What GPS(s) do you use...........

[Mr and Mrs Boogie]

Simple..........

 

What GPS(s) do you use and why?

 

I've read reviews online, but it would be nice to see what GPS(s) people use and why. Looking for real-world reviews.

 

'

[+BAMBOOZLE]

We currently use 3 62S units.....previously we used the 60 CSx and Magellan Platinum for years and also own an Oregon and others. I much prefer a button unit for one hand operation, esp. when panning the map. All the units I mentioned have quad. antennas which I find operate better under heavy canopy which is my normal caching environment.

[+coachstahly]

I started with my phone, which was OK for the first 100 caches as none of them were overly hard or out in the boonies. I moved to a 60CSx and used that for quite some time and still have in order to verify coordinates for new hides. It was a great unit for starting me out with a standalone GPS unit. I bought a Montana which is currently my main unit. I enjoy the touch screen, the larger screen (not because of vision problems), the ability to route from point A to point B via beeps or spoken directions (when purchased with a mount that has speakers and that charges as well), the ease to enter field notes, next stage coordinates for a multi, and the ability to customize it to my preferences. It's been a great unit. I purchased a Monterra too but it's still been a bit buggy and hasn't worked quite as well as I had hoped. I'm still hoping because it has built in speakers for routable maps and does everything the Montana does AND can use the Android platform for a variety of other options, assuming you have wifi access or previously download what you need. I use my current phone (Samsung S5) for spur of the moment caching and it works better than my very first phone (HTC EVO).

[Mr and Mrs Boogie]

Thanks for the replies.

 

It was mentioned that a GPS was 'buggy'. The GPS(s) that you all use, have you encountered problems that ruined/made things less enjoyable for the geocaching experience?

 

Example, you plug in the coordinates, then go to it, but you can't find the cache. Do you every feel that maybe the GPS got buggy and sent you the incorrect location?

.

 

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[+Walts Hunting]

For me it is the Montana. Big screen. Touch screen. Rechargeable batteries that the unit charges. Do most of my caching while hiking and biking. Always spot on accurate everyTime.

[+Laughing at the Sky]

Garmin etrex 10, because it was the cheapest geocaching GPS at the time.

[+coachstahly]

 

Example, you plug in the coordinates, then go to it, but you can't find the cache. Do you every feel that maybe the GPS got buggy and sent you the incorrect location?

 

Nope. Most of my bugs caused the unit to either freeze or turn off and that's not overly common, just the rare occasion now and in unusual situations (meaning not during normal use for caching).

[+Jbaeb]

I purchased my first GPSr this past January. I did a fair amount of research before hand and was debating between the 64 and Oregon series. I ended up going with the 64s as it was newer, better antenna and was a bit cheaper. I used it for 3 months and loved how accurate it was but hated the button interface, it just wasn't fun for me to use. After doing an event where I had to manually enter coordinates, I decided to order the Oregon 650 (touch based interface) off amazon figuring I could use it for a week, see how I liked it, see if all the horror stories about freezes and inaccuracy were true and return it if it wasn't working for me. At first it seemed the stories about the oregon were true. The first day of playing it froze and with walks to pick up my kid from school it seem inaccurate and wandered. But then I read that you should leave it out to 'view' the sky for 30 minutes or so. Since doing that it's been great. Last weekend I went for a 20 cache run (near power lines and all) and it worked flawlessly, was every bit as accurate as the 64s under our clear desert skies, led me right to each cache and most of all it was fun to use.

I don't see my 64s getting much use in the near future as the Oregon fits so nice in the hand or drops in a pocket (no protruding antenna), moving the map and interacting with the device is so nice, smooth and natural, and it appears to be, for all practical purposed, every bit as accurate.

[+cerberus1]

Still using a 60csx (upgrade from a etrex blue legend when first starting) from '06 if I remember correctly.

No issues/problems for quite a few years now (though we don't cache today like we used to).

If anything happened to it, I'd probably swipe my other 2/3rds same model to replace it, and upgrade her to a 64s.

[+geodarts]

I use either the iphone 6 or Oregon 600. It's a good combination. I generally use the phone for general caching, to manage caches, and transfer them to the Oregon. If I need to read a longer cache description with html and graphics (such as with earthcaches), the phone cannot be beaten. The Oregon is there for kayaking, biking, or longer hikes. Or just because.

