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Garmin Sucks


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So I went ahead and bought a garmin etrex30 about a year and a half ago to use while I was overseas. I'm used to using Android and Iphone smartphones but didnt' care to get charged the big bucks for data roaming while overseas. My first impression of the unit was that it sucked but I stuck it out thinking that it wasn't fair to make an impression so early and thought perhaps it was just me being an idiot with a new piece of technology. After a year and a half of using the device I have only come to believe more strongly that the device sucks. Garmin's maps, user interface, software, website, hardware, etc are all really poorly designed. They are not user-friendly at all and are not intuitive. Every time I want to do something new with the unit I have to go online and search through forums on various sites. That is pathetic. I have big time buyer's remorse. I think I'm going to throw my unit into the next lake I see and start buying pre-paid sim cards when I'm overseas instead. I wish someone had told me this before I spent the money to buy a Garmin product.

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Sorry to hear about this... Garmin's software and maps have always left a little to be desired. My experience with their GPS units has been positive, but I hear you about the new eTrex line. I tried all three varieties out in the store, hoping that they would be worthy successors to the old eTrex models. Instead I was put off by their really slow lag and map re-draw time. Plus they moved the rocker stick over, so for those of us who aren't southpaws, we have to reach across the screen to adjust things. Not well thought out, IMHO. I'm sure you've probably done this already, but there are firmware updates released that might address some of your issues.

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I started with a Gps75 (1992) after a 12XL, the last i used until the Colorado came on the market, Colorado's all where turned in because of failure, I got an Oregon, this was a 2 steps up and one down with software updates, so I switched to the Montana, I had to switch >> 3 << times because of the screen problem in the first batch, now after about 16 month we still have a BIG list *** of errors in the Montana's and again 2 steps up and 1 down with the updates.

 

And yes I'm happy about the beta's, but they don't solve the problems most of the time, they only introduce new functions, often making a good function defective, then they need 1 or 2 updates to resolve the error in the old function that was working in the first place.

 

Between they had problems with the series 60, 62, zumo's, etrex and more.

 

The hardware seems ok and if we have a hardwareproblem most of the time Garmin just switches the unit, often for free, this is probably the reason so few people complain, software (gps AND computer), manuals, garminsite and helpdesk (email) really suck, almost never you get an answer and if, the answer is often bot generated and not in relation to the original question.

 

As an Android user I use also nav apps and those often free apps work like a dream and are compared to the Garmin Gps software lightyears ahead.

 

Last but important, if you use Garmin software on the computer, they put so many files on, even Garmin doesn't know what it is.

 

The Montana IS a great unit, but please Garmin set your act straight. It does really get worse.

 

***

http://garminmontanagpsr.wikispaces.com/Montana+Issues

Edited by splashy
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At heart, I guess, I'm a Magellan Meridian man.

Magellan abandoned Meridian and I abandoned Magellan when we wanted paperless units. I bought a Oregon 450 and 62S after they had already been on the market almost two years and I still bought too soon...it took a couple of firmware udgrades to make them excellent units. The Etrex still isn't where it needs to be and I don't know if there is any help for the Etrex30 compass.

The main problem is Garmin introduces new units to the market long before they are ready.....it takes a couple of years with their customers serving as field testers for Garmin to get them right.....before they are 100% Garmin is introducing a buggy new unit.

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I have had two garmin units and I bought a Magellan GC only to sell it and get the etrex 20.

 

I have had very few problems with it. I load my own maps on it, use the card for additional maps and load it up with GSAK when I need to.

 

I am not sure what all the complaints are all about. These are not smart phones, but I think that is an unfair comparison.

 

And you know what smartphones are bad at? Being phones..

 

so there you go... to each their own.

 

I do use my iphone with the geocaching.com application. It's solid, but I only use that for quick grabs. My phones is too $$ for poor weather or bushwhack.

 

Shaun

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Garmin Sucks?? I don't think so. If they did there would not be millions of them out there in use. Maybe most of those people took the time to learn how to use them, and to figure out what they do. I have had four different models, currently own an Oregon and a 76CX, and I use them weekly to find caches. Do they forecast the weather, do they give you football scores? No, they are not supposed to. They do find geocaches, very well I might add, which is one of the things they are supposed to do.

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I've had a few growing pains with a couple of my Garmin products but overall I'm happy with them. The new eTrex line was never intended to be a top-of-the-line GPSr although my eTrex 20 is loaded with features that, yes, you have to read about to understand, make changes to, and operate with relative ease. Firmware updates are key and I highly recommend maps beyond the pre-loaded base map. Unfortunately, on-line manuals are here to stay and are a reality of modern electronics. For geocaching and navigating to co-ordinates, the eTrex 20 is great. For that alone, it's worth what I paid for it.

