Best GPS for Car and Caching?

[Leebart121]

I am in need of advice on what the best GPS would be for use in the car and for the great event of Geocaching!!!

 

It will mostly be for caching but need to be able to use it in the car to get to places.

 

I do not want it to be expencive.

 

I found a GPS60Scx for 199.99 and would like to know if that will work. I do not want to have to purchase expencive maps so any advice there would be great.

 

thanks,

 

LeeBart121

[+Woodstramp]

For autorouting business in your car? You can't beat a Garmin Nuvi. Or one of those higher end Garmin handhelds loaded with City Navigator. One of those with CN will be more than your budget.

 

I'd suggest (on a $200 budget) that you get two. An $80-100 Nuvi for the car. (These can be made to be paperless, too) Then take what's left and look for a deal (Ebay, Walmart, Amazon) for a Delorme PN-20 or Etrex handheld.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

It's very hard to get a good dual use unit, especially on a budget. A cheap nuvi and a Garmin eTrex Venture HC might be a good solution.

[+Walts Hunting]

I concur with the above. It is like building a fighter/bomber. It will not be the best at either.

[+SuffolkSleuth]

Why not try someting like a HP IPAQ 2490 series.

 

These can now be purchased very cheaply. The device can be loaded with any type of OS map, Memory Map works especially well for geocaching, giving the resolution of a 50:000 map for serious ratching around, or a 250:000 map for driving.

 

If you prefer driving on a TomTom system, then the entire TomTom system, including built-in GPS can be plugged directly into the top of the IPAQ as a single-interface-unit, giving you the best of all worlds.

 

The IPAQ handheld offers a long life on its rechargable battery and can also be plugged into a cars 12V DC system for continuous life and re-charging. Its thin, very light and will fit comfortably into all pockets.

 

As well as all the features of a GPS the device offers hundreds of other useful features.

 

Suffolk Sleuth

[Leebart121]

I like the coments. I was thinking of also trying the Garmin Nuvi!! I think my wife got the 265wt for me for fathersday.

I hope that it works good for both.

Is there another model that would work better??

[+Cujo31]

you could also do what I did... though it has been a while and I don't remember the steps... But I purchased a eTrex Cx and used a hack I found online to make it do turn-by-turn navigation... don't ask me to explain how I did this... like I said it's been a while... but I did it... and I use my Venture all the time to travel with and do driving... and yes I use it for caching too...

 

Just a thought if your a techno geek who doesn't mind a alternate idea

 

Cujo

[Leebart121]

cujo31, I have thought of that and have looked for hacks for the car gps systems but keep heading down dead end sites. If you know of a few sites with hacks to make a garmin gps (Car or Handheld) more of what I am looking for that would be great. I think if I could find a halk that would alow the 265wt garmin nuvi to work well for off road traviling that it would be great.

[+TXHooligans]

I have a Nuvi 500.. it works like any nuvi in the car and is one of the 2 nuvi's that support paperless geocaching built into the unit. i do not have to convert or use any other software other than a usb cable i already had..

 

no magnetic compass, but not all gpsr's have the eithe.. it is great.

 

i get driving directions to the cache, switch to walking mode, and then get either the compas or the rubber band to the cache inthe map view..

 

supports paperless via .gpx files you can get with a premmium account from geocaching.com

 

if you can only afford 1..... i feel it is great.. i'm plenty happy.. my pocket query gives me 1000 caches every day... i load it at work and am ready to get out with the family and find some caches..

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

Yes, the 500 or 550 are best nuvis for this. If you end up with the 265WT, you can go this route, but you won't have a compass screen.

[BUNNYMAS]

cujo31, I have thought of that and have looked for hacks for the car gps systems but keep heading down dead end sites. If you know of a few sites with hacks to make a garmin gps (Car or Handheld) more of what I am looking for that would be great. I think if I could find a halk that would alow the 265wt garmin nuvi to work well for off road traviling that it would be great.

 

Hi,

I just bought the 265WT and would like to use it for geocaching as well. The directions in the manual are "sparce" to say the least. Do you or anyone have any better directions? How well does it work for geocaching? I have been using an old Dell PDA with Tracky software and that works well, but thought the 265WT would serve both purposes.

 

Any help with this unit will be appreciated.

 

Ken

[+DustyWalker]

I am in need of advice on what the best GPS would be for use in the car and for the great event of Geocaching!!!

 

It will mostly be for caching but need to be able to use it in the car to get to places.

 

I do not want it to be expencive.

 

I found a GPS60Scx for 199.99 and would like to know if that will work. I do not want to have to purchase expencive maps so any advice there would be great.

