+littlegemsy Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 After a fell-on-my-butt-and-dropped-my-smartphone-in-water incident yesterday, I'm thinking I should, maybe, consider a dedicated GPSr... My question is, could I get a paperless and at least somewhat waterproof one for around £100? I'm not going to be able to find much more than that unfortunately. I don't really need anything fancy, I'd just like something I could load caches into and go like I do with my phone. Unfortunately I have less than no idea where to start! My phone has survived (somehow..) but obviously submerging it on a regular basis is probably not a great idea Thought I'd be best posting in the UK part and sorry, I know this probably comes up a lot Quote Link to comment
+littlegemsy Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hmm yea, I notice they don't have a compass though (how I usually navigate when close). Seems a bit of money needs spending to get something decent! Half wondering about just buying a good waterproof case for my phone How good are the base maps, do most people find they need additional maps? Do any come with google maps? If I could stretch my budget to say 150-200 (obviously a bit more but if I saved for longer) would I be in "good" GPS territory? Are garmin generally the best? Quote Link to comment
Langy Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I can only add in my experience here all be it very limited. I have a basic etrex (http://www.geocaching.com/reviews/gps_garmin_etrex) which was bought second hand off eBay for around £50. There is no map, probably not described as paperless but with a mix of the phone usage works well. Either way you will always have your phone with you so if you managed to work paperless with the phone you can still do it this way but have a dedicated GPS. The battery life is fantastic, I usually run 2 x AA rechargable batteries on a hike for directions as you can plan routes for a 5 hour hike and still life left. Always take spares to be safe. Very waterproof as I've been out in some downpurs in the Lakes and just leave it round my neck. It is also quite accurate and quick too. Just another option as some of the second hand units are quite cheap and very good. My first I bought off eBay for £7 was a GPS38. It uses 4 x AA batteries not quite so quick or good battery life but is still very accurate, just doesn't work so well when more in cover. However I have found at times that the older GPS38 has found caches in the open better than the eTrex. Like all things you get to know how they work. I'm sure there are a host of others but take a search for what is around and then either ask questions on what you see is in your price range that takes your fancy or search for reviews. You may find eBay turns up some bargains, just be careful as some are sold for parts, some are sold as repaired and often have a price tag far higher than someone selling privately. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment
+littlegemsy Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Thanks Langy! Was just looking and can get a Garmin Dakota 20 for about £150 online which is touchscreen and looks very nice... I don't think I'd need anything fancier! Not too bad really. http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/2164/garmin-dakota-20 Seems you can add maps etc. Quote Link to comment
+drdick&vick Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Just found a Dakota 10 on Fleabay for £109.98, it has 850Mb inbuilt memory which will take TalkyToaster maps, plus paperless caching as well. Quote Link to comment
+Ean369 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hmm yea, I notice they don't have a compass though (how I usually navigate when close). Seems a bit of money needs spending to get something decent! Half wondering about just buying a good waterproof case for my phone How good are the base maps, do most people find they need additional maps? Do any come with google maps? If I could stretch my budget to say 150-200 (obviously a bit more but if I saved for longer) would I be in "good" GPS territory? Are garmin generally the best? Hmm yea, I notice they don't have a compass Lo there I use the etrex 30, and it does have a compass on, and I belive 10 and the 20 also have a compass, hope this helps Quote Link to comment
+littlegemsy Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Thanks. Looking at whether I'll really make use of a dedicated unit or not. Question - for likes of the extrex 20/30 or dakota 20 (if these sort of level are different from pricier/el-cheapy ones), how much work is it to add caches? Obviously on my phone I can just load a pocket query straight from email or search by cache codes etc... with these can you add pocket queries easily, and can you just add an individual new cache or do you have to connect up to do it? Obviously holding several will be easier, it starts getting a pain on my phone if I have too many... Just deciding if the waterproofness/ruggedness/accuracy is actually worth the money for me or if a waterproof/shockproof case for my phone (about £25) would be a better bet for me. I don't exactly do 5 mile hikes into the middle of nowhere and my S2 gets a GPS signal without a phone signal anyway... But it's still not a proper unit... hmm. Quote Link to comment
+Happy Humphrey Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I have an Etrex 20 and it's dead easy to load up pocket queries. I just download them into a GSAK database and then send them to the Etrex. I normally limit it to about 2500 caches even though it can theoretically take more. Then I add another 12000 caches in abbreviated form to the memory card (just in case). Takes a few minutes at worst. As for "compass" - I think there's often a misunderstanding about this. Even the most basic have a "compass", but some have an "electronic compass" feature. The point is that normally what you view with the compass is an arrow directing you to the cache, along with the indication of NSEW etc. So far so boring, but the difference with the electronic compass is that the arrow keeps on pointing in the right direction when you stop moving. Normally the GPSr cannot cope with the lack of movement so the compass arrow turns about when you stop. Personally I don't think that this is a worthwhile feature as you rarely stop when cache seeking, and there are penalties to pay for this feature. Quote Link to comment
+Graculus Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I've written an easy to use 'How to' guide on doing a PQ and transferring it to a GPS (Garmin or Magellan) without any other software apps - you just copy the PQ files straight into the GPS itself. It's on my resource site, the page on GPS. Scroll down to the bottom. Chris Graculus Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com UK Geocaching Information & Resources website - www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk UK Geocaching Wiki Geocaching.com Help Center Quote Link to comment
