download waypoints directly to the Etrex H without buying extra software? I have a cable for a C320. I wonder if that cable will fit the Etrex?

 

Like Ken, I really don't want to spend a lot of money to get started. I've been using my C320 for geocaching, and I can download waypoints, but this one is not really that great for handheld use (not to mention how goofy you look walking through the park with a navigation system!)

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

I agree. The Garmin eTrex Venture HC is the way to go.

[+peto_geo]

About 3 months ago I was leaning towards an etrex Venture HC also but decided to get a refurbed PN-20. I am very happy I did. I've had several Magellans (Map 330 & Explorist 210) and Garmins (Etrex) in the past and my PN-20 to me is a much better GPS. The refurbs (which look brand new) can be had for $170 and come with the Topo7.0 mapping program which is awesome in itself. You also get $100 worth of free USGS or aerial photo downloads. I was skeptical at first but this PN-20 has been fantastic at hiking/caching/biking/floating/etc.

[+JATurtle]

GPS City definitely has some good prices. They also sell reconditioned units. I have purchased two Gamins from them and one on eBay. These days, I have noticed reasonably good prices at some of the big box stores: Target, Sport Authority, Wall Mart and Best Buy all are selling handheld GPS units. I have heard tell of people picking up units at Radio Shack. Check them out on line. If you are looking for a basic unit, these places and others have competitive prices. I started with a Garmin Legend C. I loved it until it melted. I think I paid about $280 - $300 for it (not sure). You can now buy similar models at Target or Wall Mart for about $90.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any Units, by any manufacturers, for less than $85. Where I live the Garmin GPSmap 60 series is the gold standard. I now use a 60Cx. This is the unit I wanted originally, and I asked this same question in this forum. You can always buy more, but if you can, it doesn't hurt to stretch a little and get the one you really want. After all, once you have a GPSr, besides the gas, this game is basically free.

Edited September 7, 2008 by JATurtle

[Ken in Regina]

I looked at an Etrex H yesterday at Wal-Mart for $99. Can I download waypoints directly to the Etrex H without buying extra software? I have a cable for a C320. I wonder if that cable will fit the Etrex?

Nope, according to the specs you can't load anything into the H model; no detail maps or waypoints or routes. And it doesn't appear to have a basic basemap that the other eTrex models have. You can store up to 500 waypoints in the H but they have to be entered manually. The extra 40 bucks for the Venture HC seems like money well spent if you want to be able to load waypoints and detail maps from the PC. It comes with it's own USB cable in the box, but the one for my Canon camera works just as well. The Venture HC and above also have the ability to load geocaches directly from the computer and keeps them seperate from other waypoints. You can even select your own icons for them and mark them found when you are successful. The H doesn't know anything about geocaches.

 

...ken...

[stryder717]

I looked at an Etrex H yesterday at Wal-Mart for $99. Can I download waypoints directly to the Etrex H without buying extra software? I have a cable for a C320. I wonder if that cable will fit the Etrex?

Nope, according to the specs you can't load anything into the H model; no detail maps or waypoints or routes. And it doesn't appear to have a basic basemap that the other eTrex models have. You can store up to 500 waypoints in the H but they have to be entered manually. The extra 40 bucks for the Venture HC seems like money well spent if you want to be able to load waypoints and detail maps from the PC. It comes with it's own USB cable in the box, but the one for my Canon camera works just as well. The Venture HC and above also have the ability to load geocaches directly from the computer and keeps them seperate from other waypoints. You can even select your own icons for them and mark them found when you are successful. The H doesn't know anything about geocaches.

 

...ken...

You can load things into the H model, and they dont have to be entered manually. it has a serial connector, and hooks up to a serial port on your computer. it can hold 500 waypoints, 20 routes and save 10 tracks. The H model paired up with EasyGPS (or other GPS software) can do anything a beginner would need it to do.

 

The H can accept waypoints from your computer.

The H does let you select your icon and mark them found when you are successful

The H does know a think about geocaching and then some.

