Help with buying a new GPS

[+CuMoChi]

We have a Garmin E-trex Ledgend. and are wanting to buy a new GPS. What would you reccomend. We love the one we have we just want a better one.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

CuMoChi

[BlueDamsel]

We have a Garmin E-trex Ledgend. and are wanting to buy a new GPS. What would you reccomend. We love the one we have we just want a better one.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

CuMoChi

 

I have really loved using my Garmin Oregon 300. It's probably got the best paperless geocaching functions out there, so if you're planning on using it primarily for geocaching, you might want to seriously look at this device. It's a little spendy, but it is a great unit - I used to use a Legend and the difference in time-saving that the paperless caching provides is well worth the extra cost. I am also a big fan of touchscreens and the Oregon's is no exception. If you also decide to use this unit for road routing, a touchscreen makes ALL the difference when trying to operate the device in the car while driving, vs. buttons which can be awkward to access. I love the Oregon with City Navigator. It seems to be accurate as far as current roads, and it reroutes very quickly if you happen to miss a turn.

 

One of the best features of this device is the profile system. You can set up separate profiles for geocaching (i.e., topo map turned on, lock to road turned off, etc.), for automotive (topos turned off, lock to road on, automotive view on, etc.), or any other particular use you have, and to switch between these different setting setups is one touch of a button vs. going in and changing everything manually. So, when going to find a cache, I do a Where To, select the cache I want to find, and route to the general area using the Automotive profile. When I get to the approximate site and get out of the car, I switch to the Geocaching profile, which automatically turns on my topos and direct routing, and go from there. It makes things SO easy.

 

The Oregon can hold up to 2000 caches, of which you can load Groundspeak's maximum of 500 at a time via a pocket query. The cache info on the device includes waypoint name and number, who placed it, when, difficulty and terrain ratings, general description, hint, and last five logs, and it is graphically similar to the geocaching.com website. It does not hold any pictures or images on the cache page, but if they are critical to your find (such as a puzzle cache image), you can load them separately onto the Oregon using the Image Viewer function.

 

Some users have reported difficulties with the screen dimness. I agree, the screen is dim when you first take the unit out of the box and turn it on. However, this issue is easily remedied by doing the following things: Replace colored backgrounds with all-white backgrounds (instructions at gpsfix.net). Then, keep the backlight on full/constant. If you keep the backlight on but use NiMH rechargeable batteries to get good battery life, enable full GPS function until they are drained, and keep expense down, you will not notice much screen difference or battery life between other GPSr devices. My NiMHs are 2700 mAh and I am getting around 11-12 hours of use per set before they run out.

 

One advantage of the Oregon's screen is that it is bigger than most other GPSr units, so you can see a lot of map at once. The information panels are also transparent over the map, so you can still see what sits underneath them.

 

As for accuracy, I think this unit is FAR better than my old Legend and as good as any other GPS device I've personally used. I am noticing under 10 feet accuracy on most caches and within 20 on any others. (You have to remember when judging accuracy finding caches, that a lot of how close you are to a cache depends on not only your unit's accuracy, but the also unit of the cache owner, and whether his waypoints were averaged and how accurately, so take all comments like this with a grain of salt. I am just reporting on my own casual observations of my experiences with my own unit.)

 

There are also a lot of FREE/shareware topo maps available for Garmins (gpsfiledepot.com) which a lot of folks feel are better than Garmin's topos (I personally think they look pretty good), and if you are into aerial imagery, it can be uploaded to this unit using ExpertGPS or a similar program.

 

Anyway, feel free to email me if you have any questions.

 

Hope this helps.

BlueDamsel

Edited February 26, 2009 by BlueDamsel

[+myotis]

IMHO, the two best outdoor GPSs are the Colorado and Oregon. I think they are both outstanding GPSs and each has its strengths and weaknesses. It comes down to personal preferences. My preference is the CO, but many like the OR better.

 

The main difference is the OR has a touchscreen. But I have compared my CO side to side with an OR many times and I have always seen a significant difference in screen visability (the CO is much easer to see). That is why I prefer the CO. But many people say they have no problem seeing the screen. I think screen visability vs the ease of using the tocuch screen is the main trade off. So I strongly suggest comparing the two outside before making a decision.

 

I have only breifly messed with OR, so I cannot give a good opinon on its operation. But I really like the way the CO works. Its hardware setup (particulalry the rock n roller-which is an outstanding improvement) takes a bit to get used to after using other garmins. It is completely different but once you get used to it, it is a joy to use.

 

I really like the rock n roller to zoom and I do not like how you have arrows on the OR screen to zoom. But I would love to be able to move around the map via a touch screen. The CO's use of the rock n roller is better than any other Garmin without a touch screen. So the OR is the winner here.