 

thanks,

 

LeeBart121

 

I use my Garmin CSx for just the thing you are talking about, although the small screen sometimes makes it difficult to see in the car. A nuvi is certainly easier to see while driving but does not do as well on foot while geocaching. It's a trade off.

[Leebart121]

Ken,

 

The 265wt was a great thing to use. I used it for 30 days. I would download the cache cords to the gps and it would take me there and then I would click on the where am I button and look at the previously printed off cache information and walk to the cords. it would put me within a few feet of the cache. I would also sometimes stop the car before I got within 50 ft of the cache and switch to walking mode and get there.

It was a great GPS. I just got the Nuvi 500 and am waiting for the usb cable to get here so I can start using it. it has the abuility to do paperless caching.

 

Lee

 

cujo31, I have thought of that and have looked for hacks for the car gps systems but keep heading down dead end sites. If you know of a few sites with hacks to make a garmin gps (Car or Handheld) more of what I am looking for that would be great. I think if I could find a halk that would alow the 265wt garmin nuvi to work well for off road traviling that it would be great.

 

Hi,

I just bought the 265WT and would like to use it for geocaching as well. The directions in the manual are "sparce" to say the least. Do you or anyone have any better directions? How well does it work for geocaching? I have been using an old Dell PDA with Tracky software and that works well, but thought the 265WT would serve both purposes.

 

Any help with this unit will be appreciated.

 

Ken

[Andronicus]

Hey, the shops around here claim the Nuvi 500 and 550 is discontinued. What is up with that? Is there anonther drive/cache combo unit out there now?

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

They may be soon, but they aren't listed as discontinued on garmin.com yet. Maybe this foretells an updated version to be announced at Outdoor Retailer next month!

 

Magellan just announced a dual use unit, the eXplorist 710, slated to arrive later this year.

[+WhoDis]

They may be soon, but they aren't listed as discontinued on garmin.com yet. Maybe this foretells an updated version to be announced at Outdoor Retailer next month!

 

Magellan just announced a dual use unit, the eXplorist 710, slated to arrive later this year.

If it anything like the GC, I'll pass. I loved my GC starting out, but it's little quirks are starting to wear on me.

[Leebart121]

Hey, the shops around here claim the Nuvi 500 and 550 is discontinued. What is up with that? Is there anonther drive/cache combo unit out there now?

 

I picked my Nuvi 500 up from the Costco website. I know that Garmin is still selling it as well. It has its down falls though. It did not come with the GTM25 FM traffic transmiter or a usb plug so I have been trying to get those off of ebay as of late so that I am 100% satisfied with the product. Garmin realy needed to include a usb in the box so that the user can us all the functions and get their updates right off the bat.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

You really need two....a Nuvi 500 for driving to the cache ( and totally paperless) and a 60 CSx for walking to the cache.

New, they were $199 each a couple of weeks ago.

[Leebart121]

You really need two....a Nuvi 500 for driving to the cache ( and totally paperless) and a 60 CSx for walking to the cache.

New, they were $199 each a couple of weeks ago.

I want to just have one unit and I do not have the money to buy two of them. I like the Nuvi so far and have found a few caches with it.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

You really need two....a Nuvi 500 for driving to the cache ( and totally paperless) and a 60 CSx for walking to the cache.

New, they were $199 each a couple of weeks ago.

I want to just have one unit and I do not have the money to buy two of them. I like the Nuvi so far and have found a few caches with it.

 

Don't forget to use the " Field Notes " located in your profile at GC.com,..........hook your 500 to the computer, follow inst., and the list of caches you found will be presented for you to log.

This lets you be totally paperless but I think you will need a handheld.........I still use Magellan Meridian Platinums which can be had on ebay for less than $100.....there's never been a better unit made to walk to a cache with, 3-axis compass, SD card, cheap maps, etc.

[+SilentWolf]

I was in the same boat you were - wanted 1 GPS to do "everything" if you will, ended up getting the Oregon 300 and the city navigator maps to add to it. It works like a champ both on and off the road.

[+TSHL]

Advice to the maps: Lock at http://www.openstreetmap.org/.

[+TXHooligans]

i'm very happy with my nuvi 500. all it's missing is a compas.. walking or driving. just switch from driving mode to walking mode and you can get right to GZ.

 

i'm sure there are many others that are better, but my 100 ebay purchase satisfies me just fine.

 

now, if it suddenly died today, i might buy something else.. dunno. the compass would be a great addition.

[Leebart121]

i'm very happy with my nuvi 500. all it's missing is a compas.. walking or driving. just switch from driving mode to walking mode and you can get right to GZ.

 

i'm sure there are many others that are better, but my 100 ebay purchase satisfies me just fine.

 

now, if it suddenly died today, i might buy something else.. dunno. the compass would be a great addition.

mine has a compass, I just have to go from the map view to the compass view.