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"Garmin sucks" is perhaps a bit simplistic and harsh, but I sure did loose a lot of faith in the company after my experiences with the eTrex 30. Nothing serious had been going on with my three previous Garmins. As for the eTrex 30, it could have been something, but is really dragged down in the mud by poor and inconsistently working firmware. The version my receiver was shipped with (2.40?) functioned so poorly, it nearly seemed to be the result of some cellar-grade open source project, and a first version beta at that.

 

At v2.73b onwards, the machine borders to okay, but they still need to revise the compass and fix so that track following works properly.

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Garmin's maps, user interface, software, website, hardware, etc are all really poorly designed. They are not user-friendly at all and are not intuitive. Every time I want to do something new with the unit I have to go online and search through forums on various sites. That is pathetic.

 

That's kind of funny to me, I just got my first ever Magellan Unit Christmas 2011 (owned 4 Garmins), and I've come to the conclusion that Magellan has a much poorer user interface. The menu's are just so nested, compared to what I'm used to on Garmin. However, since Garmin started that stupid website, and called it Opencaching, I agree they suck. :P

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"A poor craftsman blames his tools."

Has nothing to do with it, I KNOW Gps'es and for sure the Montana, but you can't deny they mess up with software every time again and again and since the wiki still has about 35 major errors on the Montana alone we can conclude it's not the user who is wrong.

 

It's Garmin not solving the errors, instead they launch new models and the whole wheel starts turning all over again, using the buyer as a Beta tester and I don't mind about that, but please solve the problems and don't create new problems with the new software updates.

 

Yes, I kept it for 16 month and I will keep it, but this doesn't mean the Gps works fine, I can live with the errors and it brings me out of the dessert or bush back or to the place I want to go, BUT often I use a almost 20 years old gps as a backup, because sometimes this Montana isn't completely reliable.

 

If there was a better make I would buy it, for this moment I'm stuck with the best of the lesser good.

 

A brand isn't good because they switch units when you complain and even if they sold millions, there are millions used as a paperweight or laying somewhere in a drawer.

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I dont think garmin sucks, they are different than Magellan. I have a Magellan Explorist, and i

like it. It lags, takes about 3-4 minutes when turned on to catch up to my current location, but for

geo-caching its always brought me to the caches and Magellan shows the page with the caches name, difficulty terrain rating, hints, recent log entries, and when you do find the cache, it lets you

log it as found, so when you get home you can log it without having to remember the number. My garmin

gpsmap60cs doesnt have all that info. that i know of. I just bought it, and i am going to get to know

all of its functions.

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Kylehawkins,

 

I don't want to deprive you from any vengeful delights, but if you feel the urge to chunk that Etrex 30 in the lake again, just send it my way......I'll even be glad to pay shipping. :)

 

(Might even spot you $20 for your trouble.......I need a backup unit for my amazingly accurate, battery sipping, incredibly dependable, elderly 60csx.)

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You bought one of the best gps'es ever build, but also with that model it took them about 2 years to get it in order

Think about what you wrote there. It took two years after releasing the product before they got it right? How can you not consider that anything but a colossally failed product release? How can something so broken that it took 2 years to get right be "one of the best ever"?

 

Think about all the customers who don't keep up with things and don't even realize that there are firmware updates. Or those who don't do it for fear of bricking the unit.

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You bought one of the best gps'es ever build, but also with that model it took them about 2 years to get it in order and as I explained you in the other tread, you have the wrong gps for paperless geocaching.

yes, i guess i did, but its got accuracy, ill bring my garmin and magellan with me on my geocaching

outings. ill learn everything i can about my garmin. it seems like a great unit. i need to get to know

it better,

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You bought one of the best gps'es ever build, but also with that model it took them about 2 years to get it in order and as I explained you in the other tread, you have the wrong gps for paperless geocaching.

If you are talking about geojakey, I don't think so. The 60CS performed poorly compared with the 60CSX.

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Kylehawkins,

 

I don't want to deprive you from any vengeful delights, but if you feel the urge to chunk that Etrex 30 in the lake again, just send it my way......I'll even be glad to pay shipping. :)

 

(Might even spot you $20 for your trouble.......I need a backup unit for my amazingly accurate, battery sipping, incredibly dependable, elderly 60csx.)

Furthermore, such disposal might be at odds with appropriate, green practices. E-waste disposal is covered by environmental regulations. I always take my E-waste to an authorized E-waste recycling facility. :D

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You bought one of the best gps'es ever build, but also with that model it took them about 2 years to get it in order

Think about what you wrote there. It took two years after releasing the product before they got it right? How can you not consider that anything but a colossally failed product release? How can something so broken that it took 2 years to get right be "one of the best ever"?

