Getting started and asking help on which GPS to buy?

[+HC Venturer]

Hi! Am looking to get into geocaching and have pretty much narrowed my choices down to two units - boith from the Garmin eTrex line. Either the Venture HC for about $100 or eTrex HC Bundle (eTrex Venture HCx with US Toppo and MapSource TRip and Waypoint Manager software for an additional $70.)

Which has the best features for someone just getting started on the hobby, not looking for feature overkill but simply feature growth potential. Which is the best buy packing the most bang for each buck spent - feature and quality wise. Thank you in advance for you recs and help.

[+user13371]

NO! PLEASE NO! Not another new user asking what GPS they can buy! God help us all!

 

Um.... okay ... Venture HC would be hard to beat if your budget is really limited to $100 (and if you can really find one for that price). Just incremental steps up though... there are many, many options available.

 

I suggest reading any of the dozens of threads currently open on the first page of topics here, instead of giving everyone a chance to air their preferences and greivances again.

[+radak9]

I don't believe there is a Venture HCx.

 

If you can get the Venture HC for $100, get it and enjoy Geocaching... If you can afford $170, then look at the Legend HCx, the additional SD card slot will make a big difference.

Edited August 23, 2009 by radak9

[+Tahoe Skier5000]

 

I suggest reading any of the dozens of threads currently open on the first page of topics here, instead of giving everyone a chance to air their preferences and greivances again.

 

I thought that was the entire point of forums.

 

If no duplicate threads were created, I would go ahead and say that 99.9% of all questions would be covered by a thread somewhere. What fun would that be?

 

Kennh, I would highly recommend (of those choices atleast) the Venture HC with Topo and waypoint manager. You will definitely love having the maps on there, trust me!

[+Team CowboyPapa]

.....but simply feature growth potential.....

Allow me one comment here, please.

Then I agree with the others, it is all stated below.

Look at the next 4 threads below with more than 50 posts.

 

Now, my comment regarding growth potential:

IMHO, the number one growth capability for a newbie starting with the most basic is support for paperless caching.

[+user13371]

If no duplicate threads were created, I would go ahead and say that 99.9% of all questions would be covered by a thread somewhere.

Yup, and this specific question is in the title of a "thread somewhere" -- every third or fourth visible on the very first page of listings sometimes Not like anyone has to search very hard ...

 

Sometime back in the 1970s, I worked in a record store. We had signs up EVERYWHERE that said "45's are $1.20 + tax, $1.25." Guess what the most common question at the checkout was?

Edited August 23, 2009 by lee_rimar

[+SkellyCA]

If no duplicate threads were created, I would go ahead and say that 99.9% of all questions would be covered by a thread somewhere.

Yup, and this specific question is in the title of a "thread somewhere" -- every third or fourth visible on the very first page of listings sometimes Not like anyone has to search very hard ...

 

Sometime back in the 1970s, I worked in a record store. We had signs up EVERYWHERE that said "45's are $1.20 + tax, $1.25." Guess what the most common question at the checkout was?

 

Where's the bathroom?

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

If you can get the Venture HC for $100, get it and enjoy Geocaching... If you can afford $170, then look at the Legend HCx, the additional SD card slot will make a big difference.

 

Excellent advice.

 

You could also get the Venture HC alone and use the free maps available at http://gpsfiledepot.com

 

BTW, where can you get the Venture HC for $100?

[+HC Venturer]

I don't believe there is a Venture HCx.

 

If you can get the Venture HC for $100, get it and enjoy Geocaching... If you can afford $170, then look at the Legend HCx, the additional SD card slot will make a big difference.

 

You're correct. It's the Venture HC for $100 or I can get it bundled with Map Source U.S. Topo dvd added for $75 more.

 

If I bought just HC unit - are the free maps on GPS File Depot.com site as good as Garmin's Topo maps ? Are they as feature rich and work as well as Garmin's? Any real advantage to spending the additional $75 for Garmin's Topo dvd as opposed to downloading free from GPS File Depot?

Thank you for your help?

