Best GPS unit?

[imzadi]

For a newbie? Which one should we get?

[+Markwell]

“I'm gonna get a car. Which one should I get?”

 

It would help to narrow your search parameters a little.

 

First, what's your price range? What type of terrain are you going to take it on: heavy tree cover, mountains, open prairies? How important is having a background map for you?

 

The two top brands out there are Garmin and Magellan. They have their own advantages and disadvantages. In just looking at the bottom one of each line, you'd be looking at the little yellow etrex by Garmin (my own personal unit). In the Magellan line, I believe it's the Mag 310.

 

quote:

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From the Front Page of the Geocaching website:

 

For an overview of how GPS units work and a comparison chart on the various GPS units available today see the “learn more” and “Compare” links on the GPS page. The unit pictured to the left is the Garmin eTrex ($115.95), one of the more popular and cheaper GPS models. For the ultimate unit, try the Garmin GPS V ($469.95).

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Markwell

My Geocaching Page

[imzadi]

well thats part of the problem. I've never gone geocaching before, and would like to know my best option. no more then 200$, probably around 100 to 150.

[JasonW]

Any GPSr that computes & displays to 3 decimal parts of a minute is adequate for geocaching. Everything else is a matter of pure personal taste on your part (and on those that advise you) - how much you are prepared to spend is probably the limiting factor though.

 

Others will tell you that mapping is absolutely essential - I find that the on board maps (on those GPSr's I've seen with it) is either inaccurate (names are wrong - there's a place near me called Blyth that some revisions of Garmin GPSr's call Blynth) or the maps are outdated for new roads etc. I guess you can tell that I don't consider mapping essential. All manufacturers have firmware faults along these lines - some are more irritating than others.

 

Another thing to consider is WAAS - the usefulness of WAAS is dependent on your location - if you're close to a WAAS ground station then it's highly useful, if you're thousands of miles from one, then it's potentially highly misleading - most people planting caches are unlikely to be using WAAS at this time so if you get a GPSr with WAAS capability, it must be switchable so you can turn it on or off to suit your needs.

 

Do you want to be able to attach it to your PC for waypoint management, for saving your tracks (so you can see where you've been), for upgrading your firmware (highly recommended) - not all can be attached to the PC for this type of operation - if you want the capability (or might want it) it's worth buying a GPSr that can be connected.

 

The base Magellan model you should consider is the 315 - the 310 will only display your location to 2 decimal parts of a minute which leaves you (potentially) a large area to search.

 

[+Team Roman Geoskis]

quote:

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Originally posted by imzadi:

For a newbie? Which one should we get?

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First off welcome to geocaching, hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Be careful though, it is addicting. The previous posts bring up some valid points. Bottom line is there is no "best". I have a garmin vista (high end model) that does everything I want or need it to do. Another member of the team has the little yellow etrex which he bought for around $100. It's basic limitation is that it doesn't have an onboard compass, so you have to carry a manual compass (which you should do anyway). This will help you with line of bearing waypoints. (e.g. you get to a waypoint that tells you to follow a bearing of 270 degrees for 200 feet, etc.). I wouldn't recommend a vista for you (although I wouldn't trade mime for the world). Guess I would recommend the little yellow etrex as a starter unit and if you need more unit down the road, just upgrade. Again welcome and have fun!

 

NOW WHERE DID I LEAVE THOSE SKIS?

[Atilla the Pun]

You can get a new Magellan 300X from eBay for around $150. Magellan has a $50 rebate form for this unit on their Web site, brining your total cost for a mapping GPSr down to around $100. Be sure and get a receipt from your eBay purchase, you'll need it for the rebate.

 

AtP

[Atilla the Pun]

You can get a new Magellan 300X from eBay for around $150. Magellan has a $50 rebate form for this unit on their Web site, brining your total cost for a mapping GPSr down to around $100. Be sure and get a receipt from your eBay purchase, you'll need it for the rebate.

 

AtP

[gburgess]

a lot of people recommend the etrex yellow as an entry unit for cost considerations, but for just slightly more money, you can buy an etrex Venture, which has a much higher resolution monitor, the same as the Vista and Legend, and it also has a joystick for easy data entry, and a PC cable, which is nice for firmware upgrades, and also as a way to quickly upload waypoints into your machine. It also allow you to store 10 tracks, instead of just 1.

 

So for just a bit more money, you get quite a bit more etrex.

