Palermocpl Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 Hello Geocachers, As you can see i'm a new here and would like to say I have been reading much here about these GPS units. I have read so much my eyes starting to Bleed My Wife has gotten me into this Geocaching that she wants us to start geocaching. Well I still have not purchased a Unit yet as I have narrowed it down to these units. and I need to know the pros & cons from you guys & girls here, as you might alread had one a changed for better ones. These are the Units : eTrex Vista : Magellan Meridian Special Edition Canada! : Meridian Platinum : Magellan SporTrak PRO Also I do in Montreal just incase that makes a diffrence Any Info will be much appreciated Oh Budget is not a factor here Quote Link to comment
+Zartimus Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 I've owned an early Magellan and have recently bought an Extrex Legend. I was looking at the Vista but I could not see myself using the built-in compasse, or baromtric altimeter. The nice thing about the Vista is the 24 odd megs of storage as opposed to the Legend I have at 8 megs. I can still cram the metro guides for Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, plus all the waypoints for geocaches in canada. Around here(in Ottawa, Ont) I'd have to say that most folks I run into have the Etrex Legend. It seems to be a good bang for your buck and I love the onboard maps(an added expense). It's great fun to drive around in your car and have the roads track north and spin around for you depending on the direction you're travelling in. No external antennas for the etrex series though, although some home-made solutions are avaliable. "Software isn't released, it's allowed to escape." Quote Link to comment
+DirtRunner Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 Get anything with a map, you won't regret it. As for the e-trex line, I tend to be hard on my equipment so the etrex isn't for me. I think the SportTrac Map with 6Mb of memory is a good choice and is a little more rugged. Plus it wont break the bank. Have you checked the pawn shops around your area ? DirtRunner Your not first...But you could be next. Quote Link to comment
Cache Canucks Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 The pros/cons for all of the units you're considering have been discussed at great length (and then some) in various Geocaching.com forums. Your best bet (I think) in trying to arrive at your own conclusions in what is often a 'Ford vs. Chevy' debate is to read as much as you can get your hands on from as many sources as possible (for which the internet is a perfect tool). Keep in mind that, generally speaking, opinions found in these forums are just that ...opinions. When you also consider that most (not all, but 'most') of these opinions are biased toward the particular brand/model of GPSr owned, you really need to take a step back and try to 'filter' what you read with objective reviews and your own particular needs. Quote Link to comment
dave and jaime Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 i guess it depends what your other activities with the unit will include. for me i use a basic magellan, but from what i hear has a difficult menu system to learn. my primary gps use is wilderness navigation and a mapping unit from what ive seen offers me little extra. my best advice would be to try to borrow a couple of different units from differnet manufacturers and see which ones you like and dont like. the other option, is to try to hook a realy good deal on ebay and then find what you like and then upgrade. Quote Link to comment
Palermocpl Posted October 31, 2002 Author Share Posted October 31, 2002 Thanks for you reply and recommendation's. So it looks like i've narrowed it down to these. : eTrex Vista : Magellan SporTrak PRO Do both of these have maps ? Quote Link to comment
+coast2coast2coast Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 "No external antennas for the etrex series though, although some home-made solutions are avaliable." I read this and I would really like to know what "home made solutions " are available?? Quote Link to comment
+graylling Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 That bit about home made solutions for an external antenna for the Etrex line also peaked my interest. Sure would be interesting to find out what Zartimus was talking about. If it ain't awkward it ain't fun. Quote Link to comment
Palermocpl Posted November 2, 2002 Author Share Posted November 2, 2002 Well it looks like i'm buying the Meridian Platinum... what do you guys think ? Quote Link to comment
+Zartimus Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 quote:Originally posted by coast2coast2coast:"No external antennas for the etrex series though, although some home-made solutions are avaliable." I read this and I would really like to know what "home made solutions " are available?? Here is a Tri-m re-radiating one you can buy for the Etrex series. http://safetracgps.com/reraidiating.htm If you go to Joe Mehaffey's page you can read up on quite a few other solutions. Here is a list of links I had in my favorites, gotten from somewhere, at one time or another http://www.helenav.nl/antlinks.htm "Software isn't released, it's allowed to escape." Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.