Obtaining a GPS

[primavera_amore]

Hello Everyone! I am a newbie in the world of geocaching and I was wondering if anyone knew of a good deal on a GPS Device that is accurate but college-budget friendly

This would include people willing to sell their old ones or people who have good ideas for finding one.

 

Note: Thus far pawn shops and craigslist have been unfruitful. E-bay is the next step but most of the ones going right now are pretty pricey. Any suggestions are welcome!

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Greetings...

 

First, check this thread occasionally: GPS Garage Sale

 

Second, to me EBay isn't necessarily a better route to go (I find that many sellers there, are there for profit -- period). Amazon.com has partner companies that occasionally give exceptional deals, as do other online retailers. I also hear that Walmart.com ships to your local store for a paltry charge (they don't stock in-store). They would at least be worth looking at.

 

Lastly, by you posting a "wanted" ad in your local newspaper, you would be surprised at just what pops out of the woodwork. This is an often overlooked resource.

 

Happy hunting.

[+Bear and Ragged]

You could check out your local cache events.

Turn up, meet the locals.

You never know, someone might have a GPS 'at the back of a cupboard' that they don't use, but can't be bothered to advertise it... But may be willing to sell it to you.

[+eightwednesday]

What do you consider to be your budget?

 

For example, you can get a Garmin Venture HC for probably about $100 ($120 would be on the high end). These are a great starter unit and you can hook them up with your computer to download coordinates for caches and pocket queries. It's nothing fancy, but it'll do the job well and is relatively inexpensive if you decide you're just not that into geocaching.

 

That and there are a variety of apps for the iPhone and the Droid for geocaching (though I think the official Groundspeak app is still just out for the iPhone) that are okay if you're fairly new and just want to get the hang of it (though I still strongly suggest a GPSr). Furthermore, these range from free to about $10 to download.

[+vw_k]

Have you tried any regional geocaching groups near you? A quick google search turned up an Idaho geocaching forum. It may be worth checking on forums like that to see if there are any GPSrs for sale, or you could post a "wanted" advertisement.

[+WhoDis]

I ordered my Garmin Venture HC from Abes of Maine for $119, I'm not sure where the previous poster found it for $100 as this was the cheapest I can find, it's a very good starter. I've seen lots of people post about the Geomate Jr and the more I read, the more I like that one, but I've not used one so I can't speak from experience, you can find this one new for $60.

Edited April 19, 2010 by EddieB606

[+eightwednesday]

I ordered my Garmin Venture HC from Abes of Maine for $119, I'm not sure where the previous poster found it for $100 as this was the cheapest I can find, it's a very good starter. I've seen lots of people post about the Geomate Jr and the more I read, the more I like that one, but I've not used one so I can't speak from experience, you can find this one new for $60.

 

I picked up a Garmin Venture HC from Fry's Electronics in Las Vegas, NV for $100--though they have locations throughout NV and CA. I think you can also order online from them.

 

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Geomate because you can't just add caches that you want to find, it comes pre-loaded with 250,000 caches and you have to buy an expansion pack for them if you'd like to have more caches on it.

 

On one hand, 250,000 caches is A LOT of them, there might be a few that you really want to find that just aren't loaded on it.

[+Jeep4two]

One of the lowest cost units is the eTrex H (the basic yellow), currently sold for about $77 new at Walmart.com (it was about $70 the other day, price is back up a little).

 

If you can get that deal on the Venture HC from Fry's that would be a sweet price.

 

I just did a search and the best I found was $112 for a Venture HC refurbished unit at GPS4US.com - not a bad price for that unit.

[+WhoDis]

One of the lowest cost units is the eTrex H (the basic yellow), currently sold for about $77 new at Walmart.com (it was about $70 the other day, price is back up a little).

 

If you can get that deal on the Venture HC from Fry's that would be a sweet price.

 

I just did a search and the best I found was $112 for a Venture HC refurbished unit at GPS4US.com - not a bad price for that unit.

The H uses a serial port doesn't it? Then you have to buy a USB adapter since most computers don't have serial anymore, so you actually save money buying the more expensive model.

[+WhoDis]

I ordered my Garmin Venture HC from Abes of Maine for $119, I'm not sure where the previous poster found it for $100 as this was the cheapest I can find, it's a very good starter. I've seen lots of people post about the Geomate Jr and the more I read, the more I like that one, but I've not used one so I can't speak from experience, you can find this one new for $60.

 

I picked up a Garmin Venture HC from Fry's Electronics in Las Vegas, NV for $100--though they have locations throughout NV and CA. I think you can also order online from them.

 

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Geomate because you can't just add caches that you want to find, it comes pre-loaded with 250,000 caches and you have to buy an expansion pack for them if you'd like to have more caches on it.

 

On one hand, 250,000 caches is A LOT of them, there might be a few that you really want to find that just aren't loaded on it.

Ahhh, hadn't heard that before, yeah, that would be bad if you can't just upload more caches without buying an expansion. I withdrawal my recommendation.