+The Cache Raiders Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 Hi i am new to geocaching and was just wondering which gps works the best for this. I have been looking at etreks but am not sure which one is the best. Please reply soon! ~Snake Eyes~ Drive It Like Ya Stole It! Zoom Zooom Zoooom!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 Want the best? Get the GPS V Deluxe The best eTrex (and what I'd use if I din't have the V) is the Vista. Want the minimum? Get the venture. Any new GPS will work fine for geocaching these days. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+Chichikov Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I have an etrex Legend and think it's great for geocaching. You could go cheaper than this or spend hundreds more and be happy either way. If all you want to use it for is finding caches, there's no need to spend tons of money. Personally, I'm a geo geek and it's mapping software that floats my boat. The next GPSr I buy will be the one that best accomodates my desire to load it up with maps. Quote Link to comment
The_Brownies Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I have seen the etrek's, but the new Magellan Sportrak honestly has more bang for the buck. I opted for the Meridian Gold because of the neat features it has such as a magnetic compass that points the way to the cache, and the expandable memory, which is good for storing detailed street maps. You could also get a standard yellow Etrex or a magellan 310, 315 for $90-$100. It all depends on what you want a gps to do. P.S. I ran into an Etrex legend user who saw all the things I could do with my Meridian, and from the expression on his face, I think he wished he would have got the Meridian. What is funny is that he originally bought the Meridian and sent it back because he was too intimidated by it which made me think did he even read the manaul that came with the darn thing? Quote Link to comment
Minkling Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I have the Sportrak Pro and love it. The Garmin V looks nice if you also want turn by turn in your car. All that I have read says that the Sportrak line gets better reception in the woods than the eTrex line. If you want one with more memory then look at the Meridan line. SD cards are getting cheaper. Just my two cents. Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 My only complaint is I should have gotten the Pro model for the extra memory. I believe the Map and Pro models are identical save the amount of memory they have. Most people will say all GPS units, in it's basic form, are the same. But many have said the type of antenna--patch v quad--matters. Quad seem to be better. WAAS: depending on the part of the country you are, WAAS can be a great help--it cuts down on your error. WAAS seems to be better in the SE and SW. Most people in the north can't get it. The rest is just bells and whistles. Safety note: The Back Track feature has gotten me out of trouble more than once as I'm forever forgetting to mark the truck! Basically, I'm happy with my SporTrak. CR Quote Link to comment
+Smitherington Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I have a Garmin Emap with mapping capabilities. I love it. If I was to buy another one I would want the Garmin Map76S. That adds WAAS, barometric alitmeter, and magnetic compass. Plus it has 24 meg memory. I would not buy one without mapping capabilities. Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 The best of the eTrex series is of course the Vista, which has the most map memory of the line, magnetic compass, and barometric altimeter. As for the best for geocaching, any modern 12 channel receiver works great. I currently have both eTrex and sportrak receivers and prefer the eTrex overall, but they're both great units. Bang for the buck wise, Magellan has been offering some packages lately through Sams club, outpost.com, and costco that are pretty hard to beat. For what it's worth Jeff Quote Link to comment
arod642 Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 Thanks for all the info!! Quote Link to comment
+The Cache Raiders Posted January 11, 2003 Author Share Posted January 11, 2003 yeah thanks for all of the info!!!!!!!!!! Drive It Like Ya Stole It! Zoom Zooom Zoooom!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment
+SherwoodForest Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I've used the good ol' yellow for my first year of GPS'n and Geocaching, but looking at the literature and seeing all that the SporTraks could do, well... I fell in love with the SporTrak. Just picked up a SporTrak Pro today, and started playing with all the stuff it can do... *kewl* Now, just need to get the Topo software so I can upload the TopoMaps into it(the real big reason I wanted the SporTrak). So, tomorrow, I'm going to go out and play with the new GPS, and use it to scout some cache locations... Cache well, and see ya round the bend... Quote Link to comment
+dogdoins Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I have a GPSr that I made out of an electric guitar and potato salad. It's awful!! And cumbersome. "Note to self" on that one. My other is the Garmin yellow. Fine for me 'cause all I use it for is geocaching. It was also the most inexpensive. Or the least expensive. Cheapest? Have fun out there! DD [This message was edited by dogdoins on January 11, 2003 at 10:16 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+sygyzy Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Can anyone post pictures and thoughts on size/weight comparisons between the sportrak, meridian, and etrex? I know I can look up the numbers but sometimes a mini review and pictures are easier to grasp. Peace! Sygyzy Quote Link to comment
Jayy Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 somebody give me a rating of this device will it work well for cache-hunting? Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Jayy:somebody give me a rating of this device will it work well for cache-hunting? Darn, tootin'! It was only after extensive research and queries that I choose the SporTrak. Under cover sensitivity, ease of use, WAAS, Back Track, waterproof and floats, and auto averaging lead to my decision. Not to mention the price I paid for it. The downsides are a little more of a learning curve to get used to the averaging and the "rebound effect," doesn't have as nice a screen and is larger than the eTrex series. But I asked myself, "do I want pretty or performance?" That settled it. CR Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Joe's site HERE. Review of the SporTrak Pro HERE. One of the pages that convinced me HERE. Hope this helps! CR Quote Link to comment
+nathanstl Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 Originally posted by The_Brownies:the Meridian Gold because of the neat features it has such as a magnetic compass that points the way to the cache,QUOTE] Is this the only model that does this? Does the Sportrak Pro do this? How about the Etrex Legend? I'm split on the two, but this seems like a very useful function that I thought all gps units would have. Quote Link to comment
+Fatboy Slim & Rainey Belle Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 and love it. It doesn't have the built in compass, but I get dirction with a step or two. It has enough memory to load 3 Texas counties worth of Mapsend Topo into it. And like others, tracks my path as I move. The one thing I haven't figured out how to do, and would love some advise on is way point projection with this unit. 'A good traveler has no specific destination, and isn't intent on arriving.'-take pleasure in the journey Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Fatboy Slim & Rainey Belle:and would love some advise on is _way point projection_ with this unit. I don't have my unit on me, so try this, but it might not work: Go to you Data page--the one with the coordinates listed, the time and date, the EPE or WAAS display. Hit MENU button and there should be a selection for projecting a waypoint. You shouldn't have a problem from there. Remember, that was off the top of my head, but I do know you have to be in one certain screen for it to come up with the MENU button. Now, if you're looking to project a waypoint less than .1 mile, it's a PIA unless you have v4.03 firmware. Hope this helps! CR Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 quote:Originally posted by The_Brownies:the Meridian Gold because of the neat features it has such as a magnetic compass that points the way to the cache,QUOTE] The meridian Gold doesn't have a magnetic compass. The Meridian platinum does howevers, as does the eTrex vista, or Garmin 76S. The other units by both garmin and Magellan have something that resembles a compass, but it uses movement as computed by the GPS to determine direction. If you aren't moving, it doesn't work. Jeff Quote Link to comment
+Fatboy Slim & Rainey Belle Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 quote: Hope this helps! CR That works, thanks. Just had to start from the correct screen. 'A good traveler has no specific destination, and isn't intent on arriving.'-take pleasure in the journey Quote Link to comment
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