Etrex 32x vs GPSMap67 vs GPSMap67i

[+51MarLin]

Just another thread about which garmin to buy. I currently own an Etrex 32x. Most of the time it's no more accurate then my cheap smartphone. I do almost all my caching in the woods of NH and VT, and frequently my Etrex will show me within 10 ft of GZ and a minute later it will say 40 ft. This causes a lot of wandering around. I do understand that trees, cloud cover, nearby rockledges can affect the accuracy and consistency of the Etrex. What I'm interested in would the GPSMap67 be more accurate, i.e., less affected by the trees, clouds, etc? And, of course, would it be more accurate enough to justify the cost? That's subjective I know - for me if it could consistently be accurate within approx 5 meters (15 ft), without the bounce that I see on the Etrex then it would justify the cost.

My second question has to do with the 67 vs 67i, I read somewhere (and cannot now find it) that the InReach antenna affected the accuracy of the device. Is this true? If so, how much?

TIA,

Marc (aka 51MarLin)

 

[+Mineral2]

To answer your first question - most likely not. Modern GPS receivers are about as good as they'll get. If anything, maybe try turning off GLONASS or any other secondary constellation and see if you get an improvement in stability. 

Remember that geocaches were placed with the same level of accuracy (or worse), so between the statistical error of your unit + the statistical error of the owner's unit, you can find yourself up to 30 ft or more away from GZ. In challenging terrain like that, it's best to put your GPS down and read the description, hint, and some recent logs and to just use your geosense to find what you're after.

[+cerberus1]

Agree with Mineral2, your "accuracy" is probably good enough.  

"Accuracy" hasn't really improved that much, friends with brand spankin' new top o' the line are equal to mine from 2005...

We put the gizmos away when we're around 30 feet or so, the search (and maybe a hint) will be better than doing the bee dance all day.  

[+51MarLin]

Thanks, I will try turning off GLONASS, as I think it may be on. I do understand that there is a significant error because of my GPS and the CO's GPS and I try to take that into consideration. But it's the bouncing of my own GPS that is my concern going from 10 ft to 40 ft without my moving at all. This seems like a lot of error to add to everything else.

I was reading a review at: https://hikingguy.com/hiking-gear/garmin-gpsmap-67i-review/

Quote

When it comes to pinpointing your location, the 67i really nails it. I consistently got accuracy within six feet, even with multi-band and multi-GNSS turned on. But here's the real game-changer—it stays accurate even in tricky conditions like canyons or areas with thick tree cover. Remember those times when the GPS would go haywire and mess up your track? Well, with the 67i, that's a thing of the past; the track recordings that I'm getting are usually very close to the expected distances.

Well that spiked my interest, but it's only 1 review at the same time the guy seems pretty knowledgeable and trustworthy.

So I'm not sure what to think. My wife would be very happy if I had something like InReach capabilities - standalone InReach ($300-$400) vs 67i ($600*) . Not to mention the substantial subscription costs.

* I may be able to sell my Etrex 32X for about $150-$200, so the 67i would end up costing $400-$450. 

 

Well, this decision is going to take sometime, staying with the 32x or upgrading. In the meantime I've turned off GLONASS and lets see if that helps any. Thanks.

[+barefootjeff]

33 minutes ago, 51MarLin said:

Thanks, I will try turning off GLONASS, as I think it may be on. I do understand that there is a significant error because of my GPS and the CO's GPS and I try to take that into consideration. But it's the bouncing of my own GPS that is my concern going from 10 ft to 40 ft without my moving at all. This seems like a lot of error to add to everything else.

I was reading a review at: https://hikingguy.com/hiking-gear/garmin-gpsmap-67i-review/

 

I bought a 67 in April, shortly after they came out, as the screen on my Oregon 700 had been damaged by being left in a hot sunny spot for too long and that model has now been discontinued. There were some initial firmware issues in the 67 but they've since been resolved and I've been pretty happy with the results. Overall it seems more consistent than the 700, probably due to the multi-GNSS and multi-band giving it a lot more information to work with, but there are still occasions when it can go for a bit of a wander. I was placing a new cache a week or so back, which is on the side of a fairly steep gully with GZ under a large rock overhang, and most of the time it was sitting within a couple of metres  but at one point it suddenly jumped about 7 or 8 metres off so I walked away from GZ to where it could get a better view of the sky and returned, which brought the coordinates back to where I had them originally. So not perfect by any means, and for me not a game-changer, but overall its positioning seems a bit more consistent than what I had before.

[+51MarLin]

Thanks, that is helpful. If I may ask, how does the 67 compare to your smartphone for consistency?

If I could have a consistent accuracy of +/- 2-3 meters, that would be a significant upgrade to my current Etrex 32x.

[+barefootjeff]

2 minutes ago, 51MarLin said:

Thanks, that is helpful. If I may ask, how does the 67 compare to your smartphone for consistency?

If I could have a consistent accuracy of +/- 2-3 meters, that would be a significant upgrade to my current Etrex 32x.

 

I very rarely use my phone for caching so I can't really say. It all depends on the local terrain, if the satellite signals are jumbled up enough by reflections off cliffs, buildings or bridges, no receiver is going to be able to unscramble them.

[+51MarLin]

Most of the time I'm just dealing with trees overhead, infrequently with a cliff or rock face nearby. Never Buildings or Bridges. I try and make allowance for nearby rock that would affect the signal, it's when I in the trees that I want better accuracy and consistency. It's when the Etrex is bouncing between 3 meters and 12 meters that I found most annoying.

[+Atlas Cached]

Anyone suggesting the latest devices from Garmin are no more accurate than those created 20 years ago are not being honest with you, or with themselves.

 

Modern Garmin models with Multi-GNSS and Multi-Band are substantially more accurate and stable than previous models produced as recent as 5 years ago.

 

20 years ago you were doing well to see the device report 30 feet of accuracy, while todays Multi-Band devices can consistently calculate your position with 6 feet of accuracy.

 

The first Garmin 'Multi-GNSS' models allowed the user to select one satellite constellation to use in addition to GPS. Those options were usually GLONASS or Galileo.

 

Recent models employ more powerful 'Multi-GNSS' chipsets that use GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, IRNSS and QZSS satellite constellations concurrently to provide unsurpassed satellite availability and accessibility. Not only can they access all of these satellite navigation constellations simultaneously, they are also capable of using multiple frequency band signals from each GPS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS satellite, allowing for 'real time on device' atmospheric interference compensation.

 

On inReach devices you will not see the GLONASS option because it can interfere with potentially live saving inReach constellation communication. The inReach antenna does not affect device accuracy or stability on any model.

 

The GPSMAP 67 is an excellent choice with many great features previously unavailable. I would only consider the 67i if inReach capability is something you want or need. Either will out perform your mobile phone in many scenarios.

[+51MarLin]

@Atlas Cached

 

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. As for Inreach, it's not something I need but it is something my wife wants.

 

I don't know how familiar you are with the Etrex 32x, but I can use GSAK to download a cache list to it. Do you know if I could do the same with the 67(i)?

 

Thanks again,

Marc (aka 51MarLin)

[+Atlas Cached]

Yes, you can load geocache GPX files to the GPSMAP 67 like you do with the eTrex, but since the GPSMAP 67 operates in MTP Mode, additional software or steps will be required. 

 

There are also additional options that may improve your experience, such as GGZ geocache files and GCLive loaded geocaches. 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Atlas Cached