+wheretheskygrows Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 OK, go easy on me! I'm interested in a unit that can hook up to my computer. Obviously I am just starting out, so under 200 bucks would be swell. I went into Dicks Sporting Goods and was going to buy the Geko, but he told me it didn't have that ability. So I came here to ask the experts. Which ones have this ability, or do I have to buy cables separately? Then do I aslo need software? Thanks and Happy New Year to everyone! Quote Link to comment
+TheGertridgeExplorers Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 My Garmin Venture came with a cable for hookup to the computer. It is approx. $200 and hasn't failed me yet. Happy caching, Donna G Quote Link to comment
+Prime Suspect Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 I'm interested in a unit that can hook up to my computer. Obviously I am just starting out, so under 200 bucks would be swell. I went into Dicks Sporting Goods and was going to buy the Geko, but he told me it didn't have that ability. So I came here to ask the experts. Which ones have this ability, or do I have to buy cables separately? Then do I aslo need software? I think all the Garmins, except the low-end Geko (101), have an interface port. On some units the cable is included, others it has to be bought separately. You can get them from third party suppliers cheaper than from the manufacturer. You can check out the Garmin website, and do side-by-side comparisons of different units. You will need some sort of software, of course, but if you're just interested in getting waypoints into your unit, there are freeware applications available to do that. I would probably start with EasyGPS, then move up to something more robust once you've got your feet wet. If you get a mapping unit, and want to upload more detailed maps, you will have to use a mapping product supplied by the GPS manufacturer. They aren't cheap. Quote Link to comment
+CycleGuy Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 (edited) I looked at several units but ordered a Garmin Gecko 301. This has a cable (you purchase seperately) to upload from the mapsource products as well as software updates from Garmin. The Gecko 201 also does this. However, if you want to upload map sections make sure you get a unit with memory. I liked the Garmin etrex vista for that. Hope it helps! CycleGuy Just Crank It! PS - check out Computers4sure they had some really great prices with free shipping and no tax to some states...I do not work for them but I found their prices to be the best. CG Edited December 31, 2003 by CycleGuy Quote Link to comment
+wheretheskygrows Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 Thanks everybody for your replies. They definitely help out a lot. I like what the Garmin etrex Venture has, and just starting out, 1MG of memory is sufficient, right? I can't see me needing a lot of memory. At least not until I'm addicted to it right! The prices for the Venture seem to be around 150 right now, and Amazon has it for 135 w/ free shipping. I'm assuming that's pretty good. Thanks again for all your help! Quote Link to comment
+RobRee Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 delorme makes a soloution for 100$. i have the older version that you can get for under 60$ now. hooks right up and sits on dash. i like the expandability of the better gpsr models, and didn't belv i would want it either. put a lot of thought into how you will use it, and what it will be used for. just food for thought. robbie Quote Link to comment
+workerofwood Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 I received an eTrex Venture for Christmas and it's been working fine. After about a week of entering waypoints by hand I unpacked the serial cable and hooked it up to my PC and now I'm downloading from this site much faster. Download a copy of EasyGPS (freeware) and you're in business! I can see where some of the features on the higher end units would be useful, and I'll probably trade up in a year, but I like to feed my addictions slowly... Anyway, I've run into geocachers who started with nothing at all, and some who spent big $$, and they all seem to work... the hunt is the thing Quote Link to comment
+wheretheskygrows Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 (edited) Hey Everybody! I bought the Garmin Venture. I'm pretty excited to get outside and find something, but it's 4 degrees today!!! Hubby thinks it's too cold! Well, maybe in a few days! I also downloaded EasyGPS, which I'm assuming will allow me to send .loc waypoints to my GPS unit. But say I wanted to add a way point (such as, I'm going on a trip this weekend, and I want to enter that location). How do I add that as a waypoint? Do I need to know the lon/lat? Or is there somewhere under MAP (or elsewhere), that I can just add a place, so that I can track my route? I see that I can go to a city name and add that as a waypoint, but how do I know that the unit will lead me there? Obviously I'm not going to depend on that, but I'd just like to know how to track my route. Thanks all! Edited January 9, 2004 by petersruby Quote Link to comment
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