Straight up!! Whats best unit?

[Guest gartho]

$300 price range, with WAAS, no mapping. Whats the best unit?

[Guest ClayJar]

The best Magellan unit is the Magellan Meridian Gold. (If you want the magnetic compass and barometric thingy, the Magellan Meridian Platinum comes out in a month.)

 

There are also Garmins and other brands, but I'm a repeat Magellan customer; they'll have to tell you about their brands.

[Guest ClayJar]

The best Magellan unit is the Magellan Meridian Gold. (If you want the magnetic compass and barometric thingy, the Magellan Meridian Platinum comes out in a month.)

 

There are also Garmins and other brands, but I'm a repeat Magellan customer; they'll have to tell you about their brands.

[Guest bunkerdave]

If you have $300 to spend, get mapping. Otherwise it is very difficult to set waypoints in the field, unless you are much better than me with a map and compass and those other tools. $300 will buy you all the GPS you will ever need.

[Guest Rubberhead]

$169.00 will get you a Garmin Venturer and another $50 will get the Points of Interest CD. Points of interest include cities, landmarks, business listings including locations and phonenumbers, and very good marine database.

[Guest ClayJar]

Oooh, I just noticed the "no mapping" thing. (I just got some nice medicine to hold me over until the root canal, but it hasn't kicked in yet. .)

 

You can grab a Magellan Meridian GPS (the one with only a 2MB basemap instead of the 16MB Gold/Platinum basemap) for just a hair over $200. The great thing about that is that if you ever decide you want detailed street maps, you just have to pick up an SD card and the software and you have a receiver with as much map memory as you could ever care for.

 

So, the best of both worlds is a Magellan Meridian GPS (which I've seen for $207.72).

[Guest navdog]

OBJECTIVELY- If you compare specs, your price range, features, waas compatible, and the proven performance of a quad helix antenna(as quoted by the manufaturers themselves):

 

• Garmin GPS 76
• Magellan Meridian

 

 

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"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."

-Douglas Adams

 

navdog

[Guest Alphawolf]

heck, just pop for the extra $50 and get the Garmin Vista at $350. I sell all the models by both the major players in the arena, at a large sporting goods store in Utah, and this thing has a lot of happy people holding it!

[Guest ClayJar]

Ah, but that's $140 over the Meridian GPS, which comes with a 2MB basemap out-of-box (not quite "no mapping", but close) and still retains the ability to upgrade to how ever much memory later on (say, 64MB for under $70, still keeping it $70 under the Vista). Most importantly, though, is the fact that the Vista has a patch antenna, while the Meridians have a great quadrifilar antenna, and judging from the people at LAGG-1 here in Baton Rouge last month, the patch antenna people do indeed get terrible reception, releatively speaking.

 

Bottom line: Meridian GPS (under $210, detail maps later for the cost of the SD card(s), quadrifilar antenna) or eTrex Vista ($350, no memory upgrades, patch antenna) goes hands down to the Meridian, but the Vista is smaller. )

 

[This message has been edited by ClayJar (edited 01 November 2001).]

[Guest ClayJar]

Ah, but that's $140 over the Meridian GPS, which comes with a 2MB basemap out-of-box (not quite "no mapping", but close) and still retains the ability to upgrade to how ever much memory later on (say, 64MB for under $70, still keeping it $70 under the Vista). Most importantly, though, is the fact that the Vista has a patch antenna, while the Meridians have a great quadrifilar antenna, and judging from the people at LAGG-1 here in Baton Rouge last month, the patch antenna people do indeed get terrible reception, releatively speaking.

 

Bottom line: Meridian GPS (under $210, detail maps later for the cost of the SD card(s), quadrifilar antenna) or eTrex Vista ($350, no memory upgrades, patch antenna) goes hands down to the Meridian, but the Vista is smaller. )

 

[This message has been edited by ClayJar (edited 01 November 2001).]

