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Which Gps ?


gpsjester

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if money was no object, go for the Legend. 1000 waypoints compared to 500, 20 routes to yellow's 1, background mapping, WAAS capable. As far as I can see, the only disadvantage is 18 hours battery life compared to the basic's 22.

 

you can view the comparison chart on garmin.com

 

I think the legend also has the trip computer page, which I think would be useful.

 

of course, if money is really no object, then it's got to be the garmin gpsmap60cs! :P

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If money is really no object, I would go for a Vista. Shortly after buying the legend, I sort-of wished we'd spent the extra cash at the time for the extra memory and compass. Mainly the memory.

 

Of course, it's all academic now we have our lovely 60CS.

 

But anyway... to your original question... the Legend will give you a much richer experience than the basic eTrex. It's easier to type numbers with the clickstick than the limited buttons of the yellow. The resolution is better, so skyview, maps and all are easier to follow.

 

Definitely the Legend out of those two.

 

(We've owned yellow, legend and 60CS)

 

Cheers,

 

Stu

Edited by stu_and_sarah
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We initially bought the etrex yellow, as we didn`t know if we we`re going to be interested in the hobby.

 

So not wanting to spend that much money at the start we opted for the Yellow. It does like is says on the tin. Good Basic GPSr.

 

After that Tigger got a Garmin 60C, as we were having arguments over who held the GPSr (The usually "How far now","which direction now" was said as I followed). So we both could wandering around independently and get lost.

 

Having not had enough money to buy another 60C, I opted for the Vista, which has more internal map memory than the Legend, and can upload maps of areas you are going to and has a compass.

 

Although we use the Yellow now in the car to send out data to the PDA & Tom Tom.

 

So probably a good midddle one to opt for would be the Legend, but you`ll probably buy a 60CS in about 6 months, if you start getting into the hobby that much.

 

Hope this has been of some help.

 

Pengy

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I've been using a Legend since I started caching more that two years ago. It's never let me down nor has it ever had to be returned to Garmin's Service Dept. Together we've found more than 800 caches. It could do with a bit more memory but if you can get hold of a copy of MapSource Roads and Recreation, it's not too much of a problem. I have no plans to upgrade to anything more expensive in the foreseeable future as the Legend does everything I need. It's a great little caching tool :P

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You can pick up the basic B&W Vista for around £240 these days, I think it's great.

I was going to buy the legend but was let down by the supply chain i :P n the end I picked up a Legend C for £219 from globalpositioningsystems.co.uk. Love it. :P So glad that there were stock problems.

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I had a yellow Etrex and then went to a Legend. Personally I think the Legend is far better, as it has more options, a better display, more memory, basemap capability, the all important thumbstick and best of all, there isn't a big price difference.

 

I'd go for the Legend every time. But if cost is a factor and you're not after the extra stuff, then the Etrex does exactly the same thing.

 

Hope this helps, let me know if you need anything more specific about the two.

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We went up the upgrade chain too, Yellow, Legend, Vista and now a Vista C.

 

The extra memory for map data and the hi-res screen are the major advantages the others have over the basic yellow unit. Once you've loaded map data into them, street level stuff, you'll be glad you plumped for the more expensive job.

 

One note of caution for those thinking of going for one of the latest Legend Colour / Vista Colour...

 

To be able to use the much vaunted autorouting features of these units, you have to install map data from either "City Select" or "City Navigator" data discs. These are V. expensive and each data disc comes with 2 unlocks to use with specified GPS units.

 

Fine if you have a spare unlock available (we had one available from the CN software that was included with our StreetPilot 3). Other Garmin Mapsource products will give you hi-res maps okay but no autorouting.

Edited by Sue & Bernie
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Am I the only person with a summit?

 

Got the lowest one that I could find with an electronic compass, more waypoints and routes than the 'yellow'. Didn't get it for the altimeter, never realy used it after the first week of novelty value.