[+Exocet]

I currently use a PDA/GPS combo. Its advantages are:

- It allows me to make a waypoint for a geocache that uses the FULL name of the geocache, IE instead of using "GC4A1E" to identify a cache, I just call it "Wolf Creek Flats"...

- I can make extensive notes and associate them with each waypoint. IE, click on the way point and have a detailed description of that waypoint pop up.

- Can easily share waypoint files, IE: a listing of all the McMenamins pubs in Oregon and Washington.

- Virtually unlimited number of waypoints. Probably max out around 10,000.

 

One of the best things about the PDA/GPS combo is the most simple: the ability to use full names to describe a cache. The other stuff is nice, definately - I will sometimes take notes on a location that a waypoint represents - but simply being able to name my waypoint as a description rather than an alpha-numeric code.

 

These are some of the good things that, as far as I know, only the PDA/GPS combo can give. I specifically use a Handspring Visor w/ a Geode GPS module.

 

But that's just as far as I know. Does anyone out there know of a GPS that can offer me the above functionality as a stand-alone unit? Does Garmin or Magellan produce a very high-end unit that has some or all of the above features? Is there some more obscure company out there that does these sorts of things?

 

"What you do today will cost you a day of your life." --jabber's sig on /. and k5.

[+Renegade Knight]

I agree the most basic you want is the eTrex Venture. For the extra money you get what you would need to buy anyway for the basic eTrex yellow. For geocaching you will want a PC Cable at a minimum. That's 30 bucks on the eTrex Yellow. For 119 if you find the right deal you can get the Venture. Heck if you find it for 130 you are still ahead of the game.

 

To be blunt, I don't see the advantage of any unit higher than the Venture until you get the the Vista. Excepting the compass. I've seen it in action and it's kinda neet but not worth the additional cost until you get mapping on your GPS also (Like the Vista).

 

In regards to the PDA/GPS combo. It has some advantages in functionality. It's not very durable should you get rained on, or drop it. Again, there are trade offs. However if you have a PDA finding a GPS upgrade for it is very inexpensive.

[+Exocet]

...Don't drop your PDA. That will break it, unless it falls on something soft.

 

But as far as getting it wet goes ...I've had mine snowed on and rained on more times than I can ever remember. As long as you wipe the rain of with some frequency, it's ok. Don't dunk the combo in the lake, though - that'd probably be bad.

 

I've found ...70 some odd geocaches using this combo. Everything from a 5/5 on Mt. St. Helens in Washington to the numerous 1/1's. It's all about how you treat the equipment and the care you take in avoiding equipment accidents.

 

"What you do today will cost you a day of your life." --jabber's sig on /. and k5.

[Demon10000]

I'm new to GeoCaching, and I only discovered it after picking up a Magellan 310 to take along with trips. I bought it more to hook up to my laptop than I did for a Stand Alone unit.

 

Pros

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* It was CHEAP! I bought mine at CompUSA for $48.88. If you're lucky, they might have one left.

 

* Compass. It appears that some models dont' have a compass; the 310 does.

 

* Able to connect to a PC.

 

*Name. Magellan is a good name. If I remember correctly they make the Neverlost system that Hertz car rentals uses.

 

Cons

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* doesn't display maps. May or may not be a big deal to you.

 

* Displays coordinates up to the hundreths position. Leaves you with a nice big circle to search around in. Last cache I was at I searched for 15 minutes on the wrong side of the river because I didn't have that extra decimal price.

 

* Can't transfer waypoints to/from a PC.

 

* Easy to hit the wrong button due to the interface. Might be like this with all small, handheld units though.

 

Since I got mine so cheap, I don't feel too bad. However, it makes spending more money on a better one a little more difficult. I love geocaching, but I'm going to give it a little more time. I say mid summer and I'll have an etrex vista or legend.

 

moral of the story, if you're unsure, try the 310 if you can find it cheap. Otherwise, drop the $150 and get an etrex. You probably won't regret it.

 

:

[+Alan2]

You might want to check the Magellan and Garmin web sites where you can compare feature among the various models. Once you've found what you think you may like, get pricing from the various internet suppliers for prices. You may wish to read the forums for awhile including old topics to get a feel but in the end the more info you get the more you'll be confused.

 

Now wasn't that helpful?

 

Good luck.

 

ALan

[+Alan2]

You might want to check the Magellan and Garmin web sites where you can compare feature among the various models. Once you've found what you think you may like, get pricing from the various internet suppliers for prices. You may wish to read the forums for awhile including old topics to get a feel but in the end the more info you get the more you'll be confused.

 

Now wasn't that helpful?

 

Good luck.

 

ALan