Your first GPS, and why you got it

[+CF104]

My first GPS was a Magellan Explorist. A little later we had a couple of Garmin Nuvis for the car. Now we also have a Garmin 60CSx for geocaching. But why did I get that first one?

 

I camp with my horse and a girlfriend (and her horse) a couple of times a year in a very extensive forest (10,000 acres). The forest is now well marked with signs, but initially it wasn’t. After a few times there, my horse always knew the way back to our campsite, but one time my friend brought a new horse that outpaced my horse. We decided to do an evening ride at 6 p.m., before dark… maybe 90 minutes… but her mare blasted off at a mega-walk, and in no time we were in foreign territory. When we tried to go home, my horse didn’t know the way, and hers only wanted to head toward her barn (we had trailered there, so her barn wasn’t even remotely to be considered). It was getting dark, and at one point we came around a corner and immediately met a tree that was down over the trail. My friend was in the lead, of course, and her horse ducked under the tree, scraping her off. So now we had 3 entities lost in the forest: me with my horse, her horse, and she chasing her horse. Good grief. Meanwhile, I had to go around the tree and bushwhack back to the trail, and then try to find her. We found each other a long 15 minutes later, on a road where she had found her horse. By this time, it was pitch black and 10 p.m. We led the horses down the road until we finally found a house with lights on, and had to bang on the door and yell that we were women, meant no harm, and needed help. When the woman finally answered the door (she explained that a while back a murderer had escaped a local prison and she didn’t answer the door at night… oh, isn't THAT special... are you SERIOUS!?!!), the first thing we asked was where we were and how to get back to where we were camped. She said via direct, it wasn’t terribly far, but there was no way we wanted back into that forest in the dark, thanks very much. So she said we faced doing 3 sides of a square to stay on the roads, and a long part of it was alongside a busy highway. Did I mention it was a very long walk? We could expect to be back to the campsite around 3 a.m. How special. We were exhausted, the horses were exhausted, we'd have semis thundering by us, there was a freaking MURDERER out there somewhere - the whole idea was mortifying. Well, we needed water for the horses first. And thank GOD it was while we were waiting for the woman to bring water that a lightbulb finally went on in my stressed little head. I told my friend that we would pony up $25 each to pay the woman to drive my friend back to the campsite where she would pick up her truck and trailer, and come back to pick up me and the horses. Fantastic idea, if I do say so myself! Only problem was that as they neared the campsite area, since my friend had followed me to the campsite, she couldn't remember which exit. And then when she finally picked the right one, she couldn’t find the campsite. When she finally found THAT... she was horrified to discover that she had left her keys for her truck with her horse, who was with me. So back they came for the keys. Meanwhile, I've spent over an hour on a pitch black road, holding two horses, and hoping they can recognize the sounds of an approaching murderer, and somehow warn me! I wasn't thrilled to know my friend was only back to get her keys, but she felt even worse so I was kind. By the time she returned and we got the horses loaded up and back to the campsite, it was after 1 a.m. The first thing I saw when I got back to my farm a few days later was the Explorist on the kitchen table… a gift from my husband.

Edited March 29, 2010 by CF104

[+cerberus1]

My first was a Garmin Legend...

 

Wanted to show CJ the massive expanse of giant Rhodo blooms in game lands I've hunted most of my life.

We ventured in to find we were about a week too late. Some still in bloom, but most withered.

Massive storms the past year (I think it was Ivan) changed the areas appearance so much, that I got us lost in the heavy rhodo "jungle."

Three hours later (normally a forty minute walk ) , no water/food, we made it to the car.

- This was our second date. Made just as good an impression the first date, but that's another story...

 

Didn't think a compass in an area full of iron ore would be much better.

Saw an ad for those new gpsomethingorother gizmos and Kmart had 'em.

(Knock on wood) haven't been lost since.

 

I now own three (handheld and nav) and CJ has six (if you include that iphone she always has stuck to her hip

[cammengaman]

my first and only is a magellan gold bought it 5 years ago for hunting but really never used it just a couple of hunting trips where i really didnt need it so it sat and collected dust for a while now that im geocacheing i found a use for it and dont feel like i wasted a ton of money, by the way great story sorry i laughed a little

Edited March 29, 2010 by cammengaman

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

First was a GPS12. Plain, simple, basic, cheap -- even then. Mostly for hunting and marking locations in the middle of nowhere, mostly for mineral collecting expeditions. Still have it -- dunno why.

