jschoenbacher Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Hi All, My Mom just called desperate for ideas for my husband for Christmas. I suggested a GPS, as we go camping with our kids all the time and it would be fun to Geocache. I was looking at the eTrex (yellow), and it looked like a good (and cheap) model. It doesn't seem to me that the more expensive eTrex models really had much more to offer that he would actually use, other than the electronic compass. Anyone have any advice for me? Should I be looking at Magellan instead? Thanks for any advice--this needs to be a quick learning curve for me and I normally do lots of research first. Julie Quote Link to comment
marty621 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 If size is not an issue, I would suggest the Garmin GPS 72 over the yellow eTrex. Wal Mart has it for $152. Its easier to work your way thru menus because it has more dedicated buttons. Also a Garmin 12XL, Garmin 12CX or Garmin EMap are good choices. Its always been my opinion that the basic yellow eTrex is best suited for only someone who needs the very lightest and small unit, but now there are even smaller ones. I find that in the woods it takes too long to fumble thru the eTrex menus. Quote Link to comment
Mikeomni1 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Garmin Legend. Around $150.00 on sale. I like my Legend much better than my Magellan Sport Trac Map. Regards, Mike Quote Link to comment
+Halden Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 I would recommend the LEgend as well if you wanna spend a little extra. The Garmin Geo 201 is similar in price and functionality to the eTrex Yellow but is the newer model that is replacing the discontinued etrex yellow. Quote Link to comment
+webscouter. Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 The E-trex legend is the first in the e-trex line to contain a basemap. This can be very usefull. Quote Link to comment
Hornhunter Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Just bought a couple of Garmin Rino 110's...hope they will do the job! We're new to this Geocacheing thing and can't wait to find our first one. Purchased them at Walmart for $167.88 each. Merry Xmas and happy hunting to everyone! Quote Link to comment
jschoenbacher Posted December 12, 2003 Author Share Posted December 12, 2003 Some of you seem to prefer the Legend. Can you tell me what it has that the eTrex doesn't? And what is a basemap? Thanks, Julie Quote Link to comment
+Sparky-Watts Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Some of you seem to prefer the Legend. Can you tell me what it has that the eTrex doesn't? And what is a basemap? Thanks, Julie I'm not too familiar with the basic eTrex, but I own a Legend. The basemap that has been mentioned is a map of the US (also available with base maps of whatever country you might be in). It has major highways, cities, roads, etc. preprogrammed. The Legend can be upgraded with Garmin MapSource software that also allows for route programming, points of interest (restaurants, shopping, auto service, gas stations, etc). I would highly recommend getting the Legend, even if you don't get the MapSource software right away. Most people I've known get hooked once they buy a GPS and wish they'd gotten more off the bat. That way, you've got a good basic model that can be upgraded as your interest grows. Quote Link to comment
+webscouter. Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 A basemap is a roadmap that shows primary and major secondary streets. The legend also has WAAS which will increase the accuracy of the unit. It also has more memory which allows more waypoints to be stored and also allows you to download maps from the Garman maps software to the unit. Quote Link to comment
+Halden Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 The Legend also ships with a Data cable which I have found infinitely useful. It allows you to connect to your PC to set routes and waypoints. The cable alone can be 30$ (CAD). Here is a nice comparison chart of features of the entire eTrex Line. Garmin eTrx Comparison Quote Link to comment
jschoenbacher Posted December 12, 2003 Author Share Posted December 12, 2003 (edited) Garmin Legend. Around $150.00 on sale. I like my Legend much better than my Magellan Sport Trac Map. Regards, Mike A friend of mine just recommended the Magellan SprotTrac. He said he liked it because it had the antenna and we are under treecover a lot. Anyone have advice regarding the antenna? You all are SO helpful! Julie Edited December 12, 2003 by jschoenbacher Quote Link to comment
+Sparky-Watts Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 About all I've heard on the topic of the antenna is that it is just one more thing to get snagged on something and break. Aside from that, I couldn't tell ya. Dang, do I sound like a "doomsayer"? Didn't mean to, that's just what I've heard from experienced users of the product. Quote Link to comment
