etrex vs explorist GC

[diabolic27]

I am currently using a Garmin etrex High sensitivity device. I'm really pleased with it's accuracy but am considering swapping to a Magellan Explorist GC (to get rid of paper). Please can any-one tell me how does it compare regarding sensitivity? .

I'd really like to know your comments on this. Thank you.

[+jeffbouldin]

I had two of the original eXplorist and they did great. They were on the same level as your etrex H. The reviews I'm hearing about the new eXplorist GC are great. I hear that Target is now carrying it for about $170.

Edited September 5, 2010 by jeffbouldin

[diabolic27]

Many thanks for your comments.

[+musthavemuzk]

we were at best buy today and they had the GC for 170. ithink it was a sale though.

we paid 200 for ours the end of july at best buy.

 

read around the forums here for info on the GC. mixed emotions it seems on it.

last week i went and bought a 62s as i was frustrated with the GC.

not saying it is perfect, but i feel more comfy with many things about it. my gf is using the GC. she commented the other day it is nice that we each have our own.

 

i think with some polish on the GC it will be nice. i just think it is a bit rough and some dont like the price for a gpsr that is only usable for caching. well it can do tracks, but in reality it is a caching unit.

i like that it can hold so many caches. 10,000 is what it says. i have done 9000 and it holds them.

i wished it had a real compass on it.

i wished it was not sluggish at times.

i do not remember the site, but the explorist has its own little forum. might find linkage to it if you root around here awhile. it was not very active though.

 

Monty

[diabolic27]

Many thanks Monty.

Liz

[+musthavemuzk]

no problem.

lots of good info around here about caching and all its aspects.

some get frustrated with all the same questions time and again. well how else is a newbie going to learn. as many dont have a clue there is a search feature that works pretty good.

magellan GC is in several subject lines for threads.

 

in 2 wks there is an event kinda close to me that i am going to check out. i am hopin to learn alot at the geocaching 101 and 201 classes that are to be taught there.

i am learning about our gpsr's but thereis so much to learn.

 

got some routable maps from the web on my 62s last night. played with them today. was nice but clumbsy at times to navigate around the menus as i am not familiar with it yet.

 

this might be a feature you would like. and well the GC doesnt have that feature. you have to be able to follow along best you can with the base maps on it. if local and you know the area it is not a big deal at all, but if you venture outside your normal area it might come in handy to have routable maps.

 

however i paid 400 for my 62s. the GC when we got it was 200. that is a big price difference.

 

keep an eye out around here there are always threads about sales going on.

the 62 replaced the 60 and they have been on sale for 200 lately at various places. 3 months ago the 60csx was 400.

their is talk about the oregon 450 being replaced and someone had those on sale too.

cabelas, rei.com, bassproshops all have web presence as well as brick and mortar stores.

 

might also score a used one that works fine but someone wanted to upgrade.

 

i considered

delorme pn-40 and pn-60 (300 and 350(on sale at basspro) respectively)

garmin oregon 450 and 550. the 450 is $400 and the 550 was 5 or 550. they also make T versions which come with topo maps loaded. the 550 comes with a camera.

dakota 10 and 20 the 20 is 350 dont see the 10 often.

lowrance has some at the 200 price point and some like them as well.

 

magellan seems to catch alot of flack it seems. you like them or you dont it seems.

i read something about the company was sold or something like that and the new owners have alot of things to fix to get customers back or keep the ones they have.

the new explorists looks nice and the whole line has cameras built it too. i forget the exact models. 310 510 and 710 i think or something like that.

 

garmins have a huge following. alot of support from community as you can get free maps for them. or make it simple and get alot more features from the garmin maps. but you pay for it. its a personal preference.

 

it does depend on how serious you plan on getting with this as well as what you want from gpsr.

paperless caching

compass (real compass and not one that only works when you are moving. one that works standing still)

topo maps

routable maps

size of unit

touch screen or buttons

how much money

how much time to learn how to use it

how much time to learn how to get most from unit.

 

alot to think about.

