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Want To Buy A Gps.... Help


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You'll have to be a bit more specific. Is it only going to be used for gc'ing? Do you want it to have base maps? Do you want it to have advanced mapping features? Do you want an electronic compass? Autorouting? Color screen? What price range (that's a major factor)?

 

Thorin

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well last weekend on the 24th me and GRTSCT got together and went caching. my gpsr (magellan sportrak map) is the only one i have ever used so we swapped for a little while his is a garmin etrex legend so both were in the same price range.

it was a really bad day for sat. signals 3 to 4 sats max we walked a trail that was fairly high tree cover the garmin did not lock on not one time my sportrak stay locked 95% of the time.The 25th we had great signals(i had 11 at one time) my sportrak did not lose a signal even in the glovebox of my car.On one trail were the garmin stayed locked most of the time it seemed to process the info a little quicker. For example while we were walking the garmin stayed about 0.01 miles ahead of the magellan then when we stoped the magellan would catch up in a few seconds but what good is that if it won't stay locked on the sats?

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I should be a little more spacific but I didn't want to bore everyone. I am not new to this having a Navman/ipaq myself, but it is a little pricy. I wanted to purchase a less expensive more entry level GPS Unit for someone just getting started. I don't need all the bells and whistles but I don't want a cheepO piece of junk eighter. A good solid machine that has a solid reputation. A few bells and whistles are nice! :rolleyes: Just need input from you guys, and gals that know from experience your units..........again thanks

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IMHO the Geko 201 is a great little GPSr. It's got a simple interface, great battery life, it'll do a track log and trackback for you, it's got plenty of storage for WP and tracks (as far as gc'ing is concerned), and it's got a data port so you can transfer WPs to/from it and upgrade the firmware. It's only downside is it doesn't come with a datacable but you can find them for $8 or make one out of a Credit Card and an old serial cable.

 

Thorin

Edited by thorin
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I should be a little more spacific but I didn't want to bore everyone. I am not new to this having a Navman/ipaq myself, but it is a little pricy. I wanted to purchase a less expensive more entry level GPS Unit for someone just getting started. I don't need all the bells and whistles but I don't want a cheepO piece of junk eighter. A good solid machine that has a solid reputation. A few bells and whistles are nice! :rolleyes: Just need input from you guys, and gals that know from experience your units..........again thanks

Still isn't too specific.

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Fairly entry level but still having some bells and whistles are:

 

The Garmin Legend

and

The Magellan Sport Track Map (Topo?)

 

Both have some map memory but not a lot. They are relativly inexpensive.

 

The Geckos gets good reviews from their owners, but go with a 201 or up as you can connect a computer cable to it. Don't get anything that doesn't come with or let you attach a computer cable.

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AS RK mentioned the Garmin Legand or Sport track map. Check the Garmin and Magellan web site for any rebates that might be going current. I was in an REI with a freind that was buying a sport track map, the people at REI did not now there was a rebated offered.

 

Quick edit- Recently costco had a sport track map with TOPO software for $200.00 and then there was a $50.00. Thats one of the best deals I have seen, I ended up buying one for a back up.

Edited by JohnnyVegas
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IMHO the Geko 201 is a great little GPSr. It's got a simple interface, great battery life, it'll do a track log and trackback for you, it's got plenty of storage for WP and tracks (as far as gc'ing is concerned), and it's got a data port so you can transfer WPs to/from it and upgrade the firmware. It's only downside is it doesn't come with a datacable but you can find them for $8 or make one out of a Credit Card and an old serial cable.

 

I just bought the Garmin® Foretrex™ 101 at Bass Pro Shops/Outdoor World in Orlando for $129.99. It has the same features as the Geko 201 but it is designed to be worn on the wrist (like a watch) and is thus very compact. The Foretrex 201 is the same device but it runs on a lithium battery while the 101 runs on two AAA batteries (I bought Rayovac's I-C<sup>3</sup> NiMH batteries with the charger which charges them in 15 minutes). I also bought a handlebar mount for it to mount it on my Yamaha Vino 125 scooter and the data cable to transfer waypoints and tracks back and forth. I've been very happy with it. I also use st2gpx with MS Streets & Trips to plot out directions to use as Trackback tracks on the Foretrex to help me get to where I need to go.