 

Think about all the customers who don't keep up with things and don't even realize that there are firmware updates. Or those who don't do it for fear of bricking the unit.

I totally agree ,it is shamefull of Garmin to release dud products and take what seems to be forever to fix them,people need to stop buying them as fast as Garmin pushes them out the door!

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You bought one of the best gps'es ever build, but also with that model it took them about 2 years to get it in order

Think about what you wrote there. It took two years after releasing the product before they got it right? How can you not consider that anything but a colossally failed product release? How can something so broken that it took 2 years to get right be "one of the best ever"?

 

Think about all the customers who don't keep up with things and don't even realize that there are firmware updates. Or those who don't do it for fear of bricking the unit.

 

Well said.

Before buying a new unit I always check these forums.....usually takes almost 2 years before I'm ready to buy....not a matter of money, I just want it to work properly when I get it.

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...bought a garmin etrex30 about a year and a half ago...

Who does the fact checking around here? The eTrex 10/20/30 were announced in May 2011 but didn't ship until much later in the year. This is like the guy who said he had been running iOS 6 (released last week) on his iPad "for the past few months."

 

Okay, so let's just assume time flies when you're having fun or somehow otherwise distorts when you're upset and want to make a point. The OP was an early adopter but it doesn't sound like he's even having any of the early release tech issues others have mentioned - he just finds it difficult to use. Seems to have similar problems with a calendar.

 

Put it on eBay or in the garage sale here - someone will probably make you a better offer than Woodstramp did :D

Edited by user13371
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This is like the guy who said he had been running iOS 6 (released last week) on his iPad "for the past few months."

 

The iOS6 developer preview came out in June (a few months ago). It isn't at all difficult to get such previews directly from Apple, not to mention unauthorized channels.

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JJnTJ: Mentioned elsewhere, commenting (favorably or unfavorably) on pre-release software is irrelevant.

 

The OP claiming to have had an eTrex 30 for about a year and a half is even sillier: It was only ANNOUNCED 16 months ago. It didn't ship until 12 months ago. Go back to these very forums just 12 month ago - late September 2011 - and you'll find folks grousing about the release date repeatedly getting delayed. But someone who pops up to say "Garmin sucks" - and never posted anything else in the forums before - somehow had one "about" two months before it was even announced? And he's only complaining that it was hard for him to figure out how to use? Not a word about any of the miscellaneous technical issues early adopters were having?

 

If anyone here is buying that, I've got a nice troll bridge for sale too :D

Edited by user13371
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All of the GPS manufacturers have had issues with new releases.

 

Magellan had two failures in a row, first Explorist and then Triton series that were quickly abandoned.

(Latter had some major features not working for a year after release.)

Don't have any hands on experience with their current Explorist X10 series, but problems getting some basic info from their tech support.

Hopefully can get some more info thru the new magellaninsiders.com website. Some mention of custom maps there.

 

Have a Garmin 12XL, 76, GPSmap76CSx and DeLorme PN20, PN40SE and PN6SE/W with spot communicator and a Lowrance iFinder (Brunton MNS).

Always have been able to get questions answered by Garmin. DeLorme is more of a peer to peer support, but lots of people ready to help quickly.

Ability to create Map Overlays for Garmin and DeLorme are a huge asset for me and others.

 

The Lowrance has a sensitive receiver, but topo on black & white display is hard to use. Unit claimed it could support 100 tracklogs, but the software would crash if you tried to rename one of the tracks. Lowrance support told me they were a GPS company, not a software company. (That was when it was a current unit.) Since then they came out with an Endura series - combination of buttons & touch screen. But they still seem to have some issues regarding GPX file structure. The Lowrance product manager now works for Magellan, and worked for National Geographic before Lowrance stint. (BTW I know a Garmin employee that was a rep for National Geographic before the Lowrance person.) So they bounce around industry.

 

I don't use any of them for geocaching. (bike trail mapping and hiking/hunting)

The Garmins have been very reliable and the 76CSx has great battery life and great mapping with the HuntingGPSmaps. Both the Garmin and DeLorme screens have better viewability than the newer units when mounted on handlebars.

 

BTW, next planned unit is a Montana 650. Almost same H&W as my 76CSx, but a lot more screen & ability to handle aerial imagery like my DeLormes.

 

Lastly, Garmin is a large company with a vast range of products catering to commercial and recreational users.

The breadth of a sub-section of their recreational products alone far surpasses any of their competitors. It has been my personal experience that they are more responsive to work on issues than their competitors.