+Just Roger Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Have a look at the carboot sale ( Pinned at the top of this forum). There is a Dakota there for £90 Quote Link to comment
+drdick&vick Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 The main difference between the Dakota 10 and the 20 is the inclusion of a MicroSD card slot which will let you load better quality maps (OS 1:50000) the both will accept custom maps. This page compares the Dakota 10&20 and the ETrex 10 & 20 CLICK HERE If you are serious about continuing caching then I can assure you that you will get full use of it. At least if you are out and it starts to rain you wont have to worry about the phone getting wet. Quote Link to comment
+littlegemsy Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Ahh thanks all - yes, considering there's 2 caches I've looked at recently that involve getting very wet, well... I'd be happier leaving my phone well away from me! I guess I can still use it for the odd evening FTF hunt down a local country lane if needed. Looking I'm thinking I probably don't need the microSD and fancy compass of the Dakota 20 - the 10 should do me just fine, can still load custom maps if I need to. I can get a Dakota 10 new for about £110 - or of course yes look at 2nd hand. Yes Humphrey I misunderstood the meanings! A GPS compass should do me just fine, it's just to watch the feet reading to see when I'm about there. The garmin extra maps are quite pricey though - i assume most use the open street maps that are free? Quote Link to comment
team tisri Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Before you buy a Dakota or an eTrex think about whether you'd rather have a touchscreen or button based interface. Even if you're planning on buying second hand you could always stop by a local outdoor shop and have a play with both units to see which you prefer. I use the OSM maps, for walking they are great, for cycling the routing can be seriously hit-and-miss (sometimes they take me straight there, other times they propose a 6-mile route to get to somewhere a mile away, other times they route me down major roads or tracks so narrow they are all but impassable). I wouldn't trust them for driving directions simply because on the bike I can stop and get off the road or turn the bike around, which I can't do in the car if it tries to take me down a bridlepath or something silly. Quote Link to comment
+Happy Humphrey Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 The garmin extra maps are quite pricey though - i assume most use the open street maps that are free? I use the OSM maps, but I've also scanned in some Ordnance Survey sections too. But I find that with a small screen the Talkytoaster OSM is better even if it doesn't have every detail. I do have some Garmin topo maps but (IMO) they shot themselves in the foot by restrictive licensing policies and they now spend all their time gathering dust. On loading maps to the unit (whichever one you select); I'd recommend using GSAK so that you get more control over which caches you load. A PQ is fine but you might consider keeping the unit uncluttered with irrelevant caches rather than just loading in the 1000 returned by the query. Or you may want to load a few hundred more from another PQ based on selection criteria. I often clear the unit except for today's planned caches, or I include some solved puzzles or caches further afield that are on my "to do" list. Using GSAK makes it all more flexible. You can load the PQ direct into GSAK without having to download it first, and you can update all the caches if they're slightly out of date. Then very simply upload them into the GPSr. Quote Link to comment
+littlegemsy Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 Definitely prefer the touchscreen idea. Dakota 10 I'm looking at £110, around £160 for the Dakota 20 - but I'm still finding myself migrating to look at the fancy oregons to really splash out. The 450t comes with european topo maps... no idea how useful that'd be. But then if I got a Dakota 20 I could use the extra money for the GB discoverer maps - the SD cards seem to be sold on ebay at times. I'm now wondering if the GB Discoverer maps would be better than the OSM ones or not. Sooo many choices! Quote Link to comment
+Graculus Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 I'd not bother with the 't' versions as you pay extra for the Garmin maps and TalkyToasters free ones are in my opinion just as good, if not better. The OS GB maps are very good but expensive - they are based on the OS Landranger 1:50K series. I've got both the OS GB and TT's maps on my Oregon 550. I find the OS ones much better for the 'countryside' as coverage of 'topo' features is better, paths etc. But for towns and cities TT's maps work best because you can zoom right in to the streets. The OS GB maps are what is know as 'raster' which means if you zoom too much they go fuzzy. Have a look at my resource site, the page on GPS's. At the bottom is a table comparing all the models. May help you decide. Also on the page is info about the maps you can use. Quick summary: eTrex 10 - very basic, no maps, GPS compass (stops working when you stop). eTrex 20 - good choice and can use maps but still has GPS compass. eTrex 30 - better and has a 3 axis compass (works in any position and while stopped). Dakota 20 - nice, maps, 3 axis compass, touch screen. Oregon 450 - nice, touch screen (larger screen than the eTrex or Dakota), maps and 3 axis compass. Also stores more caches. Suggest you go to an event and have a look at what other people are using (they'll be happy to show you!). That way you can get a feel for them. Some people like touch screen others prefer buttons. This is the GAGB event calendar, look for one near you. Chris Graculus Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com UK Geocaching Information & Resources website - www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk UK Geocaching Wiki Geocaching.com Help Center Quote Link to comment
+littlegemsy Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 I've been using your site to help me compare I think the only advantage of the Oregon for me would be the bigger screen (I can't see me ever having 2000 caches saved anyway!) so I think I'm going to go Dakota 20. Thanks for the help, youve been very patient with me A search took me to the TT site today and he's even got (experimental) OS maps! Can't get to any of the events being held for a while, will go to 1 when I can but the only soon one I can find for cornwall is on a conflicting date. Quote Link to comment
+littlegemsy Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 Thanks, yes, at £199.99 from garmin themselves and still over £100 everywhere else... they can keep their maps! Think I'd rather donate some to TT to help keep him going Quote Link to comment
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