 

the 60csx that just got replaced is still a good unit. has been a solid performer for 4+ yrs now.

so i doubt a good unit will be a poor investment. just depends on all the other factors as well.

it doesnt do paperless caching, but it can be fed info to get some paperless function out of it.

many use their smartphones and like that.

many also use their smartphone in conjunction with a cheaper gpsr and are happy.

or there is the PDA working along side a gps of your choice.

 

most say the car units are not well suited for offroad use in caching. though some use them just fine.

 

take some time and look around the place and read read read.

 

asking questions as you go.

no rush to get a gpsr. that way you get what you want and need.

 

hit up the regional forums as well. mayb find a local site or local cachers that will let you tag along and ask questions and see how units work.

hit up some events too.

we signed up in march here. however we didnt start caching til end of july. life got busy for awhile.

 

good luck!

 

Monty

[diabolic27]

Monty thanks for all the info. I appreciate your help. Liz

[+musthavemuzk]

i am a guy who likes info. and well sometimes it is easier if you get some help. i know i visit forums for help often.

 

on a related note....our GC froze again today. the first time it happened was when i updated the firmware. this time i was uploading new caches to it.

i hit up www.exploristforum.com for info in their forums on how to reload firmware when it freezes. tried 3 times and finally called tech. she walkedme through the same exact steps so right now we have a $200 paperweight.

she said to call back if i had more problems. but that time it was too late. might try to return it to best buy later today or use the form on the magellan site to get RMA number to return for service.

either way i am definitely not happy with the GC we have.

however i am happy with the turn by turn on the 62s. not spoken or perfect , but it is nice since i am new to the area. also found out tonight that it auto reroutes if a turn is missed. which is nice to know.

 

good luck

 

Monty

[+CajanCacheMan]

I bought the new Explorist GC from Magellian back in May 2010 when they were released also i got the monkey geocoin with it since i was one of the first 100 ppl to buy.before we used another magellian merridian gold which it was manual but it was a good one so we decided to stick with Magellian and get the GC.ppl have complained about them for one reason or another,to this day mine has been working great right out of the box.the only set back is in direct sunlight you cannot see the screen,i cup my hand around the screen and then i am able to see it,other than that mine works great,it also has a program called Vantage Point that you can D/L from their site that works great with the Explorist GC.once D/L all the cache page is there for reviewing hints,pic.and all. since we got it we have found over 600 caches and the average time is 6 minutes and the average footage is 9 feet,so me and my family are very pleased to have it.no more toting around a bunch of paper logs from cache to cache..

[+John in Valley Forge]

I am considering swapping to a Magellan Explorist GC (to get rid of paper).

 

I have zero experience with the Etrex, so I cannot speak to it.

I started out with a Bushnell Onix200, which is very non-user-friendly. I got a GC for my birthday this spring and really like it. However there are some things I prefer on the Bushnell.

- Maps - Bushnell has topo maps available. Sure, you have to download them in little 100 square yard increments, and they are really out of date, but they are topos. In an old national park the age of the map is not that important.

GC has streets and landmarks, but no topos. This turns out to be a pain when in the woods. There is no way at this time to upgrade the maps. It is good for caching, not much else.

 

Interface - The GC is simpler and easier to operate in your hands.

Bushnell has a pretty nice GUI interface for Windows, where you can look at the maps and points on the GPS, or from a saved library. I do not think the GC has such a thing. It might, I just dont know.

 

Integration with GC.com - The GC was built with Geocaching.com in mind. Downloads are simple and fast. Bushnell was afwul with this. I have no idea how Garmin interfaces.

 

Paperless caching - I think it is a bit overrated. Yes, you load the description of cache along with waypoints and coordinates and this is a superb feature. You only get the last 5 logs, and sometimes the info you really need ends up being in the 6th log. I still find that I write myself notes in my notebook, clues, indicators from old logs etc. If its a puzzle cache, I want that puzzle on a big piece of paper where I can write the answers as I go. For most caches, through, I am now paperless.

