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Need Help Picking a GPS


casper2z

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I have it narrowed my decision down to a couple GPS devices. Just wondering some input and answering of questions.

 

Etrex Legend -- I have used the Etrex before, works decently, accuracy is not the best. Is the Legend better? Also is 8MB enough to use the additional CDs?

 

Magellan Meridian GPS -- The whole expandable card thing, is it worth it, is it secure, howmuch does it slow down the device, and is it still waterproof after installing one? Characters in description of waypoints?

 

SportTrac pro -- I have heard good things about it. How is the software with it?

 

I have only used the Etrex (not the Legend) so I do not have first hand knowledge on any of these devices, so any additional info would be excellent!! Thanks!

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The Etrex models all have similar reception except the teh Legend and Vista both have WAAS - which can improve accuracy at times.

 

The Legend has enough memory for most users like me who use it for caching, local driving and hiking/backpacking/kayaking. I can fit the MetroGuide for my area, plus 3 regions of US topo.

This is great for me as I do this on My Rino 120.

 

The Magellan is water proof and the extra memory is a great feature, you can get 128 mb's if you want which could be half the US if u wanted. The map redraws fast and is a overall great unit.

 

The Rino would be the only choice from Garmin now because of its muchly increased features, and better reception due to the standard Quad Helix Antenna.

 

Hope this helps (i think sportrak has same operating system as the Magellans) icon_confused.gif

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If i was looking to get another from the e-trex line it would be the vista. I currently use a venture and III+. The venture is the primary cache finder. All but the camo in the e-trex line are waterproof to IPX7 standards. The venture is also a waas enabled unit but is turned off 99% of the time on mine. Have you done a Legend/Vista comparison at the garmin site?

 

IPX2 Light mist, do not immerse

 

IPX4 Rain, splashing water, do not immerse

 

IPX7 Submerged to 1 meter for 30 minutes

 

[This message was edited by Team 5-oh! on December 19, 2002 at 09:46 PM.]

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VISTA!!! I have a basic, a legend and a Vista. The Vista is hands down the best for me. My dad has a 3+, same size as a V, but I like the feel of the Etrex line much better. Plus you get an electronic compass (not a big deal until you have had one in a GPS) and much more memory. I have all of WYoming, and part of Montana on the Vista and still have room left. For me, the Vista is awewome. The Legend hasn't been out of the yard since the Vista came home, and a friend may be buying it this weekend, it is a great unit, but the Vista is worth the extra$$.

 

It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home.

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Hi,

 

We just swapped out the eTrex Legend and went with the SporTrak Pro. Why? I could drive out of the regions in just a few hours (Bay Area, lots of clutter for only 8MB). Also (although it was just one of my quirks) I heard too many bad reports about the click-sticks "sticking and/or breaking." I'd like to not have to be too dainty with the unit. icon_wink.gif Mine already lost the positive "click" sound to the left side after less than two months. So I feared what folks were yammering about, to this regard. icon_eek.gif Also, it cannot go unmentioned that there is a big difference in the antenna, which is after all the heart of the unit. No reception, then it's worthless to me. I experienced some satellite loss with the Legend under tree canopy which I didn't think was all that bad. icon_confused.gif I had both units long enough to do a comparo and stick with the one I found best for me. I'd been caching with the GPSV but it just isn't "outdoorsy" enough for me. Beautiful on the dashboard, icon_wink.gif but awkward around the neck, bouncing about as I cache.

 

I cannot let this appear to be an "eTrex slam," however. Those opinionated peeing matches over "which is better" are really summed up in the Ford vs. Chevy analogy. icon_wink.gif I liked the Legend's feel, it's size and absolutely the resolution. I liked the road locking (not too big a deal, but nice) but the SporTrak has a map clearly for reference. And that reference can be used to go anywhere you have detail maps loaded. Most caches, IME, are not buried in caves. So the eTrex line is absolutely worthy for caching. No doubt about it. icon_smile.gif Just check out the click-stick and see if it's something you want to baby. And then read the independent views on reception (SporTrac Pro rocks!) Maybe folks in rural areas are fine with the 8MB memory. I didn't like the time needed to dump/load regions just on one road trip (again, I'm in the Bay Area). There's no going from Monterey to Tracy and having detail once you get to Tracy. icon_eek.gif

Software? Pros and cons to each, I suppose. The Mapsource City Select does not show IceHouse Reservoir (not a teeny pond, mind you) but the Magellan's Mapsend Streets & Destinations does.

