+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 We are going this afternoon to buy a unit at Dicks Sporting Goods. Using them because of discount we are getting. We are looking at the Garmin Gecko 201 and the Magellan Sportrak (not the pro). The Gecko is $139.99 and the Magellan is $159.99 plus a $50 mail in rebate. Asides from the cost, which unit is the better one? Thanks! Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
+Bilder Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 You could go with a Garmin Legend. There is a 50 dollar rebate going on right now. Can get them for $140 after rebate on amazon.com. Not much bigger than the geko and has more features. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have never been lost. Been awful confused for a few days, but never lost! Quote Link to comment
+DustyJacket Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I assume you are not referring to the Sportrak MAP as well. The Sportrak has a quadrafilar helix antenna whch (I am told) is better in dense cover of the woods. You have to hold it vertical to get the best fix. It is larger than the gecko. The gecko has a patch antenna, which (outside of the woods) gets a better fix of satellites that are more overhead than towards the horizon. the gecko should be held flat to get the best fix. The geck is MUCH smaller. Given that the units have similar capabilities, if you aren't going to spend a LOT of time in dense woods, the smaller gecko might be better. You may want to get one on the black neoprene see through cases to protect it and to mute the garish colors when urban caching. (See thegpsstore.com) (I use a magellan meridian, and have some to envy the smaller, more discrete, garmins. DustyJacket Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case... Quote Link to comment
+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 Bilder, we aren't buying online. We want to actually get teh feel for them in person. We als ojust had a horrible experience with ordering something on the internet ($400+ Canoe Trailer), that took a few weeks longer to get than the promised date. So other than the size and the antenna thing, they are comparable? Yes we were not talking about the Sportrak MAP. Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
+DustyJacket Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 In general - yes they are comparable. DustyJacket Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case... Quote Link to comment
+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 Ok, looking at the websites (Magellan and Garmin), here's a synopsis I've come up with. The Garmin is smaller, which doesn't make any difference to us now. The Garmin has 10,000 track points and the Magellan has only 2000. Both are WAAS capable, but the Garmin does not say anything about the 12 channel and the quadifiler helix antenna. The Magellan does. The Garmin has games, which I don't care about. The Magellan has the lunar phases, which are cool. I believe both can be hooked up to the PC. Dang...decisions...decisions....that's why i'm asking you vets...which would I be happier with? Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 Just found more info on the Garmin, it does have teh sunset and sunrise on it as well as it is a 12 channel one. Also noted that the Garmin has 100 datums. The Magellan only has 76 I believe I read... The magellan has a larger screen and better resolution too... Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
Eeyore and Shadow Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I don't know about the gekos but i do know the sportrak has north finder, if you know how to use it it can be very handy. It has a sun an dmoon icon that moves around the compass screen. If you align either the sun or moon with the icon looking through the center of the compass screen your cardinal points are actually aligned. Eeyore I'm one sat short of triangulation. Quote Link to comment
+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 Thought the Garmin had that too and rechecked but didn't see it in the specs... but hte garmin does have the Compass, upcoming tunr feature and the pantrack feature. Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 Is the difference of trackpoints going to make a difference to us? 2000 on one and 10,000 on the other? Neither one states that they come with data cables for the computer. What kind of cost does that entail? Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 If you're interested in recording your travels more track points is better. A day of hiking will use 1000 to 2000 points. I'd say go with the Garmin. In general there is a larger user base which translates to more options for after market accessories, programs ect. One thing about the Geko is that it uses AAA batteries which are more expensive than AAs. PDOP's GPS Pages Quote Link to comment
+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 That was another thing I was wondering about is the fact of accessories and more versatility. We wil lbe using the GPS mainly for caching. So I think that even though the Gecko will cost me about $30 more in the long run, it may be a better choice. One thing that bothered and still bothers me is the fact that the Magellan has the rebate on it. This triggers thoughts that they are having trouble selling them or perhpas this model is getting ready to stop being produced or something. Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
+SearchRescueDog Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I have always used Garmin myself (currently a GPS72). I can tell you that the Quad Helix antenna does make all the difference over a patch antenna. Much better when signal is weak. Quote Link to comment
+woodsters Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 Thanks for all your help. We went with the Gecko 201 and got it this evening. Brian Wood Woodsters Outdoors http://www.woodsters.com Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.