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Which Gps To Buy


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i'm looking at getting my first gps unit and would like to know which on to get. i have thought about the etrex lengend and the sportrak map. which is better or is there somthing else i should consider that is in the same price range. as its my first unit i don't want to go all out. although i would like to use the maps and be able to use it in my car and in the back crountry. i live in a populated city which is why i want mapping

 

cheers!

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You might consider spending a little more to get a GPS V. The deluxe package includes MapSource City Navigator, so factor in the price of the maps that you'd have to buy to go with the Legend. So, maybe $80 - $100 more than that and you'd have an autorouting unit with 2.5X the available map memory.

 

I used to have a Legend, and don't get me wrong - it's a great unit! I loved it a lot! Still, when I got MetroGuide maps and saw how little would actually go into the Legend's 8MB, I was disappointed.

 

I ended up buying an eMap and a 128MB Data Card cartridge for long trips, and then ultimately a GPSMAP 60C. I sold the Legend and kept the eMap for backup.

 

Once you've had autorouting, you'll never go back! <_<

 

...Just my 2¢ worth

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Hey all. I am new to geocaching as well. I came to the forums to ask this exact question so figured I would hop in here. Any other opinions on the best GPS to buy under 250 bucks for a novice that plans on sticking with geocaching? As you can tell by the max price I am not looking for the high end but I don't want the bottom of the barrel either. Looking for something that I can use as a beginner but will still be able to grow into as I get more expeirence. Thanks for the help. <_<

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It depends what you want to use the GPS for. Originally I wanted to use mine for hunting and snowmobiling so I wanted a small very portable unit that would fit in my pocket. I ended up buying an etrex Legend because it was small but still included mapping. I ended up using it for Geocaching, using it for maps on trips, boating, and the above mentioned things.

 

Well I am very pleased with this unit. It is very user friendly. I was told by users before I bought a unit that the Garmins have a nicer and easier user interface. Well I had almost all the functions mastered the first couple of days of playing with it. Its like running windows but easier like a Mac.

 

I bought the Mapsource U.S. Topo maps. For my needs the topo maps gave the greatest details. I wanted to make sure my hunting 2 tracks and snowmobile trails (seasonal roads) showed up on the map. The topo maps had more of these details on them than the others. I can upload about 1/2 of the entire state of Michigan on my Legends 8 mb of memory which still leaves a basic map for the rest of the world.

 

I would say the Legend is a great choice for its price.

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At this time I own the Magellan Meridian Gold, Sport track mapand the Sport trak color as well as the Magellan Topo, Street and Direct route software. I have also used the Garmin e-treks serires, map 76, GPS 111 and V.

For the price I like the Magellan sport track map right now at costco they are 199.00 with the topo software included and you also you get a $50.00 rebate. As far as maps and how old they are, to me this is a non issue, In my area they have built one new road in the past 20 years. The Magelan topo map software includes street names the Garmin does not. The Magellan GPS will give you a trail profile the Garmin will not. I have also found mistakes in Garmin and Magellan maps, I just got Direct route to use will my Meridain gold but I have not had time to try it out much. Lets not forget that magellan included the directions for the GPS in the GPS itself so you have no need to carry the book with you.

I almost forgot, the Magellan has a better antennat than the e-treks. The Magellan maintian your position under trees better, the garmin e-treks have a patch antennas that will not work as well and the Quad antenns in the Magellan and the Larger Garmins

Edited by JohnnyVegas
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Hello all! I am also new to geocaching and I am looking to buy my first GPS receiver. Actually, technically it would be my second, as I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 201 about a week ago with the idea I would use it for both running and geocaching. Unfortunately the battery was defective (would not recharge) and I returned it for a full refund. I was able to use it once before it was inoperable and it often lost the GPS signal on a moderately wooded road... which lead me to ditch the idea of using a GPS for running as most of my routes are fairly wooded.

 

But I still want to try geocaching... :mad:

 

So I'm also trying to decide between the Garmin Etrex Legend ($159 - $30 rebate = $129 amazon) and the Magellan Sportstrak Map ($142 amazon). I've heard that the Magellan's have better antennas, but since the ONLY thing I will being using this GPS receiver for is geocaching - is heavy tree cover really that big of an issue for geocaching (like I mentioned, I'm a newbie)? Thanks for any and all help!

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I have a sportrak color that failed just after 90 days (It won't boot up). I have been trying to get a return authorization from Magellan's web sight for just over 2 weeks. I hate to think how long it will take to repair it. It held a satellite signal well when it worked. I think all Sportrak use the same antenna.

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2dux, ditch the Magellan website (which sucks) and give them a phone call. People get a much better response time with the phone support.

 

Zher0: tree cover is a factor for those caches in the woods. I recommend something with a quad helix antenna (Magellan SporTraks and Meridians, some Garmins). No reason you couldn't use it on your runs (except for size/weight considerations maybe).

 

I favor the Meridian Gold as a good value-priced GPSr with good growth potential. It takes expandable SD memory and can run the newer autorouting software.

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Mr. Vegas, where did you see that Sportrak Map for $199?  I checked costco.com and they don't even carry it (sold out?).

That's the thing with Costco: each store seems to have a slight variation, even within states. There are two in my area, but they always have different stuff on the shelves! Your best bet is to call them first.

 

For shopping, and I'm sure this is on the forum many, many times, it really depends on what you want it for. For driving and streets you'll need one thing, for lighter use, another. Figure out what you want it for first, then go shopping. I found a lot of useful stuff at http://gpsinformation.net. Reviews, info, etc.

 

Personally, I just bought the eTrex Legend. I will use it mostly for Geocaching, but will bring it on trips so I don't get lost (true story: got lost in Switzerland a few years ago at night, on foot. Sure wish I would have had a GPS!!!) The Legend seems to do all the basics really well without breaking the bank, plus it has mapping. If I really find I need more mapping abilities, I would likley get a higher-end unit witha larger display.

Edited by jujueye
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Hey all. I am new to geocaching as well. I came to the forums to ask this exact question so figured I would hop in here. Any other opinions on the best GPS to buy under 250 bucks for a novice that plans on sticking with geocaching? As you can tell by the max price I am not looking for the high end but I don't want the bottom of the barrel either. Looking for something that I can use as a beginner but will still be able to grow into as I get more expeirence. Thanks for the help. :lol:

I have been using a Garmin Geko 301 for about 6 months now and find it to be very handy. The controls are simple, it is quick and easy to add or modify coordinates, it has the electronic compass which I will never again be without, it has WAS and it is truly shirt pocket small. The window is small but very crisp. I don't care for the coin opening battery compartment however and even complained to Garmin about it wearing out and becoming difficult to open. They just blew me off and said that nobody else had complained about it. So I would recommend it as long as you aren't going to put it to heavy use and have to change batteries a lot. Topotracker :D

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