 

Accuracy - I generally get very similar readings at any given spot from the GC, the Bushnell and with the Navigon from my car. The GC is a bit better at zeroing in on a spot while wlkaing along, but it is also far newer technology than the Bushnell (check the GpS chipset from the Etrex v the GC).

 

Bottom line - Was I thrilled to get the GC and put the Bushnell in the bottom of my pack? YES. It is a far better overall unit.

Would I spend $200 just to get the paperless capability? NO. The GC is definately better than the Bushnell. I don't know how it compares to the eTrex, but $200 is a lot to get rid of a piece of paper.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[+musthavemuzk]

fair enough on paying 200 to get paperless.

though if you are new to this or have a unit that doesnt perform well it might be worth it?

can get some money back by selling the old unit as well?

 

i think the GC was aimed at getting new ppl into the game with less learning curve of a featured GPS at a price point ppl were willing to pay. just my thoughts on that.

 

it does do somethings well. and for most ppl it will likely be just fine. however the power user will find flaws quickly. such as its pokiness to move around the map as well as refreshing at times is terrible. loading caches is easy. no need to have any other program installed to do so. for the casual user it is likely good enough as well, but for the power cacher who goes out on runs of 30 50 100 caches it might be frustrating as you wait for it to do things. keeping track of finds and dnf's is easy as well as you can do field notes and upload that to GC.com easily as well.

my gf likes the GC. myself i want more and less fuss.

it takes 2+ minutes for the GC to powerup and get satelites.

my 62s can be ready in under a minute.

i also wanted good maps and routable maps. around most towns the GC's maps are good. leave town and in some areas of town you are at the mercy of finding the direction you need to go and then finding roads to get there on.

 

like many things it comes down to what you want from your GPSr.

 

we decided we are gonna send our frozen GC back to magellan and hope they can fix it. hope for firmware to fix alot of things as well as add some wanted things.

 

Monty

[+WhoDis]

I lost my Extrex Venture HC and bought a Explorist GC. The Extrex was a much better unit. I wish I hadn't wasted my money on the GC, it soon became my backup to my iPhone. It is VERY sluggish. It freezes as soon as you here to little tone telling you that you are close, which can be up to 60ft away from GZ. If you plan to use the device where there is any cover at all, forget it, it will not work. Then you have to stop and wait for the device to update you position every time you move. I've since bought a Oregon 450, REI had a sale that I just couldn't pass up. I am getting ready to put my on for sale, if you simply must have one, let me know. It's like new and I will even throw in the paracord lanyard I made for it.

 

The site for the Explorist forum is http://www.exploristforum.com/

You can read all about the bugs it has.

[+musthavemuzk]

you can also browse the forums here to read the good bad and ugly about the GC

 

Monty

[diabolic27]

Thank you all for your comments. I'm still thinking it through.

[+musthavemuzk]

ok since i dont have any seat time or knowledge of the etrex.....

what can you tell me/us about that?

lets make it a fair decision here

 

Monty

[+WhoDis]

ok since i dont have any seat time or knowledge of the etrex.....

what can you tell me/us about that?

lets make it a fair decision here

 

Monty

As I said, my eTrex was 10 times the unit my GC was! I just wish I hadn't left it on top of the truck when I drove off. It had none of the bells and whistles and only held 500 caches, but I'd that it over a dozen GCs any day. It was just a plain jane GPS, nothing special, but it was spot on every time. Worked in the woods under cover just fine. Megellan dropped the ball big time on the GC and they don't seem to be in any hurry to fix it. I read that turning off the smart arrow helps on it, I tried it and it helped a little, not much. Why should you have to turn off a feature you paid for though?

[+musthavemuzk]

you shouldnt have to turn off features to get better performance from a unit.

you should turn them off or on based on your needs.

 

Monty

[+ScarabDrowner]

would it be possible to get a description of the etrex without it devolving into a bash on the explorist?

[+musthavemuzk]

that is whati was after with my question on thoughts about the etrex. mayb my words were not the best chosen for that.

 

Monty

[+Buntings24]

anyone know when its out in the uk?

