Best Gps For Geocaching

[+Marcie/Eric]

I have NEVER used a GPS in my life, nor even held one. I want to get into geocaching, and am looking for a good GPS that is better than entry level. I've read tons of amazon reviews on Garmins, and Magellans.

 

-Price range: $0-$250

-I need it strictly for geocaching and on-foot (hiking/biking/hunting) activity. No auto, marine or air use.

-I don't care about color screen

-I want decent mapping and tracking/backtracking/reroute capability

-Handheld.

-Needs to work pretty good in trees, canyons, hills, and valleys. I live in Northern California, and hike and hunt in the Sierras.

-Would like ease of use, but will sacrifice for price/customizability-- i'm an advanced tech junkie and can figure out pretty much anything.

-Needs to have PC connectivity

-Either enough, or expandable memory

 

I've read alot about the Magellan Meridian Gold, seems like a decent unit. I can find it for about $170US average. Someone stated that it has a backtracking problem. Amazon review here But I read mostly positives. Anyone have any insight, taking into consideration my above stated needs?

 

I also saw an Explorist 300, but it's expandablity seems limited from what i've read.

 

Garmin seems to offer good looking units and good looking display layout, at least from the pictures. They seem a little higher priced for MAriGOLD's comparable, but are they any better for Geocaching and general hiking and such? It seems that the comparably priced (to the MariGOLD ($155+) was the GPS 60($150+, where the GPSMAP 60 I found for about $260. Obviously it doesn't have the MAP right? So is that that much worse? It seems that I would like the map dealie, especially for my vast mountains nearby. I would rather have a decent map, than just city points or major highways. Topo would be nice, but hey. I'm just a beginner.

 

So some cachers out their with some various gps experience give me some tips on the best bang for my needs. Thank you all.

[+IVxIV]

One of the cheapest mapping (but not auto-routing) GPSr on the market is the Lowrance iFinder, cost about $150US

 

It's sturdy, works great under tree cover, has PC connectivity (via card reader), and (obviously) accepts memory cards up to 1 Gigabyte for huge mapping capability. It's builtin basemap shows basic shore/river contours etc. If you want highly detailed maps you can add MMC cartridges later, including TOPO cartridges if you need them.

 

If you want the same thing but in higher resolution & a bit more sophisticated, the iFinder PRO cost about $200US.

[+Markwell]

I've already read all the threads here...

 

ALL the threads? Holy cow. Since these forums date back to October of 2000, you've been busy.

 

I'm going to pop this over the GPS Units and Software forum. But be warned: it's kind of like asking what car to drive. But you've narrowed down the criteria quite a bit.

 

Price range: $0-$250 With Magellan, it looks like the Meridians are out of your price range, but the SporTrak series is OK. For Garmin, the 60C and 60CS are most likely too high, but the etrex Vista or GPS V should be OK (that was with looking on Amazon.com just now.

 

I want decent mapping and tracking/backtracking/reroute capability - that leaves out the basic yellow etrex in the Garmin line (as do some of your other criteria). But anything above the Legend still fits.

 

Needs to work pretty good in trees, canyons, hills, and valleys That's trickier. Look for something with a quad helix antenna. All the Magellans seem to have this, but the Garmin etrex line and Gekko lines (and the Forerunner) have internal patch antennas that do tend to lose signal under heavy cover. Nothing will help when you get deep in a canyon, though. Since you said you were limited to $250, that might rule out Garmin all together, as the top of the line etrex series (Vista) is around $250 and still uses an internal patch. That being said, lots of people find caches with a basic yellow etrex.

 

Would like ease of use, but will sacrifice for price/customizability-- i'm an advanced tech junkie and can figure out pretty much anything. Then you'll easily be able to figure out any GPS. I have yet to see one that a good tech junkie couldn't figure out in 30 minutes of fiddling with the buttons.

 

Needs to have PC connectivity You won't have a problem there. Any GPS that has mapping capability will also have the PC Cable included.

 

Either enough, or expandable memory AH - a real limiting factor. How much is enough? How many maps do you want to load? How much territory do you want to cover without having to reload maps? Meridian series uses the SD cards, so you can expand your memory to however big that card is. Closest the Garmin line comes is the 60C or 60CS, which has 56 MB of memory, but no option to increase it - but at least at Amazon.com, and they're out of that price range.