[Guest Geoffrey]

The Etrex Series have a patch antenna that is smaller than a normal one. It has a harder time receiving a good signal, but you can turn off the battery saver function, and that will help you keep a better lock on the satellites. I used my Garmin 3plus yesterday, and it was useless out in the woods, but found later that it was in battery saver mode. Also if you are geocaching, you should turn off WAAS also.

 

The Vista is an awful lot of GPS for $350, but you can get the Etrex Venture for $200, it has no mapping, just points of interest.

 

The Etrex series are very easy to hold, and they have a neck strap, so they won't hit the ground. With it's small size, it is less likely to pop out of your hand when bushwacking through the woods.

 

There are no GPS units yet that are expressly designed for Geocaching in the woods. When you are walking toward a cache among the trees, the GPS is switching satellites constantly. Trees will block satellites at random, messing with your ability to zero in on a cache, and this is why you should not use WAAS in the woods.

 

WAAS function needs 4 or more GPS Satellites and a WAAS satelite at all times, so WAAS will ruin your position reading when among the trees.

 

------------------

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

 

[This message has been edited by Geoffrey (edited 01 November 2001).]

[Guest ClayJar]

Geoffrey:

The Vista is an awful lot of GPS for $350, but you can get the Etrex Venture for $200, it has no mapping, just points of interest.

---

 

So, for the price of a Meridian GPS, you can have no upgrade path for detail maps, and you get the inferior patch antenna. Yeah, I guess that about sums it up.

 

quote:

---

The Etrex series are very easy to hold, but the Magellan Meridian GPS units must have the strap attached so it does not get out of your hands and hit the ground. What I mean, is that the Meridians are a bit wide like the eMap or GPS Map76. The Etrex series have a neck strap, so they won't hit the ground.

---

 

Um, what planet are you from, and do you travel on a beam of light, too? The Meridians are the easiest GPS receivers for me to hold. The grip is solid, and I don't foresee ever needing a strap, but if I wanted one, hey, what's it to you? (The Merdians don't come with one out-of-box like the 330, so apparently even Thales knows how easy it is to have a firm grip on one.)

 

As for your strap comments, though, what are you talking about? One minute you're saying that the Meridians must have a strap so they don't hit the ground (and saying it like a bad thing) and the next you're saying that the eTrex series has a strap and that's a good thing. Dude, make up your mind, already.

 

quote:

---

There are no GPS units yet that are expressly designed for Geocaching in the woods. When you are walking toward a cache among the trees, the GPS is switching satellites constantly. Trees will block satellites at random, messing with your ability to zero in on a cache, and this is why you should not use WAAS in the woods.

 

WAAS function needs 4 or more GPS Satellites and a WAAS satelite at all times, so WAAS will ruin your position reading when among the trees.

---

I hate to break it to you, man, but you're just plain wrong about WAAS. WAAS doesn't need 4 or more satellites any more than any 3D position+time fix needs four satellites. WAAS also doesn't need uninterrupted signals: as long as you have enough WAAS reception to keep your corrections updated, you're fine.

 

Now, I've heard that with the eTrexes and their admittedly inferior reception (and if that point isn't a given, you've been living under a rock), when the unit is using WAAS, it will preferentially use the satellites for which it has corrections, and since it has a harder time receiving in general, that could end up giving you a limited subset of the constellation, thus yielding a worse geometric degree of precision (i.e. using satellites closer together simply because it only has WAAS for those). This is much less an issue when you use a receiver with a good (quadrifilar) antenna

 

A patch antenna's reception characteristic decreases toward the horizon, and the WAAS satellites, being in geostationary orbits, are relatively near the horizon (in most North America, at least). Put these together and what have you got? Patch antennas will likely (I say that because I have not scientifically tested) yield much poorer WAAS reception overall, which means you can much more easily get into the position of using a poor set of satellites due to only receiving a partial corrections list.

