+dasentity Posted June 15, 2003 Share Posted June 15, 2003 Have been looking around for a GPS unit to start what looks to be a brilliant hobby. But what am I looking for? I havent got a clue what would be a good starting unit? So if you know of a good unit or a good retailer would be grateful for the information. Thank you in advance Quote Link to comment
Peave & Doh Posted June 15, 2003 Share Posted June 15, 2003 Try using eBay to find your first unit. What's funny about it is that most of the units are brand new. The eTrex Legend can be found for about $180 if you are feeling lucky ;-) Doh Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 Depends on what you plan on using it for. A basic model (e.g. Garmin's yellow eTrex and Gecko, or Magellan 315) just has an arrow that points you where you want to go and shows how far away it is. They're fine for geocaching. Higher end units (e.g.Garmin eTrex Legend, Vista, Map76S, Magellan Meridians and Sportrak Pro) have mapping capability. You can download maps to your unit and display them on your screen. There are topo maps, road maps, etc... available. Mapping is a very useful feature and if you have the extra dough, make sure you get a unit with mapping capability. They come with "base maps" which aren't very detailed, but you can purchase much better maps from the manufacturers. I use Garmin's Mapsource Topo. Many people like Garmin's Metroguide, or Roads and Recreation software. Then there are units like the Garmin GPS V which can autoroute. Meaning you plug in the coordinates of your destination and it will give you turn by turn directions. The major players are Garmin and Magellan. You'll find people who swear by Garmin and swear at Magellan and vice-versa. In reality, both brands have their advantages and disadvantages. I use a Garmin Vista and like it a lot. I find it's compact size to be an advantage, as I can just carry it around in my pocket. A really good deal can be had at Amazon.com. You can get the eTrex Legend, which is a mapping GPS for $149 after rebate. "Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois" Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 Ask yourself these questions. 1) Do I want just the 'basics'? 2) Do I want maps on my GPS? 3) Do I want my GPS to route me from where I'm at to where I'd like to go and give me directions? This will narrow down the field quickly. ===================== Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
lunawire Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 All, I'm interested in buying a GPS as well. The 'boss' doesn't want me to do this so I need to do it on the cheap. I'm ideally looking for a GPS that can act as a handheld, or be attached to a laptop for use in a car. Is there a recommended model for this scenario? I am not afraid to sell it if I need something fancier later. Thanks! Jason Quote Link to comment
altie&vertigo Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 If you want something that will be multi-functional, then I'd go for a low-cost PDA with a GPS Compact Flash Card. I have a Dell Axim (which right now the Basic edition is selling for only $199) and I bought an i.Trek CF GPS card from Semsons for $130. I know $330 isn't as low as the plain-jane handheld GPS models, but at least you can use the PDA for a million other things, the CF Card can be attached to an adapter and used in your laptop AND you get step by step directions when used in conjunction with Mapopolis, or a similar program. I already had my Advanced Axim before I heard of geocaching, now I'm hooked! I also love the fact that I can use the combo to get audio driving directions that will automatically re-calculate when I miss a turn... A stand-alone GPS unit won't do that at the entry level. You have to spend a bit of cash to get that functionality. Just my .02! It always easier to justify to the "boss" when it's multi-functional! Believe me, I've already been there! Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 The PDA solution works great, just be carefull you don't drop it in the drink... "Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." Quote Link to comment
lunawire Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 I am currently carrying a Palm Zire 71. I haven't seen a GPS for it yet and am not really interested in going back to the PocketPC OS. Is there one out there that will do WAAS and also work with a PC? Alternatively, does an entry-level unit such as the Garmin eTrex work as a generic NMEA device when attached to a PC via Serial Cable? Thanks again everyone! jason Quote Link to comment
+evergreenhiker! Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 Garmin Vista via Amazon.com is a great buy! I got mine for 270 and shipping was free. I bought mapping software as the internal maps wasn't very accurate. It's a godsend...especially in areas I'm not familiar with. you can zoom the map and see what roads you need to take or more importantly...which side of hte river is the cache on! Might save you a lot of grief. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 quote: I'm interested in buying a GPS as well. The 'boss' doesn't want me to do this so I need to do it on the cheap. I'm ideally looking for a GPS that can act as a handheld, or be attached to a laptop for use in a car. Is there a recommended model for this scenario? I am not afraid to sell it if I need something fancier later. The Yellow eTrex and Gecko 201 are pretty inexpensive and are PC compatable. But the data cable is a $30-$40 add on. For about the same price as one of those units + data cable, you can get the eTrex Legend at Amazon.com for $149 after rebate. The Legend comes with a data cable as standard and is a full featured GPS with mapping capability. "Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois" Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 I'm in agreement on the Legend. Right now it's about the best bang for the buck going in the GPS world. ===================== Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
GeoPernas Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight:I'm in agreement on the Legend. Right now it's about the best bang for the buck going in the GPS world. I think that depends on how much you can get a Garmin GPS V for. I now think I was extremely lucky and got mine off Amazon.com for $375 before rebate! Now it's up to $460, in which case I would have bought a Legend instead and bought the software seperately. Quote Link to comment
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