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Lastly, Garmin is a large company with a vast range of products catering to commercial and recreational users.

The breadth of a sub-section of their recreational products alone far surpasses any of their competitors. It has been my personal experience that they are more responsive to work on issues than their competitors.

I tend to agree with this. When the eTrex 30 came out is was mostly a paperweight. There was lots of bellyaching and they released several iterations of firmware. I would have to say it is pretty rock solid now. Still has a few quirks, but over all a very good unit. Garmin did respond to the user feedback.

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At heart, I guess, I'm a Magellan Meridian man.

 

Agree that the Magellan Meridian series was an awesome unit at the time. The old Explorist series wasn't horrible either, but multiple owners and bad marketing had them lose market share to Garmin.

 

However, Magellan lost all respect with me with the Triton and the GC unit. Neither of those units when first introduced were ready for the market. Magellan also has a horrible history of ABANDONING product support, such as the Triton and yes, they've abandoned the GC units for updates. BTW - I own both the Triton and the GC. And instead of giving us firmware updates for the GC, they took the exact same unit and rebadged it into the 310. Garmin has never pulled that stunt. Yea, I'm venting but I paid good money for those Magellan units.

 

Sorry but the Etrex 20/30 just blows anything Magellan has out of the water price wise and feature wise.

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For years I was a big Garmin supporter, but I have lost faith in that company. My next GPS will very likely NOT be a Garmin.

 

I have been caching for over 10 years now. I started with the blue eTrex Legend - a pretty dependable little unit and good for a beginner. After about a year, it started having issue with getting lines across the screen. This was a common issue with those units. I passed that one off to a family member that doesn't cache as much as I do and replaced it with a new eTrex Legend.

 

When the 60 series came out, I bought the 60C. It was very intuitive and easy to use. Then I upgraded to a 60Cx which, in my opinion, is the best unit that Garmin ever made. This is the unit that won Garmin the market share of GPS users. Even die-hard Magellan users were switching over to Garmin. It was the unit of choice for all serious cachers. The accuracy and ability to lock on and hold satellite reception was unmatched.

 

Then Garmin released the Colorado which was a colossal failure. Shortly after they came out with the Oregon. I eventually upgraded to the Oregon 550. It was nice to have the paperless features, but overall the unit was no where near as good as the 60Cx. The software is buggy and even after many firmware updates, there are still issues with this unit. It will freeze up or suddenly lose all your waypoints other than parking coordinates. The reception on this unit is no where near as good as the 60Cx. I walk near a tree (whether it has leaves on it or not) and I seem to lose signal. It will eventually lead you to ground zero, but only after sending you around in circles for 5 or 10 minutes. My original eTrex Legend had better signal in tree cover than this unit does.

 

I've talked to others that don't have an issue with the accuracy on their Oregons, but most often it seems that the person never cached with a 60Cx or 60CSx. Those that had seem to have the same frustrations that I do.

 

I had hopes for the 62 series when they were introduced, but the reviews they received were underwhelming. I never bothered to get one of those. I haven't tried any of the new eTrex series either. It just seems that Garmin peaked with the 60Cx and 60CSx units and has been going downhill ever since.

 

The last straw for me was when they started up a competitive site to geocaching.com. This seems like biting the hand that feeds you, to me. My Oregon is starting to have issues with the power button, so it seems I might be due for a new unit soon. Delorme is looking better and better to me.

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The last straw for me was when they started up a competitive site to geocaching.com. This seems like biting the hand that feeds you, to me. My Oregon is starting to have issues with the power button, so it seems I might be due for a new unit soon. Delorme is looking better and better to me.

 

Do plenty of research first. Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence because that's where your neighbor's leaky septic tank is buried.

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If I were to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have laid out the cash for my Montana. With all the bugs, betas and functions that don't work as they should, I would have purchased a DeLorme PN-60. I suppose I can sell the Montana and still get another gps'r with accessories and still have money left.

 

Just my .02¢

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I can understand that you are upset because this GPS hss not met your expectations. What I haven't heard is specifics. What exactly is the GPS not doing? I'd like to know and I'm sure Garmin browses this forum. You mentioned poor design, not intuitive. I am assuming you read the manual. Have you ever cached with someone who has the same unit? Are the results similar? If your mind is made up, then this current unit will resell quickly and you can recover pretty well financially. Best wishes.

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If I were to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have laid out the cash for my Montana. With all the bugs, betas and functions that don't work as they should, I would have purchased a DeLorme PN-60. I suppose I can sell the Montana and still get another gps'r with accessories and still have money left.