[+StarBrand]

I don't believe there is a Venture HCx.

 

If you can get the Venture HC for $100, get it and enjoy Geocaching... If you can afford $170, then look at the Legend HCx, the additional SD card slot will make a big difference.

 

You're correct. It's the Venture HC for $100 or I can get it bundled with Map Source U.S. Topo dvd added for $75 more.

 

If I bought just HC unit - are the free maps on GPS File Depot.com site as good as Garmin's Topo maps ? Are they as feature rich and work as well as Garmin's? Any real advantage to spending the additional $75 for Garmin's Topo dvd as opposed to downloading free from GPS File Depot?

Thank you for your help?

If there are free topo maps for your area(s) of interest - they are as good as any of Garmin's. Save the money and just get the unit - or as advised above - get the Legend HCx.

[+HC Venturer]

If you can get the Venture HC for $100, get it and enjoy Geocaching... If you can afford $170, then look at the Legend HCx, the additional SD card slot will make a big difference.

 

Excellent advice.

 

You could also get the Venture HC alone and use the free maps available at http://gpsfiledepot.com

 

BTW, where can you get the Venture HC for $100?

 

My error on post - it's not an HCx but rather the Venture HC alone or $75 additiona to get the HC bundled with Garmin's Map Source U.S. Topo dvd. Are the free maps on GPS File Depot.com site as good as Garmin's Topo maps ? Are they as feature rich and work as well as Garmin's? Or is it wiser spending the additional $75 for Garmin's Topo dvd rather than downloading from GPS File Depot?

Thank you for your help?

[+HC Venturer]

NO! PLEASE NO! Not another new user asking what GPS they can buy! God help us all!

 

Um.... okay ... Venture HC would be hard to beat if your budget is really limited to $100 (and if you can really find one for that price). Just incremental steps up though... there are many, many options available.

 

I suggest reading any of the dozens of threads currently open on the first page of topics here, instead of giving everyone a chance to air their preferences and greivances again.

 

Sorry. The intention of my post wasn't to annoy or bother experienced geocachers who frequent this site but rather to glean from the wisdom that comes from their experiences. I thought this would be a good site for someone like myself who is just starting out to consult with and benefit from experienced mentors. I apologize to anyone I might have offended. (Incidently, this is my first experience using forums and posting to them.)

Edited August 24, 2009 by Kennh

[+StarBrand]

NO! PLEASE NO! Not another new user asking what GPS they can buy! God help us all!

 

Um.... okay ... Venture HC would be hard to beat if your budget is really limited to $100 (and if you can really find one for that price). Just incremental steps up though... there are many, many options available.

 

I suggest reading any of the dozens of threads currently open on the first page of topics here, instead of giving everyone a chance to air their preferences and greivances again.

 

Sorry. The intention of my post wasn't to annoy or both any experienced geocachers who frequent this site but rather to glean from thier wisdom which can only come from their experiences. I thought this with be a goog site for someoneone just starting out to consult with and learn from those with more knowledge and practical experience than mysel. If reading my post has wasted anyone's time, I apologize.

Some people just don't eat a good hardy breakfast and lose energy through the morning......

[+coggins]

If you can get the Venture HC for $100, get it and enjoy Geocaching... If you can afford $170, then look at the Legend HCx, the additional SD card slot will make a big difference.

 

Excellent advice.

 

You could also get the Venture HC alone and use the free maps available at http://gpsfiledepot.com

 

BTW, where can you get the Venture HC for $100?

Sage advice.

[+dakboy]

NO! PLEASE NO! Not another new user asking what GPS they can buy! God help us all!

 

Um.... okay ... Venture HC would be hard to beat if your budget is really limited to $100 (and if you can really find one for that price). Just incremental steps up though... there are many, many options available.

 

I suggest reading any of the dozens of threads currently open on the first page of topics here, instead of giving everyone a chance to air their preferences and greivances again.

