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is digital compass nec Garmin Legend vs. Vista?


Teachndad

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Hi,

 

I am a newbie with a little experience geocaching with my Car gps - a Tomtom low priced unit. I have had mixed success finding caches with it.

 

After spending about three hours scouring the net, I decided to get a Garmin. 200 bucks is really my limit.

 

The Garmin Vista has an internal compass and altimiter. I don't really care about the altimiter, but I was wondering how helpful it is to have the internal compass on the GPS. The Vista is just out of my range on Amazon, but I might push it if it's worth the compass.

 

The Legend is on sale at Walmart for 179 bucks. Seems like a great price.

 

So, is the compass worth it?

 

I don't geocache that often. We save it for now and then and when camping if any caches are around. We have printed out the cache descriptions and printed the topo maps to help. I already know the maps on the Garmins stink, but I don't think that's a biggy since I am geocaching anyway and I have the TomTom for the car driving.

 

Thanks

 

Rod

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Hi,

 

I am a newbie with a little experience geocaching with my Car gps - a Tomtom low priced unit. I have had mixed success finding caches with it.

 

After spending about three hours scouring the net, I decided to get a Garmin. 200 bucks is really my limit.

 

The Garmin Vista has an internal compass and altimiter. I don't really care about the altimiter, but I was wondering how helpful it is to have the internal compass on the GPS. The Vista is just out of my range on Amazon, but I might push it if it's worth the compass.

 

The Legend is on sale at Walmart for 179 bucks. Seems like a great price.

 

So, is the compass worth it?

 

I don't geocache that often. We save it for now and then and when camping if any caches are around. We have printed out the cache descriptions and printed the topo maps to help. I already know the maps on the Garmins stink, but I don't think that's a biggy since I am geocaching anyway and I have the TomTom for the car driving.

 

Thanks

 

Rod

 

No the digital compass is not needed. I have over 2500 finds and haven't had a need to use it. With the few caches that might require going on a compass reading, you just need to use the projection feature of the unit which is found in both of those units.

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Hi Rod

 

Forum posters are quite divided on this question. And I don't think anyone here has ever had their own

personal conviction changed by an opposing viewpoint.

 

If all you want is an actual compass, get a compass. They are much cheaper. They don't need batteries and

will always work. Even though I think a built in GPS compass is a valuable asset, I also carry a stand

alone compass.

 

When you are tracking down a cache location in very rough terrain, a built in GPS compass has

capabilities that a stand alone compass does not have. A GPS direction arrow not associated with a built in compass gets totally confused if you are standing still or only move very slowly. How fast can you walk in steep, rock covered, and fallen tree infested terrain?

 

If you never cache in places like that. don't get one. If the extra cost isn't worth it on less than 5% of your searches, don't get one. If it's to much trouble to figure out what they are capable of, don't get one. If you have no clue what they are capable of, make sure you point that out when you give advice on them.

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I find the altimeter is nice to have...nicer than the compass but still not a real necessity....especially if you are on a budget. I always have a magnetic compass with me.

 

The Vista is a nice machine but since you are on a budget, I would go with the Legend. You should be able to buy one for less than 180 dollars. GPS City sells the Legend H for 130 dollars and all the stores that I have visited sell it for 160 dollars. The Legend H is the one with more memory than the Legend. Make sure that you get the "waypoints management CD" with your Legend H. You will be able to make your own maps. There are internet sites on how to do this. When you say that the maps "stink", that's because the GPS is loaded with very basic map info. To have good maps, you must buy them. Usually, you load the contents of the CD on your home computer and then you transfer what you need to your GPS.

 

I'm not familiar with Magellan or Garmin GPS that have mapping. My Lowrance IFinder Pro uses SD cards that contain detailled maps.

Edited by phern47
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The Legend, as do most GPS units, also has a compass but it works differently than the Vista. If you're just wanting to know which way is north/south/east/west as you're moving to a cache or other location then the Legend and other units will tell you that.

My brother bought a Vista several years ago. He said after using his he'd have bought a Legend and a mechanical compass instead.

A handheld compass never needs batteries and you don't have to worry about tree cover, buildings or other high objects blocking a sat signal.

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The Legend, as do most GPS units, also has a compass but it works differently than the Vista. If you're just wanting to know which way is north/south/east/west as you're moving to a cache or other location then the Legend and other units will tell you that.

My brother bought a Vista several years ago. He said after using his he'd have bought a Legend and a mechanical compass instead.

A handheld compass never needs batteries and you don't have to worry about tree cover, buildings or other high objects blocking a sat signal.

The Legend, as do most GPS units, also has a compass but it works differently than the Vista. - Exactly which Legend unit have you ever used, seen, heard of that had a built in MAGNETIC COMPASS? Remember, a Pointer Screen that determines the correct direction to destination by means of satellite reception is NOT a compass. It is not a compass that works "different". It is not a compass period.

 

If you're just wanting to know which way is north/south/east/west as you're moving to a cache or other location then the Legend and other units will tell you that. - Yes, only if you are moving sufficiently fast, and NOT by means of magnetism detection. Again, it is simply a POINTER, not a COMPASS.

