Units

[Cybo]

Just a poll for fellow Canadians: What GPS unit(s) are you currently using and what do you think of it/them?

[+PDOP's]

Still using my trusty old Garmin GPS12. It's a solid performer but lacks some of the features of the newer models like 10000 point tracklogs and WAAS. It does find caches just fine though

 

PDOP's GPS Pages

[+yorelken]

Using the Garmin emap. Got interested in the Magellan Platinum until I saw the price. The emap seems to work for me as well as I want.

[+chris-mouse]

I was using an old Magellan GPS2000 that I picked up used. I upgraded to the Magellan Sportrak pro that I use now when the old GPS got damaged in a fall. So far, It's got 55 cache finds on it and going strong.

The wife is planning on upgrading hers next spring, and she'll probably go for the same one.

[+mrcpu]

I have a Maggy sportrak map. Servman is borrowing my Garman Venture.

 

Rob

Mobile Cache Command

[+1701eh]

I use a Garmin eTrex Legend amd the scouts use a Garmin eTrex (Yellow).

 

Tony

[+Shawn&Holly]

I am using a GPS12CX which I like, the wife is using an eMap, both Garmins. She likes hers, but I cannot get use to it. I have over 100 finds with mine, she likes hers with the mapping. Been looking at newer units, but the prices for what I want has been scaring me, so sticking with what works. We find both work well for what we do.

 

Car37 & Shnde

[+SylvrStorm]

I've got a basic yellow Garmin Etrex. None of the fancy features that would be nice to have, but it does the job and has taken me to many caches. Sure, it would be nice to upgrade, but I don't see it happening any time soon as this unit does all I need.

 

*** Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry, and they laugh at you. ***

[+The Cache Raiders]

We use a legend, a venture and a geko201 and they are all awesome!

 

Drive It Like Ya Stole It! Zoom Zooom Zoooom!!!!!!!!!!!

[Curious George]

Started with a Garmin Venture then got a Magellan Meridian when they went on sale for $99 U.S.

 

Love the Venture for it's size - love the Meridian for all of it's features, and the mapping capability.

[+Dagg]

Magellan Meridian and Rino 110.

Magellan has better reception, Rino is just fun.

[Peregrine007]

Garmin Vista, which has pretty much everything you could want (electronic compass and all that). Also sits on your dash without sliding around too much, so it's great for moving-map applications with a laptop.

 

Also have a Magellan SporTrak Map, which seems to get a bit better reception sometimes. Overall they're both great units; the Magellan is better in dense cover or for really precise stuff and averaging; the Vista is good when you're lost and need better navigation features.

[jimmyjames]

I use the moon and the sun, and occasionally Curious George duct taped to a really big antenna.

[bikers2]

Been using my gps 12 for about 5 years now for jeep'n in the mountains. Works great. Just started using it for geocaching and it works well.

[davwil]

I use a Yellow ETrex and also own an ETrex Summit. They both work great!

 

One thing I learned along time ago was ... It's not the most up-to-date equipment that's going to help you accomplish what you want, it is knowing how to use it!

 

I was on a whale watching trip last year (off of Grand Manan in the Bay of Fundy) and there was a person from Ireland doing a Whale study, using a Garmin 12. I immediately whipped out my shiny new ETrex yellow and was about to show how the waypoint function could make their life easier. (They were waypointing whale sightings). Thank goodness I actually shut-up and listened to what she was doing.

She was taking a nautical chart and transposing the co-ordinates from the G12 onto the map and plotting where the whales were.(Actually using a notebook and pencil) I thought for a moment and I understood how she was doing her research.

If it works for you, then DO IT ... Using technology (like GPS) does not guarantee accuracy. One has to understand how it is meant to be used and then apply it.

[+SteelHead[BC]]

i use a new GPS 76 works very well under the tree's and even works good on the seat of the truck.....used to use a GPS 38 and had problems lots of problems in the tree's .

 

i think garmin make the best GPS's that i have seen i have used uthers and nuthing comes close .... I would recomend the GPS 76 to anyone very easy to use and priced good

 

SteelHead[bC]

FISH ON!!!!!!

[+MedicP1]

MAG 315 is what I'm using, and I like it when I get into the heavier woods for its retention of the sats.

 

GPSr's...A step in the right direction!

[+Gorak]

I have a Magellan Sportrack Map which I'm quite happy with. I find the MapSend software to be quite accurate and useful when planning a day of caching or trying to figure out the best way to approach a cache. Never owned another GPSr so I don't really have a basis for any competive comparisons.

 

__________

Gorak

[Acuracura]

Garmin eMap. Great unit in the car, on the trail, or on my bike. No WAAS but I can live without it. Mapping is great and lots of neat features like address look up and trip timers/odometers.

 

- This is my first GPS ever. It's been in production for quite a while now. When mine breaks, hopefully they still sell this unit or make a new one that is just as good.

_____________________________________________________________________

Please visit the Ham Radio Forums at www.ham-radio.ca. Thank you.

- VE7DPT

Vancouver, BC, Canada

[+Couparangus]

Garmin GPS Map76S. With barometric altimeter and electronic compass, Geocaches don't stand a chance. I also use a Garmin eMap which I bought originally because it is just such a good all round unit. The maps (for Canada) outside the urban centres are disappointing though.