[+soleful2001]

ok since i dont have any seat time or knowledge of the etrex.....

what can you tell me/us about that?

lets make it a fair decision here

 

Monty

I have owned a Garmin Etrex Vista HCx since 2007. Very reliable performer. I like the menus and interface. The unit is very sensitive, maintains constant signal, even in the densest forest cover. I have had this unit in Nantahala (land of noon day sun) and have to my knowlege never lost coverage or signal for tracking. Signal acquisition is consistently fast. The map and unit interface is very simple and straight-forward. On the whole it is adequate (only just) for backcountry travel.

As far as i am aware the battery life still far surpasses the other units out there. Compared to my Triton 300, I have experienced battery life to be at least 30% better with my Etrex.

The screen is very easily visible during daylight, even with back light off. This is quite helpful when battery conservation is a must.

 

Things that could be better:

I do not like the way the rubber armour is attached to the outer edge. It came loose (delaminated and is now a bit of aggravation when it slips. Though this has no effect on the performance. Also the build quality is not as robust as i would like. I once dropped my unit from only two feet off the ground onto a gravel parking lot and cracked the LCD cover. Again this has had no effect on the performace of the unit. To be fair, I am an avid hiker and my GPS is ALWAYS on tracking my progress while hiking. It is often exposed to contact with objects like brush, the occasional tree trunk ground or rock.

 

I do wish for geocaching I could download details.

 

The maps are ok. The Garmin Mapsource 1:100K scale is not as detailed as I would like. I have worked around this somewhat by using Delorme Topo software for my trail research and track files. Note that Delorme maps and software is FAR superior to Garmin, but I am limited to tracks and waypoints only for interfacing with my Etrex. Still the hardware limitation is worth the inconvenience. Delorme Topo is probably the most powerful software out there that is widely accessible.

 

Lastly, my middle aged eyes are having a difficult time with the smallish screen on the Etrex, That is why I do not own the Delorme PN60 and am seriously considering the OR 450t, or the Explorist 610.

 

I wish Delorme produced a 3 inch screen and it would be a slam dunk decision in favor of Delorme. As for now, I am on the fence an in no hurry to purchase a new unit. I own three and am happy with each one in various aspects. I can afford to wait and see how the Magellans will perform. I hear the new maps have the detail (1:24K) I am looking for. If the hardware and interfaces hold up to scrutiny, then I just may jump back on the Magellan ride.

 

I hope my rambling explanation provides someone some benefit.

[+AlohaBra and MaksMom]

ok since i dont have any seat time or knowledge of the etrex.....

what can you tell me/us about that?

lets make it a fair decision here

 

Monty

I have owned a Garmin Etrex Vista HCx since 2007. Very reliable performer. I like the menus and interface. The unit is very sensitive, maintains constant signal, even in the densest forest cover. I have had this unit in Nantahala (land of noon day sun) and have to my knowlege never lost coverage or signal for tracking. Signal acquisition is consistently fast. The map and unit interface is very simple and straight-forward. On the whole it is adequate (only just) for backcountry travel.

As far as i am aware the battery life still far surpasses the other units out there. Compared to my Triton 300, I have experienced battery life to be at least 30% better with my Etrex.

The screen is very easily visible during daylight, even with back light off. This is quite helpful when battery conservation is a must.

 

Things that could be better:

I do not like the way the rubber armour is attached to the outer edge. It came loose (delaminated and is now a bit of aggravation when it slips. Though this has no effect on the performance. Also the build quality is not as robust as i would like. I once dropped my unit from only two feet off the ground onto a gravel parking lot and cracked the LCD cover. Again this has had no effect on the performace of the unit. To be fair, I am an avid hiker and my GPS is ALWAYS on tracking my progress while hiking. It is often exposed to contact with objects like brush, the occasional tree trunk ground or rock.

 

I do wish for geocaching I could download details.

