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Garmin GPS 12...Any Good?


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I also had a 12 that I used for hunting and Geocaching. This was a great unit and was suited for everything I wanted to do. Like peter said, I just wanted a unit that had mapping. The 12 did everything I wanted it to and more. I couldn't complain at all. There are even some things the 12 did that I wish my Legend would do also.

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Last weekend we were out caching with my GPS-12 and my father-in-law's E-trex Vista. He spent so much time fiddling around with buttons and menus that I beat him to every cache! The 12 does everything I need for navigating on the Sacramento Delta as well!

 

Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket?

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Kiwi- I also have a 12,I've recently upgraded to a garmin76s, so I've seen both ends of garmins line of handheld units.(also played around with some other garmins of my friends).

 

The 12 is an EXCELLENT starter to intermediate unit and works fine for caching, between the map page and the nav/compass arrow page you'll be able to find any cache people hide.

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WHOA!!! Kiwi,I just reread this thread, what you fishin for?..that was the main reason I got my first Gpsr. I used it mainly for ice fishing(YES ICE)to mark reefs and then be able to come back to those places later and be on the spots more quickly than by memory/triangulation(sp?).

anyway that was a great way to learn the accuracy and use of the unit.

you could use a similar proces by walking around a field and placing somthing on the ground to visually mark the spot, then also mark it with your gps. walk away from the spot a reasonable distance(1/4 km) and then walk yourself back to it using only the Gps.If you mark somthing permanant like a rock or fencepost then you can keep checking it over the course of a month or two to see the difference time makes,which is noticable but not drastic.

after doing this a few times and playing around with the screens and menus and maybe rereading the manual you'll be able to determine the best ways for you to find what your looking for.

..so ...did you say FISHING? icon_biggrin.gif

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The GPS 12 was the first GPS I ever bought, and I geocached with it for six months. It has two main drawbacks, neither of which is a biggie:

 

1) It doesn't switch from miles to feet when you get within 0.1 mile, as most newer Garmins do, so sometimes the last few feet to a cache are easier with a compass (the bearing is still always correct).

 

2) Its power connector, unlike the 12XL and II/III/V, wants 6 to 10 volts DC. This means you have to use a special, regulated cable to convert vehicle power (13.8v nominal) to something the GPS can accept.

 

Other than those two minor flaws, the 12 is a great little GPS receiver -- small, gets good life out of a set of AA's, and all the features you need.

 

--

Scott Johnson (ScottJ)

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Ok, I'm not exactly technecaly chalanged but have been a little nervus with connecting my 12 to the laptop. (Just put a bid in on a cig/pc cable on e-bay)

 

Will the easy GPS software take care of the communications issues between the GPS and the laptop or do I need ot find a driver out there somewhere (Win98). Any other hints/help would be helpfull.

 

BTW I love the 12 (don't need mapping) Saw a news short on Geocaching went to goecaching.com immeadiatly, was at Wallmart less then half an hour later the 12 was the least expensive unit in stock (120 usd) Have been cachine with the family ever since. The 12 is our friend.

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quote:
Originally posted by SIDEWINDER:

I had a garmin 12XL for about 5 years and loved it. The only difference between it and a regular garmin 12 is the XL has a port for a external antenna.


 

Actually there are two other differences -- the 12XL has an audible beeper where the 12 does not, and the 12XL will run from 12 volts, where more than 10 volts will fry the 12.

 

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Scott Johnson (ScottJ)

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