GPS help?

[c-rey]

ok so me and my fam just started in this wonderous world of geacaching! We went out a couple times and didnt find anything, then we realized that having a GPs would help us. The thing is we have no clue what kind of GPS we should get!!!!!

we are looking for a GPS that is excellent for geocaching yet still decent for using as a regular GPS... we looking for one on the more cheap side as well. any tips and help in finding one would be much appreciated

[+crockett3663]

Yours is a bit of an open ended question, meaning that there are some factors that only you know the answers to, and they are answers that the rest of us could use to help you narrow your buying choices.

 

For instance, I don't travel enough to necessarily need a GPS that is "auto" friendly. I really only use mine for caching. Mine is the very popular Garmin 60CSx, which is widely regarded as the GPS of choice for your average cacher. I bought mine at the Cabela's store in Wisconsin last year for $350. I know there is software available for the 60CSx which will make it useful for road navigation, and I believe the software retails for around $50-60 dollars. Sometimes you'll find promotions where the road software is included for free or at a greatly reduced price.

 

Now, if you don't want to spend that much, you can opt for the Garmin Etrex Legend, which I believe retails for around 100-150 dollars and will suit most beginning cachers just fine. However, I don't know if the Legend has available software which makes it useful for travel. Perhaps someone on here can fill you in further.

 

In my own personal opinion, you should stick to the Garmin brand. Magellan is another brand of handheld GPS, but it does not adapt as easily for downloading coordinates. The Garmin brand has software available that allows you to connect directly to your PC to do so. To me, it was well worth the extra money. Once you have the software and drivers installed on your PC, downloading co-ords can be done literally within seconds with the simple click of your mouse.

 

For road use, TomTom is widely regarded as a more cost friendly alternative however, past reading on here tells me that the TomTom brand does not lend itself as well to off road or caching activities.

 

My best advice is to head to your local sporting goods store and tell the sales person just exactly you're wanting your GPS to do and how much you're willing to spend. From there, he/she should be able to offer you at least two or three units from which to choose.

 

I'll close by saying "Welcome to the obsession and good luck hunting!!"

[+Chuy!]

If you don't want auto-routing maps, I would recommend the Etrex Venture HC. It can still hold Topo and non-routing maps, but at 24mb of internal memory, there are better GPS more suitable for detailed mapsets.

[+Rockin Roddy]

Not sure what you consider cheap, but for around $200, you can get the DeLorme PN-20. The PN-20 cmes with all the maps you'll need to auto-route, trail route, and find caches. It also has the ability to add aerial maps, NOAA charts, sat imagery etc with a $30 subscription (not needed for routing or use, these are extras). The PN-20 is paperless right now, but is limited to 800 characters (short descriptions)...this should be fixed soon though!

 

Foe around $320, you can buy the PN-40! It's the PN-20's big brother and has even MORE bells and whistles than the little brother. I own the PN-40 and let me tell you, it is SWEET!! Paperless caching is AWESOME, aerial maps and routing are GREAT!!

 

If you want, buy the Venture and call it adequate, but the cutting edge, the new line of GPS technology is in the DeLorme camp!! The Garmin crowd will tell you the PN series' screen is too small (are you watching TV with this thing???), they will say the Garmin downloads effortlessly and the DeLorme is hard...OK! If clicking a few buttons is hard, I guess I'm a genius! I have a feeling many in the Garmin camp are loyal to Garmin (and that's great) but loyalty is only going to take you so far. Just because the Garmins were top of the line doesn't mean you shouldn't embrace change, especially when change is an advancement!

 

The only units the DeLorme PN series would compare to are the Garmin Colorado and the Garmin Oregon, but you're already $100-$200 over the cost of the DeLorme and you'd still need maps for the Garmins (the DeLorme comes complete)...and, I think the DeLorme is still better than either of these (especially when the DeLorme team rolls out the promised updates which will truly make the PN-40 THE unit for caching!!).

[BlueDamsel]

I'd second the Legend suggestion if price is a factor. I had a Garmin Legend (in fact, two separate Garmins) for 8 years and they worked like horses. They are both still working. The Legend is also a lower price point and will do anything geocaching you need to do.

 

I currently use a Garmin Oregon and this thing is THE BOMB for geocaching (don't know how I ever found caches without it before) but it is probably a bit out of your price range. It is built specifically for geocachers and will show 95% of the information on the Groundspeak cache page including the last five logs, with no additional work on your part (you don't have to go through third party software). To load the caches, you just drag and drop your GPX file onto the unit like a thumb drive... no buttons to push, no program to open. Direct from geocaching.com to the unit. It has a very intuitive interface, easy to load with caches, and if you like touchscreens, you will love this. I have City Nav NT software on it, so yes, it does road routing like a regular "auto" gps. You can hike, hunt, and fish with it, just like any other GPS. I have not found anything I do not like about it, so far. There is both Mac and PC software for it, and that's something that cannot be said about very many GPS models out there. I HAVE to have something compatible with my Mac.

 

However, these are the models I am familiar with. I'd agree with other posters who suggest you check out several models and brands at the local sporting goods store so you can see what they each do. Better yet, contact a local geocacher in your area who has the models you're interested in and ask to go with them for a day of caching so you can see how each one works!

 

There are users on this board that are pro-Garmin, some pro-Magellan, some pro-Delorme and they are only going to be able to talk to you about what they know (me included). Some are pretty adamant in their home "camp" and are not going to recommend other models. When I went looking for my last GPS, I did a lot of online research, plus looked at what people were writing on the boards about each model... positive comments, complaints, etc. I did a LOT of shopping and looked at most brands. I chose another Garmin because it fit what I was going to use it for. You will need to ask yourself honest questions about your end usage, so you get the GPS that fits YOU best.