 

Sorry. The intention of my post wasn't to annoy or bother experienced geocachers who frequent this site but rather to glean from the wisdom that comes from their experiences. I thought this would be a good site for someone like myself who is just starting out to consult with and benefit from experienced mentors.

lee_rimar's point was that this information, those discussions, that experience, has already been beaten to death several dozen times over on this very forum. We get a new post daily (sometimes several daily) asking the exact question you're asking, and the same exact discussion ensues on every one of them. Eventually, the "regulars" honestly just get tired of posting the same answer over and over again, and your post will be met with derision, silence, or misinformation from people who aren't as experienced/informed.

I apologize to anyone I might have offended. (Incidently, this is my first experience using forums and posting to them.)

Lesson #1 for any forum: Read at least a dozen posts, if not the whole first page, before you post, so that you learn the character & composition of the forum. In a case like this, you'd see that your question has come up several times before.

 

After reading those other threads, ask yourself: What have I not yet been able to glean from those other threads? What makes my question unique enough that it merits being asked separately, instead of as a follow-up question on another thread?

 

Lesson #2: Use the Search function to find similar inquiries.

[+StarBrand]

.....and some of us despite over 11,000 posts are more than happy to answer the same questions over and over again......

[+Tahoe Skier5000]

.....and some of us despite over 11,000 posts are more than happy to answer the same questions over and over again......

 

I have no problem with it in the context of everything here.

 

Thats why I visit these forums in the first place. To help people out. It doesn't bother me... its a recreational forum.

 

On the other hand... if this was work and people were asking me the same questions over and over again, I would get a little irritated.

[+Hemlock]

Sometime back in the 1970s, I worked in a record store. We had signs up EVERYWHERE that said "45's are $1.20 + tax, $1.25." Guess what the most common question at the checkout was?

Where's the bathroom?

*That* was funny.

 

But it was off-topic.

 

Let's get back on topic folks!

 

Newbies, by their very nature, are going to ask the same questions that have been asked before. That's a given. If you can't answer without deriding them for it, then don't answer.

 

I love my 60CSx but I want to get an Oregon 550t that will hold the entire cache descriptions so I can get rid of my PDA.

[annette in gv]

I bet others will mock me but I am very successfully using the geomate jr. I am not a child. I am not using it as a supplemental GPS. It is the only one we use and we've had a great time with it. Most of the people I asked told me not to get it but the reasons they cited were non existant (i.e.rumors) when I checked them out. I recommend it for the technophobe and I do not recommend it for the technophile. I know I have only found 21 caches and been out just 5 times, but I really love this little guy and at under $80 I got into caching at a price I could afford. Have fun and good luck with your decision. REI also carried the geomate jr and they have a wonderful return policy if you decide you have made an incorrect decision.

-annette in gv

[+Rockin Roddy]

NO! PLEASE NO! Not another new user asking what GPS they can buy! God help us all!

 

Um.... okay ... Venture HC would be hard to beat if your budget is really limited to $100 (and if you can really find one for that price). Just incremental steps up though... there are many, many options available.

 

I suggest reading any of the dozens of threads currently open on the first page of topics here, instead of giving everyone a chance to air their preferences and greivances again.

 

Sorry. The intention of my post wasn't to annoy or bother experienced geocachers who frequent this site but rather to glean from the wisdom that comes from their experiences. I thought this would be a good site for someone like myself who is just starting out to consult with and benefit from experienced mentors. I apologize to anyone I might have offended. (Incidently, this is my first experience using forums and posting to them.)

 

Hello and welcome to the forums! I see you had a bumpy start, I'm sure it'll only get better so don't take that as the way it always is here...it gets worse

 

Ask any and all questions you can think of, the better informed you are, the happier you will be with your purchase! For the money you have stated, I would go with the rest of the pack and say buy the unit and use the free maps. HOWEVER, if you even think you're going to enjoy caching, I would suggest reading the other threads and seeing what else is available out there. Upgrading a few months later is costly and frustrating and there's nothing worse than GPS envy!

 

Good luck, my friend!

[+Team CowboyPapa]

...... I would suggest reading the other threads and seeing what else is available out there. Upgrading a few months later is costly and frustrating and there's nothing worse than GPS envy!