 

My brother bought a Vista several years ago. He said after using his he'd have bought a Legend and a mechanical compass instead. - Not surprising. Many owners never figure out when the GPS compass is most useful. And it has nothing to do with figuring out where North is.

 

A handheld compass never needs batteries and you don't have to worry about tree cover, buildings or other high objects blocking a sat signal. - Other than the batteries, what does that have to do with a GPS compass which does not require sat reception to function? And in addition to a stand alone compass, I also carry spare batteries.

 

Probably 99% of the time my GPS compass is turned OFF. But I know when it is the right tool for the job, and how to use it at those times. And I didn't figure that out by reading forum posts.

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The best thing about an electronic compass is that, when calibrated, it shows me the direction GZ is in, so that I can move towards it without doing the drunken bee dance, which usually attracts attention. It also helps me navigate in urban canyons when signal bounce makes it hard to get a bearing from calculation with some GPSr.

 

I like having it, but I wouldn't change a GPSr I'm otherwise happy with just to get it. Whether it is worth the price difference if I'm shopping for a new unit depends on exactly what the price difference is. Less than $25, most likely. Higher than that, depends on my mood.

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Exactly which Legend unit have you ever used, seen, heard of that had a built in MAGNETIC COMPASS?

Chill out. Quit trying to act like you're impressing someone. It doesn't work. I'm not impressed.

Read what I wrote. Never said it had a 'magnetic compass" now did I. :o

 

Remember, a Pointer Screen that determines the correct direction to destination by means of satellite reception is NOT a compass. It is not a compass that works "different". It is not a compass period.

Look at your Legend. Your Legend doesn't have the compass outring on the page that has the arrow which works independently of the arrow? Every Legend I've seen does, and can't think of ever seeing any other GPSr that doesn't, including the yellow Etrex. As you move what direction does the outter ring tell you? It will tell you the points on the compass but, as I repeat myself from my original post "it works differently than the Vista." Again, never said it was a magnetic compass but it will tell a person north, south, etc.

 

- Yes, only if you are moving sufficiently fast, and NOT by means of magnetism detection. Again, it is simply a POINTER, not a COMPASS.

Again, you're trying to impress someone and not reading. And again, never said it was a magnetic compass.

First - you don't have to be moving very fast for it to work. You make it sound like a person has to be a full run. A slow walk will do it.

Second - So what does the outter ring tell you? Which way is north, south, east, and west. Yup, just like a compass. But, and I'll repeat myself from my original post because you apparently missed it in your exuberance to impress, "it works differently than the Vista". I hardly felt it necessary to go into the technical aspects of how they work as it wouldn't address the OP's question.

 

- Not surprising. Many owners never figure out when the GPS compass is most useful. And it has nothing to do with figuring out where North is.

Really? Few people never figure out how to use a real compass either other than which way is north. Do you want me to teach you about land nav with map and compass which we used long before there were GPS units?

 

- Other than the batteries, what does that have to do with a GPS compass which does not require sat reception to function? And in addition to a stand alone compass, I also carry spare batteries.

I'm happy for you. In fact I'm tickled pink.

Other than batteries? BWHAHAHA!!! When your batteries or GPS goes belly up and you're out in the boonies wondering which way is camp then you might learn the benefit of a true compass. But then pavement explorers wouldn't have to worry about that. Just follow the street signs.

 

, and how to use it at those times. And I didn't figure that out by reading forum posts.

Again, I'm happy for you. There were quite a few of us who learned a long time ago how to use the compass and maps thanks to Uncle Sam's Big Green Machine. There weren't any GPSr back then.

 

Again to the OP, if you're talking the same money for a unit with more bells and whistles than a lesser unit then why not get the Vista for the same money. But if you're going out in the boonies then take along a real compass too. It will never need batteries and will get you home.

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The advantage of an built-in electronic compass over a separate hand-held compass, is that the GPS and compass are integrated, and the unit's software can access both in order to perform functions that can't be done otherwise. For example, the unit can use the compass to orient the map so that it matches the real world. And you can can do point-n-click waypoint projection, by simply aiming the unit like a gun and clicking a button. You'll notice that the compass-enabled units have sighting marks on the face for this purpose.

 

And you're not required to walk in a straight line in order for the navigation arrow to work properly. Non-compass units require this. Also, the arrow remains accurate, even if you don't hold the unit pointing straight in front of you. With a non-compass unit, if you accidentally hold the unit 15 degrees to the left or right, the navigation arrow will also be off 15 degrees. But a unit with a compass will always orient the arrow correctly.

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Exactly which Legend unit have you ever used, seen, heard of that had a built in MAGNETIC COMPASS? Remember, a Pointer Screen that determines the correct direction to destination by means of satellite reception is NOT a compass. It is not a compass that works "different". It is not a compass period.

 

My Legend would tell me which way north, south, east and west were. That's a compass in my book. Not magnetic, but it fills the same purpose.

Edited by briansnat
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