One question I haven't seen

[+mullyman]

Hi, guys, I'm fairly new to GeoCaching and this forum. To keep it short and sweet and to the point, I started GeoCaching when a friend told me about it. It sounded really fun so I downloaded the Groundspeak app to my iPhone 3GS. The few hunts I've been on have been really fun but I'm quickly realizing that although the iPhone is pretty much getting the job done, it's not very accurate, and if I get out of cell reception area then I'm stuck. I'm wanting to buy a dedicated GPS unit and here is my question.

 

I'm an American but I live in Japan. Been here for 20 years so there's no vision of going back anytime soon. Is it possible for me to buy a GPS unit from the States that will have the maps I need for GeoCaching in Japan or am I better off buying here? I'm also curious as to whether GPS units offer multiple language support? Like, if I buy a big name maker like Garmin, here in Japan, will it be possible to switch menus etc... into English?

 

Thanks in advance for any information you could give me,

MULLY

[+mpilchfamily]

The base map that comes on most brands only shows major roadways so they don't help much in caching. Some units you can buy bundled with good road or topo maps. One brand actually has good topo maps as there base maps. Most units support multiple languages so you can buy one there in Japan and switch it to English. Garmin is a good brand to go for. Most there recent units are able to use free maps you can find online at sites like GPSFileDepot.

[+EdrickV]

Buying locally would probably be cheaper. I would say, before you buy check the online manual. But I imagine most GPS units will support multiple languages. (A Garmin Nuvi car GPS I've used has settings for voice language, text language, and keyboard language.) If there are display units, you could see if you can change the language, or maybe ask the store employees.

 

Edit: Little note, you would probably want a hiking style GPS, rather then a car unit. Not all of them come with pre-installed maps other then a useless basemap, so you'd have to buy maps too. (Either in-store or online. Online would mean a large download.)

Edited September 8, 2011 by EdrickV

[+coggins]

Hi, guys, I'm fairly new to GeoCaching and this forum. To keep it short and sweet and to the point, I started GeoCaching when a friend told me about it. It sounded really fun so I downloaded the Groundspeak app to my iPhone 3GS. The few hunts I've been on have been really fun but I'm quickly realizing that although the iPhone is pretty much getting the job done, it's not very accurate, and if I get out of cell reception area then I'm stuck. I'm wanting to buy a dedicated GPS unit and here is my question.

 

I'm an American but I live in Japan. Been here for 20 years so there's no vision of going back anytime soon. Is it possible for me to buy a GPS unit from the States that will have the maps I need for GeoCaching in Japan or am I better off buying here? I'm also curious as to whether GPS units offer multiple language support? Like, if I buy a big name maker like Garmin, here in Japan, will it be possible to switch menus etc... into English?

 

Thanks in advance for any information you could give me,

MULLY

I would recommend the Garmin Oregon 450TC, it includes both the official Garmin Japan TOPO and City maps. All you would ever need.

MSRP: ¥99,750(tax in)

[+mullyman]

Thanks for the sound advice, guys. The reason I'm thinking of buying from the US is because the Yen is so strong right now. The one that Coggins suggested has a retail of 99,000 yen, that's almost a thousand dollars. Whew!! That retails in the States for around 500. With the yen as strong as it is that's 38,000 yen. I sincerely appreciate all the advice. I don't know anything about GPS units other than what I read online from the manufacturers. It's nice to hear what users have to say.

Thanks again and I'll let you guys know what happens.

MULLY

Edited September 9, 2011 by mullyman

[+coggins]

There isn't an Oregon 450TC in the states. The US version of the Oregon will not work with the Garmin Japanese maps because it does not contain the expanded firmware to enter or display the Katakana or Hiragana let alone do searches for them. That's why the Japanese editions of the Garmin GPS units cost more. If you get an American GPS, you will be able to use the UUD street map or their TOPO mapping and the free OMS maps but other than that, you will be out of luck.

[+mullyman]

There isn't an Oregon 450TC in the states. The US version of the Oregon will not work with the Garmin Japanese maps because it does not contain the expanded firmware to enter or display the Katakana or Hiragana let alone do searches for them. That's why the Japanese editions of the Garmin GPS units cost more. If you get an American GPS, you will be able to use the UUD street map or their TOPO mapping and the free OMS maps but other than that, you will be out of luck.

 

Thanks for that info. This was part of what I was looking for. I'll look into what's available here. That weak dollar, no offense, is a goodie for my overseas shopping.

 

Not trying to show any disrespect to anyone that this bad economy may effect.

[+fooleish]

I'm an American also living in Japan. Where do you live? I'm in the Kansai region.

 

Just so you know, I've been to every Japanese electronics shop I can get to (Yamada, K's Denki, Kojima, Joshin, Bic Camera, Yodobashi, etc) and I have NEVER EVER seen a handheld GPSr on sale there. It doesn't seem to be something the Japanese people go for. They think a GPS is something only for cars or smartphones. Fortunately we know better.

 

TKAPlanet sells Garmins, but they ain't cheap:

http://tka.jp/?gclid=CI_GwszGy6kCFQPxbwodwBHNMg

 

And as you know, the Garmin Oregon 450TC is horrifically expensive compared to its USA counterparts (warning: sticker shock)

http://global.rakuten.com/en/search?st=&t=new&tl=0&t=new&k=garmin+450TC

 

Amazon Japan also offers the English versions of Garmins like the Oregon 450, but as previously stated, no Kanji or Kana capability on those. And they're more expensive than what you could find from a US shop or eBay.