 

There seems to be some hoopla about the "averaging" on the SporTrak Pro, but there's no disputing its accuracy. What I mean is, if you're clipping right along towards a cache, you might pass it before the unit is due right or left. Again, this is averaging. I believe there is even a firmware update which might address this, but don't hold me to it. I also think there is now a second "static" line when going to a waypoint. Keep in mind, firmare updates are wonderful things. Problems that stink enough are often addressed. I've heard it whispered that "road locking" might actually be one of 'em. icon_wink.gif

 

I think you've chosen two qualified candidates, and now it's just a matter of personal preference (do you need the extra memory, do you need the better antenna, etc.) Costco has an awesome deal on a SporTrak Pro bundle right now. $189 after a $100 rebate, and it comes with a super car mount, neoprene case, car adapter AND the map of the U.S. does not have to be purchased in "regions" icon_rolleyes.gif as per Garmin. So hands down, there's no dispute the SporTrak is a better deal if you can nab one of these. Heck, I've even seen "profiteers" selling the whole package on Ebay for $250 (remember, this is a retail $300 unit, so some folks will think the "bundle" is a great deal!" These "sellers" are undoubtedly cashing in on the rebate and making a little pocket change. A bit of a hassle, but some folks seem to live for Ebay. I've yet to see a Legend "bundled" but I was lucky enough to get a Region One unlock code and it was cool.

 

Hope I didn't ramble too much, but I feel I've got an incredibly recent comparison on precisely the two units you mentioned. Having done all my caching with GPSV units and the Legend, and having owned the Legend personally - I'd say I was/am pretty unbiased. I had my choice of all three and I went with the SporTrak Pro. Nothing like a great unit at an even greater deal. I probably never would have considered if the Legend didn't have that stupid clickstick. I wanted it primarily for caching, and the 8MB is fine for that - and most caches don't require the better antenna. The most important thing is to settle on a unit and then start enjoying it, and not worrying about if you should have gotten this-or-that. I'm telling ya, both are nice units and you won't be scratchin' yer hiney looking for caches while one unit runs circles around the other! icon_wink.gif

 

Happy Caching!

 

Grandmaster Cache

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I'm curious how you managed to get a copy of city select for use with a legend? Last time I checked, they didn't sell it stand alone. At any rate, it's not the Garmin product you'd want to use for rural areas. R&R, topo, and metroguide all of course have the reservoir, as well as many of the streams and dirt roads in that area. If you're going with magellan maps I recommend TOPO. I haven't found any digital maps that are great for that area if you're into the 4X4 thing though, kind of sad being as how there are a lot of great trails. My own favorite for the icehouse road is the little track up to Bassi falls, but of course having run the rubicon in an S-10 blazer, I have a lot of respect for that little trail as well. (You don't need a gps to follow my route, just look for blue paint on the rocks icon_mad.gif )

 

As for which receiver to have, buy both, they're cheap. For the ice house road area, my choice would be the eTrex over the sportrak. The moderate terrain/tree cover tends to make the sportrak wander in those conditions. Use the sportrak in flat terrain heavy cover, the eTrex in terrain or terrain/cover combinations

 

For what it's worth

 

Jeff

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Second unit unlock code. The Garmin GPSV comes with a second unlock code for a second unit. The second unit can be an eTrex Legend. I dunno about the tree cover issue, and the eTrex being better. Having used them both in the Icehouse type terrain (Santa Cruz mountains) the eTrex is dismal compared to the lock/reception of the ST Pro. Going up Icehouse Road from I50 should be no problem for either unit. But once you get to the Icehouse/Loon Lake area, there's definitely going to be tree cover like SC mtns if you stray from the open sky.

