Looking to buy a new GPS

[Pickles4601]

For quite a while I have used a car gps (Mio c220) It works pretty good but isnt as accurate in teh woods and the battery dosent last as long as id like. I can still use it to get to the parking area for a cache or the ones close to roads.

 

I am looking to get a new, cheap (under 150) gpsr. How is the Garmen Etrex? Can it store caches right off the site by using the send to garmin feature? I dont think it was terrain mapping feature though. Is there another cheap alternitive that i can use to successfully cache? Any help would be great.

[+Damin69]

The Etrex Venture HC I had picked up new for $139 and does eveything you need.

[+StarBrand]

The Etrex Venture HC I had picked up new for $139 and does eveything you need.

yup - I'll second that recomendation.

 

USb connections, color screen, map memory, rugged, long battery life, nice form factor and a Geocaching mode.

[Jörg Tweesmann]

hello,

The Etrex Venture HC I had picked up new for $139 and does eveything you need.

if this gps is suitable for geocaching, does this mean it is suitable for biking also? Which features would you suggest to take into account when choosing a gps device.

Are there important differences between biking and geocaching? What tells your experience?

best regards.

Jörg Tweesmann (Detmold, germany)

Edited September 19, 2008 by Jörg Tweesmann

[+Kohavis]

I also have the Venture HC. I'm not sure what specific features bikers would need as opposed to hikers. I think they're very similar. And bicycle mounts for it are readily available and inexpensive on E-bay. The Venture HC comes with an accessory mount adapter you screw into the back of it for cars and bicycles.

 

One very handy feature on the Venture HC is auto-tracking. If you leave it enabled, whenever you leave the house it periodically records your position at intervals you select (different times or distances). I have mine set at 300 ft.

 

When you get back from your trek or ride, you can download your tracks into Garmin's Waypoint manager and see each point and the whole journey. Location, heading and distance traveled is recorded for each point, and for the whole track. It's handy because I'm keeping track of my walking mileage. You can edit the tracks and remove any points or tracks you don't want to keep.

 

It's also handy if you're out and get lost. You turn on a feature called "TracBack" and it reverses the route you just took, showing you where to turn and how far to go. Very handy!

[+Guinness70]

lots of gps answers over at

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showforum=11

[+craazy]

I have an eTrex Venture Cx that I got off Amazon for like $109, it takes a Micro-SD card so I can add different maps which is pretty nice.

 

Hey Guiness70 the 50 other topics you replied that same response to are AWESOME but I think these questions are looking for answers....?

 

gotta get that post count up eh!

[+Wild Thing 73]

Think "cheap" and that is what you will get and then you will buy a 2nd and possibly a 3rd, until you get a Garmin Map60csx or a GPSr similar........may of us make that mistake to buy CHEAP..........Shop around the web sites, eBay, garmin, etc...Prices per units are coming down. good luck and Happy Trails

[+ffrenchmen]

I recently bought a Garmin Etrex and I don't have a cable yet. I want to manually enter coordinates into the thing but the book is confusing. I've had it for 3 days now and I can't figure out how to punch in anything?

 

Can you help?

[lacey_pat_tom]

I bought the Garmin etrex Venture HC two weeks ago from Amazon for 130. I really like it. It's so easy to download from www.geocache.com. I have not figured out how to manually input waypoints yet. The unit has quite a few features that I have yet to master. I also am pleased that it works in the car, so I may invest in the street maps. The maps it comes with are fine for geocaching, though.

[+Kohavis]

I bought the Garmin etrex Venture HC two weeks ago from Amazon for 130. I really like it. It's so easy to download from www.geocache.com. I have not figured out how to manually input waypoints yet. The unit has quite a few features that I have yet to master. I also am pleased that it works in the car, so I may invest in the street maps. The maps it comes with are fine for geocaching, though.

I have the same model. You can manually input waypoints by going to the menu, selecting "Mark", then move the cursor to the coordinates data field. Click on it and you'll see characters and numbers you can select, with right and left arrows, space, upper and lower case, backspace, and "OK" when you're done. Use this character entry method for the coordinates and the name of the waypoint at the top. Don't forget to save it.

 

For entering a waypoint immediately from map mode, press and hold the enter button (push straight down on the joystick). The same screen comes up letting you edit the data.

[+Colorado Cacher]

To make a very long story short. Garmin Venture HC (very user friendly unit w/waas) www.adorama.com=117.00. Wal-Mart (what a joke) same gps exactly=199.00. Walmart wouldnt match the online price, but did refund my money to purchase the other.

[+Colorado Cacher]

The Etrex Venture HC I had picked up new for $139 and does eveything you need.

[+Kohavis]

I bought mine from this person. Brand new. Extremely fast shipping, good communication, excellent seller.

 

$127 with free shipping

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Garmin-eTrex-Ventu...id=p3286.c0.m14

[Jörg Tweesmann]

I also have the Venture HC. I'm not sure what specific features bikers would need as opposed to hikers. I think they're very similar. And bicycle mounts for it are readily available and inexpensive on E-bay. The Venture HC comes with an accessory mount adapter you screw into the back of it for cars and bicycles.

 

When you get back from your trek or ride, you can download your tracks into Garmin's Waypoint manager and see each point and the whole journey. Location, heading and distance traveled is recorded for each point, and for the whole track. It's handy because I'm keeping track of my walking mileage. You can edit the tracks and remove any points or tracks you don't want to keep.

 

Well I made up my mind and probably found a difference. When biking i find it important to be able to tell if the road will be steep or not. Are the gps maps precise concerning the 3d information? [is there any difference between the devices?]

 

best regards

Tweesmann, Jörg

Edited October 4, 2008 by Jörg Tweesmann

[+Kohavis]

I also have the Venture HC. I'm not sure what specific features bikers would need as opposed to hikers. I think they're very similar. And bicycle mounts for it are readily available and inexpensive on E-bay. The Venture HC comes with an accessory mount adapter you screw into the back of it for cars and bicycles.

 

When you get back from your trek or ride, you can download your tracks into Garmin's Waypoint manager and see each point and the whole journey. Location, heading and distance traveled is recorded for each point, and for the whole track. It's handy because I'm keeping track of my walking mileage. You can edit the tracks and remove any points or tracks you don't want to keep.

 

Well I made up my mind and probably found a difference. When biking i find it important to be able to tell if the road will be steep or not. Are the gps maps precise concerning the 3d information? [is there any difference between the devices?]

 

best regards

Tweesmann, Jörg

Using the standard Mapsource front-end I pulled the vertical profile of my last hike/cache hunt:

 

 

You could probably do the same for a planned bike ride - create the route and use the same tool on it. I'm sure you can tweak it so the points are closer, and the map result will be more useful for you.