Lorenz Gps

[+dmnrec]

Has anyone bought/tried the Lorenz GPS which costs about $80? A guy at Gander Mountain said that with the maps, they are better than the yellow etrex.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Has anyone bought/tried the Lorenz GPS which costs about $80? A guy at Gander Mountain said that with the maps, they are better than the yellow etrex.

Never heard of it, does the guy at gander mountain know anything about GPSr?

Did you ask him what his experiance he has with a GPS in the field?

Can you load detaild maps into it?

What optional software is offered with it?

Does it have a data port to link it to a computer?

 

You get what you pay for, for $80.00 you are not going to get very much.

[+embra]

If they have maps, they probably are better than the yellow etrexs. I think you mean Lowrance; they make several models of varying prices. I don't know much about 'em, but there was a recent discussion that may be relevant for you.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I tried to find the Lorenz GPS on the Gander Mt. web site. I could not find it, that being said I must add that the Gander Mt web site is a joke, trying to find anything on that web site is pointless.

 

I did a search for Lorenz GPS, I found an Italian Manufacture called Lorenze Marine electronics, they do show some GPS gear but all I could find were some Marine chartploters.

[+dmnrec]

Has anyone bought/tried the Lorenz GPS which costs about $80?  A guy at Gander Mountain said that with the maps, they are better than the yellow etrex.

Never heard of it, does the guy at gander mountain know anything about GPSr?

Did you ask him what his experiance he has with a GPS in the field?

Can you load detaild maps into it?

What optional software is offered with it?

Does it have a data port to link it to a computer?

 

You get what you pay for, for $80.00 you are not going to get very much.

I am using them to take kids from my rec centers geocaching and with city budget cuts, the cheaper, the better. They don't need to be fancy..all I do is have them look at the coords of where they are and where they need to be..which direction to walk and how far to get there..so I don't download or do any of that other tech stuff. Right now, I have 2 etrexs and my supervisor is letting me buy 2 a year..in a couple of years, no more kids fighting over them. So, if the Lorence (sp?) can do that, I'm interested.

[tossedsalad]

I'm pretty sure you are referring to the Lowrance iFinder GO units. There is a GO and a GO2 which has a bit more detail in some of the maps. The GO can be bought for as little as $77 including shipping at TigerGPS or other stores.

 

TigerGPS iFinder GO

 

There has been a bit of discussion about them here, but other than some brief tests, no reports from users. I expect they will work ok for what you are doing.

[+briansnat]

I wouldn't say its better than the yellow eTrex. For one, you can't hook them up to a PC. That's a big sticking point for most regular geocachers. If you're finding a cache every now and then then I guess it isn't an issue, but if you ever go out for multi find days, it is.

 

Other than that and the display, which has some small fonts and is hard to read, they are pretty nice units.

Edited May 19, 2005 by briansnat

[+JohnnyVegas]

Has anyone bought/tried the Lorenz GPS which costs about $80?  A guy at Gander Mountain said that with the maps, they are better than the yellow etrex.

Never heard of it, does the guy at gander mountain know anything about GPSr?

Did you ask him what his experiance he has with a GPS in the field?

Can you load detaild maps into it?

What optional software is offered with it?

Does it have a data port to link it to a computer?

 

You get what you pay for, for $80.00 you are not going to get very much.

I am using them to take kids from my rec centers geocaching and with city budget cuts, the cheaper, the better. They don't need to be fancy..all I do is have them look at the coords of where they are and where they need to be..which direction to walk and how far to get there..so I don't download or do any of that other tech stuff. Right now, I have 2 etrexs and my supervisor is letting me buy 2 a year..in a couple of years, no more kids fighting over them. So, if the Lorence (sp?) can do that, I'm interested.

I would stick with the e-trex. It is a lot easier to teach a group of people how to use a GPS when they are all using the same unit. I ran GPS and Geocaching semeinars for a few years before I left my last job. The hardest part of doing the seminars was covering the Garmin E-treks, GPS 111s, Mar 76, and the magellen products at the same time.

 

Do yourself a big favor and stick with one style

[+Greymane]

I have worked with the Lowrance (iFinder Pro and H2O). They are fine for the price. They do a decent job. I would have to agree with JohnnyVegas, however. Having taught GPS use to kids before, you will be much better off using the same model for the group. It may cost a few bucks more, but the eTrex is a great unit with a strong reputation.

 

My only real complaint (and it is a mixed one) with the iFinder is that the memory card (kudos for including one) is in the battery compartment and a pain to get in and out. You have to remove the batteries to get to the card.

[Spiral Stairs]

I'm seriously considering an iFinder Go2 as my first GPSr. I'm hesitant to spend a lot of money on something that may or may not sustain my interest. At the same time, I want something with a good basemap for use in traveling. (I don't want to buy expensive mapping software and, in any event, I have a Mac, so getting maps from a CD-ROM onto the GPSr is a pain in the arse.) The Go2 seems like a good fit.

 

I'm sure I'll love it and then will lobby my wife for an upgrade. (All part of my grand plan.)

[+IVxIV]

Yes JohnnyVegas has a good point about having a common formfactor GPSr for use in and educational setting. But, isn't it also true on the other hand that having a variety of GPSr's can itself prove to aid in learning the technology well? Kids especially are quite adept at figuring things out pretty quick, and learning how to "set a waypoint" on a few different model GPSr's might be an assett, although granted it might make the teachers workload a bit heavier..

 

From Graymane

My only real complaint (and it is a mixed one) with the iFinder is that the memory card (kudos for including one) is in the battery compartment and a pain to get in and out. You have to remove the batteries to get to the card.

Yes the memory card is tucked in pretty well. But, I'm always taking my batteries out all the time to recharge them anyway,, so popping out the memory card during that time is a no-brainer. And both card & batteries are both very snug. I have heard a lot of Meridian users having problems with their batteries losing contact due to vibration/impact and loosing their track. Not a problem with an iFinder