What would you include in a budget geocaching GPSr?

[+kb1ujs]

Say that by some twist of fate you became the head of product development at Garmin. You were then tasked with the development of a new budget GPSr targeted specifically at geocachers. What GPSr features would you include in a budget model and, perhaps more importantly, which features would you leave out?

 

As for the meaning of "budget", I'd say somewhere in between the price of a Geomate and the mid-range Etrexes ($75 - $150).

 

I've been thinking about this question for a while. I bought a GPSMAP 60 when I started caching a few years ago. It has served my needs well, and I see nothing on the market currently that I would replace it with. The offerings for geocaching-friendly GPSrs seem to be divided into the barest-bones special purpose Geomate, the $300+ touchscreen units (Oregon, Dakota, etc) with their screen brightness and firmware issues, and an aging Etrex line with questionable durability and small screens. I know other manufacturers make GPSrs, but I don't see anything in their product lines that excite me either. None of the other "non-traditional" GPSrs I've thought of (iPhone, etc) could be described as budget. I'll list my specifications later - what you you guys (and gals) think?

 

Ken

[+CortandTrent]

I think that budget is going to limit features substantially.

 

I think being able to hold a lot of caches (5000-10000) and have the 60 series GPS chip would be great. But that will up the price a good bit.

[NordicMan]

A true "budget bare bones GPSr" only really needs to show the user an arrow and a distance to target,, no mapping of any kinds is "essential" to Geocaching.

 

While computer connectivity also technically isn't "essential" to Geocaching either, IMO it is too valuable not to include, and I doubt that feature raises the device cost much anyway.

 

Some would say the Geomate Jr is the definition of a bare bones budget GPSr but personally I can't really recommend that device because it has no way of accepting manual waypoints, so it can't do mult-caches or puzzle caches, etc

 

Currently I'm using an older Etrex Vista Cx. There is no "questionable duribility issues" with the device except for that pesky rubber trim surround sometimes coming loose.. and while yes that is a nuisance, I've never heard of anyone's device "failing" because of that. And IMO the screen size is just fine.. sorry I felt the need to toss in my $0.02 there

[+2x2]

Being someone who could figure out a complicated GPS, but would rather "Get on with it", I have been looking for a simple one I can use for geocaching. After all, geochaching is a hobby, not a career! I like quite a few things about the Geomate Jr. but haven't bought one because of the inability to download coords on the fly. So, to answer your question, I would like a GPS created for the lazy geocacher...quick and easy downloads of coords and cache information for multiple caches in a geographical area, ease of waypoint entry, compass, distance to cache information, an easy to read screen for older eyes, reliability and durabilty. And of course I'd like all this for a reasonable price. I would be willing to pay up to $150 for the right GPS. I don't ask for much!

[+kb1ujs]

A true "budget bare bones GPSr" only really needs to show the user an arrow and a distance to target,, no mapping of any kinds is "essential" to Geocaching.

 

I agree.

 

While computer connectivity also technically isn't "essential" to Geocaching either, IMO it is too valuable not to include, and I doubt that feature raises the device cost much anyway.

 

Agreed here too.

 

Some would say the Geomate Jr is the definition of a bare bones budget GPSr but personally I can't really recommend that device because it has no way of accepting manual waypoints, so it can't do mult-caches or puzzle caches, etc

 

I find the Geomate way too limited in what it can do. The extra expense for the data cable to update the caches is hard to swallow.

 

Currently I'm using an older Etrex Vista Cx. There is no "questionable duribility issues" with the device except for that pesky rubber trim surround sometimes coming loose.. and while yes that is a nuisance, I've never heard of anyone's device "failing" because of that. And IMO the screen size is just fine.. sorry I felt the need to toss in my $0.02 there

 

I have a few friends who have had Etrex screens fail after pretty light use. The screen size is more of a personal preference. My eyesight isn't all that good, so a larger screen means a lot to me.

 

Ken

[+kb1ujs]

Being someone who could figure out a complicated GPS, but would rather "Get on with it", I have been looking for a simple one I can use for geocaching. After all, geochaching is a hobby, not a career! I like quite a few things about the Geomate Jr. but haven't bought one because of the inability to download coords on the fly. So, to answer your question, I would like a GPS created for the lazy geocacher...quick and easy downloads of coords and cache information for multiple caches in a geographical area, ease of waypoint entry, compass, distance to cache information, an easy to read screen for older eyes, reliability and durabilty. And of course I'd like all this for a reasonable price. I would be willing to pay up to $150 for the right GPS. I don't ask for much!

 

I'm not afraid of digging into complicated tech either, and I know what you mean about wanting something simple that gets the job done. Getting data on the device is often the most tedious part - what would be done to simplify that?

 

Ken

[+kb1ujs]

I think that budget is going to limit features substantially.

 

I think being able to hold a lot of caches (5000-10000) and have the 60 series GPS chip would be great. But that will up the price a good bit.

 

The only issue I have with having a lot of cache coordinates on a handheld device is having an efficient way to manage them. I seldom have need for more than 1 PQ worth at a time. A nice sensitive GPS chip is a definite yes.

 

Ken

[+Jeep4two]

Say that by some twist of fate you became the head of product development at Garmin. You were then tasked with the development of a new budget GPSr targeted specifically at geocachers. What GPSr features would you include in a budget model and, perhaps more importantly, which features would you leave out?

 

As for the meaning of "budget", I'd say somewhere in between the price of a Geomate and the mid-range Etrexes ($75 - $150).

 

I've been thinking about this question for a while. I bought a GPSMAP 60 when I started caching a few years ago. It has served my needs well, and I see nothing on the market currently that I would replace it with. The offerings for geocaching-friendly GPSrs seem to be divided into the barest-bones special purpose Geomate, the $300+ touchscreen units (Oregon, Dakota, etc) with their screen brightness and firmware issues, and an aging Etrex line with questionable durability and small screens. I know other manufacturers make GPSrs, but I don't see anything in their product lines that excite me either. None of the other "non-traditional" GPSrs I've thought of (iPhone, etc) could be described as budget. I'll list my specifications later - what you you guys (and gals) think?

 

Ken

 

I think the form factor, size and combination of features found on the Venture HC make it a nice candidate, adn the Legend HCx only clocks in around $170 or so these days. Those make nice starter units in that price range.

 

However - an 'ideal' unit would have to include the ability to A) hold 5000 or more caches via GPX files or allow editing or selecting which GPX files (pocket queries) to load on demand without using a PC. No map included but support for loading my own maps. No routing needed. Waypoint Averaging, Track Manager, Waypoint Manager, Geocache Maanger, Trip Computer and Compass Screens are all that is really needed. The other applications could be flushed. Touch Screen not needed - a simple and reliable joystick and a couple input buttons work fine. USB 2.0 support for transferring files via standard USB to miniUSB cables and a microSD card slot allowing users to decide how much storage the needed. A minimal amount of built in memory would be needed to handle tracks and other light data storage.

 

I still see all that fitting into the sub $150 price point difficult. I think that Magellan has probably done a good job of hitting the package overall with their new GC model. I bet Garmin makes a stab at that market if the Magellan Explorist GC takes off.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

A paperless caching, non-mapping unit.

[+kb1ujs]

I think that Magellan has probably done a good job of hitting the package overall with their new GC model.

 

The GC is as close as I've seen to what I think a basic geocaching GPS should be. The price is still a little steep IMO. Dropping the mapping and replacing the color screen with a grayscale one would lower the price, but probably would decrease the market for the device. It seems that eople really like their color screens, even if they are hard to read in bright light.

 

Ken