 

I cannot speak to how easy the OR is to use with one hand (but suspect it could be hard), but I can tell you the CO is much easeir to use with one hand (and not looking at it) than any other GPS I have ever had. With its big buttons (far apart) and the rock n roller, it is a breeze to operate (particularly since it has profiles). A good example is when you are using street navigation to get you to the cache. When I get close I like to switch to off road navigation. I can do this in a couple of seconds with one hand not looking at the GPS. I push the right button, rotate the rock n roller one click, then push the select button twice.

 

I am sure BlueDamsel could give you info on how easy it is to operate the OR with one hand-and without having to look at it why you are driving down the road. Why I thik it is probably harder with the OR is with the CO you find physical buttons, with the OR you need to see the screen to see what you need to push.

 

I hope Garmin's next GPS will have a tocuch screen that is easier to see, some hardware buttons, and the rock n roller.

[+Rockin Roddy]

We have a Garmin E-trex Ledgend. and are wanting to buy a new GPS. What would you reccomend. We love the one we have we just want a better one.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

CuMoChi

 

Hello CuMoChi

 

When are you planning on making the purchase?? If after the Lazy Hayes Days, I could show you my PN-40, you could take it for a test run if you'd like! I'm sure a few Garmins will be there as well, I know a Garmin Oregon wil be there ans well as a Colorado, I think! And of course, the 60CSx will be there in force!

 

A good place to do a bit of research would be amazon.com, just look up any of the units and then read the descriptions and reviews. I bought my PN-40 there for a nice low $309, I've seen really good deals on the 60CSx there as well ($170 I think), The Oregon and Colorado are a bit more, but you can check them out there!

 

Just remember, if you're looking to get routing, you'll need to buy additional maps with everything but the DeLorme PN-40 (it comes with everything in the box).

 

One last thing to think about, Lowrance is coming out with a new unit, should be out in May. It looks pretty good too, I think it's The Endura Seirra or something like that?

 

Good luck, and keep an open mind and let your own needs and desires guide you!!

Edited February 26, 2009 by Rockin Roddy

[BlueDamsel]

What is WITH this website lately? I am getting all kinds of double post issues. Sorry.

Edited February 26, 2009 by BlueDamsel

[BlueDamsel]

 

I cannot speak to how easy the OR is to use with one hand (but suspect it could be hard), but I can tell you the CO is much easeir to use with one hand (and not looking at it) than any other GPS I have ever had. With its big buttons (far apart) and the rock n roller, it is a breeze to operate (particularly since it has profiles). A good example is when you are using street navigation to get you to the cache. When I get close I like to switch to off road navigation. I can do this in a couple of seconds with one hand not looking at the GPS. I push the right button, rotate the rock n roller one click, then push the select button twice.

 

I am sure BlueDamsel could give you info on how easy it is to operate the OR with one hand-and without having to look at it why you are driving down the road. Why I thik it is probably harder with the OR is with the CO you find physical buttons, with the OR you need to see the screen to see what you need to push.

 

I hope Garmin's next GPS will have a tocuch screen that is easier to see, some hardware buttons, and the rock n roller.

 

I've found the Oregon is really easy to use with one hand and this is no small feat, since I am a left-hander and most devices of this type are designed with right handers in mind. Having used GPSrs with physical buttons, I much prefer the touchscreen. The "buttons" on the touchscreen are very large and easy to see, so it really doesn't take much effort to use it while driving. It's about as distracting as checking your rear-view mirror. (OK, I can say I haven't even gotten close to being in an accident yet while using it!) As with any device, buttoned or touchscreen, you should make your settings, Go To, or whatever BEFORE you put the car in drive, since both types of devices will require some looking to make sure you pressed the correct thing in the correct sequence to get what you want. The only thing I usually need to do while driving is zoom out to see the map better, since City Nav does the zooming in automatically. I have a Ram mount right next to the steering wheel, so I don't have to glance very far from the windshield to see the GPSr screen.

 

One thing myotis mentioned is being able to easily move around the map via the touchscreen. IMHO, this is one of the Oregon's biggest features and one of the best reasons to have a touchscreen. It is really nice to be able to just swipe your fingertip over the map to check out adjacent areas next to the current cache without having to zoom, click or scroll. If you see a cache icon on the portion of the map you've swiped to, you can just touch it and the cache info page pops up (the icons are small, so a stylus helps here, but I can do it with a fingernail). If you decide you want to find that cache, you just click Go and you're on your way.

 

As for visibility problems with the Oregon, I suggest you compare it with other units, turned on of course, at the local sporting goods store if you think this will be a problem. I haven't found it to be aggravating in any way whatsoever, in any light conditions. Yes, it is somewhat dimmer than other GPS screens, but it is still quite readable for any use I've put it to. However, it is not everyone's cup of tea, so if you're considering this unit, make sure you like the way it looks (with backlight turned on... I agree it's absolutely atrocious if you don't use the backlight all the time) before buying. And remember, if you use NiMHs, the cost to power it with full backlight on is negligible.

 

BlueDamsel

Edited February 26, 2009 by BlueDamsel