Edited by kbootb
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At the budget end, expansys still have the etrex camo for £70 + £5 shipping http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=90265421

Dreadful colour, but it is essentially the yellow for less money and with added hunting & fishing calculator ( whooopeee ), and more tracklog points ( IIRC ).

 

The Legend C is also an awesome bit of kit. I prefer a mechanical compass and as that & the barometer are the only differences between the it and the Vista C it was the obvious choice at that price range.

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I am certainly no expert, but one model not mentioned so far is mine, an Etrex Venture.

I paid £72 on e bay for it, it has the joystick and has done me OK so far except once when I let the batteries run down too far!

Whatever is chosen, I personally only do a few a day (so far never more than 2!) so keying in waypoints is no big deal for me. If I was going to do a dozen or more in a day, then i would probably work out how to download them etc.

I went for the venture over the "yellow" because of WAAS, but still don't really understand what WAAS is!

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I have an Legend (basic B&W), and I wish I'd forked out a bit more for a colour Vista, because it isn't really up to doing anything with the maps. It's just not easy enough to view it properly, especially if you're driving. Plus the 8MB isn't enough to load a decent portion of the country anyway! I guess you might say the legend is a nice try at an intermediate GPS!

 

So, in my opinion... If you are ONLY ever going to be interested in Geocaching, get a Yellow. If you think you might want more (i.e. In car navigation), blow the budget and buy a Vista Colour (and do make sure it's colour!) My co-worker bought the Vista Colour, and I had a lot of trouble not going green!

 

Cheers

Richard

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I bought a Garmin GPS2+ and it has been a very rugged piece of kit. Mapping GPS units were very rare back then and not up to much. I had several handheld computers that I have been able to connect the GPS to including Psions, HP Jornadas, Palms, Handspring. With the exception of the Jornada, all of them have had mapping software installed, so I have never had a need for mapping on a GPS.

 

I bought an eTrex Camo, don’t you just love the colour? So much better than that awful yellow, higher spec and all for less money! I always end up pressing the wrong buttons and unlike the GPS2+ you can only go around the menu in one direction.

 

Both GPS units can only be connected to by serial (or USB/serial convertors) to PCs/Macs. I have old PCs laying around with serial ports and USB/serial convertors are as cheap as chips these days so it shouldn’t be a problem.

 

I would have liked the Garmin 12XL. Similar to the GPS2+ but without the Toblerone profile. I even considered the Geko 301 for the compass, a feature that neither of mine has got, but I was put off by the AAA battery requirement. Batteries in Shetland are stupidly priced. I have never liked NimH batteries because of the way the power drops off, but needs must and I have bought 8 x AA and 8 x AAA from eBay as well as a charger.

 

I went into Dixons when the first Bluetooth iPaq appeared on the market and it was being bundled with a jacket with mapping software, voice directions and 128mb (?) CF card for a mere £1,100. I was ready to hand over the money, but asked for a demo. Strange as it may seem, the MS software crashed halfway through the demo. I put the money back into my pocket and left the shop. The moral of the story for me was to get something cheap and wait a few months, getting used to the device, then buy a gadget which is not the latest on the market. In the end I realised that I did not need anything better than the GPS2+ / Camo.

 

GPS units have a strange ability to keep their prices when second hand.

 

As has been said previously, make sure that you know what you want it for. And remember that for all the extra functions, colour, compasses, altimeters etc., there will be a (battery) price to pay as well as the extra that the unit will cost.

 

Will I ever buy a 60CS? Yes probably, but I am too poor at the moment!

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I own a basic yellow. Until recently, had always input waypoints in manually (and painfully for a long route!)

 

Bought a data cable (on ebay- about £15 cheaper than in outdoor shops incidentally).

 

Thought I'd try out one or two of the free routes on trailroutes.com as an experiment.

 

The cable worked OK, but would only allow a download if the number of waypoints per route was 50 or less. Which as trailroutes put about 60 even in a 5 mile hike, is rather a disappointment.