 

Good luck, my friend!

OK and here is a collection of some of the other threads:

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=228850

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=228348

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=228705

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=225709

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=229587

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=228663

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=229784

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=229561

 

You will note in reading the information in the links above and Hemlock's post (2 posts abpve, or so), that there is a large interest in paperless geocaching.

 

The three DeLorme models PN-20, -30 and -40 all provide a truly paperless caching experience right out of the box.

Here is a link to the PN-40:

http://www.amazon.com/DeLorme-Earthmate-PN...cp_ob_e_image_1

 

Ignore that price for a moment as REI is having a sale whereby the slightly downscaled model, the PN-30, is offered at $200.

This model has all the features of the PN-40 less the barometric altimeter and the electronic compass.

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

I bet others will mock me but I am very successfully using the geomate jr. I am not a child. I am not using it as a supplemental GPS. It is the only one we use and we've had a great time with it. Most of the people I asked told me not to get it but the reasons they cited were non existant (i.e.rumors) when I checked them out. I recommend it for the technophobe and I do not recommend it for the technophile. I know I have only found 21 caches and been out just 5 times, but I really love this little guy and at under $80 I got into caching at a price I could afford. Have fun and good luck with your decision. REI also carried the geomate jr and they have a wonderful return policy if you decide you have made an incorrect decision.

-annette in gv

Hi Annette. You won't get any ridicule from me. I'm very proud of my Geomate Jr.. It's not my primary geocaching GPSr, but it's one that will get lots of use on road trips when I'm to lazy to load geocaches into my conventional GPSr. While I love it and think it's reception is better than some more expensive ones I've used I would say it's a great affordable resource for those that are very sure they will never want to use their GPSr for anything other than geocaching and I'd also very strongly recommend it for anybody, regardless of their experience level, who is wanting to geocache while on a road trip and they don't want to mess with downloading geocaches along the way. So I guess you could say that I'm a very proud owner of a Geomate Jr. which is my primary on the road devise and I'm also a new and proud owner of a Delorme PN-40 that gives me paperless caching while around my normal caching area. Both units serve their intended purposes quite well and I will use them to kind of complement each other rather than compete with each other since they are both very different than each other and each has some positive traits that the other can not beat.

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of geocaching and thanks for your input in this thread! Maybe someday if I'm on a road trip and am in your area maybe me and my Geomate Jr. will bump into you while searching for a geocache.

 

P.S. I'm sure that generally speaking you'll find the folks on Groundspeak to be a very helpful and fun group of people. Yeah, we may disagree heatedly on different parts of the game, but we also generally get along pretty darn good. I'm sure there are probably some cranky old farts lurking around here, but if so I'd say they're the minority. So don't be shy about speaking up.

[BBH]

.....and some of us despite over 11,000 posts are more than happy to answer the same questions over and over again......

 

Thanks for saying that. A lot of people think that everyone is on forums all the time and know the do's and don'ts. I never did understand why so many people assume ( we all know what that does).

 

As for the GPS, get what you can afford, you will end up finding a way to upgrade sooner or later if you like it.

[BBH]

I bet others will mock me but I am very successfully using the geomate jr. I am not a child. I am not using it as a supplemental GPS. It is the only one we use and we've had a great time with it. Most of the people I asked told me not to get it but the reasons they cited were non existant (i.e.rumors) when I checked them out. I recommend it for the technophobe and I do not recommend it for the technophile. I know I have only found 21 caches and been out just 5 times, but I really love this little guy and at under $80 I got into caching at a price I could afford. Have fun and good luck with your decision. REI also carried the geomate jr and they have a wonderful return policy if you decide you have made an incorrect decision.

-annette in gv

 

 

This was a topic of discussion over our dinner tonight. I will be by an REI this week and may have to check one out.

[+currykev]

Sometime back in the 1970s, I worked in a record store. We had signs up EVERYWHERE that said "45's are $1.20 + tax, $1.25." Guess what the most common question at the checkout was?

 

was it "Do you have the new David Cassidy single"?