 

I was just thinking of all the units I have used from the old Magellan meridian to the 62s. I got the Oregon after selling a Montana - I no longer used it for voice routing (the phone worked better) and chirps were iffy with it. Hopefully the present system will work for quite awhile.

[+coachstahly]

My app for my S5 gives me the option to provide turn by turn directions, rendering the routable maps on my Montana/Monterra less of a plus, especially considering that my maps are from 2008 and I'm certain there have been some road upgrades/closures/openings since then. That being said, It's a pain to get the caches pre-loaded into my phone in order to make best use of the app because of the type of drive option I get when I connect it to my laptop. I'm still working on an alternative method that allows much easier loading of specific caches.

[+taeke]

Nope. Most of my bugs caused the unit to either freeze or turn off and that's not overly common, just the rare occasion now and in unusual situations (meaning not during normal use for caching).

 

My Montana frequently freezes when navigating in geocaching, looking up details in the geocache description or dies whenI want to take a picture of found cache. I can't imagine I am the only one.

[+Walts Hunting]

The only one of those I get is the unable to look up description. Other than that it performs flawlessly. The work around I use is go to the cache page click find another and click it then read the description and back out to wherever you were.

[vagabond]

no problems with my Montana 650T

[+taeke]

The only one of those I get is the unable to look up description. Other than that it performs flawlessly. The work around I use is go to the cache page click find another and click it then read the description and back out to wherever you were.

 

Never had that one. But, frequently I can't return back to the map (with the arrow key), then I start poking all other options, and all of a sudden the Montana decides it mucked around enough with my nerves, and returns to the map. It's frustrating. I reported this a few times to the Montana team, but it has fallen on deaf ears (as with the other bugs and freezes I report).

[Mr and Mrs Boogie]

Great info.

 

Looking for real world experiences to help the learning process, thanks

.

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Edited April 27, 2015 by deeznutzs

[+jmd65]

I'm using an old Garmin eTrex Vista Hcx that I bought years ago. I've seen no reason to 'upgrade' to a newer unit or one with more features. I've also used a Galaxy S3 phone and, currently, an iPhone 6. They've all done well for geocaching.

 

The eTrex is nice because of the Transflective screen, which can be read as well in Texas bright sun as it can at night. This is a big plus. It's a small nuisance to have to load waypoints into it, though. On planned outings, it's a must have, partially because batteries last so long. All day caching runs won't run the batteries down much, and spares are easily carried.

 

The S3 smartphone is no longer used, but was very nice. Battery life tended to be a problem, but it could be plugged into a car charger socket to alleviate that. The GeOrg software I used was pretty good (although lacking in a few features in the sorting area). This app can also download PQs, cache updates and such from GC.com while out and about.

 

The iPhone 6 that I currently use is very nice. I really like the Geosphere software for maps and cache info. It has much better sorting capabilities than anything else I've used. The battery is good for a full day of caching activity.

 

As far as GPS accuracy, the eTrex seems to be a small bit more accurate than the iPhone. The S3 comes in a close third. The significant difference is that the eTrex seems to update the location reading more frequently than either of the phones did. As long as you aren't moving quickly, they all seem to do a satisfactory job. Given my experience, if you are moving around pretty quickly close to a cache you're going to overshoot the readings of the phones, while the dedicated device will do fine.

 

These days I mainly use the eTrex as a last resort if I'm having trouble locating a cache, or if the sun is so bright I'm having problems reading the smartphone screen.

[+ecanderson]

Garmin Oregon 450 with transflective screen, magnetic compass, decent battery life, and touch screen for quick entry of field notes. Haven't found a compelling reason to replace it (yet).

 

TomTom = various models over the years, but presently working with one Bridge and one GO 600, (one in 2D view and one in 3D view) loaded up with a POI category for each cache type, for gross navigation to the cache site.

[+dprovan]

I use a Delorme PN-60. Why? Well, to be honest, it's because I started with a PN-40 and upgraded. I can't say I've tried a lot of other units, so I can't really offer you advice, but I find the PN-60 easy to use and flexible. In particular, I can configure which information shows up in which screens to suit the way I use it. I'm not sure I can really recommend buying one, though, since Delorme seems to have lost interest except for people that are interested in in-field communications.