Handheld Gps Under £100

[+IceDragon]

Hi everyone

 

I am thinking of getting a cheap gps so that i can start geocaching

 

I have been looking at the Garmin ETrex and the Magellan Explorist 100, but cant decide between them

 

Anyone got any views as to which I should get, or suggestions about other units?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Ice

[+scott9282]

I would decide what I wanted from a GPSr, mapping, color, memory, that sort of thing, and then go to one of the websites that either sell or review them to see what the story is.

 

Amazon.com is a good starting place, many reviews of units there.

 

Another good site is Epinions.com although they can be somewhat limited in which GPS receivers are reviewed.

 

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of sites, but those should be able to get you started.

[ishot3bucks]

I was in the same boat...and I did some research. The good news is, you can't lose with either! Bad news is, many limitations once you really get into geocaching. For me I didn't need all the mapping, I do some geocaching, but I do a ton of fishing and hunting. So I use all basic functions on GPS units.

 

I called cabellas and spoke with the guys on the floor, and they were big supporters of the Etrax until the Explorist came about. They said they have had great responses to the explorist 100.

 

I bought the explorist 300 and had problems with it, but my problems were limited to the "extra" features on the 300 (weather, baromiter, electric compus) But the lock-on ability in heavey cover and accuracy were amazing! I would get within 4-6 feet on many caches (probably because of the great coordinates I received) but it was very accurate. I even placed my first cache without an "averager" on that unit and everyone has said the coordinates have been accurate. I was with the geocache representitive when it was in the process of approval, and even with their big old expensive units it got them within 17 feet.

 

It goes to show that even at the basic level the Satalite portion of the units work pretty much the same, but with the higher price you DO get luxery...MAPPING, ELECTRIC COMPUS, WEATHER and BAROMETER, STREET LEVEL MAPPIG, COMPUTER DOWNLOAD CAPABILITIES and so on.

 

Remember even if you start with the basic, you will be able to sell it quick or use it as a back-up if you end up getting a better modle at a later date!

 

HAVE FUN!

[+IceDragon]

Thanks guys, I only need the basic functions as I've got a icn510 in the car, that does everything else i need, just dont fancy carrying it round a muddy wood

 

Think I will go and see if i can blag a go at the local hiking shop this weekend

 

Thanks again

 

Ice

Edited May 25, 2005 by IceDragon

[nchmura]

I find PC Connectivity is a big one for me - and this is not an option with the explorist 100's

 

Granted I 'collect' whatever gps'es i can get cheap for mapping bike trails and am not entirely concerned with the latest and greatest features - but I have won a couple old garmin gps 12's for as little as $21 off ebay. I got 2 Eagle Explorers as well for real cheap. Just an option in case you are looking to go real cheap.

[+IVxIV]

Include in your research, the Lowrance iFinder GO it is just about the cheapest GPSr on the market but packs an incredible amount of features. It comes equipped with basemaps (major roads, shorelines etc) builtin to it's 32 mb memory, 16 channel receiver with WAAS, and runs forever on a couple AA batteries. The 16 level greyscale screen is not huge, but it's 200 x 140 resolution really allows some fine detail to be displayed.

 

Hey, are you the same "IceDragon" that visits the NFBS forum? (the name sounds familiar )

[+briansnat]

You can rule out the iFinder Go and eXplorist 100 if you plan to get even semi serious about geocaching. They don't provide for PC connectivity which would be a major stumbling block for all but the most casual of geocachers. The eTrex does have that capability.

 

If you're the kind of person who would go for a cache every once in a while, the iFinder and eXplorist would be fine (in fact I strongly recommend the iFinder Go, or Go 2 in that case). But if you're going to spend some afternoons going after multiple caches, or if you want to have a bunch of cache waypoints on your GPS for spur of the moment geocaching, you will want PC connectivity, so get the eTrex.

[+Sputnik 57]

As Briansnat usually points out, before you buy the etrex banana, compare the cost of the yellow plus the data cable (not included) to the etrex Legend. For a few dollars more, you get lots more features. I know you said keeping it basic is fine, but the Legend is a real value, and not much more.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I would also recomend the Legend for a 1st time GPS, you my not think so now, but if you start doing a lot of caching there will come a time when you will want to have a Data link and a PC cable

[+IceDragon]

Thanks for all the help guys, finally settled on an Etrex Camo (for some reason was cheaper than the yellow?) took the family to find our first cache this afternoon and they are now as hooked as me!!

 

Think my little boy is trying to get me to buy him a gps so he can go on his own!! but think he'll have to wait till hes a bit older (is only 7 at the moment)

 

Thanks again

 

Ice

Edited June 18, 2005 by IceDragon