Off To The States Should I Buy A New Gpsr There?

[+Rosie & Co]

I’m seriously considering updating my trusty Garmin GPS 12 with the latest more expensive GPS. However having read various comments from fellow geocachers, I’m now unsure what to buy, particularly as some stress the importance of good mapping software such as City Select which is not cheap and may take things over my budget of £450!

Just how important is such software for Geocaching? Others suggest rather than the GPS MAP60CS that I was considering, I should now think about the new Garmin Quest, it just goes on and on!

Let’s cut to the chase, I’m off to Arizona on business in a weeks time, hopefully will look up a few caches there between meetings, my question is should I consider buying something out there, which may be $s for £s and if so what, or am I better off leaving it till I return ?

[+stu_and_sarah]

Bear in mind that your basemap will be wrong if you buy one over there. Not often a problem, but I know a couple of times I've wanted to look somewhere up which wasn't on my current set of downloaded maps, so I had to rely on it.

 

Just a thought.

 

We're very happy with the 60CS, barring a slight physical problem with it which Garmin have sorted out toot-sweet. (Great after-sales service there, Garmin!)

 

Cheers,

 

Stu

[+welch]

Somewhere around these forums theres a thread about the quest. apperently the quest may have a sealed rechargeable battery . Not the best thing for a device you may be BFE somewhere when the batteries quit. (also the descrption didn't seem to say if you can change the orentation.

[SlytherinAlex]

Let’s cut to the chase, I’m off to Arizona on business in a weeks time, hopefully will look up a few caches there between meetings, my question is should I consider buying something out there, which may be $s for £s and if so what, or am I better off leaving it till I return ?

Buy a Magellan and you don't have the same problems with having the wrong basemap, as they are changable on the Magellan.

[JackiePenn]

Let’s cut to the chase, I’m off to Arizona on business in a weeks time, hopefully will look up a few caches there  between meetings, my question is should I consider buying something out there, which may be $s for £s and if so what, or am I better off leaving it till I return ?

Buy a Magellan and you don't have the same problems with having the wrong basemap, as they are changable on the Magellan.

I agree with the Magellan choice, at least with the Meridian range. All basemaps are freely downloadable from peer2peer networks such as edonkey or you can pay a Magellan service dept to do it for you at a price.

My meridian plat was a U.S import and it is a simple point and click effort to replace the built in basemap to the european. The euro base map combined with the Mapsend Euro Streets detailed map of the UK is a very good combination.

 

Plus buying the unit or directly importing from the States works out much cheaper than buying in the UK even if you have to pay the import Duty and Tax.

[+S&G.Davison]

I have two Garmin V's one is a USA base map and the other is a Euro basemap - I cross register the mapsouce on both so when Sue and I travel we each can have a GPS with full mapping .... it was the cheapest way to but USA maps

 

It was like X gbp to buy the USA maps in Europe for my Euro Garmin V and X+ 20 GBP to buy a Brand new Garmin V with USA maps and cross regiser them both ...... err duh...

[+The Hokesters]

Let’s cut to the chase, I’m off to Arizona on business in a weeks time, hopefully will look up a few caches there  between meetings, my question is should I consider buying something out there, which may be $s for £s and if so what, or am I better off leaving it till I return ?

We were in Arizona in February but this was unfortunately before we discovered the "Joy of GCX"

 

If you have the time you must visit Sedona and the surrounding environs which has many a cache. Places to visit of particular note are Chapel of the Holy Cross and Devil's Bridge in the National Park.

 

My Garmin Geko 301 was shipped in from the US at a fraction of the UK price so I am pretty sure that you will get a better deal stateside.

 

Have fun

 

The Hokesters...

 

[EDIT - GPSr comment]

Edited August 2, 2004 by The Hokesters

[+DomHeknows]

my sportrak map was under £100 when i purchased it in the states. I was a bit nervous when it lost the basemap after 2 months, but the UK site still repaired it under warrenty, but then it IS a GLOBAL positioning system - and I got a uk basemap as a bonus! Problem is, i'll be moving back to the states soon and will have to find a us basemap again!

[DeputyDawg]

Hi there,

Got my MeriPlat at half price from the US...roughly £150...and subsequently downloaded/changed US base map from a magellanmeridian users group on yahoo to the Euro one for ziltch. Am really pleased now, but was sceptical at the start....it's relativley easy 2 do, nonetheless.

The Meriplat is a bit on the large side but I really like the this piece of kit as it's easier to see, as a result, when driving...and a good compromise overall. I just sit it in a drinks holder on the dash..saves on custom mobile mounts, and works as well, then just lift it out for caching!

Best of Luck, DD