Need to Upgrade from Yellow Garmin Etrex, to what?

[teamfox4]

I've been caching about a year with my faithful Yellow Garmin Etrex, and I think it's time to upgrade. I have no idea of what's good, and want one that's simple to use. What I'm really looking for is something that works well in tree cover (mine's signal is always lost or bouncing), and something with some maps so I can see if the cache is on a trail or at least where the closest road is. I'd like to spend under $150, ok maybe $200. I go Goecaching with my family every weekend, and would like something that doesn't have many quirks or bugs. I'm not really worried about paperless caching, I'm not very technical and it scares me!

 

I'm looking at:

Delorme PN-20

Garmin Vista HCX

Garmin 60CSX

 

But I'm wondering if there is something more basic that meets my needs. If anyone has any ideas I would be greatful!

 

-Aimee

[beauxp]

I have had the 60csx and have never lost signal on a trip. i have taken mine under extremely heavy tree cover, to the Rocky Mountain national park, and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Can't go wrong with the 60csx

[+Chuy!]

The Venture HC go for $130; it has color screen and the sensitive chipset. It has 24mb of internal memory and can hold detailed maps, but will not auto-route.

 

The Legend HCx go for $180. Over the HC, it adds external memory slot (up to 2gb card) and auto-routing with the optional $90 mapping software.

 

The Vista HCx and 60CSx are over $200 unless you find a refurbished/used model.

 

Don't even consider the PN20; it has a very slow processor. The PN40 is much improved in that department; they go for $290, but the mapping software is included in the price.

[+embra]

Chuy is right that processing speed in the PN-20 is a concern, and some people find it too slow. But if most all your GPS use will be for geocaching, the PN-20 may be fine for your use. I found that if I had a little patience for it that it was a very satisfactory geocaching tool.

 

Of perhaps more concern is the complexity of the PN-20 and the Topo7 software that comes with it. It's powerful, rich with editing capabilities...but that power brings layers of complexity. A year ago I would have steered you away from the PN-20 on that count, because getting the detail maps onto the PN-20 used to require that you first wade into Topo7 and wrestle with its non-standard interface and the principles of cutting your own detail map files. For someone who wants simple...it's not.

 

HOWEVER...it doesn't have to be that way. Delorme has begun to include pre-cut detail map files that anyone can easily (I do mean no-brainer) transfer to the PN-20 for very nearly out-of-the-box use. It's just a matter of putting the DVD for your region of interest into the computer and following a few step-by-step directions. That gets the maps you want on the GPS and ready for general use.

 

For geocaching, you still need to get the geocache waypoints into the GPS. At this moment you need to use Topo7--but if all you need to do is this, you don't have to mess with the complexity of Topo7, you just need to follow a two- or three-step process to import a gpx or loc file and then upload to the PN-20. I compare it to going to Walmart when you want just one thing...you can let yourself get bogged down with side trips, but if you just want a bottle of aspirin, you get in and you get out.

 

Of more promise for your use, Delorme has announced intentions to get geocaching-specific software for the computer that would let you avoid Topo7 altogether, if you want. We haven't seen the new stuff yet (Delorme had indicated they want to get it out as soon as the holidays), but it looks to be simple and straight-forward, dealing specifically with geocaching needs. I suspect that if the paperless aspects are easy to deal with, that you would like it quite a lot.

 

The value of the PN-20 package is great; you get the GPS and mapping software providing both topo and street routing capability all in one. Amazon is selling it for $150 at the moment. If you look at the cost of adding topo mapping software to the Garmins, you'll see that you have to spend more. But they will be easier for you to use given your prior experience with the Yellow.

 

So to summarize: the PN-20 is a little sluggish relative to the other devices you are looking at, but it comes with good quality topo maps in the purchase price and they are easily installed. Topo7 gives you a lot of capabilities down the road, but you don't have to get into it very much if you want to keep things simple...and soon, you might not have to touch it at all. The PN-20 has it's complicated depths to plumb if you want to master it, but you can deal with the basics easily enough--and your prior experience *does* give you a foundation for finding your way around on the PN-20, too. Lastly, there is lots of friendly support at the Delorme Users forum to get you on your feet (or help you explore the intricacies when you feel ready).

[+WVRadar]

I upgraded from the yellow eTrex to a Venture HC just a little over a year ago, and would recommend this unit to anyone. It has never lost the signal, whether in heavy tree cover, or in deep canyons and gorges.

 

Also, you will need to purchase maps from Garmin. Adding Topo 2008 to the cost of the Venture HC will put the price right around $200.

 

If you are planning to use the GPSr for autorouting (the Venture HC is not capable of this), you will need to purchase a more expensive model, and different maps.

[teamfox4]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your responses, you've given me a great staring point. I'll keep checking back, if anyone has any more opinions I'd love to hear them!

[WVski]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your responses, you've given me a great staring point. I'll keep checking back, if anyone has any more opinions I'd love to hear them!

 

Go for the Legend HCx...Autorouting...Nice sensitivity...All and all a perfect starting point....Get the Icybus maps and your good to go...

 

Probably get one on ebay right now fairly cheap especially with Microsoft's 30% PayPal cash back going on right now...

 

EDIT:

Actually I just checked walmart...They have it for 160$ right now...

Ebay, brand new 195$...With the 30% cash back, your still looking at around 145-150$...

Probably worth the 10 bucks to be able to take it back just in case you need to...

Edited December 4, 2008 by WVski

[+BuckeyeClan]

FWIW, I agree with embra on his analysis of Topo7. I just purchased the PN-40; my understanding is that the PN-40 is faster and more powerful than the PN-20, but they function basically the same; i.e., same process to transfer maps, waypoints, etc. Our previous GPSr is a Magellan Explorist 200, so I'm a complete newbie to the mapping software and downloading caches directly to the unit. Transferring maps from the disks to the PN-40 was very easy. Transferring a PQ into Topo7 and then to the PN-40 was decidedly not intuitive, but was easy to do once I found a step-by-step explanation in the Delorme forums. (Be sure you check out those forums if you want more detailed info on the PN-20!) We went with the Delorme unit because it seemed to be the best value (all maps included!) and it does paperless caching. I have also been impressed with the responsiveness of the Delorme staff. They frequently respond to posts in these forums and in their own. Good luck with your decision!