+-=(GEO)=- Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 A Magellan Meridian Gold or Platinum would also do rather nicely Quote Link to comment
jschoenbacher Posted December 12, 2003 Author Share Posted December 12, 2003 I was thinking I should email my Mom to get him the Legend, but after reading Amazon's reviews and hearing our friend's recommendation for the SportTrac, because it has an antenna, I am getting a bit concerned...We live in the NW and tree and cloud cover is a way of life. A lot of the customer reviews on Amazon said they had problems with reception on the Legend, and some comments about it being intended for left hand use being annoying. Any further advice from you all? Thanks! Julie Quote Link to comment
jschoenbacher Posted December 12, 2003 Author Share Posted December 12, 2003 Sorry, one more? Is the PC cable serial or USB? Quote Link to comment
Z15 Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 (edited) GPS is not affected by cloud cover! GPS signal is just a high tech radio signal from space, the receiver does all the work. If you are in the trees, GPS will be a problem no matter what kind of antenna you have unless you got one to get above the trees. GPS signal will penetrate glass, most all clothing and translucent plastic but trees will block the signal as will most hard surfaces like metal, wood, rock etc. The antenna is most likely not needed for the casual user. Garmin is a good brand, I have 4 of them, 12XL, Etrex Vista, GPS III and GPS V. I like the GPS V the best. I use mine for aides in survey work. Personally I don't place any value on Amazon reviews for the most part, I find everything I like there is something bad to say about it. Its hard to tell some else would they may like but the GPS V is very good unit IMO and Amazon sells them. Thats were mine came from. GPS V on Amazon link Edited December 12, 2003 by elcamino Quote Link to comment
hobo dude Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 I can not speak fo the most part on the ones that have been listed. I have the GPS V and I love it. It has the antenna and it help I believe in reception in the trees. I like it as it aides me in navigation as it allows for detailed street downloads to it. It is likely a bit more than you would like to pay for one though. Quote Link to comment
+basswoodbend Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 I have both a Magellan Meridian and a Garmin Rino 120. The advantage I see for the 120 are; 1) the power button is located so that it does not shut down accidently when you stick it in a pocket. 2) It has less of a time lag reporting your position when moving. 3) It sounds an alarm when near the target. The advantages I see for the Magellan are; 1) It has expandable memory, I have topo maps of the entire state loaded. 2) I prefer the controls over the thumb stick. 3) It holds signal better under tree cover. I bought the Magellan Gold for my daughter for Christmas. Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 O boy! Another opportunity to render advice! Here's mine: Dont' worry about getting the perfect GPS unit to start. I believe that getting an inexpensive unit (the yellow eTrex would be fine) is a great way to get your feet wet and start learning. If you can pick up a significantly nicer unit like the Legend or the SporTrak for another $50, it's can be worthwhile to give you some more features to enjoy and possibly stretch out the time you use it. But if you (or your husband, in this case) gets into using it a lot, you'll probably want to buy something that has the features you *really* want. The trouble is, you don't know what those are until you use one for a while. You aren't marrying this purchase until death do you part; you can easily sell it here or on eBay for reasonably close to the purchase price and get the perfect (for you/him) unit. I bought a used Venture, used it for 6 months, learned that the Meridian Platinum had the combination of features I most desired, bought the Plat, and sold the Venture for $25 less than what I paid for it. I feel I got much more than $25 out of my use, and I avoided spending too much money for what might have been the wrong unit. All I'm saying is that while you are sensible in trying to make an informed decision now, and in soliciting advice from those with experience, the "right" unit is very personal in fit. A starter GPS is a great gift idea, but get it with the idea that you can change your mind what you want as you learn more about it. There *are* clunkers out there, but we'll help you steer clear of those. Either a Legend or a SporTrak will likely work out fine. *** OK, a few other comments: one of the reasons I went for a Meridian over