Garmin Geko?

[calvinandhobbes]

I'm new and interested in getting a GPS. I like the looks of the Garmin Geko, has anyone tried it? I don't know what spec.'s you whant when out Geocaching, need advice. Thanks

[+briansnat]

The Gecko is a nice basic unit. Very compact and easy to use. If you want the Gecko, go with the 201, rather than the 101, because you have the option of hooking it up to your PC. The 101 does not have a data port. After entering coordinates in by hand, you'll soon long for the ability to download hundreds of waypoints with a few clicks of the mouse. The 201 gives you that option.

 

But for a little more than you spend for a 201, you can get a eTrex Legend, which is a full featured mapping GPS. A very nice unit for the money and you can often find it for as little as $160.

Edited March 23, 2004 by briansnat

[+Mastifflover]

The Gecko is a nice basic unit. Very compact and easy to use. If you want the Gecko, go with the 201, rather than the 101, because you have the option of hooking it up to your PC. The 101 does not have a data port. After entering coordinates in by hand, you'll soon long for the ability to download hundreds of waypoints with a few clicks of the mouse. The 201 gives you that option.

 

But for a little more than you spend for a 201, you can get a eTrex Legend, which is a full featured mapping GPS. A very nice unit for the money and you can often find it for as little as $160.

I would have to agree. Unless size is the deciding factor. Also the screen quality on the Etrex series is a big improvement over the Gecko line.

[calvinandhobbes]

Thanks i'll check it out.

[calvinandhobbes]

Thanks, I like the look of the eTrex Legend.

[+bons]

A few notes now that you've been led down the path of spending money. I now own a Geko 101 and a 201, and with the exception of plugging it into my cigarette lighter for power I seriously prefer the 101.

 

1) You don't need to hook it up to your PC. For the price difference between a Geko 101 and a Legend, you can buy a Geko 101 and a Palm pilot and in doing so dump all the listings to the palm pilot instead of dumping just the co-ordinates to your Geko. Paperless or map of questionable accuracy. It's your choice.

 

2) The Geko 101 is a nice simple unit. It's accurate, easy to use, and does the job well. The Geko 201 is more complicated and has a bunch of features that just end up confusing you. From the logs I've read, the Legend is even worse. (You can tell a Legend owner from the logs, they're the ones who parked on the wrong side of the creek because it said the cache was on that side of the creek.)

 

The 101 does everything you need for a very affordable price. If you want to spend more, feel free, but don't let anyone tell you that you have to.

[+briansnat]

You don't need to hook it up to your PC. For the price difference between a Geko 101 and a Legend, you can buy a Geko 101 and a Palm pilot and in doing so dump all the listings to the palm pilot instead of dumping just the co-ordinates to your Geko. Paperless or map of questionable accuracy. It's your choice.

 

No, you don't need to hook it to your PC, but in the time it takes you to key in one set of coordinates, I could download all the coordinates for every cache within 50 miles of my house. If you have the page on your Palm, you still have to enter the coordinates manually.

 

The Geko 201 is more complicated and has a bunch of features that just end up confusing you.

 

Confusing for who? The 201 has to be the easiest and most intuitive unit to use that I've ever seen. It may confuse some of the less "with it" residents of the St. Michaels Home for the Aged, but that's about it.

 

From the logs I've read, the Legend is even worse. (You can tell a Legend owner from the logs, they're the ones who parked on the wrong side of the creek because it said the cache was on that side of the creek.)

 

Pardon me, but my Legend and Vista have saved me many of miles of walking just BECAUSE they tell me which side of the creek is best to park. They have also saved me time because my Legend/Vista told me there was a ravine, river or mountain between me and the cache, or whether the cache was at the top, or bottom of a cliff. My wife's Gecko tells us no such thing. The Gecko isn't a bad unit, but comparing it with a Legend or Vista is like comparing my bicycle with my Outback. They all get you where you want to go, but one gets you there faster and easier.

Edited March 24, 2004 by briansnat

[+greyhounder]

I have touted the Garmin Geko 101 a number of times here. It's inexpensive, it's easy to use and is just fine if you aren't ready for all that mapping stuff (which is much more confusing.) The 101 is a unit you can buy, put in the batteries and initialize and be out the door. I loved mine dearly!