 

Heard of geocaching once or twice, never thought too much about it though, until last year when the "boss" brought home a book on the subject. It's been all downhill from there. Totally obsessed, fully paperless now, etc., etc.

 

and CJ has six (if you include that iphone she always has stuck to her hip.

At least you don't need to have it surgically removed from her ear!

[born2fish1987]

I bought my first gps in feb. 2010, a garmin etrex vista hcx for fishing and hunting mostly. I found out about geocaching and now thats my primary use for it. now numerous family members have jumped on the geo wagon with there own etrexs and we like them alot. i think using them for geocaching makes the price alot more tolerable since i use it at least three time a week.

[+RedhedMary]

I bought a Cobra 1000RLX for my husband for his birthday in April 2005. Thinking it would be good to use on motorcycle trips. He's just not that much into technology, and really didn't use it. Meanwhile, I had heard somewhere about geocaching, and when we went camping for a weekend at the end of June, I tried it out. Needless to say, I really liked it and Muggle Hubby (as I call him in logs) regifted the Cobra to me with my blessings for my birthday that August. It served me well for several years, then I bought an etrex venture hc in October 2007 which I'm still using, as well as a Nuvi 200 for paperless caching.

[MikeB3542]

My first (and only, so far) is a Garmin eTrex Legend that I picked up in spring of '06. A co-worker suggested geocaching (she knew I liked outdoor-type activities -- hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing) so figured I would give it a whirl. It was on sale at Target, which was good since I wanted to keep expenses down.

Edited April 3, 2010 by MikeB3542

[+rambrush]

My 1st was a Trimble Scout way back in 1996 or so and it was very expensive and did not do much and the WASS was not in place.Used while on Wildland fire assignments.

Next moved up to a Etrex vista serial port for geocaching but had to carry a ream of paper. Then moved up to a Delorme PN-20 much better and ended having to utilize a cell phone for the cache info and reams of paper.

Currently running a Delorme PN-40 whats next? 4 gps in 14 years never had to send one in for repair. still have all but the scout which I wished I still had for a museum piece.

[kent.babcock]

My first (and only) is a a Garmin Nuvi 750, that my wife suggested I buy last year. Her thought was that we'd use it on vacations. I discovered geocaching while using internet search to figure out other uses for the thing. Of course it isn't the ultimate unit for geocaching, but it has taken the kids and me to some really nice spots we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

[GrandmaFunion42]

My first GPS receiver was a Garmin eTrex Venture HC. After spending a lot of time reading about various units I decided the Venture HC was the best bang for the buck for under $120. It works great so far and I don't have any complaints.

[+stites1]

My first GPS is the Garmin eTrex legend I still use to geocache. We've since gotten a Nuvi for the car, but the Legend is just fine for finding a cache.

 

I bought it after earning a bonus at work just because I love maps and thought it'd be fun to "geek out" with. I found out about geocaching while reading reviews of gps units on Amazon.

[+simpjkee]

My first GPS was a Magellan eXplorist 100. I borrowed my dad's good GPS the first day I cached and he let me borrow his backup GPS for the second day I went caching. After 10 minutes, his backup GPS wouldn't lock on to satellites. I decided 'heck with it' and I went to Sports Authority and bought the cheapest GPS (The eXplorist 100) because I was really new and didn't know the difference between units since I had never used a GPS before. Plus I had only geocached for one day. I quickly realized that when it came to caching, the unit was horrible. It still found me about 400 caches before it broke on a rock.

[+sledgehampster]

My first GPS was a Magellan MAP 330. My wife bought it for me so I could map fiber optic cable routes in Atlanta, GA.

 

Since then I have had 2 Magellan Meridian Golds, a Garmin Etrex Legend and a Meridian Color.

 

Current units are Delorme PN-40, Garmin Nuvi 205W and a Delorme LT-40 (which I really don't use much since getting the Nuvi).

Edited April 4, 2010 by sledgehampster

[+rambrush]

My 1st was a Trimble Scout way back in 1996 or so and it was very expensive and did not do much and the WASS was not in place.Used while on Wildland fire assignments.

