GPS Device Recommendations?

[dgfrench]

I'm looking for recommendations for an affordable GPS device so that my son & I can start geocaching. Any feedback or advice welcome!

[+CortandTrent]

What is your exact budget? My affordable and your affordable might be very different.

 

I started with a $50 eTrex Legend and it worked great until I upgraded. I would consider going with at least one of the H models with the higher sensitivity chipsets. You can easily find them for under and around $100

 

Also check out the GPS For Sale section here, you can find some good deals.

Edited April 28, 2010 by CortandTrent

[+StarBrand]

Depends - define "affordable"??

 

I would not buy less than the Garmin Legend "H". For $115 - you get long battery life, geocaching mode, some limited map memory, high sensitivity and a rugged unit.

 

A very nice choice on the other end of the scale is the Garmin Oregon 450 series ($400+).

 

In the middle - I might recommend a Lowrance Endura Out&Back ($170) or an Explorist GC ($199). Both fully paperless accurate Geocaching units.

[+chachi44089]

All the above..And,search through this "getting started forum"you will find lots of questions the same as yours with lots of great info.

And welcome to geocaching!

[+Team_Searchgeo]

I just started myself and I am using a blackberry 8330 with blackstar navigation app loaded on it. It works but can only get you within 20-30 ft but I found my first two today so I am not complaining. The app is free but it does run the batteries down quicker and you must have unlimited minutes on your BB.

[dgfrench]

I was thinking $100 or less but I don't want to buy a unit that's only going to do the bare minimum. And since I'm completely new to geocaching I'm not sure what features to look for. Thanks for the responses! I will do some more looking around here at the forums. Any other heads up info would be greatly appreciated.

[+StarBrand]

One more piece of advice - do not buy a unit that uses an older style serial connection to transfer data. Make sure you get one with a USB interface.

[+Chrysalides]

Not sure why StarBrand didn't mention the eTrex Venture HC. It's about the same price as the Legend H. Smaller screen, but has color. It came out about a year or two before the Legend H, but has the same technology (though slightly different feature set), so there's a better chance of finding a used unit.

 

Any unit less expensive than that either does not have the high sensitivity receiver, or does not connect through USB. It's a real pain to connect through serial - you need either a really old computer, or a serial - USB adapter with 3rd party drivers.

 

My suggestion for sticking to your budget would be a used Venture HC. It would only do the bare minimum for geocaching though. Anything extra, you'll need a paperless unit, and premium account ($30 / year).

 

In case you're not familiar, paperless means having all the information such as hint, description, terrain, difficulty, past logs and so on, with you in an electronic device. This can be your GPSr itself, or another device such as an old Palm PDA, or even your iPod. Other bonus features of paperless caching, not available with all options, include the ability to upload the list of found and attempted geocaches to geocaching.com and log them easily. If you have a Nuvi, you can use it as a paperless device. You can even use it for geocaching, though it is not my device of choice.

 

Another nice to have is the ability to display maps. I find it hard to make out details on the tiny screen of the eTrex. Though the screen of the Oregon is much maligned for its lack of brightness, it does show a lot of details. It is also unfortunately significantly beyond your stated budget.

[+roziecakes]

Check on ebay too! Sometimes you can get really great GPSr's for much less than they would be new...

[+80zeder]

I too have just started Geocaching and had been using my iphone initially with great results once I found out what it was I was looking for.

 

I met up with the Golden Horseshoe group on an event day to learn more and it really got me hooked. People were very helpful.

 

I asked a lot of questions about GPS units and started looking on Kijiji for a used unit, but got no responses back from any of the ads I replied to.

 

Anyway, due to the low battery life on my iphone, I took the advice from a friend who has been doing this for a long time, and decided on the Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx. It has some of the best reviews and not too expensive IMO. I was seeing some of the units on kijiji going for $250 - $300 barely used and a google search came up with the cheapest one in the US for $268. I walked into Walmart 2 weeks ago and asked their price on it and it was $228. Bought it right away. Haven't used it yet, but will be this weekend. The day I went out with my friend I got to see how it works so I know what to expect.

 

Good luck with whatever you buy.

 

So you know, people in the group told me the units were anywhere from $350 to $500 originally, so I was very happy with the price I paid.

[+briansnat]

I was thinking $100 or less but I don't want to buy a unit that's only going to do the bare minimum. And since I'm completely new to geocaching I'm not sure what features to look for. Thanks for the responses! I will do some more looking around here at the forums. Any other heads up info would be greatly appreciated.

 

I recommend the Garmin Legend H or Venture HC. Both are a bit more than $100 (around $120) but have enough features that you won't find yourself needing to upgrade in 6 months if you get into the sport.

 

One popular feature for geocachers is "paperless", meaning that all the cache info can be displayed on the unit. The above two are not paperless, for that you have to spend a bit more. The Lowrance Out and Back is under $200, as the DeLorme PN30. If you look around you might be able to find a DeLorme PN20 closer to $100. It is a discontinued unit but there are still some out there and I saw them going for a bit over $100 not

long ago.

 

You can get a Garmin eTrex H for about $85, but if you want computer connectivity (and if you get into the sport you will) you might have to spend as much as an additional $60. The units mentioned above come ready to connect to the computer.