the Venture was the quad-helix antenna. I had some problems with satellite lock in tree cover with the Venture (an eTrex model), and it seems to me that the quad helix in the Meridian (the SporTrak has the same antenna) has worked better. Many say there's no real difference, but that's my experience. If you go for a SporTrak, you *might* want to consider at least a SporTrak Pro. That would be the minimal SporTrak capable of running the new DirectRoute autorouting software. That would allow for adding in some great features at a later time. But here we go again... ...feature creep. For just a little more money you can get *this* and *that... Don't let it overwhelm you. BTW, I would concur with the opinion about Amazon reviews. It has seemed to me that there are a lot of complainers who expect too much from a consumer-grade GPS unit. I think (ahem) that the opinions here are more knowledgeable. Quote Link to comment
+geoguyver Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Just bought a couple of Garmin Rino 110's...hope they will do the job! We're new to this Geocacheing thing and can't wait to find our first one. Purchased them at Walmart for $167.88 each. Merry Xmas and happy hunting to everyone! Hey Hornhunter: Have you tried the Rino's yet? I asked for one for Christmas and was wondering what you thought. The Rino will be my first GPS and I like the 2-way radio features. Please let me know! GeoGuyver Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 (edited) Sorry, one more? Is the PC cable serial or USB? It's a serial connection for the Legend. GPSr's with a USB interface are just coming on the market now. Some Magellans use SD (or other) memory cards that can be loaded via a USB card reader. Edited December 13, 2003 by PDOP's Quote Link to comment
+Sparky-Watts Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Sorry, one more? Is the PC cable serial or USB? It's a serial connection for the Legend. GPSr's with a USB interface are just coming on the market now. Some Magellans use SD (or other) memory cards that can be loaded via a USB card reader. That's a downside to my Legend I hadn't mentioned. I've run out of serial ports on my computer and am having to pull one cord to attach another, depending on what I want to do with my computer on a given day. I still have 4 USB ports that are unused. Gonna head out to Best Buy or Comp USA for a fix if it ever quits snowing. We've got 6" now at 9:15pm, and it's supposed to continue through noon tomorrow. Makes for some pretty slow caching.....but I have been able to work more on the next cache I'm going to hide, as well as getting some TB's ready to go....but, I digress. Come on folks, I know there are more of you out there with opinions and tips for this nooby! Get with it! Quote Link to comment
+Geosophers Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 (edited) I bought the legend and I love it. It's worth paying the extra money for it's mapping capability and extra memory which the yellow etrex doesn't have. As far as reception goes. I also live in the North West, Western Canada that is, and I really haven't found reception to be an issue. I get 5m accuracy at least 90% of the time. As far as WAAS goes, I find that it doesn't make much of a difference, so if I were you I wouldn't base my decision on this (It's really meant for airplanes). It's nice and small. I like the thumb joystick so I can easily navigate the menus while holding a flashlight or whatever in the other hand. It's just a cool little unit which you'de enjoy using. Edited December 13, 2003 by Geosophers Quote Link to comment
+Bozz Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I LOVE my eTrex Legend (size, features, menu navigation)... however, my brother has a Magellan Meridian Gold, and the larger screen is NICE! It is feature-rich, and able to have LOTS more maps installed than the Legend. With all that being said, I would buy the Legend again... actually, I would buy the Vista (more memory, but more price). Not sure what the SportTrac Pro goes for now, but that is a good option as well. Sorry if I am not helpful, I really don't think he would be disappointed with the Legend, or the SportTrac Pro, merid Gold, Plat, etc. They are all fine GPS's! Bozz Quote Link to comment
nwganinjas Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 I have 2 Garmin Rino 120s. The set cost me about $400 on Ebay. They Retail for $275.00 each. They have the 2-way radios like the Rino 110 models and will communicate with the 110s but have Basemaps built in for easy navigation. It's easy to get oriented when you can compare landmarks and streets with what you see on the screen. Hey, buy one now and one with your Tax Refund if you don't want to spend all the money at once. NWGANINJAS Quote Link to comment
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