Next moved up to a Etrex vista serial port for geocaching but had to carry a ream of paper. Then moved up to a Delorme PN-20 much better and ended having to utilize a cell phone for the cache info and reams of paper.

Currently running a Delorme PN-40 whats next? 4 gps in 14 years never had to send one in for repair. still have all but the scout which I wished I still had for a museum piece.

 

Forgot about the LT-40 that was mentioned I use it for the laptop great gps

[+MuzikkManiX]

Just purchased a Garmin Etrex Legend (it was cheap, let's see if it works good)

[Amo_Angelus]

Mine is Garmin Mobile XT

Why have I got it? My dad put it on the phone back when it belonged to him. He gave it me as a handmedown and Chris' (my boyfriend) iphone died shortly after we started so we had to use it. NOT a very good GPS to use when Caching in the countryside down country byways and through fields.

[+t4e]

first and still going strong Pocket LOOX N560

 

i am dreading the day when its going to quit on me and i'll have to replace it, there is no handheld out there that even comes close to having all the features i get from this Pocket PC when it comes to caching

[+Knight2000]

2007- Magellan Meridian Gold.

 

We wanted to try caching and it was on clearance at Walmart. (Also because it hooked up to computer to upload waypoints.)

[+Knight2000]

=)

Edited April 5, 2010 by Knight2000

[+R.Boles]

Honestly, I was holding out on getting a GPS for the best price. About a week ago I found an Explorist 400 on Craigs list for $20. Luckly, it worked out fine. At a price that cheap, I thought I was going to get scammed but it turned out to be worth the gamble. I love my GPS, I hope it loves me too and keeps working for a long time.

[+kimchee&smartykatt]

Garmin, etrex vista. Got it for my birthday about 1.5 years ago. smartykatt and I had been reading about geocaching and thought it sounded like a blast(it is ) and that was my b-day request. We still have it and it seems to be doing fine

[oakenwood]

Garmin eTrex Venture HC. My first, and so far only, unless you count my GPS-enabled cell phone.

 

I've even figured out how to edit .loc files to go paperless with it.

[+Jeep4two]

#1 schemed one Christmas to get a gadget for me. It was going to be a PDA or something else (a PDA was high on the list). Advice from a coworker who was secretly helping advise her on what ot buy led to the GPS.

 

She went with an eTrex Legend (ole Blue, back in 2004 or 2005) and colluded with my folks to get the car kit with street maps (Metroguide NA 6.0, 12v car adapter, windshield mount and data cable).

 

We started caching and while we don't get to do it as much as we would like still love it and are trying to find more time.

 

Got back into it last year after some years of absence and #1 told me to get a better unit for myself for the birthday, so I welcomed the Oregon 400t to the house, the Legend is still a backup, and she won a Nuvi 255WT a few months later.

[+Titus1919]

a yellow E Trex. It was in 2003 I think it cost 10,000 marlboro miles and $10 for shipping.

[+D0kt0r_D]

My first GPSr was a Garmin eTrex Venture HC that I picked up at Radio Shack for around $150 iirc. I got it mainly for geocaching as well as having always been a fan or map and compass since Cub Scouts and then much later in the army as well.

 

The eTrex served me well even though I didn't get to do a great deal of caching (due to a series or unfortunate events) and I still have it even after going paperless with an Oregon 550T in October. I really like the Oregon for a variety of reasons and my only complaint against the Venture was the lack of expandable memory.

 

The story about how I found out about geocaching is probably the geekiest cacher origin story in all of Groundspeak...

[+madmikess]

Well, my first official GPS was the MS Streets and Trips with receiver, worked great for road trips. Then about a year ago bought a Magellan Roadmate 1412, been great for trip routing and seeing where we are when out driving. Kinda starting to get into geocaching now and none of those will work for me for this purpose. Working on a handheld for the geocaching so that will be my next acquisition.

[+edscott]

My first and only is a Garmin Nuvi 105W. It usually gets me to a reasonably close parking spot where I lock it in the glove box. I got it because it was an out of date model that was on sale at Cabela's. It works fine for my needs.

[+mrlaughingman]

my first one/ only one is the garmin dakota 20. i got it because i wanted a top of the line model.