 

Having a Mac computer, I couldn't find any software that let me use the cool mapping software anyway. Loved that Geko -- way user friendly.

 

Lost the Geko somewhere, got a laptop (IBM compatible) and a Magellan SporTrak Map. Still really miss the Geko. Still trying to get through the blasted SporTrak manual.

 

Whatever you get -- it'll get you there in the end...

 

Bec

[+Mastifflover]

If you want to spend more, feel free, but don't let anyone tell you that you have to.

Nobody did. We were just giving him opinions. Just like you did.

[+Renegade Knight]

Any GPS you can buy today will geocache just fine. However there is a real value to being able to hook that sucker to your computer and download waypoints and routes if you ever get into computer based maps.

 

I will never reccomend someone buy a GPS they can't hook to their computer for those reasons.

[+SBPhishy]

I will never reccomend someone buy a GPS they can't hook to their computer for those reasons.

 

I completely agree. Think long and hard about your decision before you get a GPS without the ability to download waypoints.

 

If you have the patients (I know, it's the wrong patients, I can't remember how to spell the other one ) then it won't be a big deal, but after a while, it can really get annoying.

[+GeckoGeek]

I'll toss in my 2¢.

 

Yes, a Geko 101 will allow you to do a decent job of geocaching, but like others I think the upgrade to the 201 is worth it to allow you to upload waypoints. You'll appreciate the feature when you can upload all the caches within 20 miles or so of your house in under a minute, or when you mis-enter a coordinate and end up spending an hour at the wrong location.

 

The downside of the Geko line: Because of the small size, it uses AAA batteries which don't last as long. Also the early Gekos didn't have a protective ridge over the power button and had a habit of turning on when thrown in with other stuff. (I understand the newer Gekos have fixed that.)

 

On the upside, despite the small size, the screen is quite readable and it works well. Because it is so small you can slip it in your pants pocket and take it with you comfortably. Other GPS units may be a little large for that.

 

The higher eTrex line does allow you to upload maps that you buy from Garmin. So you can add that nice feature later.

[+Haggis Hunter]

I have a Geko 201. It is a nice and easy unit to use and it is good being able to download co-ords straight from the site, However it does have a couple of niggly little drawbacks.

 

The screen isn't as big as the ETrex I personally don't find this a problem.

The buttons are on the front and when dealing with other things you tend to press them and not realise, I logged 20 waypoints before I realised I was pressing the OK button by accident.

The batteries only last for 12 hours so the book says. I use rechargeable and they last only between 3 to 6 hours. So you definately have to have spares with you.

 

Other than that I am likely to keep mine for a couple of years before I upgrade it.

 

Haggis Hunter

[calvinandhobbes]

Thanks for the help i'll keep researching.

[+bons]

If you have the page on your Palm, you still have to enter the coordinates manually.

And if you do a multi or a puzzle cache you have to enter them manually as well or bring your laptop out on the field with you. Entering them manually is easy to do and you only end up with well named waypoints that are of immediate interest to you instead of a lot of waypoints that you don't have a printout hiding the few you care about. If you're a new cacher, realize now that you're probably not going to look for the nearest 200 caches or so for a long time. You'll look for a cache here or there, one or two a day. Maybe a dozen on a weekend. When you load every cache in a 20 mile radius, that's what you get, every cache, including all the ones you have no intention to look for.

 

It may confuse some of the less "with it" residents of the St. Michaels Home for the Aged, but that's about it.

Those would be the same old folks who lack the manual dexertity to push a couple buttons to enter co-ordinates. You must know them well, Brian. Are you a resident or just looking into a new place to stay? Edited March 24, 2004 by bons

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

I just bought a Geko 201 with my REI dividend last week.

 

I like it. I like it a lot.

 

My want list went something like this: basic enough, small; buttons on front; WAAS; intuitive; small; small; small; buttons on front; ability to plug it into the computer if I wanted to (but is highly unlikely that will happen - I'm with bons on entering on the fly thing)... my 11yo daughter would also add to that 'games'.

 

I didn't want mapping as (and now the truth comes out) we have a unit that does autorouting and therefore has all the maps. But, truthfully, once we're out on the trail, at least where we hike, the maps are pretty useless.