 

To sum it all up:

• eTrexes are small, but their reception is a very solid minus when it comes to geocaching
• Meridians are actually more comfortable for some of us, and we haven't had them jumping out of our hands or flying toward rocks at the first inkling
• Your knowledge of WAAS is incomplete and in need of a refresher course; you should at least include qualifiers when talking about it (like "I think..." or "If I understand this..."), and then people can clarify without telling you that you're wrong
• My pain medicine (hydrocodone) is wearing off, so I'm somewhat more belligerent that normal; please forgive me, okay?

[Guest ClayJar]

Geoffrey:

The Vista is an awful lot of GPS for $350, but you can get the Etrex Venture for $200, it has no mapping, just points of interest.

---

 

So, for the price of a Meridian GPS, you can have no upgrade path for detail maps, and you get the inferior patch antenna. Yeah, I guess that about sums it up.

 

quote:

---

The Etrex series are very easy to hold, but the Magellan Meridian GPS units must have the strap attached so it does not get out of your hands and hit the ground. What I mean, is that the Meridians are a bit wide like the eMap or GPS Map76. The Etrex series have a neck strap, so they won't hit the ground.

---

 

Um, what planet are you from, and do you travel on a beam of light, too? The Meridians are the easiest GPS receivers for me to hold. The grip is solid, and I don't foresee ever needing a strap, but if I wanted one, hey, what's it to you? (The Merdians don't come with one out-of-box like the 330, so apparently even Thales knows how easy it is to have a firm grip on one.)

 

As for your strap comments, though, what are you talking about? One minute you're saying that the Meridians must have a strap so they don't hit the ground (and saying it like a bad thing) and the next you're saying that the eTrex series has a strap and that's a good thing. Dude, make up your mind, already.

 

quote:

---

There are no GPS units yet that are expressly designed for Geocaching in the woods. When you are walking toward a cache among the trees, the GPS is switching satellites constantly. Trees will block satellites at random, messing with your ability to zero in on a cache, and this is why you should not use WAAS in the woods.

 

WAAS function needs 4 or more GPS Satellites and a WAAS satelite at all times, so WAAS will ruin your position reading when among the trees.

---

I hate to break it to you, man, but you're just plain wrong about WAAS. WAAS doesn't need 4 or more satellites any more than any 3D position+time fix needs four satellites. WAAS also doesn't need uninterrupted signals: as long as you have enough WAAS reception to keep your corrections updated, you're fine.

 

Now, I've heard that with the eTrexes and their admittedly inferior reception (and if that point isn't a given, you've been living under a rock), when the unit is using WAAS, it will preferentially use the satellites for which it has corrections, and since it has a harder time receiving in general, that could end up giving you a limited subset of the constellation, thus yielding a worse geometric degree of precision (i.e. using satellites closer together simply because it only has WAAS for those). This is much less an issue when you use a receiver with a good (quadrifilar) antenna

 

A patch antenna's reception characteristic decreases toward the horizon, and the WAAS satellites, being in geostationary orbits, are relatively near the horizon (in most North America, at least). Put these together and what have you got? Patch antennas will likely (I say that because I have not scientifically tested) yield much poorer WAAS reception overall, which means you can much more easily get into the position of using a poor set of satellites due to only receiving a partial corrections list.

 

To sum it all up:

• eTrexes are small, but their reception is a very solid minus when it comes to geocaching
• Meridians are actually more comfortable for some of us, and we haven't had them jumping out of our hands or flying toward rocks at the first inkling
• Your knowledge of WAAS is incomplete and in need of a refresher course; you should at least include qualifiers when talking about it (like "I think..." or "If I understand this..."), and then people can clarify without telling you that you're wrong
• My pain medicine (hydrocodone) is wearing off, so I'm somewhat more belligerent that normal; please forgive me, okay?

[Guest Geoffrey]

Here is a site about WAAS:

http://www.kentuckyhydrografx.com/gpserror.htm

It talks about problems with WAAS on Land.

 

ClayJar you said sometime ago of having to catch the Meridian in midair, when it got away from you. Im Just saying how important a neck stap is to have, and the Etrex units have one.