[+Borst68]

I started geocaching with my Blackberry Storm. It works but isn't the best option for me. My first REAL GPS was a Garmin Dakota 20. I wanted to get a real good one that I wouldn't out grow to quickly. i have been very happy with the Dakota.

[+CortandTrent]

Saw a Garmin eTrex (one of the yellow original ones) on a local forum for $50 and having always wanted a GPS for hiking so I picked it up. Remembered one day seeing something about geocaching and figured I'd give it a shot and it was downhill from there lol.

[+Silfron Mandotheneset]

Our first was an Etrex H, because it was the cheapest we could find. We've upgraded to a Venture HC since then and I really want an Oregon. But that's not likely to happen soon!

[+Knight2000]

Well, my first official GPS was the MS Streets and Trips with receiver, worked great for road trips.

Oh yeah. Ditto that. I had that in '00 or '01. I didn't hear about caching until '07 when I bought my first real GPSr.

[+eightwednesday]

Our first was also a Garmin eTrex Venture HC. We were on vacation in the Southwest and the other half of eightwednesday had heard of geocaching and wanted to try it out, so we went to a Fry's in Las Vegas and it was the most affordable unit that we could plug into the computer. It was about $100 and normally we're careful about bigger purchases, but we were just like "what the hell!" Totally worth it. 370 finds later, we've added in the iPhone to go paperless, but beyond that the eTrex Venture still does the trick!

[+lil_cav_wings]

A Garmin Rino 120, 6 years ago. It was an early birthday present from my folks so I could backpack around Europe and other sundry backwoods places, filled with thorny bushes, bugs, snakes, knee deep mud, and things to trip over.

 

I still use it. It's a beast. It's been dropped, frozen, dunked, left in the desert sun to bake on dashboard, and covered in the contents of an exploded ketchup packet.

 

I also have a Garmin Nuvi for my car (because I hate to stop and ask for directions).

[+tomfuller & Quill]

The first GPS that I used (not mine) cost the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania $5000. I used the 4 lb. Corvallis Microtechnology MC-GPS to document many State Forest corners. I sat at many corners for 3 3 minute averaged waypoints. Differential Correction was the order of the day.

I got a Magellan 2000XL for Christmas in 2000. I didn't look for my first geocache until I was on the island of Terciera in the Azores in September 2004. My first geocache find was a micro in Oregon in August 2005.

The 2000XL depleted 4 AA's in about 4 hours or less.

[+Crew 153]

My daughter and her husband had been caching for about a month and had mentioned it to me but I hadn't been caching with them until they invited me to go with them on my birthday.

 

On the way to pick up friends of theirs who also were cachers they said there was a new one placed close to their friends house and we would meet them there to get a FTF.

 

As I was the newby they gave me a GPS and let me guide them to the cache. It didn't take long to find the hide in the park and when I opened it I found my birthday present inside. A Garmin 72 which I still use nearly 6 years on.

[FaithCacher22]

I have the blue Garmin Etrex Legend...bought it used from Craigslist for $50 and had one issue right after it's purchase where it shut itself off, but it hasn't done it since, and works great! It didn't come with anything, if it was supposed to, and I have to hand enter coords one by one, but it's good for now. Eventually I may get a nicer newer paperless one, but for now it's awesome!

[+Fjordi]

We use the Garmin etrex h - it is the cheapest GPS device in Austria.

 

But I think I will buy a GPS with a map in the near future

[+Harry Dolphin]

a yellow E Trex. It was in 2003 I think it cost 10,000 marlboro miles and $10 for shipping.

 

Hey! That was my first GPS! Not sure why I wanted it, but it looked like a fun device! I didn't do anything with it until a year later, when I read about Geocaching in the Techie section of the paper. And the world has not been the same since. Since upgraded to Etrex Vista HCx.

[+W7WT]

Back before Geocaching I had bought a Garmin 45. Worked fairly well with an external passive antenna. Used it on a trip to Alaska. I had looked for the coordinates atthe airports in little towns on the way. All I knew was if I was headed in the general direction of the airport and how far it was as the crow flies. Did keep me going in the right direction and save me once when I stopped for gas. Came out and headed in the wrong direction. I still have it. In an open area it is still quite accurate. Probably had 15 GPS s since then. Now using a NUVI 550, 76CSX and a Etrex HCX. Dick

[+journey4truth]

My first GPS was the Garmin nuvi 500. I got it because I wanted an all in one solution where I could use the GPS both for road navigation and for geocaching. It was decent enough for what it was, but the old adage that a jack of all trades is a master of none certainly fit this GPSr. Now I use a GPS powered iPod!