 

Is this a particular limitation of the Etrex model meaning I'll have to upgrade?

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Yep, I'm afraid that the yellow etrex only allows one route of 50 waypoints. So even if you split the route into pieces, you can only load one at a time. I think most of the other etrex models allow 10 or more routes, with more waypoints.

Yes I forgot to say that you could only carry one route on the GPS. I always carried a sub-laptop in my rucksack and was able to upload routes etc, but my GPS2+ could handle 20 Routes with 30 waypoints. I see that LegendC and VistaC do 50/250 each :rolleyes:

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I have owned both. I still have the Legend. With the Legend, data entry is accomplished with a toggle/bush button near the top left of the screen. The data entry is much quicker.

 

With the eTrex, two buttons on the left are used for input of waypoints and words or abbriviations. If one uses the right index finger for the entry, the finger will quickly become fatigued. One button is for entry, the other is for scrolling up and down.

 

Both are fine units. Go to a vendor and ask to try each one. I can't say the Legend is necessarily worth the extra cost, but entering many waypoints at one time can be tiring.

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I am certainly no expert, but one model not mentioned so far is mine, an Etrex Venture.

I paid £72 on e bay for it, it has the joystick and has done me OK so far except once when I let the batteries run down too far!

We had a venture, lost it in the lake district, and got a Legend. It does more than we need. The venture was as good for what we use for, but isn't available new any more.

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We have a Etrex 'Yellow' and it is more than up to the job! One question about WAAS though. Everyone says it does not have it but ours does. There is an option for it and we also get the symbol on the little signal strengths when we are recieving it - is this right?

 

Any way in conclusion, we think the Yellow is perfect for caching!

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Hi.

 

I am still to purchase a gps unit, I am struggling to make up my mind between a Mapping one or not. Being new to this game.

 

I have been considering a Garmin Emap though, they seem to me to have a lot of functions and advantages over the legend and with reasonable 2nd hand prices it seems like you get a lot for your money.

 

My questions are;

 

Does anybody else use this gps? (I havnt heard it mentioned in any posts before)

Is it suitable?

Why is it now discontinued? This is what puts me off more than anything.

 

Sorry this post is is a bit off-topic. just after some advice.

 

Thanks.

 

Marty

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I went the bit extra and got an etrex vista for the mapping bit, didn't relise how much I used the maps till I accidently deleted them :laughing: Now I've got them back so happy again :laughing:

I would definately recommend the mapping capable units, the more memory the better, mine has 24Mb and can take a large chunk of the country at once so is great for in car use although I've heard the colour version is much easier to read while driving.

If you can afford it go for the mapping!!!!!

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Hi.

 

I am still to purchase a gps unit, I am struggling to make up my mind between a Mapping one or not. Being new to this game.

 

I have been considering a Garmin Emap though, they seem to me to have a lot of functions and advantages over the legend and with reasonable 2nd hand prices it seems like you get a lot for your money.

 

I have had both a legend and an emap. The legend is far superior to the emap in most ways. The screen resolution of the emap is very low compared to the legend. The one advantage of the emap that I could see is the use of data cartridges, where the legend has internal (nonupgradeable) memory. Although saying that the cartridges cost an arm and a leg and a kidney ...........etc.

My choice (as it was) would be to pay the little extra and go for the legend.

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Hi.

 

I am still to purchase a gps unit, I am struggling to make up my mind between a Mapping one or not. Being new to this game.

 

I have been considering a Garmin Emap though, they seem to me to have a lot of functions and advantages over the legend and with reasonable 2nd hand prices it seems like you get a lot for your money.

 

My questions are;

 

Does anybody else use this gps? (I havnt heard it mentioned in any posts before)

Is it suitable?

Why is it now discontinued? This is what puts me off more than anything.

 

Sorry this post is is a bit off-topic. just after some advice.

 

Thanks.