 

So to sum up, you're NOT better off buying here in Japan. I suggest an eBay dealer that can ship from somewhere in Asia to Japan or get a friend to buy one from REI (Oregon 450 still on sale these days) and send it to you.

 

And now, an endorsement: I've personally used the UUD map Rev2 and I'll be getting their new Rev4 maps when it's available. They offer a great product at a reasonable price (including a discounted price for map upgrades) and service in English. Their maps will work on the US versions of Garmin units as well.

http://uud.info/en/map/

Edited September 11, 2011 by fooleish

[+mullyman]

I'm an American also living in Japan. Where do you live? I'm in the Kansai region.

 

Just so you know, I've been to every Japanese electronics shop I can get to (Yamada, K's Denki, Kojima, Joshin, Bic Camera, Yodobashi, etc) and I have NEVER EVER seen a handheld GPSr on sale there. It doesn't seem to be something the Japanese people go for. They think a GPS is something only for cars or smartphones. Fortunately we know better.

 

TKAPlanet sells Garmins, but they ain't cheap:

http://tka.jp/?gclid=CI_GwszGy6kCFQPxbwodwBHNMg

 

And as you know, the Garmin Oregon 450TC is horrifically expensive compared to its USA counterparts (warning: sticker shock)

http://global.rakuten.com/en/search?st=&t=new&tl=0&t=new&k=garmin+450TC

 

Amazon Japan also offers the English versions of Garmins like the Oregon 450, but as previously stated, no Kanji or Kana capability on those. And they're more expensive than what you could find from a US shop or eBay.

 

So to sum up, you're NOT better off buying here in Japan. I suggest an eBay dealer that can ship from somewhere in Asia to Japan or get a friend to buy one from REI (Oregon 450 still on sale these days) and send it to you.

 

And now, an endorsement: I've personally used the UUD map Rev2 and I'll be getting their new Rev4 maps when it's available. They offer a great product at a reasonable price (including a discounted price for map upgrades) and service in English. Their maps will work on the US versions of Garmin units as well.

http://uud.info/en/map/

 

Thanks for the message. I'm in Shizuoka. I've been here for 20 years so I'm all for buying from home if at all possible. Japan tends to double the prices on just about evverything. Thanks for letting me know the electronic stores don't carry them. I almost went to Yamada yesterday but decided against it so I could get an earlier start on a a few caches I was going for. haha!! But, yesterday solidified my stance that I need a dedicated GPS unit. I've been using my iPhone and the margin of error is just way too great. I was a bit out of range yesterday, had quite a bit of tree coverage, and my accuracy was at 67 meters. Needless to say, we spent 2 hours searching a fairly large area and came up empty. I plan on returning once I get a GPS unit. All my research this past weekend is pointing me to the Garmin GPSMAP 62s. Thanks again for jumping in here.

 

BTW, I found a shop online that sells Garmin products at a discount, here in Japan

 

http://value-garmin.net/

 

BTW, the reason I was wondering about the multi language support is because I don't need the Japanese on it. I was wondering if I bought it here in Japan would it only have Japanese on it. I'd want to switch to English. Looks like they come in English with a Japanese users guide.

MULLY

[+DonB]

There isn't an Oregon 450TC in the states. The US version of the Oregon will not work with the Garmin Japanese maps because it does not contain the expanded firmware to enter or display the Katakana or Hiragana let alone do searches for them. That's why the Japanese editions of the Garmin GPS units cost more. If you get an American GPS, you will be able to use the UUD street map or their TOPO mapping and the free OMS maps but other than that, you will be out of luck.

 

Thanks for that info. This was part of what I was looking for. I'll look into what's available here. That weak dollar, no offense, is a goodie for my overseas shopping.

 

Not trying to show any disrespect to anyone that this bad economy may effect.

Unless you want the maps for other reasons you don't really need them for geocaching. I never use the map page, I just use the electronic compass.

[+mullyman]

Unless you want the maps for other reasons you don't really need them for geocaching. I never use the map page, I just use the electronic compass.

 

Thanks for the reply. So far I've depended on the maps in my iPhone. It uses Google maps so I get pretty good quality. I tried using the compass in the Geocaching app but, unfortunately, I was in a place with heavy tree cover and the accuracy was 70 meters. Needless to say, we spent about 2 hour combing the area for a micro but came up empty. That event, and others like it, are the reason I'm wanting a dedicated GPS unit. I'd like to give the compass a whirl. My friend does it like that and swears by it.

MULLY

[+germanybert]

I am an American in Europe and am in the same situation. Everything that costs $100 in the USA costs 100 Euro or more over here. I buy most of my electronics from the USA. Do you have and APO or FPO address? Sometimes it is diffcult finding vendors that will ship to APO/FPO addresses since they can only ship items via USPS.

 

One go thing is that there are a lot of websites that provide free maps so getting a USA GPSr is not a problem.

[+mullyman]

I am an American in Europe and am in the same situation. Everything that costs $100 in the USA costs 100 Euro or more over here. I buy most of my electronics from the USA. Do you have and APO or FPO address? Sometimes it is diffcult finding vendors that will ship to APO/FPO addresses since they can only ship items via USPS.

 

One go thing is that there are a lot of websites that provide free maps so getting a USA GPSr is not a problem.

 

Nope, no APO/FPO but if worse comes to worse I just have things sent to a friends house in Florida and he sends on to me.

MULLY