[+kyoteh]

I had started off with a Garmin 76S. I originally wanted a versatile GPS that I could use for off roading and hiking. I liked the fact that it floated and that I could possibly load maps onto it. I didn't really know anything about GPS units at the time but from the research I did it sounded good. As I talked of getting one, one of my wheeling friends told me about geocaching. Once the unit arrived I figured geocaching would be a good way to learn how to use it before getting back into the boonies!

 

Now the units get used more for geocaching! I have now have the upgraded 76CSX for most of our caching and travels but the 76S is still around and now goes on a RAM mount for dirtbiking/kawi-caching! Figure one of these days I'll get one that does paperless, like maybe that new 78 coming out.... hmmmm....... []

[+isjustus4]

My wife and I got lost in the woods on our ATV's once. Ended that problem the next day with a Magellan Meridian Gold. Decided to upgrade that to a Meridian Color a couple years later so it was easier to differentiate the markings on the loaded Topo maps. Used that for ATVing, marking off-road trails for the truck, geocaching with family(before I had an account) while camping, etc. Still have the Meridian Color. Probably let my 3 and 5 year old daughters use it till it's demise.

 

Have a Nuvi660 for the automotive nav.

 

Christmas present from my wife and daughters this last, was a Garmin Rino530HCx that I wanted. Love it.

 

Last couple days, because I like "cool stuff" I got an Oregon450 for paperless caching because I started running 500 POI cache pocket queries. Was walking around in the woods with the Rino and my Blackberry looking up cache pages for cache size, description, hints, last found logs, etc. Figured there "had to be a better way".......

 

Actually, as I type, I'm running a Birdseye download to add to the Topo for the Oregon. I wanna see how cool it'd be to have Satellite imagery on my handheld.

[+Fiver1]

My first gps'r was a Garmin GPS-V which by the way, I still use today. I purchased it in 2003 when all routable units were expensive and have not regretted it. I still use it for all my geocaching and will do so until I can afford a new 450.

[+cowpill]

I have the blue Garmin Etrex Legend...bought it used from Craigslist for $50 and had one issue right after it's purchase where it shut itself off, but it hasn't done it since, and works great! It didn't come with anything, if it was supposed to, and I have to hand enter coords one by one, but it's good for now. Eventually I may get a nicer newer paperless one, but for now it's awesome!

 

If it keeps shutting off, it needs an update, but if you turn the waas off it should stop doing that, My first is a etrex vista, which I still use exclusivly, I have a magellan for the car and motorcycle.

Edited June 28, 2010 by cowpill

[DannyCaffeine]

Garmin etrex venture HC- covered by my scolarship as a scientific item.

[+IBcrashen]

Garmin III+ to map out and print mountain bike trails I rode. I got tired of telling people where to go. Oh I still tell them where to go but for different reasons now.

[+DENelson83]

The first GPS I got, only a few years ago, was an eTrex Legend. I got one because I thought it was fun to play with. When I initially showed it to my father, he immediately thought I had wasted my money on something that I, in his opinion, didn't need, so he put pressure on me to return it, even getting angry at me. Needless to say, I kept the unit, and only a few days later discovered geocaching, and started having real fun with my GPS.

[+Pork King]

My first was a yellow eTrex. I bought it the weekend after I read about geocaching in the local paper. The next day or so I found my first cache, and I was hooked. I've since upgraded to an eTrex Legend, and I bought a Magellen Roadmate for my work truck so I could find people's houses.

[+mekk]

My first (and still used) GPS is a Garmin Legend. Both my husband and I bought one after going on a camp out with the Ocala Jeep Club in the Ocala National Forest. At night, a lot of them went off geocaching and we were intrigued. We didn't have a hand-held or one in the car, so we went with some friends and we discovered what Geocaching was and that was it! My husband's interest has come and gone in the past years but now that I got him hooked on the iphone app, he's back into it again! He uses his iphone for his GPS.