 

Marty

I use an eMap and so do Ann and Brian (850+ caches). I really like it. I don't know the Legend well but I also use a little yellow eTrex and I find the buttons much much faster for data entry on the eMap.

 

One of my reasons for buying the eMap was the ability to use an external aerial, though I've never used one!!!

 

It's not waterproof though, I've seen condensation inside my screen but it doesn't seem to have done any harm. It's pretty frugal on batteries. I also has a strange yellow rubber case which protects it from bumps and bashes.

 

If you can get an eMap cheap I'd say go for it!

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I have a TomTomGo to get me to the vicinity of any cache....so don't need mapping???....would a yellow be sufficient for my needs once there????.... :P

Simple answer - YES.

 

Longer answer - are you likely to want the GPS for any thing more complex. The drawbacks of the yellow are that it doesn't hold as many waypoints as others, doesn't have as many routes, the arrow only works when you are moving i.e. it's not a compass.

 

There are other more expensive gps units that do these things.

 

However for straight forward geocaching, go yellow!

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Summary of whats been said so far.

 

Etrex Legend

If money was no object, go for the Legend. 1000 waypoints compared to 500, 20 routes to yellow's 1, background mapping, WAAS capable. As far as I can see, the only disadvantage is 18 hours battery life compared to the basic's 22.

You can view the comparison chart on garmin.com

I think the legend also has the trip computer page, which I think would be useful.

Legend will give you a much richer experience than the basic ETrex. It's easier to type numbers with the click stick than the limited buttons of the yellow. The resolution is better, so sky view, maps and all are easier to follow.

Definitely the Legend out of those two

So probably a good middle one to opt for would be the Legend, but you’ll probably buy a 60CS in about 6 months, if you start getting into the hobby that much.

I've been using a Legend since I started caching more that two years ago. It's never let me down nor has it ever had to be returned to Garmin's Service Dept. Together we've found more than 800 caches. It could do with a bit more memory but if you can get hold of a copy of Map Source Roads and Recreation, it's not too much of a problem. I have no plans to upgrade to anything more expensive in the foreseeable future as the Legend does everything I need. It's a great little caching tool

I was going to buy the legend but was let down by the supply chain I n the end I picked up a Legend C for £219 from globalpositioningsystems.co.uk. Love it. So glad that there were stock problems.

I had a yellow Etrex and then went to a Legend. Personally I think the Legend is far better, as it has more options, a better display, more memory, base map capability, the all important thumb stick and best of all, there isn't a big price difference.

I'd go for the Legend every time. But if cost is a factor and you're not after the extra stuff, then the Etrex does exactly the same thing.

The Legend C is also an awesome bit of kit. I prefer a mechanical compass and as that & the barometer are the only differences between it and the Vista C it was the obvious choice at that price range.

I have a Legend (basic B&W), and I wish I'd forked out a bit more for a colour Vista, because it isn't really up to doing anything with the maps. It's just not easy enough to view it properly, especially if you're driving. Plus the 8MB isn't enough to load a decent portion of the country anyway! I guess you might say the legend is a nice try at an intermediate GPS!

I have had both a legend and an emap. The legend is far superior to the emap in most ways. The screen resolution of the emap is very low compared to the legend. The one advantage of the emap that I could see is the use of data cartridges, where the legend has internal (non-upgradeable) memory. Although saying that the cartridges cost an arm and a leg and a kidney.

My choice (as it was) would be to pay the little extra and go for the legend

 

Garmin GPS 60cs

Of course, if money is really no object, then it's got to be the garmin gpsmap60cs!

I had a legend, and it was an amazing bit of kit. I now have a 60CS and this is awesome, and the battery life is second to none, unless of course you use the backlight all the time. Go on then push the boat out and opt for the 60!!!!

 

Vista

If money is really no object, I would go for a Vista. Shortly after buying the legend, I sort-of wished we'd spent the extra cash at the time for the extra memory and compass. Mainly the memory.

