Pocket Queries - but which handheld gps unit to get?

[+knowltonGeo]

Until now my son and I have been surviving with our $70 geomate jr handheld GPS. It was fine to get us started, but it has a few limitations, such as no support for pocket queries, and only being able to locate the closes 20 caches regardless of difficulty or knowing if the cache is even active or not. Now that it seems to have died, our thoughts turn to getting a new handheld gps and perhaps upgrading to a better unit as well.

 

I am thinking about getting a handheld gps unit capable of doing "Pocket Queries" (which means soon I will be a Premium Member, yahoo!)

 

I want to do this right. I want to cover as much ground via research as I can before I buy:

 

-What are the recommendations as far as what name brand of gps unit to buy? I usually buy cheap, so the 5 lowest priced units would be a great starting place for me.

 

-Must the units have internet capability to download PQ's and upload "found" caches to geocaching.com? How does it normally work? What I am asking is can it all be done with a data cable..one end hooked-up to my handheld gps unit and the other plugged into my laptop?

 

-What to watch-out for. Save me from the pain and hassle you've encountered. Warn me away from handheld gps units that are difficult to work with.

 

Thank you in advance for your patience and willingness to share your experiences!

 

If there is an FAQ about this topic, by all means!

[+Mingan Patch]

Garmin GPSmap 62s

[+Bear and Ragged]

If you get a new Garmin, register it via this page for 30 days free Premium Membership!

 

Oregon, Colorado, Dakota, or the new 62's and 78's will give you paperless caching, and have the option of with or without maps.

Edited November 6, 2010 by Bear and Ragged

[+knowltonGeo]

Garmin GPSmap 62s

 

Which part of "5 cheapest" did you not understand? LOL

 

Under $200 please, closer to $100 is best. For example:

 

http://www.cheaphandheldgps.us/node-551466...S_Receiver.html

 

is in my ballpark...

 

Thanks for the recommendation though.

[+randco]

I would look for the Garmin eTrex series. We started out with the eTrex Legend and found it to be a very nice and accurate unit.

[+knowltonGeo]

I would look for the Garmin eTrex series. We started out with the eTrex Legend and found it to be a very nice and accurate unit.

 

The eTrex will do pocket queries?

[NordicMan]

I would look for the Garmin eTrex series. We started out with the eTrex Legend and found it to be a very nice and accurate unit.

 

The eTrex will do pocket queries?

Well, yes and no.. The Etrex's will read a .GPX file and show you on the map where all the Geocaches are, as well as the Geocache name, difficulty/terrain rating, and that's about it. Without some sort of fancy program fiddling with something like GSAK, an Etrex won't show the cache description or past logs.. And you can't record field notes while out 'caching for later retrieval..

 

.. that's the price of cheapness An Oregon/60-62/Colorado will do a lot more but will cost you more $$'s too

Edited November 7, 2010 by NordicMan

[+geodarts]

Pocket queries can be transfered to most handhelds - some will handle gpx files directly, with others its helpful to use a program like GSAK to convert and transfer a gpx file to the unit's format. But the information you can get on many units will be limited - the paperless devices cost more.

 

The Garmin 60csx is a solid unit with a great reputation. It can be found for around $200 these days. But to get true paperless information (description, hint , past logs) you would have to supplement it with a program that wpuld work on a phone or pda. Mapping may cost extra but there are good maps out there available for free.

 

Check the user reviews on geocaching.com to see what cachers think of particular units. Also the Groundspeak Guide to Buying a gpsr might help.

Edited November 7, 2010 by mulvaney

[+astrowolf67]

I've never used, or even seen one yet, but the Magellan Explorist GC seems to fit into your requirements. It seems to get pretty decent reviews, with the biggest con being, it's not much use for anything but geocaching. I just looked it up on Amazon, and it's priced as low as 169.99.

 

We just started using a Garmin Dakota 20 this weekend, and, while a bit pricey, I don't regret it one bit. So far, it's been a great little unit.

 

David

[+Markwell]

Well, yes and no.. The Etrex's will read a .GPX file and show you on the map where all the Geocaches are, as well as the Geocache name, difficulty/terrain rating, and that's about it.

Well, no. The basic yellow etrex (the H unit) will only show a waypoint and the coordinates. Unless you fiddle with GSAK you won't know the difficulty and terrain.

 

If I only had a basic etrex, I'd use different waypoint types for different size caches, strip out the GC in front of the name code, and then tag a 9 digit version of the 1-5 terrain and 1-5 difficulty. But as mentioned before, you'd have to fiddle it with something like GSAK.

[+MaxiP]

Depending on your caching requirements, you could consider a smartphone - most of these will allow you to import / store multiple PQ's then access them through various apps. It removes the need for GSAK (saves $25) and if you use an existing SIM card, would allow you log on the fly as well as having the T/D ratings showing (as well as description, hints, maps, etc)

 

I think you need to consider how you want to cache - if you want truly paperless, then it's likely to be a smartphone or high end GPS. There are pros & cons for smartphones V traditional GPS and this topic isn't about that.