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Etrex 20 or Satmap


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I know this question has been asked loads of times but now the Etrex is out and people are using it, what do you honestly think. I dont know which one to buy..

 

Is the Etrex (20 or 30) as good as the Satmap or is it no comparison.

 

Etrex is half the price I know, but is it worth spending the extra on the Satmap.

 

I love the idea of looking at an OS map when walking. Is the Extrex screen big enough to see where you are on the map ? I intend using it for walking on the Moors and Geocaching.

 

i have a Mac and would prefer be paperless. is he Satmap paperless ?

 

thanks for any reply

 

Nick

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Garmins can use OS (Discoverer Maps)

 

Garmins are made for caching, SatMaps are mapping devices, that have been adapted to caching use...

(Some of the lads at SatMap do cache, so are interested in developing that side of the device!)

 

Best advice? Try to get some 'Hands-on' with both units... It may come down to personal preference.

 

edit to add.

Not too sure how well SatMaps work with Macs, Garmin do at least provide Mac compatible software)

Edited by Bear and Ragged
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Garmins can use OS (Discoverer Maps)

 

Garmins are made for caching, SatMaps are mapping devices, that have been adapted to caching use...

(Some of the lads at SatMap do cache, so are interested in developing that side of the device!)

 

Best advice? Try to get some 'Hands-on' with both units... It may come down to personal preference.

 

edit to add.

Not too sure how well SatMaps work with Macs, Garmin do at least provide Mac compatible software)

 

thanks Bear.

 

Easier said than done though.

i havnt seen an Etrex in the flesh yet, so might have to wait another couple of weeks.

 

i thought there might have been a few more youtube videos of the Etrex. I expect everyone is out caching !

 

Nick

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Garmins can use OS (Discoverer Maps)

 

Garmins are made for caching, SatMaps are mapping devices, that have been adapted to caching use...

(Some of the lads at SatMap do cache, so are interested in developing that side of the device!)

 

Best advice? Try to get some 'Hands-on' with both units... It may come down to personal preference.

 

edit to add.

Not too sure how well SatMaps work with Macs, Garmin do at least provide Mac compatible software)

 

thanks Bear.

 

Easier said than done though.

i havnt seen an Etrex in the flesh yet, so might have to wait another couple of weeks.

 

i thought there might have been a few more youtube videos of the Etrex. I expect everyone is out caching !

 

Nick

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Did what you said eventually. Tried the satmap out and didn't like it. Felt like you needed two hands to operate it. Nice big screen though.

 

I want a good gps for geocaching, and was shown the garmin gpsmap 62s. This is very nice, but I am still contemplating over the Etrex 20 or 30.

 

Question now is to theose that have the new etrex. How do you find the size of the screen. Is it big enough. ? Everything looks so small on it. Can you read it without putting addition right up to your face ??

 

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

Many thanks

 

Nick

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Nick, as I posted in another thread I am used to using a 3.5" Androi phone for caching so yeh when I opened the etrex 30 I was not happy initially

 

Having done 2 days caching with it thought found the screen nice and clear, interface easy to work around and it is very readable even in strong sunlight. The fonts are crisp and easy to read, maybe at the weekend I can upload some video of it.

 

I love mine :)

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Nick, as I posted in another thread I am used to using a 3.5" Androi phone for caching so yeh when I opened the etrex 30 I was not happy initially

 

Having done 2 days caching with it thought found the screen nice and clear, interface easy to work around and it is very readable even in strong sunlight. The fonts are crisp and easy to read, maybe at the weekend I can upload some video of it.

 

I love mine :)

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Hello everyone, I own a satmap which I use primarily as a mapping tool for cross country and road cycling. I love the detail of the maps especially the county series that now has Streetview at 1:10 000. As far as the OS maps are concerned I find the extra detail of 1:25 000 very useful when planning off-road routes (both cycling and caching). As far as geocaching is concerned the satmap is a deadly accurate tool but I prefer to zoom in on the cache tag using the live gps map rather than using the compass pointer which is pretty twitchy and vague (but no more than the pointer on a garmin) I must admit that the Active 10 is a bit bulky - but that is the price to pay for a big screen, that said, it fits in my pocket just as easily as my back-up Etrex. The online route planning is superb and easily transfered to the unit and vice versa. I would prefer a direct cache download on geocaching.com rather than downloading .gpx files but hey! It only takes a moment to do. My only gripe is the price of the map sd cards which could be a little cheaper but generally I am very happy with the Satmap and would recommend it to anybody.

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I don't have a problem with budget for handheld gps I just want it to do what my Samsung GT i9000 Galaxy app did before it wrecked my phone - yes I had to have a replacement. So I want to be able to use a map for crude navigation and be able to switch to a compass, use pocket queries, see hints and just everything else the app does - but I daren't load it onto my new phone. Any suggestions out there please.

 

Cheers Chris Wilson

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I don't have a problem with budget for handheld gps I just want it to do what my Samsung GT i9000 Galaxy app did before it wrecked my phone - yes I had to have a replacement. So I want to be able to use a map for crude navigation and be able to switch to a compass, use pocket queries, see hints and just everything else the app does - but I daren't load it onto my new phone. Any suggestions out there please.

 

Cheers Chris Wilson

 

The Etrex 30 is the one with an actual electronic compass. And it's made with Geocaching in mind, just drop the unzipped .gpx files into the Garmin/GPX folder and it should have access to all the data in the pocket query. It only comes with a basemap though, so if you want driving directions or a better map you'd have to either buy it or download free maps for Garmin GPS units. The 30 is the one I would buy if I had that kind of cash.

 

Edit: Note that the instructions in the Etrex manuals are for Garmin's Geocaching site rather then this site.

Edited by EdrickV
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I'm perfectly happy with my Etrex 20. Big step up from my old Legend.

 

Garmin has a few bugs to work out, still, but that's par for the course. Early adopters and all.

 

Plenty of open source maps out there. Free topos. The whole enchilada. Paperless caching is nice. Battery life is decent.

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