Having not had enough money to buy another 60C, I opted for the Vista, which has more internal map memory than the Legend, and can upload maps of areas you are going to and has a compass.

You can pick up the basic B&W Vista for around £240 these days, I think it's great. If you're not buying one for a while you could wait until the Outdoors Show on at the NEC in March, they'll have models to look at and salespeople there

One note of caution for those thinking of going for one of the latest Legend Colour / Vista Colour...

To be able to use the much vaunted auto routing features of these units, you have to install map data from either "City Select" or "City Navigator" data discs. These are very expensive and each data disc comes with 2 unlocks to use with specified GPS units.

Fine if you have a spare unlock available (we had one available from the CN software that was included with our Street Pilot 3). Other Garmin Map source products will give you hi-res maps okay but no auto routing.

Another note of caution for those thinking of going for one of the latest Legend Colour / Vista Colour... they USB interface with no serial output therefore no way of connecting to pda. BTW I have seen gpsmap60c(which I think does have serial output)

On the net for £322 delivered to the UK

http://www.sportextreme.com/Se_Shop/Kurv.A...11&Currency=GBP

I went the bit extra and got an etrex vista for the mapping bit, didn't realise how much I used the maps till I accidentally deleted them Now I've got them back so happy again

I would definitely recommend the mapping capable units, the more memory the better, mine has 24Mb and can take a large chunk of the country at once so is great for in car use although I've heard the colour version is much easier to read while driving.

If you can afford it go for the mapping!!!!!

 

Etrex Yellow

(We've owned yellow, legend and 60CS)

We initially bought the etrex yellow, as we didn’t know if we we’re going to be interested in the hobby.

So not wanting to spend that much money at the start we opted for the Yellow. It does like is says on the tin. Good Basic GPSr.

We use the Yellow now in the car to send out data to the PDA & Tom Tom.

I started with a Yellow etrex its more than up to the job (wish I kept it), you can pick them up for well under £100

We went up the upgrade chain too, Yellow, Legend, Vista and now a Vista C.

The extra memory for map data and the hi-res screen are the major advantages the others have over the basic yellow unit. Once you've loaded map data into them, street level stuff, you'll be glad you plumped for the more expensive job.

If you’re after a good solid workhorse that’s kind on batteries I would go for the 'yellow' etrex. I use one and find it perfectly able.

So, in my opinion... If you are ONLY ever going to be interested in Geocaching, get a Yellow. If you think you might want more (i.e. in car navigation), blow the budget and buy a Vista Colour (and do make sure it's colour!) My co-worker bought the Vista Colour, and I had a lot of trouble not going green

Yep, I'm afraid that the yellow etrex only allows one route of 50 waypoints. So even if you split the route into pieces, you can only load one at a time. I think most of the other etrex models allow 10 or more routes, with more waypoints

We have an Etrex 'Yellow' and it is more than up to the job! One question about WAAS though. Everyone says it does not have it but ours does. There is an option for it and we also get the symbol on the little signal strengths when we are receiving it - is this right?

Any way in conclusion, we think the Yellow is perfect for caching

Longer answer - are you likely to want the GPS for any thing more complex. The drawbacks of the yellow are that it doesn't hold as many waypoints as others, doesn't have as many routes, the arrow only works when you are moving i.e. it's not a compass.

There are other more expensive gps units that do these things.

However for straight forward geocaching, go yellow

 

Summit

Got the lowest one that I could find with an electronic compass, more waypoints and routes than the 'yellow'. Didn't get it for the altimeter, never really used it after the first week of novelty value

 

Etrex Venture

I am certainly no expert, but one model not mentioned so far is mine, an Etrex Venture.

I paid £72 on e bay for it, it has the joystick and has done me OK so far except once when I let the batteries run down too far!

Whatever is chosen, I personally only do a few a day (so far never more than 2!) so keying in waypoints is no big deal for me. If I was going to do a dozen or more in a day, then I would probably work out how to download them etc.

