Hi

[+Stewandfamily663]

Hello everyone, I am brand spanking new to the concept of Geocaching and am really excited about starting. I've always been an avid treasure hunter since I was a kid I used to love to metal detect and all that jazz. I have been looking for a hobby to get me and the wife outdoors more and do a little bit of bonding while having some fun and finding new places. This game fits the bill completely. To my surprise when I suggested this to my wife she took to the idea right away!

 

I have a question and if you would humour me I would greatly appreciate the advice If this question has been asked elsewhere I apologise.

 

I have been shopping around for a GPS for me and my wife's anniversary, she's been asking for one for quite a while and that's the whole reason I found out about this site.

 

Since we are newbie treasure hunters and newbie GPS purchasers I could use the help deciding. I know some have to be better than others but is there a good solid entry level GPS? I'm guessing I'd need a handheld for this kind of activity? I'm looking to invest 80-120 dollars right now but I'm willing to go a bit higher if need be. From reading around the forums I know there's enough frustrations starting out and I don't want one of them to be a horrible GPS system!

 

If there is anything else I should know please tell me, again I know this is a hobby that will take patience and persistence but I am a very patient man I think I know the basics thanks to the guidelines. I look forward to your replies and heading out on my first hunt!

[+the hermit crabs]

You might want to read this thread: "What GPS should I buy?".

[+Stewandfamily663]

You might want to read this thread: "What GPS should I buy?".

 

Yeah I've looked at a couple of those and I saw a few that fit my price range and what I wanted it to do etc. Still though as a newbie I don't want to make a dumb purchase. I was curious if there was a solid entry level GPS. This is the one that I'm most interested in atm, I saw it pop up on a couple of lists and it's getting pretty good reviews everywhere I look:

 

Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver

[+JeepFreak81]

You might want to read this thread: "What GPS should I buy?".

 

Yeah I've looked at a couple of those and I saw a few that fit my price range and what I wanted it to do etc. Still though as a newbie I don't want to make a dumb purchase. I was curious if there was a solid entry level GPS. This is the one that I'm most interested in atm, I saw it pop up on a couple of lists and it's getting pretty good reviews everywhere I look:

 

Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver

 

That is one of the units I was considering upgrading too, I have an Etrex H....very simple, have to put in all the waypoints manually, etc. etc. I want something a bit nicer that I can connect via USB and download waypoints at the very least. The Venture will do that with the proper programs. Also, just for reference I learned that the letters after the name mean something. Example - H means high sensitivity, C means color screen, and the x means it has a removable memory card.

[+Chief301]

Do you have any kind of smart phone (iPhone, Droid, Windows phone, etc) that you could get started with? Many people (myself included) started out that way, some still use nothing but. There are many apps out there for Geocaching.

 

If that's not an option, there are many handheld GPS units that are within or just a little above your price range (and you are completely correct in assuming that a handheld is what you need, not a driving unit). Some things to consider:

 

- Make sure it includes a USB cable...you'll need it to download waypoints (caches) and maps to the unit...this is a function you'll want to look into once you learn a little more about the game and the technology. You can manually enter coordinates to any GPS unit, but that gets tedious after awhile....there are methods to speed up the process.

 

- Some units come bundled with a maps package. This will cost extra but saves you the trouble of finding them elsewhere. Or you can buy a less expensive unit without maps and either buy a map set from the manufacturer, or download them for free from a site like gpsfiledepot.com. Or, you can cache without maps at all, just follow the arrow.

 

- If you are going to want to load maps, make sure to select a unit with more internal memory, or at least an expansion slot for a micro SD card.

 

- You're going to hear a lot of people talking about "paperless" caching. This just means a GPS unit that can store the cache descriptions, hints, recent logs, etc. and allows you to enter logs and field notes for later upload. This also costs more, but saves you the trouble of printing out paper cache pages for reference in the field. Just another option to consider.

 

I know that's a lot to consider, but all factors to think about in making your decision. Good luck!

[+Stewandfamily663]

You might want to read this thread: "What GPS should I buy?".

