Gps Devices

January 22, 2004

hi, i'm very new to sport. so new that haven't even got a gps yet.

here's the problem, seems to be several gps units about same price from various manufacturers. anyone got a recommendation? don't want to buy something then find out for a little more i could have had a much better device.

thanks for your time.

24.7k · January 22, 2004

What's your budget? With that tidbit people can zone you into some good units.

January 22, 2004

I got myself a Cobra GPS100, and am not as pleased as I would like to be for that kind of money. So, I too am curious about recommendations. I am still a newbie, so am not sure whether I am not using my GPSr to maximum capacity, or if some of the readings just aren't accurate at the caches. (Up until yesterday, I was 4 for 4 of DNF!) Do some GPSr's work better in inclimate conditions, such as fog, sleet, snow, and rain? Do readings vary from one GPSr to another? I really need to stay under $200, and would be even happier only spending $100-150. I am also looking for one that doesn't eat batteries like a monster! I'm averaging a set for each day I go out right now! Do only certain ones take rechargeable? What would you recommend?

January 22, 2004

Keeping in mind that I too am new at this, :huh: here is my opinion.

My first GPSr was a SporTrack Pro Marine. It worked very well, even in heavy cloud cover and beneath heavy pine tree coverage. The only reason I am changing is there seems to be a design flaw in the SporTrack series. The screws that hold the two case pieces together cause stress cracks in the case. I am changing to the Meridian series, and am excited about being able to use SD cards for extra memory, and faster download times. The meridian Gold seems to have all the same features as the SporTrack pro that I have learned on, and am accustomed to using, plus the added benefit of the SD cards.

JMHO for what it is worth.

You should be able to find either of these units for around $230.00

www.etronics.com for a starting point

January 22, 2004

:huh: Meridian Gold User and Love it. Very Easy to use and it's got to be one of the best on the market. Still Around $230. However, you need to ask yourself what do I want in a GPSR? The Small yellow Garmin etrex's can be had from Ebay for around $75-100 and they will find a cache just as well as my Magellan will.

Another good model is the Magellan Sportrek. I recently viewed a thread where the user got a heck of a deal. I think after rebate the cost was around $130, and they are a very good unit.

You might hear things about Magellan being more accurate than Garmin, but there are tons of people caching out there using both brands. My preferance is the Magellan, but I really don't think it matters as long as it is a Garmin or Magellan.

Edited January 22, 2004 by The_Brownies

January 22, 2004

I bought a Magellan Sportrack at Amazon for $100 bucks during a sale they had. I love it. I also bought a Garmin Etrex for my son for $88 at Amazon. I think it takes a little longer to type in a waypoint with this one. They both find caches just fine, but personally I prefer my Sporttrack with the PC cable for downloading the waypoints.

January 23, 2004

sorry didn't say how much.

based in england happy to spend 100-200 pounds. obviously less is better cashwise but don't want to miss out on some usefull features for sake of spending a little more.

January 23, 2004

I use an Etrex Legend and I love it. It's got everything I need. Plus, you can hook it up to your PC to transfer waypoints, which is a very nice feature. I paid 150.00 for mine.

Hope this helps!

<_<

1k · January 24, 2004

In response to GOLDFISHY's question about batteries, I think they all have a healthy appetite. I recommend Ray-O-Vac rechargeable NiMH batteries, but make sure you get the right charger--the charger must match the batteries. I have several sets of these for my GPS and my gigital camera, and I pop in a fresh set before every outing.

January 26, 2004

thanks for all the input etc. decided to go for the carmin geko 201. should arrive in few days then i'm off. just in time for really rubbish weather to hit. such is life.

1.2k · January 26, 2004

I was very interested in the 201. Looks like a good unit.

2.2k · January 28, 2004

give me a few days to try it out and i'll let you know what it think. hell if i can use it anyone will be able to. i'm not a technophobe i just don't tend to read the instructions, tend to follow the "if it doesn't work, get a bigger hammer" approach.

January 28, 2004

Personally, I'd want one that I could interface to a computer. The Garmin Geko 101 will not do that. Also, I don't particularly find a GPS that can also play games too useful. That's what my Atari Lynx is for!

