Garmin Nuvi 1100

[+GeoSteve0714]

Hello all,

 

I recently discovered this wonderful Hobby, and I am proud to say that I have 8 successful finds under my belt (well technically 7.5, as my first find was with a little coaching by user go-purdue)

 

The GPS unit I use is the one from my car my Garmin Nuvi 1100. My question to the more experienced members, is this an alright system to use? It does get me to the locations which is good, but finding Ground Zero is a little hard if you are in Auto mode.

 

Tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any help.

[+Indotguy]

If you feel you will stick with the hobby for more than a few months, I believe most 'experienced' players would agree that you should consider purchasing a basic handheld unit.

[+GeoSteve0714]

If you feel you will stick with the hobby for more than a few months, I believe most 'experienced' players would agree that you should consider purchasing a basic handheld unit.

 

Thanks Indotguy, if I had a phone like my Mom's I could use that. What would you suggest a basic, inexpensive handheld unit to buy?

[+Indotguy]

If you feel you will stick with the hobby for more than a few months, I believe most 'experienced' players would agree that you should consider purchasing a basic handheld unit.

 

Thanks Indotguy, if I had a phone like my Mom's I could use that. What would you suggest a basic, inexpensive handheld unit to buy?

 

I would suggest the new Garmin Etrex line if your serious.

[+Tobias & Petronella]

If you feel you will stick with the hobby for more than a few months, I believe most 'experienced' players would agree that you should consider purchasing a basic handheld unit.

 

Most would, but not all. :laughing:

 

For us, our 1350T Nuvi does a great job. It all depends on where and how you plan on caching.

[+GeoSteve0714]

If you feel you will stick with the hobby for more than a few months, I believe most 'experienced' players would agree that you should consider purchasing a basic handheld unit.

 

Most would, but not all. :laughing:

 

For us, our 1350T Nuvi does a great job. It all depends on where and how you plan on caching.

 

Today I found a nice cache that I could not find yesterday because of user error. I entered a 996 instead of a 966. For the most part my 1100 has worked fine, I figured a way to actually find GZ.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Steven0714

[+Indotguy]

If you feel you will stick with the hobby for more than a few months, I believe most 'experienced' players would agree that you should consider purchasing a basic handheld unit.

 

Most would, but not all. :laughing:

 

For us, our 1350T Nuvi does a great job. It all depends on where and how you plan on caching.

 

If all your finds are visible from the road I suppose a Nuvi would be fine. I stand corrected.

[+GeoSteve0714]

If you feel you will stick with the hobby for more than a few months, I believe most 'experienced' players would agree that you should consider purchasing a basic handheld unit.

 

Most would, but not all. :laughing:

 

For us, our 1350T Nuvi does a great job. It all depends on where and how you plan on caching.

 

If all your finds are visible from the road I suppose a Nuvi would be fine. I stand corrected.

 

Actually what I do is this, The Nuvi gets me to the general area, and when I get to the area I know what the coordinates of GZ is and I switch to pedestrian mode using the where am I function to pinpoint exactly GZ All 9 of my finds have been that way.

[+Tobias & Petronella]

First let me state that my personal working knowledge of Nuvi's is limited to the 255W which we started with, the 1350T which we currently use, and the 250 which we have used on occasion. Most of the latest Nuvi styles have similar functions so with this thought in mind, these few steps should also apply to the 1100.

 

Bicycle mode is a little bit better than pedestrian mode for off-road usage. Just make sure the navigation setting is set for off-road when you do this. The "Where Am I" function works but not as good as using the satellite map, which also lists longitude and latitude. To get to this screen go to the main screen and in the upper left corner is the green "strength" signal bars. Hold this down for about 5-10 seconds and it should switch over to the other screen. For best usage hold the unit no flatter than a 45 degree angle. There are a lot of other tips and tricks that could be learned. One of the best websites I have found is this one.

 

Without going into great detail which I have done several times before, the newer Nuvi units are just as good as handhelds in most cases. The only difference is the way the electronics are packaged along with some of the bells and whistles. We have used our unit in the mountains, in the deserts, at the ocean, an eight-mile round-trip hike to a deserted ghost town, and another lengthy all-day hike through dense woods. Being from the Seattle area, we have also cached in the heavy rains, freezing snow, both during the day and at night with our Nuvi's. A lot of people on this forum have seen previous posts from us and the great detail I have gone in to prove our point. For one of the more interesting conversations, with pictures, check out this thread.

 

In the early day of car units, I agree they were not very good for anything other than on the road but those days have gone the way of the dinosaur. As far as we're concerned there's only a few situations that a handheld unit should be used over a newer model Nuvi, and those would be for hikes that involve camping or traveling extremely rugged conditions. But other than that a good-quality Nuvi will work just as well as most handhelds. The most important thing, whatever unit a person uses, they should know its capabilities and limitations, and be comfortable using it.

[+GeoSteve0714]

First let me state that my personal working knowledge of Nuvi's is limited to the 255W which we started with, the 1350T which we currently use, and the 250 which we have used on occasion. Most of the latest Nuvi styles have similar functions so with this thought in mind, these few steps should also apply to the 1100.

 

Bicycle mode is a little bit better than pedestrian mode for off-road usage. Just make sure the navigation setting is set for off-road when you do this. The "Where Am I" function works but not as good as using the satellite map, which also lists longitude and latitude. To get to this screen go to the main screen and in the upper left corner is the green "strength" signal bars. Hold this down for about 5-10 seconds and it should switch over to the other screen. For best usage hold the unit no flatter than a 45 degree angle. There are a lot of other tips and tricks that could be learned. One of the best websites I have found is this one.

 

Without going into great detail which I have done several times before, the newer Nuvi units are just as good as handhelds in most cases. The only difference is the way the electronics are packaged along with some of the bells and whistles. We have used our unit in the mountains, in the deserts, at the ocean, an eight-mile round-trip hike to a deserted ghost town, and another lengthy all-day hike through dense woods. Being from the Seattle area, we have also cached in the heavy rains, freezing snow, both during the day and at night with our Nuvi's. A lot of people on this forum have seen previous posts from us and the great detail I have gone in to prove our point. For one of the more interesting conversations, with pictures, check out this thread.

 

In the early day of car units, I agree they were not very good for anything other than on the road but those days have gone the way of the dinosaur. As far as we're concerned there's only a few situations that a handheld unit should be used over a newer model Nuvi, and those would be for hikes that involve camping or traveling extremely rugged conditions. But other than that a good-quality Nuvi will work just as well as most handhelds. The most important thing, whatever unit a person uses, they should know its capabilities and limitations, and be comfortable using it.

 

Why thank you for all the wonderful help. Tempted to get out and try the new info.