+geekhunter Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 I've been looking at a lot of gps units and have mostly focused on the etrex units, the meridians, and the MAP 330's. I was just wondering if the Garmin GPS V is also good for geocaching and if you can think of any advantages or disadvantages to using a V (compared to the other units mentioned above)? GeekHunter Quote Link to comment
+nathanstl Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 Ok well I don't own a GPS V, but I've been considering it seriously for a while and researching it. I currently have the Magellan Sportrak Pro and have been using it for geocaching and it's great as far as accuracy goes. I think disadvantages of the GPS V would be mainly price. It's twice what my Sportrak Pro cost, but it does have auto routing which I think is a great feature, but not really needed for geocaching unless you really want to do the least amount of hiking as possible which for me is the biggest reason behind getting into the sport. If your going to use it frequently to get you around town and to certain addresses then maybe it's worth the $500, but strictly for geocaching I would say it's overkill. nathanstl Quote Link to comment
+JDan150 Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 I have had ine for over a year now and recently got a nother one. The shape of it fits verry well in your hand with your thumb to operate all the buttons. Quote Link to comment
+Pooter Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 If you're driving to a cache in an unfamiliar place, the GPSV will pretty well always get you through those strange town streets and to the best point on the road to get out and hike to the cache. Whether there'a a suitable parking place at thet spot is another matter. Quote Link to comment
+RangerRick Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 You won't regret buying a GPS V. It will autoroute you to the closest road to the cache and then you switch it to "Off Road" and it will lead you to the cache. I own 2 and think they are the best out there for geocaching. Quote Link to comment
+Olar Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 quote:Originally posted by GeekHunter:I've been looking at a lot of gps units and have mostly focused on the etrex units, the meridians, and the MAP 330's. I was just wondering if the Garmin GPS V is also good for geocaching and if you can think of any advantages or disadvantages to using a V (compared to the other units mentioned above)? One advantage that does not get mentioned too often is the fact that the antenna swivels 360 degrees. This combined with being able to change the screen back and forth between portrait and landscape means you can carry the unit in any position you wish and still be able to maintain the antenna straight up. For hiking type caches I have it suspended from my backpack shoulder strap in a carry-case with only the top of the unit and antenna exposed and the screen in portrait mode. That leaves my hands free for walking stick, water-bottle, radio, etc. Urban cache hunts it is usually in landscape and held in hand only. Disadvantages: NONE Cheers, Olar "You are only young once but you can stay immature forever" Quote Link to comment
smithcon Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 that's kind of missing the point. By virtue of my extremely busy work/family life, I am by all accounts a very occasional geocacher (I received the V for other purposes and then discovered the game), but my V is with me all of the time. So, it is great for geocaching, but it can also work its way into your life, replacing maps and mapquest.com and such, and offering all that knowledge on the fly with no pre-planning. Any time I want to go somewhere new, or deviate from a known course because of a traffic jam, the V is a capable navigator. Once you have the power of automatic, self-adjusting autorouting whenever you want it, you will realize what an enormous time/argument saver it is. Especially if you hate to stop and ask for directions like I do. Just ask my wife. As far as geocaching is concerned, it stands with the best of the handheld units. Although bigger than the tiny units, the triangular profile is very comfortable to hold, and allows the unit to perform equally well in both hand-held and dash-mount modes. You don't have to use the autorouting to find the best parking spot if you want to maximize the challenge, but the option is a few button pushes away should you want to make it happen. Would I recommend that buy a V JUST for geocaching? Not if you were on any kind of budget. But if you are prepared to let the V earn its living being your navigator, and you are given to spontaneous exploration, there is no better bargain around. Quote Link to comment
+GOT GPS? Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 For just Geocaching, buy the Meridian Platinum, or Buy the GPS V for Driving, Hiking, Biking, Jogging, Canoeing, Geocaching, Cooking your meals. All but one of those are true. The GPS V has great tracklogging, better than my Meriplat, because it segments the tracklog between uses. The Meridians look like a mess when you do alot of traveling and hiking with it. One big messy tracklog. ------------------------ My home page about GPS units and information Quote Link to comment
+sbukosky Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 The V is my second GPSR. I've looked at all brands and features and just cannot see having anything else. I thought that I might leave the V in the car after getting me to the hunt area and use my other, more pocket friendly one on the trail, but prefer to use the V now. It isn't perfect, but if it had more memory for maps, it would be just about there. Steve Bukosky N9BGH Waukesha Wisconsin Quote Link to comment
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