January 29, 2004

I would like to respond to Imajika's comment about Etrex Legend. I am interested and have been looking at the Legend, and would like to know the difference between the Etrex Legend and the Etrex Venture. The other day a clerk told me that the Etrex Legend is for use ONLY on the water- to locate FISH! I thought this was odd. Then, she went on to talk about a problem with an Etrex, that it had to do with the cable flap. So, I asked her more, when she said, 'oh maybe it was a problem with the battery pack flap'! Sounds like she didn't know anything about the GPS's! I haven't found a clerk yet who knows anything about these devices! It made me wonder...there were guns in the same case...I hope she doesn't assist customers with those too!

2.2k · January 29, 2004

thanks for your input limax. i thought the same that's why i didn't get the 101 but as i said i got the 201 with cable interface. can't do much about the fact it plays games. doesn't mean i have to play them does it?

January 29, 2004

I am interested and have been looking at the Legend, and would like to know the difference between the Etrex Legend and the Etrex Venture.

The Legend and Venture are nearly identical units, the difference being the available memory for downloading additional maps. The Venture has 1mb available memory, and the Legend has 8mb. Both include a basic map installed with the unit and both can be connected to your computer to download waypoints. The main point is whether you ever intend to purchase additional maps from Garmin to use in your unit. The price difference is only $20 or so, so that's not too big of an issue. I've been using a Legend for about a year and a half, and have had no problems. I got mine on sale for $169 at Fry's electronics, though you can get them a little cheaper sometimes on ebay. I hope this helps!

January 29, 2004

I own two now. Both at Garmin, but the second has mapping. Take a look at the mapping features and I think you too will want to get one that has this as a feature.

I have a 12 XL and also a Map 76S. Great products!

My $0.02

Northern Trekker

January 30, 2004

I have the Magellan Meridian Colorand love it! I got a good deal on it and paid abpout $230. Yes, I know that you can buy cheaper units, but I like all the bells and whisltes.

Geocaching is a good sport for me and my wife. It's something we enjoy doing together, so it was worth the money. My wife has a Meridian Platinum; it's nice for each of us to have our own units.

January 30, 2004

I'm with Imajika.

I lllllllooooooove my Etrex Legend.

Bought mine on Amazon.com for $159.00 brand new.

There are soooo many cool free programs that work with it too.

:blink: :blink: :cute: :grin: :lol: :sad: :mad: :huh: :bad:

January 31, 2004

i started with the etrex yellow very easy.

January 31, 2004

also just getting started in this sport and had I not received a garmin rino 110 for Christmas I still would know nothing about Geocaching. The rino has geocache and geocache found icons on it for waypoint symbols. I was looking to see what geocache meant and found this very enjoyable sport/hobby/game. Now the whole family is getting involved.

February 1, 2004

I am replacing a Handspring Visor with the Magellan GPS add on. Through my research on Epinions.com and one other site, the consensus is that the Garmins need to be in pretty open area and sometimes even pointed at the sky in order to get accurate or any readings. The same sites say nothing about this with Magellan GPS, in fact the common comment is that once they are locked, they stay locked. So, I am confused.

I like the resolution and the easy menu navigation of the Garmin units, but living in Colorado where we cache in canyons and sometimes dense forests, I worry about the signal. I will spend up to $300 on a unit and use it mostly for caching, hiking/camping. Any ideas on signal acquisition and staying power in these enviroments is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

February 1, 2004

The legend does have a feature to let you know when the best fishing times are but I have never used it...I don't go fishing. But it is NOT exclusively for fishing/marine use.

It holds 1000 waypoints, has a base map and storage for extra maps. I got Mapsource roads and rec...and Mapsource Metroguide and they work perfectly. The PC interface is easy and works great with EasyGPS.

I have had my legend in high cloud cover and tree cover and it still worked fine. It got a *little* sluggish but it still worked fine. I assumed it was sluggish because it was having trouble locking on a satellite (?). As soon as I came out from the trees, it worked like it always has. I live in Colorado and even going through the mountains it was okay for the most part (occasionally a little sluggish but it never flipped out completely or anything).

I never heard of any troubles with the battery compartment or pc cable flap. I assume if you manhandled the pc cable flap it could rip off but if you use it normally, it should be fine.