 

Just my .02¢

 

Interesting opinion for someone who only has 16 posts which is 16 more than the number of caches than he has found. What does he base his info on. Personally I think the Montana is a fine device and I wonder if I will ever need to buy another one. The large screen, profiles and other features meet my every need. If people are looking for information in these forums you might want to stick with actual cachers. In addition if this is a sock puppet for an experienced cacher why is he afraid to show.

Edited by Walts Hunting
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Interesting opinion for someone who only has 16 posts which is 16 more than the number of caches than he has found. What does he base his info on. Personally I think the Montana is a fine device and I wonder if I will ever need to buy another one. The large screen, profiles and other features meet my every need. If people are looking for information in these forums you might want to stick with actual cachers. In addition if this is a sock puppet for an experienced cacher why is he afraid to show.

A 5 year old sock puppet?

 

There is a cacher in my area who has found thousands of caches. Yet his profile shows fewer than 200. He doesn't log his finds as finds, he logs them as Notes.

 

So how about we address the points of this poster's post, and omit the baseless attacks on his perceived "credentials?"

Edited by dakboy
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Having seen the recent models, I think Garmin may've taken the "Cheaper, and more product sales" route.. their older models, like the Venture, the Legend, and the classic yellow Pre-H models, were nearly indestructible. (until the outer rubber came un-glued, then all bets were off. :yikes: ) I still think their newer models look a little too much like Magellan's recent models.. (the GC and up.) Likewise, Magellan's quality is lacking too.. It's all about selling more product, than selling a Quality product. Meanwhile, despite a loose rubber, my Vista-HCx is still bombing away on the trails.

 

Stephen (gelfling6)

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I was a diehard Garmin fan up until recently. I had the ever faithful 76csx and LOVED it but really needed to upgrade to paperless. Shortly after the 78 was released I got it as a Christmas present. It has been a good unit hardware wise. Never any problems with signals or accuracy. I like the design and buttons but the software has been horrible.

 

A few days ago I upgraded to the latest software again and it repeatedly crashed my unit every single time I switched menu screens. Like switching between the compass and maps. So I had to downgrade it to the previous version. There was also a very serious bug with the multi's and adding waypoints. No matter the option you could not navigate to the next leg or any new added waypoint. So getting back to your car by adding it in wasn't an option. It took a few months for this to be fixed.

 

I have a friend who had a Dakota 20 that was having the waypoint problem so I offered to upgrade the software. Huge mistake the unit has never turned on since then. After many calls and emails to Garmin they finally said sent it back to us for $120 and we will look at it. What really? The unit isn't selling for that more much on ebay. So it still sits dead. We really spent hours with it. Even using DOS prompts and linux commands to try and fit it. On the fence on what advice to offer to new people or others who want to upgrade.

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If I were to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have laid out the cash for my Montana. With all the bugs, betas and functions that don't work as they should, I would have purchased a DeLorme PN-60. I suppose I can sell the Montana and still get another gps'r with accessories and still have money left.

 

Just my .02¢j

 

Interesting opinion for someone who only has 16 posts which is 16 more than the number of caches than he has found. What does he base his info on. Personally I think the Montana is a fine device and I wonder if I will ever need to buy another one. The large screen, profiles and other features meet my every need. If people are looking for information in these forums you might want to stick with actual cachers. In addition if this is a sock puppet for an experienced cacher why is he afraid to show.

 

I appreciate your comments. However, not being a cacher doesn't mean I don't use a gps for other things. I'm an avid hunter and backpacker with over 35 years experience. Much of those using a gps. Sorry for expressing my opinion. I thought that was the purpose of this forum.

Edited by moose drool
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If I were to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have laid out the cash for my Montana. With all the bugs, betas and functions that don't work as they should, I would have purchased a DeLorme PN-60. I suppose I can sell the Montana and still get another gps'r with accessories and still have money left.

 

Just my .02¢j

 

Interesting opinion for someone who only has 16 posts which is 16 more than the number of caches than he has found. What does he base his info on. Personally I think the Montana is a fine device and I wonder if I will ever need to buy another one. The large screen, profiles and other features meet my every need. If people are looking for information in these forums you might want to stick with actual cachers. In addition if this is a sock puppet for an experienced cacher why is he afraid to show.

 

I appreciate your comments. However, not being a cacher doesn't mean I don't use a gps for other things. I'm an avid hunter and backpacker with over 35 years experience. Much of those using a gps. Sorry for expressing my opinion. I thought that was the purpose of this forum.

 

SA was turned off if May 2001 so most of those 35 years was sans GPS, unless, of course, you had a military unit with the required keys.

Edited by jholly
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