 

The options and ability to change what you see on the different pages on the 201 is much broader than I thought, and super easy to adjust so you're seeing what you want to see. I haven't even bothered to look at the manual.

 

I had considered another Legend (had one, didn't like it) but decided, again, since we didn't want the maps, there was no point. I also loathe the buttons on the side of the eTrex line. I'm definitely a confirmed buttons-on-front kind of a gal.

 

My daughter found the first two cache we used it on... I'm really hoping this will lure her over to the dark side. I think she wants to LIKE caching, but it's much more fun if you have your own unit! For now we are spending a fair bit of time negotiating who gets to USE it (she always wins!)

 

Regardless, I'm sure you'll find something to fit in with what you want. Don't overlook the Geko line!

 

-=-

michelle

[+rusty_tlc]

I'll throw in my hat with the "gotta have a pc interface" gang. Not only because of the hassle of entering waypoints, but because of the self doubt when I can't find a cache. I don't think the average PC user will have much problem figuring out how to use any brand of GPS. If all else fails RTMS.

[+Melrose Plant]

I see we're back into THIS argument again. I'm not going to post any more comments about my Luddite tendencies, but I just added the Palm Pilot (which is an ancient one by the way) to my geocaching arsenal, joining the Geko 101. I haven't gone completely paperless, but it has cut down on the paper consumption greatly.

 

Now I'm off the subject, which in my case was battery life of the Gekos. I bought some AAA NiMH batteries a while ago, and just yesterday, I had the Geko switched on for over 8 hours. I started with a nearly but not completely full charge, and by the end of the day, I needed a recharge for sure. This was in Normal mode the whole time. I use Eveready Accu-whateverthehellitis, which are 750 mah batteries.

[+Monkeybrad]

Since no one else has mentioned it, we carry a Geko 301 with us. For power-caching the ability to upload waypoints is a must, maps don't matter on a field unit because the Garmin V is going to get you to the right area, and the compass is well worth the extra money. Our Geko is one of the most accurate gpsr's we own, plus it drops in a pocket and you can forget it is there. All this for $249 on offroute.com

[+JeepCachr]

Since no one else has mentioned it, we carry a Geko 301 with us.  For power-caching the ability to upload waypoints is a must, maps don't matter on a field unit because the Garmin V is going to get you to the right area, and the compass is well worth the extra money.  Our Geko is one of the most accurate gpsr's we own, plus it drops in a pocket and you can forget it is there.  All this for $249 on offroute.com

 

List price is $249

 

offroute.com has it for $197, gecko 301

GPScity has it for $193 Gecko 301?

gps discount has it for $194 gecko 301

 

I'm not endorsing these vendors just linking to them for information. I have only ordered once from GPScity and I had no complaint.

[calvinandhobbes]

What does paperless mean?

[+JeepCachr]

What does paperless mean?

Most people take the cache description page and maps to get there with them by printing them out. If you want to do a lot of caches this requires some planning, preparation and the death of a few trees. If you decide not to go to a particular cache that day but want to a few weeks later often you end up printing it again. Not everybody does this but a lot of people like to take a lot of information with them.

 

With a PDA you can take cache description, the logs, the hints, topo maps, street maps, aerial photographs, census data and any other information that may be usefull to you with you without bringing any paper. This requires that once a week (or as often as you want) you synch your PDA and get as much cache information as you want or your PDA will hold.

 

I have all the maps and caches for everything within 100 miles of my house on my pocketPC. I can cache whenever, wherever I want without killing 12 trees.

 

You can even take notes in your PDA to log online later. I'm anxiously awaiting the day that I can log my founds offline and synch them easily with gc.com.

[+Melrose Plant]

What does paperless mean?

Most people take the cache description page and maps to get there with them by printing them out. If you want to do a lot of caches this requires some planning, preparation and the death of a few trees. If you decide not to go to a particular cache that day but want to a few weeks later often you end up printing it again. Not everybody does this but a lot of people like to take a lot of information with them.

Before I started using the Palm Pilot to cache, I didn't print out every single cache page, but I used a lot of paper. I even had a filing system to avoid most printing duplication.