Edited September 7, 2008 by stryder717

[+coggins]

The USB cable from the C320 will not work with the eTrex H model as it has an RS-232 serial interface. As it doesn't come with a cable, you would need to purchase or construct one. If your computer has an RS-232 port, you are good to go. You can send and retrive waypoints, routes and tracks to and from the unit. Of course the unit is a non mapping handheld, so you won't be able to send any map data, but I'm sure you understood that. Under Windows, you can use the Garmin Communicator to send geocache waypoints to your unit, but understand that the limit on waypoint names in the unit is 6 digits, so it will truncate anything over 6 digits. The unit doesn't have the Geocaching mode newer units has, but does have both the open and closed treasure chest icons for waypoints so you can mark them as found just by changing the icon. If your computer doesn't have an RS-232 serial port, you would also need an RS-232 serial to USB converter. So if you want to use it mostly for Geocaching, a better choice would be to spend a little more up front and get an Etrex Venture HC. The cost of the cables for the eTrex H is offset with the eTrex Venture HC as the unit has USB and comes with a cable. As long as you do not need the RS-232 serial output from the eTrex H you would be good to go.

 

I looked at an Etrex H yesterday at Wal-Mart for $99. Can I download waypoints directly to the Etrex H without buying extra software? I have a cable for a C320. I wonder if that cable will fit the Etrex?

Nope, according to the specs you can't load anything into the H model; no detail maps or waypoints or routes. And it doesn't appear to have a basic basemap that the other eTrex models have. You can store up to 500 waypoints in the H but they have to be entered manually. The extra 40 bucks for the Venture HC seems like money well spent if you want to be able to load waypoints and detail maps from the PC. It comes with it's own USB cable in the box, but the one for my Canon camera works just as well. The Venture HC and above also have the ability to load geocaches directly from the computer and keeps them seperate from other waypoints. You can even select your own icons for them and mark them found when you are successful. The H doesn't know anything about geocaches.

 

...ken...

Edited September 7, 2008 by coggins

[Ken in Regina]

Thanks for the clarification, folks. I looked at the specs on Garmin's site and couldn't find references to the computer connection or geocaching. Guess I should have looked in the manual before putting my foot in my mouth.

 

...ken...

[+coggins]

Thanks for the clarification, folks. I looked at the specs on Garmin's site and couldn't find references to the computer connection or geocaching. Guess I should have looked in the manual before putting my foot in my mouth.

 

...ken...

Welcome to the club. We all take turns doing that.

[+RuthieK2ZQ]

I'll add my two cents here. As a brand new geocacher but someone who has been paying some attention to the tech as it evolved, our first handheld unit we bought in the mid-90s, I finally found someone who was interested in REALLY getting into the hobby of geocaching. She just purchased a Garmin Etrex Venture HC. I have a 4 1/2 year old Garmin Etrex Venture that belongs to the hubby. We went out my first time yesterday with both units. Hers was by far MUCH nicer than mine, much easier to see and also easier to use. Especially since I don't have a cable for my unit to connect to the computer. I manually entered a waypoint in mine and then used hers for the other two caches. I honestly feel that the Etrex Venture HC, from my newbie point of view, is a nice unit and quite capable.

 

All that said I had it in my head since last week or so when I first started looking at units that I wanted one that had a sensitive receiver, as best as I could get for the money I could spend. I also liked the feature of being able to plug in a SD card. I kept coming back to the Garmin 60CSx and tonight I finally bought that one online.

 

Amazon.com had the best price on the 60CSx but newegg.com was just about the same, even with shipping. For me it was $5.00 more at newegg.com. I also note that newegg.com isn't charging NY state sales tax but honestly didn't notice if amazon.com is or isn't now as I ordered from newegg simply because for $5.00 difference I knew I'd have it a lot faster. newegg.com has awesome fast shipping to me. The newegg.com package includes a carrying bag. Amazon has the actual protective case, which I'm not crazy about personally.

 

Newegg.com has the Etrex Venture HC with a carrying bag for $129.00, which my friend said is a good price. She paid $145 for hers just recently.

 

Hopefully these newbie comments will help someone.