 

However, I will say this: you get what you pay for... and my last GPS, although expensive, has added so much positive aspects to my geocaching that it was WELL worth the extra money spent on it. So figure out your absolute top dollar you are willing to spend and get the best GPS bells-and-whistles you can find for that price.

 

BlueDamsel

 

(And yes, right now I'm loyal to Garmin simply because I've had three Garmins that have worked beautifully and done what I've needed them to do. They are a popular brand and because of this, there is a lot of support for them so they integrate seamlessly with a lot of third party stuff. They are good, good GPSrs and will give you great service for the money.)

Edited February 3, 2009 by BlueDamsel

[+briansnat]

Now, if you don't want to spend that much, you can opt for the Garmin Etrex Legend, which I believe retails for around 100-150 dollars and will suit most beginning cachers just fine. However, I don't know if the Legend has available software which makes it useful for travel. Perhaps someone on here can fill you in further.

 

I'd second the Legend suggestion if price is a factor. I had a Garmin Legend (in fact, two separate Garmins) for 8 years and they worked like horses. They are both still working. The Legend is also a lower price point and will do anything geocaching you need to do.

 

I would NOT recommend an eTrex Legend. The Legend was a good unit in its day, but its day was about 7 years ago. GPS technology has long ago passed it by. I'm not even sure why it is still in Garmin's line.

 

You can get a far better unit than the Legend for just a few more dollars. The Venture HC will cost you about $10 -$20 more than a Legend and will give you a color display, 3 times the map memory and a high sensitivity receiver for great reception under trees.

 

For about $50-$70 more than a Legend you can get a Legend HCX which offers all the benefits of the Venture HC, plus expandable map memory and turn by turn driving directions for your car (with City Navigator installed).

[BlueDamsel]

 

I would NOT recommend an eTrex Legend. The Legend was a good unit in its day, but its day was about 7 years ago. GPS technology has long ago passed it by. I'm not even sure why it is still in Garmin's line.

 

You can get a far better unit than the Legend for just a few more dollars. The Venture HC will cost you about $10 -$20 more than a Legend and will give you a color display, 3 times the map memory and a high sensitivity receiver for great reception under trees.

 

For about $50-$70 more than a Legend you can get a Legend HCX which offers all the benefits of the Venture HC, plus expandable map memory and turn by turn driving directions for your car (with City Navigator installed).

 

When I said Legend, the HCX would have been the one I was referring to as far as purchasing currently, since it's a current model. Briansnat is correct (and thank you for clearing that up), don't buy an old model Legend which were just called "Legend" - you would want to get the one with the HCX suffix. Sorry to confuse you.... my bad. And yes, the Venture HC is a good recommendation for someone with not a lot of money to spend.

 

(I do wish Garmin would give their units more differentiating names.... for example, the Legend and LegendHCX, also 60CS and the 60CSx, with hugely different price points right now... one is the old model and one is the newer model, but you forget about that "x" and you are getting something really different!)

Edited February 3, 2009 by BlueDamsel

[NewMexicoOutdoor]

2 skools of thought:

 

1) Go real cheap and it'll also find caches or:

 

2) Since it's a Fam affair..get what Garmin calls a pair or 2 pairs of the Rino (with walkie-talkies). Maybe they've been replaced with another name ..but still the same..with RF communications. Dan

[+Colonial Cats]

There must be at least 100 different models and they're all the right one depending on your use. They all should be handheld made for hiking. They all should be shock and water resistant.

 

By brand name, Garmin is the undisputed leader. I haven't heard many complaints. I prefer Lowrance GPSrs. I believe that they are quality products and not quite as expensive. Magellan has its fans but I have heard complaints about customer service. DeLoren has a couple of units on the market. I've heard mostly good things about them. It would be advisable to check out the manufacturers web sites.

 

In general, the more you pay the more you get. Some specs to consider-

 

How many satellite channels? Most GPSrs do 12 or 16. Mine do 16.

Are the files generally compatible with most software including software from geocaching.com? Garmin is very compatible. My Lowrance units are not compatible with all software choices but I can usually use conversion software to get around this problem. Lowrance is coming out with a new Endura line in May. You can check it out at lowrance.com.

Does the GPSr pull in the signal well and how well does it keep a lock on it? I'm very happy with mine.

Does it have a base map? Can you add more detailed topo maps? Yes for mine.

Does it have a memory? How much? Does it use a SD memory card? SD cards in mine.

Does is have a USB, serial, or no computer connection? None. My Lowrance units use a special card reader for the SD cards.

Does it have a Color or Black & White display? Mine have color displays. I wouldn't have a GPSr without color.

Do you want an electronic compass and altitude indicator? I have one with and one without.

Do you want paperless caching capability on your GPSr or would you be happy using a separate PDA? I use an old PDA for paperless caching. This feature is available on a few new expensive models.

 

There are more choices but you get the idea. You can pay retail anywhere from $90 to $700 depending on your preferences. In my opinion, you should pay at least $200 to $300 for a GPSr that's a keeper.

 

Check out the "GPS and Technology" section in this forum. Also check out this link. Buying a GPSr

 

Good luck and happy caching!

[+briansnat]

When I said Legend, the HCX would have been the one I was referring to as far as purchasing currently, since it's a current model. Briansnat is correct (and thank you for clearing that up), don't buy an old model Legend which were just called "Legend" - you would want to get the one with the HCX suffix. Sorry to confuse you.... my bad.

 

Ya have to be careful. The old Legend is still in Garmin's line, so is also a current model.