 

The maps are ok. The Garmin Mapsource 1:100K scale is not as detailed as I would like. I have worked around this somewhat by using Delorme Topo software for my trail research and track files. Note that Delorme maps and software is FAR superior to Garmin, but I am limited to tracks and waypoints only for interfacing with my Etrex. Still the hardware limitation is worth the inconvenience. Delorme Topo is probably the most powerful software out there that is widely accessible.

 

Lastly, my middle aged eyes are having a difficult time with the smallish screen on the Etrex, That is why I do not own the Delorme PN60 and am seriously considering the OR 450t, or the Explorist 610.

 

I wish Delorme produced a 3 inch screen and it would be a slam dunk decision in favor of Delorme. As for now, I am on the fence an in no hurry to purchase a new unit. I own three and am happy with each one in various aspects. I can afford to wait and see how the Magellans will perform. I hear the new maps have the detail (1:24K) I am looking for. If the hardware and interfaces hold up to scrutiny, then I just may jump back on the Magellan ride.

 

I hope my rambling explanation provides someone some benefit.

Used a Garmin Etrex Vista HCx for the last 1400 finds. But I bought a DeLorme PN-40 the minute I saw how bright the screen was. It consumes more power however. Now, I use both and started using rechargeable batteries.

[sp1tf1re]

I started with my iphone 4. Since my wife got into it as well we needed to grab a GPSr. After a bit of searching we struck upon the GC and really enjoy it. I will say that as long as my phone has a good cell signal I can generally be up and running to find a cache before my wife with her GC. I may get my own dedicated unit next year. Not sure what yet though.

 

My likes are:

1. It is built in with worldwide maps

2. Loading GPX files is a breeze

3. uploading the logs with their dedicated vantage point software is easy

4. It has a rugged feel to the build, like it can take a few drops

 

My gripes are

1. long startup to signal, to the point it even complains that it has lost the satellite

2. The screen brightness needs to always be on, or you just can't read it, this kills the battery life

3. Trying to find the vantage point software is a pain in the butt. Magellan really seams to want to hide the fact they have that software.

[+gelfling6]

I have to agree with Sp1tf1re, Finding the Vantagepoint software through Magellen's website is near impossible, But, Irony, finding it through any search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.) you find it immediately. It's also a clunky GUI to operate, too..

 

Their Content Manager is an even worse stripped-down version of Vantagepoint. to say nothing of the constant need to

be logged into their website to use it. (Hello Big Brother!)

 

I think I finally got the Vantagepoint software to work with my new GC. And, finally, got the GC to talk in MNEA mode, but yet to see if it actually is sending the right info. The Vista driver is wrong, and there apparently NOW, seems to be a Windows-7 (64-bit) driver available after I wrote to ask. (but never got a reply.) I've yet to bring it out caching.. It replaces an old Explorist-500LE I accidentally fried (connected a 9V Netbook recharging wall-wart to the Explorist cable. D'OH! not 5V, It's worse than that, it's dead, Jim!)

 

I too, still have the wrong time.(it shows 18:40, when it should be 17:40.. Even with the 1.6 firmware.)

 

I've yet to drag the track GPX file into the laptop, letting it run while heading to my Nieces' home yesterday.. It did, however show a lot of the caches along the way. (but, couldn't stop.. Yes, I know, what's wrong with me?)

[+WhoDis]

 

I too, still have the wrong time.(it shows 18:40, when it should be 17:40.. Even with the 1.6 firmware.)

 

Silly question, do you have a check mark in the daylight savings time box?

[anewman143]

I'm a total noob - so here goes....

 

Largely interested in a GPSr for finding caches and also being able to enter lat/long info to find local sites (waterfalls, etc.)...some may be near the road, the vast majority will take a bit of a hike, from a few hundred yards to a mile or so...

 

Looking at the eTrex Vista HCX and the Magellan eXplorist 310 North America

 

From what I can gather online, they both come with "basic" maps, but not super detail...which is OK - my car will get me close enough to start walking.

 

From my end, any particular advantage of one over the other? I'm not planning on any need for huge amounts of geocache data, since it will be a casual hobby at best (he said naively)

 

Thanks for any direction you can provide...

 

Adam