 

My Vista maybe a good one because it has sometimes worked better than my 3plus. I have carried both the 3plus and the Vista on alot of tests. Would be interesting to compare the Merigold with the GPS V. The GPS V though is a bit expensive. I dont use WAAS on my Vista, since early on I found that the patch antenna cant see the WAAS satelite when in the woods. I do have a boat and WAAS gets me down to 9 foot acuracy.

 

I have had electonics training in school and 4 years of US AirForce in electronics. I have used several GPS units and studied about GPS technology since 1998.

 

A GPS needs 4 sats for Lat, Long, and elevation, and WAAS for error correction(DGPS- Differential GPS correction).

 

[This message has been edited by Geoffrey (edited 02 November 2001).]

[Guest ClayJar]

Cool. Thanks for not being upset with me (I really don't like being tired, hungry, or in pain, and when all three are concurrent, I get really grumpy... I guess I should ask my cat for permission before posting; she knows what mood I'm in).

 

As for a neck/wrist/whatever strap, AFAICT, the only way to attach one to a Meridian is via the screw hole for the interface pad... I kinda liked the MAP 330's eyelet on the captive screw, but I guess I'll just have to tie in to that hole now.

 

And as far as the eTrexes, here's an opinion question for any eTrex users: Would you still like eTrexes if they had a sort of Magellan-style antenna sticking out the middle of the top? Just wondering.

[Guest gstrong1]

creen.Option of adding the external antenna on the MAP76 is nice too. If I'm in a situation where footing might be a problem, the external antenna is great. The antenna under my hat, & at any time I just keep the MAP76 in its' holster on my belt or in the backback & pull it out to check my progress as needed. Never loses satellite lock. And as far as waas goes, of the 9000 or so caches out there, how many of the posted co-ordinates for them were taken off a unit that was receiving signal from a waas bird. Don't need waas to find them.

 

------------------

Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest jeremy]

Y'all got to chill out a bit. It's like watching people argue between MacOS and Windows.

 

I think the problem here is that $300 isn't a good price point. I don't think there is a unit that fits "right there" at that price. And each is entitled to their own opinion based on their own experience.

 

I can only swear by the units I've used in the field, but I've used a bunch of them. I'll give my own personal opinion. I honestly don't know much about WAAS and up here in the northwest its basically worthless. But all new systems have it anyway so its a moot point. Neh?

 

Top of the line: Garmin GPS V

To be honest, I would either go for the super cheap GPS unit (like the yellow eTrex or 315,) or go whole hog and buy the V. At this point there is no comparison to the GPS V. You're looking at at least $400 though you may be able to shop around online for cheaper.

 

Around Mid range: Garmin eTrex Legend

The legend lacks a compass and altimeter and maximum memory storage for maps (2megs compared to 8 in the vista, I believe, though I'm pulling this out of memory, not a spec sheet), but is a lot cheaper than the Vista. And it forces you to have an external alcohol compass with you in case the batteries go out. If you actually want to use the mapping, you should upgrade to the GPS V anyway.

 

Mid range: Magellan Meridian Gold

Excellent satellite reception under tree cover, and great huge dependable unit. Don't trust the rubber outer shell though - and it does have a wrist strap attachment.

 

Low Range: Magellan 315 or Yellow eTrex

Both great dependable units. The Yellow eTrex has some difficulty under Pacific Northwest Treecover, but everything can be overcome with some creative GPS'ing.

 

I'm personally agnostic to all GPS manufacturers, as I am between MacOS and Windows. I believe in the right tool for the right job.

 

Jeremy

[Guest navdog]

Yes, it's amazing and fun to see how passionate cachers are about their GPS units!!!

 

I'm suprised that most folks don't have nicknames for their units! But maybe that's a topic for a new thread.

[Guest navdog]

Yes, it's amazing and fun to see how passionate cachers are about their GPS units!!!

 

I'm suprised that most folks don't have nicknames for their units! But maybe that's a topic for a new thread.

[Guest GammaBoo]

I see that this thread prices the Vista at $350. That's way too much to much to pay. Try using a shopping bot. (Actually, try several). The lowest I've seen was $249.95, and lots of merchants with prices under $300 including shipping. Similar discounts on other units. There are occasional specials, too.