Edited by swbuehler
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Quick edit- Recently costco had a sport track map with TOPO software for $200.00 and then there was a $50.00. Thats one of the best deals I have seen, I ended up buying one for a back up.

I picked one up also. $150 ain't bad for both a GPSr and the topo software. This will tide me over until I figure out what I really want.

 

The major drawback to the ST Map is the memory. A 2mb basemap and 6mb of free memory will most certainly guarantee frequent downloads. As is, I can barely squeeze in the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound. I'd need about 22mb in order to load the entire state of Washington.

 

tm

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I'm fairly new at this and don't have much experience with GPSr's, but I recently got a Lowrance iFinder H2O and the thing that I really like is that it uses removable memory cards for its maps, allowing you virtually unlimited memory capacity.

 

The MapCreate6 software (optional) is also awesome. You can build custom maps by dragging your cursor around areas on a map on your PC and hitting a "Generate Map" button which builds a custom data file containing just the areas you've selected. Put the file on the memory card, put the memory card in your GPSr, and you're good to go! The MapCreate6 software also allows you to easily build a "corridor" map along a travel route. So, for example, I could easily outline my local area, then a "corridor" along hundreds of miles of highway, then my destination area (all with just a few mouse clicks), and fit that custom map data on a memory card easily. Very flexible!

 

I went with Lowrance because I've got a Lowrance unit for my boat, and I wanted to stick with the same brand, but now that I've got it I really like it.

 

Jeff Carey

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I am new to Geocaching ,( only found a few) , I have a Garmin Gps72 which is a very basic unit, but it has worked well the times that I have used it. I use Delorme street altas on a laptop for my maps. the 72 will connect to pc via a serial port and track on map. I just wedge the gps between the dash and windshield for use in veh.

 

If you already have a laptop, its all you need. The 72 has no maps, but it only cost $160 almost anywhere (even Walmart) . You can make your own interface cables by getting the connectors at pfranc.com. the garmin uses a standard rs232 interface so the interface cables are are just wires. I used old mouse cables for the wires. I had db9 female connector, but you can get db9 conn and cig lighter plugs from radio shack.

 

I understand the gps76 has basemaps and ext antenna connections, but more money. .check these out if you want a low end gps. I am very satisfied with the quality of Garmin.

 

I have a friend Who is a Supervisor wth Florida Fish and Game They use the 72 for fixes when writing citations.

 

I hope this was of some help.

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I'm fairly new at this and don't have much experience with GPSr's, but I recently got a Lowrance iFinder H2O and the thing that I really like is that it uses removable memory cards for its maps, allowing you virtually unlimited memory capacity.

 

The MapCreate6 software (optional) is also awesome.  You can build custom maps by dragging your cursor around areas on a map on your PC and hitting a "Generate Map" button which builds a custom data file containing just the areas you've selected.  Put the file on the memory card, put the memory card in your GPSr, and you're good to go!  The MapCreate6 software also allows you to easily build a "corridor" map along a travel route.  So, for example, I could easily outline my local area, then a "corridor" along hundreds of miles of highway, then my destination area (all with just a few mouse clicks), and fit that custom map data on a memory card easily.  Very flexible!

 

I went with Lowrance because I've got a Lowrance unit for my boat, and I wanted to stick with the same brand, but now that I've got it I really like it.

 

Jeff Carey

I also have an iFinder, the basic model, plus the MapCreate 6 software.

I've used it nearly 2 months. Having used a Magellan 2000 XL previously I was familiar with the general GPS procedures. The iFinder seems to be adequate in every respect for my needs. Their manuals are ample and any questions I've directed to Lowrance via e-mail have been answered promptly within a couple of days. I'm still exploring all its options of course but what I've found so far lead me to believe I made the correct choice.

You can really learn a lot more about this unit and the other Lowrance products by visiting their web site. www.lowrance.com. I'd suggest doing that with any GPS product before making a purchase. Lowrance has provided a superb web site for this purpose.

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I have a SporTrak Pro which I assume works similar to all the SporTrak line. The only issue I have with this unit is that as you approach a cache it doesn't quite keep up if you are moving fast. By this I mean that if you are walking at a normal pace it will let you pass the cache location before it realizes you are there. You have to turn around a slowly work your way back. If you walk slowly when you get close and stop every once in a while it is extremely accurate. The fact is that all Garmins and Magellans are quite accurate once you learn how to use them. I cannot say anything about other brands because I have not experience with them. :(

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