I have $250 to spend what should I buy?

[Guest Thargor]

I Only have $200 to spend what GPS unit should I buy so I get the most bang for my buck? If I had to go to $300 I could but I didnt want to. So what do you recommend?

One more thing what is WAAS? and do I want it?

 

[This message has been edited by Thargor (edited 18 November 2001).]

[Guest laurie]

quote:

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Originally posted by Thargor:

I Only have $200 to spend what GPS unit should I buy so I get the most bang for my buck? If I had to go to $300 I could but I didnt want to. So what do you recommend?

One more thing what is WAAS? and do I want it?

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You don't actually expect anyone to give you a meaningful answer without some addition information do you?

 

The biggest and most relevant is - what are you going to use it for? Geocaching, hiking, driving???

 

Oddly enough your present location on the planet is kinda important, due to tree cover, weather conditions etc...

 

Do you want mapping on the screen? A barometer, mag compass??

 

BUT with no knowledge of the above - and completely off the cuff based upon the 0 information that you have given - I would have to say that based upon user reports the Magellan Meridian (base) might do you nicely - you can search around and find it for about $200 (at Online Marine)

 

Oh, WAAS is a form of DGPS where corrections to the GPS signal are sent to increase your positional accuracy.

 

Laurie

[Guest Choberiba]

What Laurie said...

 

But I'm partial to the Garmin Venture since it's less than $200, has WAAS built in, great screen resolution, and gets decent (anyone here made up any "Got Birds?" T-Shirts?) signal unless you're in dense tree cover.

 

I'm not sure about NY since I haven't been there for three decades, but tree-troubles come second to me over pocket size.

 

Choberiba

[Guest wizmedic]

Hello,

 

I have the Magellan Map 330 and I have been tickled pink with it, even with heavy tree cover. Plus, I got mine new for $160. I updated the software in it and now has WAAS. Just my three cents...

 

Cheers!

[Guest wizmedic]

Hello,

 

I have the Magellan Map 330 and I have been tickled pink with it, even with heavy tree cover. Plus, I got mine new for $160. I updated the software in it and now has WAAS. Just my three cents...

 

Cheers!

[Guest Thargor]

Laurie,

Good point, Ok I would like to start Geocaching. thats the main reason I want a GPS. If I have one I will also use it for Hiking and Driving. I will Mostly be using It in Upstate NY and Penn. So tree cover could be an issue. Do I want Mapping? I dont know It sounds nice but do you think I need It? I dont know Why I would need a Barometer? and A compass sounds Like a good Idea to have. Now that I have included more info what do you think. I was looking at the etrek ones how do they compare with Magellan?

[Guest laurie]

quote:

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Originally posted by Thargor:

Laurie,

Good point, Ok I would like to start Geocaching. thats the main reason I want a GPS. If I have one I will also use it for Hiking and Driving. I will Mostly be using It in Upstate NY and Penn. So tree cover could be an issue. Do I want Mapping? I dont know It sounds nice but do you think I need It? I dont know Why I would need a Barometer? and A compass sounds Like a good Idea to have. Now that I have included more info what do you think. I was looking at the etrek ones how do they compare with Magellan?

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(clayjar should be jumping in here any minute)

 

OK, all I can say is that I have tried the Garmin eTrex in So. NH under our normal tree cover (that means heavy tree cover) and it fails dismally - ya you can get to the cache eventually but the units ability to keep a sat lock under tree cover is not what I would hope for.

 

I haven't tried the Magellan Meridian (waiting for mine to come in - 2+ weeks to go) BUT all the reviews that I have read about the Magellan 330, and the Meridian's comparing them to the eTrex, as well as reading the specifications of the quad helix antenna leads me to believe that in my particular circumstances the Meridian is the most bang for the buck - it is a bit larger than the eTrex.

 

The Meridian basic has a 2mb basemap but you can load additional maps onto a SD card. The Gold has 8mb basemap, and the Platinum has an internal Compass/barometer.

 

BUT - you can read reviews at http://www.gpsnuts.com and at http://joe.mehaffey.com/

 

Laurie

[Guest Thargor]

Thanks Laurie

[Guest Geoffrey]

Etrex Venture or magellan Map 330 for $250.

 

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http://members.aol.com/geoffr524/myhomepage/howto.html

[Guest jason30]

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000911.html

[Guest Gliderguy]

Recently some Garmin III's were on sale somewhere for $99. If you can still find that deal it is a steal. Excellent antenna, some basic built in street maps, but no WAAS. You can find the III+ for about $250, which gives you the additional ability to download topo or road maps (if you buy the additional Garmin mapping program, roughly $100 for either roads or topo). I dont own one, but the meridians are reputed to be good units, with the only known bug having to do with using memory cards bigger than 32MB, and Magellian is supposed to be working on a firmware patch for that...

[Guest steveor]

I had an eTrex Venture ($149.95 shipped from AdvancedGPS.com) for about 4 months and found it great for bagging 62 caches in Illinois and Maine. It is very small and light. You can wear it around your neck with no problem (unless looking like a dork is a problem). The tree cover issue was annoying once in a while but I learned to adapt and now it doesn't seem to be an issue. By the way, I also bring a compass and a topographical map. I upgraded to a used eTrex Legend ($165 shipped) because I felt having a map in the GPS would make it alot easier to get to the area of a cache.

 

Good Luck! Steve

[Guest Ttepee]

Tonight I was at Costco and saw they had a map 330 package that looked pretty nice. Unit, street maps, car mount and carry case for $220.... not sure what they usually go for but looked like a nice package deal to me.

[Guest wizonkiz]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ttepee:

Tonight I was at Costco and saw they had a map 330 package that looked pretty nice. Unit, street maps, car mount and carry case for $220.... not sure what they usually go for but looked like a nice package deal to me.

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Plus you get a $50 rebate. I was at the Costco in Spokane last night and saw the same thing. To bad I just bought a Garmin Venture last month. This is a really good deal even for a biased "Garmin" user.

[Guest sidewinder]

I am sure you have purchased a gps by now but here is my opinion. For excellent coverage under heavy forest cover it is pretty hard to beat a Garmin 12XL. It might not have all the gadets displays and functions some of the new Garmins have but when you are deep in the woods in the mountains on a foggy or rainy day a map of a city or highway isn't going to help. A antenna designed for ideal conditions isn't going to pack it either. The 12XL also has a plug for a external antenna if you need even better coverage which I can't imagine you ever needing.

[Guest kablooey]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ttepee:

Tonight I was at Costco and saw they had a map 330 package that looked pretty nice. Unit, street maps, car mount and carry case for $220.... not sure what they usually go for but looked like a nice package deal to me.

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Darnit. I can't seem to find this locally (San Francisco Bay Area). I checked two Costcos today, and they don't carry GPSes. Maybe I should just splurge and go for the Meridian Gold.

[Guest coloradopapa]

You don't need to spend a bunch of $$$ to get a unit for geocaching or tracking trips. I used a Garmin 45 for over two years everywhere in North America and it pin-points my position unless in extreme tree cover. Tied it into my laptop and used Map'N'Go or Street Atlas software from Delorme. Have been completely satisfied. Checkout prices on eBay.com. Just upgraded to a Garmin 3+ for $160 and giving 45 to son for Christmas.