Edited February 1, 2004 by Imajika

February 1, 2004

Thanks for the feeback on signal strength. I am still very nervous about buying a Garmin for some reason after reading reviews on Amazon and Epinions. Any other feedback from other geocachers?

1.3k · February 2, 2004

If you get a Meridian Gold you will love it. You can find the for 200$ new.

February 3, 2004

And if you get a Garmin Legend, you will love it.

You can find for < $200.00 new, possibly in the $160 range.

p.s. I love mine

February 3, 2004

I also love my legend!!

1.1k · February 3, 2004

Love my Garmin GPS V However it might be a bit expensive for a first unit

Only time it has any trouble locking on is if I put it inside an ammo can. It works in my house in my car in my RV and inside the large metal building where I work.

2.2k · February 3, 2004

used the garmin geko 201 now several times. have had no problems, easy to use and set up even for a complete novice like me. seems to link up to satellites without any problems.

hard to be impartial as haven't tried any other units but i would say good unit for beginner.

February 3, 2004

I got myself a Cobra GPS100, and am not as pleased as I would like to be for that kind of money. So, I too am curious about recommendations. I am still a newbie, so am not sure whether I am not using my GPSr to maximum capacity, or if some of the readings just aren't accurate at the caches. (Up until yesterday, I was 4 for 4 of DNF!) Do some GPSr's work better in inclimate conditions, such as fog, sleet, snow, and rain? Do readings vary from one GPSr to another? I really need to stay under $200, and would be even happier only spending $100-150. I am also looking for one that doesn't eat batteries like a monster! I'm averaging a set for each day I go out right now! Do only certain ones take rechargeable? What would you recommend?

I just bought that model on sunday and like you I am new to the game. having just bought it I have not had a chance to use it yet. what do and dont you like yours? thanks.TAZ

February 3, 2004

In response to GOLDFISHY's question about batteries, I think they all have a healthy appetite. I recommend Ray-O-Vac rechargeable NiMH batteries, but make sure you get the right charger--the charger must match the batteries. I have several sets of these for my GPS and my gigital camera, and I pop in a fresh set before every outing.

I bought some monster cell rechargables for mine because I like how they last in my digital camera.I have not tried them out yet on my cobra though.they came with a charger for 30 bucks. hope this helpedTAZ

Edited February 3, 2004 by armataz

February 3, 2004

Thanks for the feeback on signal strength. I am still very nervous about buying a Garmin for some reason after reading reviews on Amazon and Epinions. Any other feedback from other geocachers?

I don't mean to start the age-old Garmin vs. Magellan reception strength war, but one thing I wanted to point out is that a lot of people (myself included) are convinced that the Magellan's are in no way better at keeping a satellite lock, it's just that the Magellans tend to give you the false impression that they still have a strong satellite lock.

I've owned both types of GPSrs and I can say from experience that this is true. I tested this out once while caching in an area with poor reception. Although the Magellan seemed to stay locked on better, the navigational arrow began leading me in the wrong direction. This gave me nothing more than a false sense of security.

FWIW, I'd rather lose a satellite lock than be led astray. I almost always use my Garmin Legend now and couldn't be happier.

February 4, 2004

Thanks for all the feedback on the signal strength and satellite acquistion. I feel better about looking at the Garmins after hearing from you all. Like I mentioned before, after reading Amazon and Epinions reviews, I was nervous.

Thanks again.

February 4, 2004

OK, now I'm down to crunch time. What would you choose between:

Garmin eTrex Legend

Garmin eTrex Vista

Magellan SporTrak Map

Magellan SportTrakPro

I don't mind the price difference between the units. I can spend up to $300. I will use the unit primarily for Geocaching and camping. Don't plan on using it for car navigation.

I would love to have your vote! Thanks.

February 4, 2004

I just started this game last weekend. I had purchased a Garmin Rino 120 for use during my upcoming deployment to Iraq and tested it out playing the game. It works real good, I also hunt/fish and it has the predictions on it. It has 8Mb of memory for downloading maps, comes with the basic maps preloaded, it even has a speedometer in case your curious how fast your walking.

1.3k · February 7, 2004

Okay. Crunch time. Either a Vista, or a Meridian Gold.

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