Buying a US GPS. Will they work in the UK?

[+matt1988]

Hi,

 

I am new to geocaching. I am currently using a road SatNav.

 

I am looking to invest in a decent one for off road, as the road one does the job, but can be rather, how can i put it sketchy at times (espeically under tree cover).

 

The question i wanted to know is that if i buy one from the states, I was thinkin about a PN30 or 40. Can i get maps for the UK for free?

 

Or are there devices of similar attributes here in the UK.

 

I am looking to spend no more than £150, But hopefully a little less.

 

If anyone could answer this question it would be much appreciated!!!

[NordicMan]

The Delorme GPSr's come with maps included so yes they are "free" however they only cover USA territory, and I believe they have some maps for Canada now too.

 

No maps for UK as far as I know.. However, technically the GPS will "work" anywhere on earth,, just no maps except for the built in basemap which will show country borders, major cities, etc.

Edited October 17, 2009 by NordicMan

[+user13371]

Strangely enough, this came up in another thread that a moderator closed because it had turned into a nasty round of insults. Let's not let that happen here.

 

In short, Nordic Man has it right: The GPS will work fine anywhere in the world to show where you are by coordinates and in relation to any waypoints you load on the GPS. But outside of North America, the base map in the DeLorme GPS is very sparse, and there are neither free nor commercially available for the UK -- at least none that I've been able to find.

 

Amazon.co.uk shows the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx for £143.30. It's a very good GPS, it's in your price range, and there are both free and commercially available UK maps available for it:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-eTrex-Legen...m/dp/B000UNFLNS

 

For free maps, see also:

 

http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

Edited October 17, 2009 by lee_rimar

[+matt1988]

Strangely enough, this came up in another thread that a moderator closed because it had turned into a nasty round of insults. Let's not let that happen here.

 

In short, Nordic Man has it right: The GPS will work fine anywhere in the world to show where you are by coordinates and in relation to any waypoints you load on the GPS. But outside of North America, the base map in the DeLorme GPS is very sparse, and there are neither free nor commercially available for the UK -- at least none that I've been able to find.

 

Amazon.co.uk shows the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx for £143.30. It's a very good GPS, it's in your price range, and there are both free and commercially available UK maps available for it:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-eTrex-Legen...m/dp/B000UNFLNS

 

For free maps, see also:

 

http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

 

Thanks very much, i have been looking at this one, i was under the impression that the TOPO maps cost money, i stand corrected.

 

Thanks very much

[+user13371]

You're welcome. For contour maps, you might also want to look here:

 

http://sites.google.com/site/talkytoasteruk/ukmaps

Edited October 17, 2009 by lee_rimar

[Ken in Regina]

Thanks very much, i have been looking at this one, i was under the impression that the TOPO maps cost money, i stand corrected.

You were right, sort of. Garmin's official topo map product costs money. However, Lee has also pointed you to a source of free topo maps. There are loads of free maps available for Garmin devices as well as a great selection of commercial products.

 

...ken...