[+GroundClutter]

I've got a Garmin Legend. When I bought it I didn't know a thing about GPSrs (yeah, like I know so much more now) but I looked at what I could afford, and what was going to give me the most bang for my buck. Also, it had a $50 US rebate. --which for those following along in my forum about it, I FINALLY GOT!

 

"You are cleared for geocaching."

[+RobertM]

I originally bought a Garmin eTrex Venture. After I used it a few times I realized it was a waste as it had no maps. So I returned it and got the Garmin eTrex Legend. After a year with that I bought a Garmin GPS V. Cause it has a better antenna it just works so much better under tree cover, or even not under tree cover. So I currently have 2 but only use the GPS V now. Almost next to each other I get about 3-4m accuracy with the GPS V and 8-12m with the Legend. The V picks up so many more satellites it is actually unbelievable. It also picks up WAAS when the Legend doesn't. It's great! And the turn-by-turn directions are pretty good. Highly recommended!!

[+canadazuuk]

Magellan 315- an excellent starter GPS, great reception, but no maps. This one was stolen from my vehicle unfortunately, otherwise I would never part with it.

 

Magellan 330- excellent mapping GPS, great reception, has a few quirks, but easy to use, and a great value, I own two of 'em, looking for more. You can get a great deal on eBay if you are patient, with accessories and a mapping cd. I will likely use these for years.

 

Garmin Etrex Vista- Fancy + small, electronic compass, reception not as good as the 330 at times (my experience), need to use it more to see if all the features are useful. Some screens are hard for me to read, I have below average vision. I've pondered giving it away in a cache, selling it, trading it... who knows, maybe it'll turn out to be 'the one' sometime... Got this one in a KFWB cache.

 

Garmin 12- seemed like a really decent GPS (I was going to buy it as my first, but ended up with the Mag 315. Bought one on eBay for $80 later just to try it), very rugged, same style antanae as the Magellans, didn't like it for one thing- countdown on a GOTO was only in 1/100 of a mile or KM (rather than metres or feet), so it never got used much for geocaching(hard to tell when you were within 50 feet even), I eventually sold it to a friend who uses it to map backroads with his Jeep Rubicon

 

Magellan Meridian- sitting on the shelf, never used, need memory card to put maps in it. Bought it for a steal of a price- $89 USD plus I got the rebate when buying a map cd too. I expect this will be used extensively at some point.

 

Best deal out there right now for the features? A Magellan 330 for sure.

 

Would like to try out a Lowrance and a Brunton MNS.

 

Next stop- Trimble.

[+MrPeabody]

Garmin GPS III+

 

Love it for the stong antenna reception and ease of use, hate it for the low memory, chunky screen and missing features.

 

Also, my base map is permanently busted, so I see all of these horizontal lines across everything (no, they are not lat/long or topo) and Garmin tells me that it can be fixed for $150 US. Right.

 

So, I am getting a new unit for myself this Xmas. Likely a GPS V unless Garmin releases another unit that's worthy.

 

----

Mr Peabody and his fabulous WABAC Machine.

[SteelTown Cachers]

2 Garmin Vistas,Garmin e-trex yellow and a Lowrance Global Map 100. Im kinda partial to garmins because of the size of the units! Only ran into signal probs in VERY dense brush. Fortunatly thats when the Lowrance comes out and it shines in the worst situations, but it feels as if im holding a 2 lb weight the size of a large remote.

[gm100guy]

Still have the first gps I boughta few years ago.

 

Lowrance gm100, stills works and does all I want from a gps.

 

gm100guy

http://members.rogers.com/gm100guy/cachepage.htm

Ontario geocachers http://groups.msn.com/GeocachinginOntario/homepage

[ChiefPig]

I gave up my etrex Legend and got a GPS V and I am very happy with it! Now, I just can't wait for the end of October which is when I am supposed to get my free upgrade to City Select V5.00 which finally includes Edmonton!

[Cybo]

I got a GPS 72. Its a nice, stable unit.

[+biltal]

Still using an Etrex Basic but madly lusting after a Vista.

[Boromir]

I was using my old reliable eTrex for the last 3 or so years, but just got myself a Magellan Meridian Gold (SE version with the MapSend Canada Software). I like it a lot, and the MapSend enhanced maps are very nice (as far as Canadian maps go).

 

I also have a GlobalSat BC-307 Compact Flash GPS Card for my Dell Axim PocketPC. Decent little unit for when I am on the road, but since the PDA/GPS combo is not weatherproof it is not used for Geocaching. I use MS Pocket Streets and OziexplorerCE depending on where I am and what I am doing.

[+The Wet Coast Explorers]

The one and only GPSr I've owned so far is a Garmin GPSmap76s. I've had it about 6 months and it's been good so far.

 

The electronic compass can be a bit annoying at times though - it displays a message saying that the GPSr needs to be held level and the message only goes away when it is held on an angle of about 25%. If you aren't holding it just right, the e-compass reading is off. I also carry a regular compass and sometimes just turn off the e-compass and orient the GPSr using the regular compass when it is particularily difficult to get an accurate reading with the e-compass.

 

The other problem that I've run into with it is loading maps for the USA. The 24 MB of memory quickly became a huge limitation when I started loading maps for a US trip.

 

I was considering the Magellan Meridian Platinum at the time that I got the GPSmap76S and I'm now wondering if that would have been a better choice for me. Oh well.

 

No matter where you go, there you are

[Goldguru]

Would like to try out a Lowrance....

 

Once you've had lowrance there is no equal........Gg