 

OffRoute.com has a really nice comparison chart of most of the GPS units on the market with side-by-side charting of their capabilities and features. You might want to start checking at that grid, and then see if others have suggestions.

[+Renegade Knight]

In Garmin only the GPS V fits the bill and price you have mentioned. Alas you would just have to live with having the ability to use it in the Auto. You would also have to get used to having at least City Select maps.

 

Oh well.

[+Marcie/Eric]

I am looking for less than $250, but will take any advise.

 

I would like to hear more about pros and cons of Meridians, since they aren't totaly out of range.

[+JohnnyVegas]

If you add in price of Mapping software it is going to be hard to stay within the $250.00 limit for the Magellan Meridian Gold, that software is going run the price up.

 

As far as a Back track problem, I have had my Meridian gold for about two years and have never had a back track problem.

 

Edit to add:

I went and read the reviews, the neg,. reviews appered to be post by people that had not read the instructions and did not know how to use the GPS On person stated the map screen does not display speed, well it does if you want it to . Regearding the back track, it sounded like he was complaining because it want him to go back the way he came (That is what a back track is)

 

The problem with anything like reviews on sites like Amazon is that you have people posting reviews that are not qualified to be doing so.

Edited March 1, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[+IVxIV]

Check The GPS Store

 

The Lowrance iFinder, PLUS the MapCreate TOPO software & package which includes a 32mb MMC card & card reader, cost $248.95, + taxes of course.

[peter]

The Meridian Gold is probably the most versatile model that meets your criteria. If you sign up for Amazon's Visa offer you can get it for just under $170 incl. shipping which should let you get an SD card and some mapping software and still stay around your $250 goal. The new MapSend 3D Topo has considerably more detailed topography than the older MapSend Topo, and also has more up-to-date and accurate street detail. If you later want to have auto-routing, the DirectRoute software would support that.

 

But I'd suggest that you at least visit a store that has some of the candidate units on display. They vary considerably in bulk and screen characteristics that are hard to appreciate based on the specs and descriptions. For example, the Meridian is quite a bit larger than models like the eTrex Legend - many people don't mind that at all, but for some it means they'd be much less likely to take the unit along on hikes and backpacking trips.

[+Alan2]

I have NEVER used a GPS in my life, nor even held one.

...-I don't care about color screen

...-I want decent mapping and tracking/backtracking/reroute capability

 

I hope I'm not seeming disrespectful, but if you never used one, or even held one, how do you know enough to say you don't care about a color screen. If you intend to do a lot of hiking in the woods, being able to diferentiate from streams, roads, contour lines, and other markings is a lot easier in color. I've been using a Vista for years with its two tone display. I can't tell you how often I've confused these lines.

[Hoary]

Check The GPS Store

 

The Lowrance iFinder, PLUS the MapCreate TOPO software & package which includes a 32mb MMC card & card reader, cost $248.95, + taxes of course.

I would better go with iFinder Pro - ~$160 at http://www.gpscity.com/ or http://www.tigergps.com/ . It's a second generation of iFinder family, gives you much higher screen resolution - 240 x 180 pixels vs original iFinder 160 x 120 pixels. If you need waterproof unit - look on iFinder H2O (~$180). They also have specialized hunting unit - iFinder Hunt, but it has built-in electronic compass and barometric altimeter and cost ~$255-260 ($345-350 with Topo maps).

 

A lot of people are reporting good reception for iFinders under tree canopy. Topo maps from Lowrance looks pretty good too. Additional information on iFinders you can find here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ifinder_gps

[peter]

The Meridian Gold is probably the most versatile model that meets your criteria. If you sign up for Amazon's Visa offer you can get it for just under $170 incl. shipping which should let you get an SD card and some mapping software and still stay around your $250 goal. The new MapSend 3D Topo has considerably more detailed topography than the older MapSend Topo, and also has more up-to-date and accurate street detail. If you later want to have auto-routing, the DirectRoute software would support that.

 

But I'd suggest that you at least visit a store that has some of the candidate units on display. They vary considerably in bulk and screen characteristics that are hard to appreciate based on the specs and descriptions. For example, the Meridian is quite a bit larger than models like the eTrex Legend - many people don't mind that at all, but for some it means they'd be much less likely to take the unit along on hikes and backpacking trips.