I went for the venture over the "yellow" because of WAAS, I am certainly no expert, but one model not mentioned so far is mine, an Etrex Venture.

I paid £72 on e bay for it, it has the joystick and has done me OK so far except once when I let the batteries run down too far!

 

Garmin GPS2+

I bought a Garmin GPS2+ and it has been a very rugged piece of kit. Mapping GPS units were very rare back then and not up to much. I had several handheld computers that I have been able to connect the GPS to including Psions, HP Jornadas, Palms, Handspring. With the exception of the Jornada, all of them have had mapping software installed, so I have never had a need for mapping on a GPS

Can only be connected to by serial (or USB/serial converters) to PCs/Macs. I have old PCs laying around with serial ports and USB/serial converters are as cheap as chips these days so it shouldn’t be a problem.

 

Etrex Camo

I bought an ETrex Camo, don’t you just love the colour? So much better than that awful yellow, higher spec and all for less money! I always end up pressing the wrong buttons and unlike the GPS2+ you can only go around the menu in one direction

Both GPS units can only be connected to by serial (or USB/serial converters) to PCs/Macs. I have old PCs laying around with serial ports and USB/serial converters are as cheap as chips these days so it shouldn’t be a problem.

 

Garmin V

I have a Garmin V, and find it excellent, it tracks caches to within 12Ft I am new to the sport and the Garmin makes it easy, I just mention to the children were somewhere near and the rest is history

 

Other Information

I would have liked the Garmin 12XL. Similar to the GPS2+ but without the Toblerone profile. I even considered the Gecko 301 for the compass, a feature that neither of mine has got, but I was put off by the AAA battery requirement. Batteries in Shetland are stupidly priced. I have never liked NimH batteries because of the way the power drops off, but needs must and I have bought 8 x AA and 8 x AAA from eBay as well as a charger.

GPS units have a strange ability to keep their prices when second hand.

As has been said previously, make sure that you know what you want it for. And remember that for all the extra functions, colour, compasses, altimeters etc., there will be a (battery) price to pay as well as the extra that the unit will cost.

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I have been caching since the end of December 04 and find that my Garmin GPS 12 is just great. Inputting way points is easy and battery life superb-24hrs + :blink: . Have used it in all sorts of out of the way places from the UK to the Deserts of South Africa/Namibia with out a hitch. For ease and reliability its the GPS of choice for me.

When navigating by road I have been using a Garmin GPS V+. The only down side to the GPS V+ is the limited memory, 19mb of down loadable maps from City Select. OK if you are staying in a certain area for a while, but not much good if you are travelling from one end of the country to the other. Its also very good off road and reasonably priced. Check out gps warehouse at www.gpsw.co.uk for some good deals.

 

Thats my 2 penny worth.

 

Steve

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Hi all....

 

I have (as mentioned before) a TTG to get me to caches....I only need a handheld for the final leg.....so don't really need mapping......

 

However...after reading this excellent thread....I have decided to go for either a legend... or one that no-one has mentioned the plain GPS60.....they are about the same price....

 

Which is the best for my needs....thanks :(:(:(:(:o

Edited by Lowlander99
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Hi all....

 

I have (as mentioned before) a TTG to get me to caches....I only need a handheld for the final leg.....so don't really need mapping......

 

However...after reading this excellent thread....I have decided to go for either a legend... or one that no-one has mentioned the plain GPS60.....they are about the same price....

 

Which is the best for my needs....thanks :rolleyes:  :(  :lol:  :lol:  :D

My post of the 17th Feb should have pointed you to just such an animal! I think they might be so new that there is not much feed back on them yet

dave

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Have taken the plunge after much agonising....have decided on GPS60....it seems better suited for Geocaching....more accurate....etc. Hope I haven't blundered....Have ordered today...... :rolleyes:

 

PS...Anyone want to buy a Magellan GPS310 with mount and Data/charge cable for reasonable £££££££.....

Edited by Lowlander99
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