 

Yeah I've looked at a couple of those and I saw a few that fit my price range and what I wanted it to do etc. Still though as a newbie I don't want to make a dumb purchase. I was curious if there was a solid entry level GPS. This is the one that I'm most interested in atm, I saw it pop up on a couple of lists and it's getting pretty good reviews everywhere I look:

 

Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver

 

That is one of the units I was considering upgrading too, I have an Etrex H....very simple, have to put in all the waypoints manually, etc. etc. I want something a bit nicer that I can connect via USB and download waypoints at the very least. The Venture will do that with the proper programs. Also, just for reference I learned that the letters after the name mean something. Example - H means high sensitivity, C means color screen, and the x means it has a removable memory card.

 

The Etrex H was the first one I saw and was interested in and the relatively small price gap between that and HC GPS sorta changed my mind. Thanks for teaching me the letters I did not know that Maybe I will take the leap and buy this bad boy!

[+Stewandfamily663]

Do you have any kind of smart phone (iPhone, Droid, Windows phone, etc) that you could get started with? Many people (myself included) started out that way, some still use nothing but. There are many apps out there for Geocaching.

 

If that's not an option, there are many handheld GPS units that are within or just a little above your price range (and you are completely correct in assuming that a handheld is what you need, not a driving unit). Some things to consider:

 

- Make sure it includes a USB cable...you'll need it to download waypoints (caches) and maps to the unit...this is a function you'll want to look into once you learn a little more about the game and the technology. You can manually enter coordinates to any GPS unit, but that gets tedious after awhile....there are methods to speed up the process.

 

- Some units come bundled with a maps package. This will cost extra but saves you the trouble of finding them elsewhere. Or you can buy a less expensive unit without maps and either buy a map set from the manufacturer, or download them for free from a site like gpsfiledepot.com. Or, you can cache without maps at all, just follow the arrow.

 

- If you are going to want to load maps, make sure to select a unit with more internal memory, or at least an expansion slot for a micro SD card.

 

- You're going to hear a lot of people talking about "paperless" caching. This just means a GPS unit that can store the cache descriptions, hints, recent logs, etc. and allows you to enter logs and field notes for later upload. This also costs more, but saves you the trouble of printing out paper cache pages for reference in the field. Just another option to consider.

 

I know that's a lot to consider, but all factors to think about in making your decision. Good luck!

 

Wow great post this was exactly the info I was looking for! Now I know I am not interested in paperless caching atm because I have no interest in a premium membership if I don't like the activity there's plenty of other outdoor things I do that I could use my gps for.

 

An app is out of the question sadly. I only have my corny Ipod touch that doesn't support 3g. My wife wants to get me a droid for my anniversary gift, but I really don't like carrying cell phones too much. I figured it would be a better investment to put it into a gps and do something that excites me.

 

I know I won't be looking to upgrade soon because with my first kid on the way I will be strapped for time and cash so it will be a rare activity for the first little while so a budget GPS seems to fit the bill completely for me.

 

I am very curious about "base maps" though. If I go geocaching with just base maps for awhile will it hinder me in anyway. Is there no map whatsoever? just an arrow? and what is the price range for purchasing base maps? I hear they can get up in the $100 range. Would it be worth it to buy a gps a bit higher in price and avoid this?

[+Chief301]

Base maps usually contain only major highways and waterways and that's about it. They won't show local streets or terrain features like elevation contours, etc....details you get on topographical maps. As I said, you can download topo maps for pretty much anywhere, for free, from a site like GPSfiledepot.com.

 

Most units allow you to navigate in a couple of different modes...map mode shows you the map of the surrounding territory, with a moving icon showing your location and a fixed icon showing the waypoint or cache location. A kind of "You Are Here, Cache Is There" thing.

 

The other mode is compass mode, where you get an arrow that points toward the cache location and a display of the distance to the cache. This is the more useful mode once you get within walking distance of the cache...just follow the arrow and watch the distance count down...once you get down within a few feet, start looking for potential hiding places.