 

GammaBoo

Rockville, MD

[Guest ClayJar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by navdog:

I'm suprised that most folks don't have nicknames for their units!

---

Yeah, but I've got my MeriGold.

 

As for the Garmin V... I saw one at LAGG-1, and it looks like an exceptional unit. It'll do turn-by-turn directions automatically, and it's got a lovely quad for an antenna (I believe it's even detachable). Don't drop it on the antenna and you ought to be fine. (I'm not sure of any cons of owning one; guess you'd have to ask someone who's got one.)

[Guest ClayJar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by navdog:

I'm suprised that most folks don't have nicknames for their units!

---

Yeah, but I've got my MeriGold.

 

As for the Garmin V... I saw one at LAGG-1, and it looks like an exceptional unit. It'll do turn-by-turn directions automatically, and it's got a lovely quad for an antenna (I believe it's even detachable). Don't drop it on the antenna and you ought to be fine. (I'm not sure of any cons of owning one; guess you'd have to ask someone who's got one.)

[Guest navdog]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ClayJar:

And as far as the eTrexes, here's an opinion question for any eTrex users: Would you still like eTrexes if they had a sort of Magellan-style antenna sticking out the middle of the top? Just wondering.

---

 

If my Etrex Vista had a quad helix antenna it would be my favorite and probably one of the best units out there for its size and features.

 

I will have to chime in and say that of the three units I have, The GPSV is best all around unit.

[Guest Chris Juricich]

It's funny-- as one mentioned, it's much like Windows vs Mac when selecting one's GPS, eh?

 

Having only used Garmin, I can say unequivocally that I've been happy with their basic unit (the yellow eTrex) which worked very well for me.

 

Having upgraded recently to the Garmin GPS MAP76 with its built-in map, it's potential for map uploading, and (particuarly), it's larger screen (bigger than the Vista and most other Garmins!), I've also found it useful not only in the field in my chosen activity but also in my business as a travelling salesman. Popped onto my dashboard and front window, I can get my street bearings anywhere in the US-- very helpful!

 

Best thing? Big screen!

[Guest reginaldp]

First time post here from a relatively new lurker.

 

One con on the Garmin V is the fact that it has fixed memory at 19 MG for maps. A card solution would have been much nicer.

[Guest ClayJar]

UOTE>

In defense of Garmin (I know, Magellanites shouldn't say that ), I drew a big rectangle around Louisiana and uploaded it to my MeriGold... it was only 16MB. Of course, in defense of Magellan (Yipee!

[Guest ClayJar]

UOTE>

In defense of Garmin (I know, Magellanites shouldn't say that ), I drew a big rectangle around Louisiana and uploaded it to my MeriGold... it was only 16MB. Of course, in defense of Magellan (Yipee!

[Guest Geoffrey]

Hey that works great, Id been clicking on each map separately. Now I can just rubber-band an area then download that selection to the GPS. Now all I need is the GPS V. At least the Vista has 24 meg of ram.

 

Wondering about the Merigold (Magellan Meridian Gold), can you put different Map sets on each SD card then change them when you need to? That would be the way to go if you are traveling long distances. The only garmin GPS that compares in this capability is the non-waterproof eMap.

 

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

[Guest ClayJar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Geoffrey:

Wondering about the Merigold (Magellan Meridian Gold), can you put different Map sets on each SD card then change them when you need to? That would be the way to go if you are traveling long distances.

---

Indeed you can do just that. In fact, if you were doing a really big trip, you could have your navigator load new mapsets into the SD cards and swap them whenever you cross the boundaries.

[Guest ClayJar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Geoffrey:

Wondering about the Merigold (Magellan Meridian Gold), can you put different Map sets on each SD card then change them when you need to? That would be the way to go if you are traveling long distances.

---

Indeed you can do just that. In fact, if you were doing a really big trip, you could have your navigator load new mapsets into the SD cards and swap them whenever you cross the boundaries.