[+briansnat]

Needs to work pretty good in trees, canyons, hills, and valleys That's trickier. Look for something with a quad helix antenna. All the Magellans seem to have this, but the Garmin etrex line and Gekko lines (and the Forerunner) have internal patch antennas that do tend to lose signal under heavy cover. Nothing will help when you get deep in a canyon, though. bad_boy_a.gif Since you said you were limited to $250, that might rule out Garmin all together, as the top of the line etrex series (Vista) is around $250 and still uses an internal patch.

 

I find that in canyons and valleys is where the patch antenna shines. I have a 60CS with a quad helix and my wife carries a Geko with a patch. When we're in ravines and valleys, she goes right to the cache, while I'm bouncing all over the place. I think the reason is that the patch is better at picking up signals ovehead, while the quad helix is stronger with signals closer to the horizon.

 

Also, the eTrex Vista was $218 last time I looked at Amazon.com.

 

Garmin seems to offer good looking units and good looking display layout, at least from the pictures. They seem a little higher priced for MAriGOLD's comparable, but are they any better for Geocaching and general hiking and such?

 

For general hiking, I like the Garmin eTrex line. The units are lightweight and compact, so they fit easily in your shirtpocket. Another nice feature of the eTrex is that they are designed for easy, one handed operation, which is useful while hiking.

 

Though the Magellan Meridians are fine GPS's, they are huge in comparison to an eTrex. Same goes for the Garmin Map 76 series..another excellent, but largish GPS. If size is not a consideration, then either the Meridian or Map 76S would be good choices. You can get the 76S for far below list price these days if you shop arround.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "enough memory". If you're using the topo software (my preference for geocaching and hiking), you'll get quite a bit of coverage with the Vista's or the Map 76S's 24 megs...several good sized states worth in some cases. If you're using the "city points" software, it chews up a lot more memory and the 24 megs might be wanting.

 

Stay away from the eXplorist 100, 200 and 300. There is no PC connection, so you can't upload waypoints, maps or software upgrades.

Edited March 1, 2005 by briansnat

[peter]

If you're using the topo software (my preference for geocaching and hiking), you'll get quite a bit of coverage with the Vista's or the Map 76S's 24 megs...several good sized states worth in some cases. If you're using the "city points" software, it chews up a lot more memory and the 24 megs might be wanting.

The relative amounts of memory required by the Garmin Topo maps vs. their street/POI maps vary considerably depending on the local geography and road/POI density. So your statement is correct for areas with lots of people and few hills (Illinois is 56 MB in City Select vs. 27 MB in Topo). But it's not true in areas with the converse (for example, Alaska takes 183 MB in Topo vs. only 8 MB in CitySelect).

 

Overall US Topo takes somewhat more memory - 1492 MB for the whole US vs. 954 MB for MetroGuide-USA v5 (last one that only covered the US), and 1090 for the US portion of v6 City Select-NA. Including the optional auto-routing data of City Select brings it up to 1480 MB.

 

The Garmin mapset with the smallest memory requirement to cover the US (other than the basemaps or WorldMap) is Roads & Recreation at 474 MB. Unfortunately it's now very dated and the TIGER database from which it comes was never known for the best accuracy.

[+briansnat]

But it's not true in areas with the converse (for example, Alaska takes 183 MB in Topo vs. only 8 MB in CitySelect).

 

Interesting point. Thanks for straightening me out.

[reidster]

-Price range: $0-$250

-I need it strictly for geocaching and on-foot (hiking/biking/hunting) activity. No auto, marine or air use.

-I don't care about color screen

-I want decent mapping and tracking/backtracking/reroute capability

-Handheld.

-Needs to work pretty good in trees, canyons, hills, and valleys. I live in Northern California, and hike and hunt in the Sierras.

-Would like ease of use, but will sacrifice for price/customizability-- i'm an advanced tech junkie and can figure out pretty much anything.

-Needs to have PC connectivity

-Either enough, or expandable memory

Viper420,

 

Although a color screen isn't necessary, I'd like to note that the Lowrance iFinder Pro has a 16-level grayscale, white LED backlit display. Experience has proven to me that being able to tell a stream from a road can be very helpful. Some say its ui isn't the friendliest, but I'm a tech junkie too and I just love all its features and abilities. After a day or two, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about!?!

 

reid.