 

It's cool that you took an S10 through the Rubicon! icon_smile.gif I can imagine the paint donations icon_wink.gif if you didn't have a pretty gonzo trailrig. Great that you did it! I want to check out your Moab Rim, myself! icon_smile.gif Happy wheelin' and caching! There's a couple caches up there, ya know? icon_wink.gif

 

Grandmaster Cache

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I have been using an eTrex for a little over a year now. Due to all of the high recommendations from the list for the SportTrakPro, I decided to take advantage of Costco’s great price of $189.99 after rebate.

 

Today, I went out to try out the SportTrakPro on a cache that I had recently found with my eTrex. I admit that the area is hard to navigate because of tree cover, but the SportTrakPro kept pointing me in the wrong direction. As I assumed that the GPS was defective, I rushed back to Costco to exchange it. I tried the same route this time with my eTrex in one hand and the new SportTrakPro in the other hand. The eTrex led me directly to the cache and the SportTrakPro again pointed in the wrong direction.

 

After that, I did some rather thorough testing to compare my old eTrex and the SportTrakPro by marking different landmarks in the open and in the trees. I then tried to navigate back to the marked points. The eTrex was far more accurate, in my testing, than the SportTrakPro. If some of the points that I marked would have been caches, I wouldn’t have found them with the SportTrakPro, but I would have with the eTrex.

 

This makes me wonder if the batch of SportTrakPro’s that Costco got were defective, or if the SportTrakPro’s doesn’t work in Oregon, or what. I can’t believe that everyone on this list that has been recommending the SportTrakPro can be wrong. I will be returning my second SportTrakPro tomorrow and will stick with my eTrex, for now. My wife was encouraging me to get a new GPS as I am hooked on geocaching. But I told her that, based on my experiences, I wouldn’t use the SportTrakPro if it was given to me. I was looking for more accuracy, not less.

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Catman, based on my experiences with my sportraks, I'd guess the you were trying to navigate in an area with moderate or difficult reception, and that involved a little bit of travel to get there. In that sort of an enviroment you have to develope different habits with a sportrak, or meridian because they tend to get a little lost while on the move. When you get into the area of the cache, you have to let the receiver sit stationary for awhile to get it's wits about it. (2 to as much as 10 minutes on occasion) They can work great if you use a compass and navigate from a fixed position in that way. If you're used to navigating with the compass screen on your eTrex though you'll probably find this a little frustrating.

 

Personally, I use an eTrex to navigate with or search out caches, and my sportrak to save waypoints.

 

check out this part of my website for an example of just how out of reality my little toy can become on occasion

 

http://home.sprynet.com/~searching_ut/Angels%20Landing.htm

 

Jeff

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Jeff,

 

Thanks for your answer. It is beginning to make sense now. If you get into the undercover of trees, the eTrex notifies you that the signal is weak. This warns you to find a clear view of the sky so that you can regain your direction. The Magellan SporTrakPro gives you the impression that it hasn’t lost its lock and leads you off in the wrong direction. I guess that the SportTrakPro is too proud to admit its inadequacies. The other thing that I noticed is that if you are on a trail with a lot of switchbacks, the eTrex’s pointer switches back and forth as you make your turns. The Magellan keeps pointing the wrong direction for an extended period of time, giving you the impression that you are going in the wrong direction. There seems to be quite a long delay for the Magellan to find its way. My conclusion is that the Magellan is only good if you can go directly from point A to point B. Since geocaching involves going in other than a straight line, the eTrex is my choice. I still plan on getting a new GPS with mapping features, but it will be another Garmin.

 

ThCatMan

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The eTrex Legend should have good tracklogging, up to 10,000 tracklog points(breadcrumbs)now.

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I bought a GPS V for geocaching, but ended up buying a Meridian Platinum, it is better for caching.

 

I wish that the magellan had better tracklogging, and that one thing makes garmins better choice. The GPS V is best for Tracklogging and accurate mapping.

 

I just checked my Meridian Platinum and turned on the Satellite fix alarm, and I have EPE(accuracy) as one of the data fields on the compass screen. Excellent performer yesterday, while I was finding a Microcache.

 

Always different...Hit refresh

maze?90+35+2+1+0+0+0+0+255+255+255

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