 

The planning thing is absolutely right, though. I used to spend at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half to plan a half-day caching trip. This did not include actually packing any supplies or gassing up the car. Now I don't have to worry that I didn't write down enough information or print out enough pages.

 

You can even take notes in your PDA to log online later.

 

I have also started doing this. I'm even getting a little faster at that doggoned graffiti stuff.

 

One more thing that I don't think anybody has mentioned is that you have a built-in calculator with a Palm Pilot (or other PDA) to help you with those dratted multi/mystery cache calculations.

[+kd7rvh]

The Geko might not be the best GPSr available, but it works great when you want to do the fake cellphone bit when muggles are around.

[+SBPhishy]

Yup, I've held my MeriGold to my ear before. I pretend it's one of those "portable" phones, from back in the 80s.

[+ifconfig]

Here's my story:

 

I started out with the Garmin Etrex basic yellow unit. Excellent. Used it to find almost 70 caches. Coupled with a Handspring PDA and cachemate, I went completely paperless and 'It Was Good.' I definitely recommend a GPSr with the ability to interface with a PC is the lesson I learned quickly.

 

Being the (overly-)studious person I am, I get ready for each caching trip by checking the location using USAPhotomaps (wonderful software by the way, and cheap!). Since I live in south Florida, there aren't going to be ravines and the like to cross so I'm all set in that regard. I decided not to get a mapping GPSr like the Legend et al because I did not see the need for one. My PDA has all the necessary maps backed up by Delorme SA 2004, and MS Mappoint online and on my computer. I definitely do not need a compass as I've owned compasses forever and prefer them. I most definitely do not need an altimeter. All this effectively kills off the high-end GPSr's.

 

However, I still yearned for a unit with WAAS. I looked around and found the Geko 201 which is just beautiful to use, weighs next to nothing, and has the PC interface feature I want. In my opinion, the 201 is the very best caching GPSr apart from the GPSMap 60c but who wants to spend $380 on a GPSr? If I had the disposable funds (what's that???), I may get the 60c (not the cs, don't need the compass and altimeter once again) but until that very unlikely day, the 201 is hands-down the winner. My basic yellow is now used by my wife on those rare days she comes caching with me.

[+greengecko]

My vote... my name says it all!

[+GeoRetep]

I also have a Geko 201 and have been very satisfied with it. Since I have found geocaching to be so much fun, I wondered how I could involve my sixth grade class. I went to our PTA and requested two more Geko 201's, and we got them! I feel like the connectivity factor of the 201 compared to the 101 is a real benefit. The 301 has the electronic compass which is the only feature I would also like. I haven't felt at a disadvantage yet because of the lack of mapping features (maybe I will in the future )

 

I have a question about the satellite page. When I use WAAS, sometimes when I am receiving a "D" signal, the readout says "DIFF: 21 feet" or whatever distance. What does this mean? Is it similar to the accuracy readout?

 

Anyway - The Geko 201 does the job for me, and also for 25 12 year olds (talk about durability and ease of use!)

[+Fritz_Monroe]

The Gecko is a nice basic unit. Very compact and easy to use. If you  want the Gecko, go with the 201, rather than the 101, because you have the option of hooking it up to your PC. The 101 does not have a data port.  After entering coordinates in by hand, you'll soon long for the ability to download hundreds of waypoints with a few clicks of the mouse. The 201 gives you that option.

 

But for a little more than you spend for a 201, you can get a eTrex Legend, which is a full featured mapping GPS. A very nice unit for the money and you can often find it for as little as $160.

I would have to agree. Unless size is the deciding factor. Also the screen quality on the Etrex series is a big improvement over the Gecko line.

A friend of mine bought the 201 strictly for the color. And no, I'm not joking.

[+GeckoGeek]

I have a question about the satellite page. When I use WAAS, sometimes when I am receiving a "D" signal, the readout says "DIFF: 21 feet" or whatever distance. What does this mean? Is it similar to the accuracy readout?

The "D" means the unit is getting a differential signal from the satellite. "DIFF" means that the unit is operating in "differential" mode. Both of these have to do with WAAS.

 

Supposedly it will get you greater accuracy, but some people dispute that. In my limited experience, it does seem to "move around" a bit more then the non-corrected signal.