What Kind Of Gps Do You Use And Why.?

[The Newfie]

well Im new to this site and game i love it Ive went on a few cahses with Prople who are into it and now i picked it up .. Its Like an addiction well ive seen a few packs and people told why they put theas things in so. out of my curiosity what kind of GSP do you use and why what does it do thats you Like whats does it not do thats you need or want..?

[+Greymane]

Boy, have you opened a can of worms!

[The Newfie]

hehe I Know

[uber_bike_geek]

Basic Yellow eTrex, because that's what I've got (and all I can afford at the moment... hopefully I'll be able to get a summer job and thus new GPS )

 

Happy Caching

Jeff

[Badgers75]

Garmin foretrex 101

 

Because is small light and it fits nicely on the bars of my mountain bike and it takes aaa's so batteries are an issue on big rides

[+briansnat]

I use a Garmin Vista for its compact size, light weight and easy, one handed operation. I have Maposource Topo on it and it comes in handy for finding my way in the woods.

 

I also use a Garmin Map 60CS. I like its color screen, autorouting (turn by turn directions), fast USB computer connection and generous map memory.

[+StarBrand]

Garmin Legend

PROS

Small compact size

One handed operation

Rugged

CONS

Patch anntena

WAAS consumes battery about 25% faster

 

Garmin Rino

PROS

Nice size

Better anntena

FRS and GMRS

Radio Location Feature

CONS

Poor Click Stick

Poor battery life

 

Garmin 60C

PROS

Color Screen

AutoRouting

Geocaching Mode

Excellent Battery Life

Nice feature set

Plenty of Map memory

CONS

Expensive

Largish Size

 

I mostly use the 60C these days but carry the trusty little Legen often.

[+diverhank]

A new can of worms indeed! I use several GPS. I use a Garmin Street Pilot 2610 to get me to the cache site. Then I use a Garmin Forerunner 201 to find the cache. The Forerunner 201 is better suited for running but works fine with the normal geocaching. The great advantage of this GPSr is that it's hands free. I wear it like a watch.

 

I ran into a couple of caches that required me to project waypoints and to convert between different coordinates. My Forerunner couldn't do any of that so I got myself a used magellan M330 (for $50, what a good deal). Since then though I haven't used the M330 much because of the super convenience of wearing the Forerunner 201 on my wrist so both of my hands are free to explore. Not only that you can be more discrete. Nobody realizes that I even have a GPSr since the FR201 looks like a wrist watch.

 

When used, I wear the M330 on my neck via a lanyard but it's still swinging around hitting things...not too convenient.

[+IVxIV]

I use a Lowrance iFinder Pro, because I love to be different! & it's great fun to sit back relax & watch the carnage during all the Magellan-vs-Garmin wars

 

No seriously, I shopped around and did a lot of research, and chose the iFinder because it offered the most power and value for the money. Before buying it I didn't know squat about Lowrance, and made CERTAIN the store had a decent returns policy in case I didn't like it lol. Fortunately the thing worked out just fine for me.

[The Magical Misfits]

We use the Garmin eMap. We actually chose it because they discontinued them and we got one brand new for $60 when other stores still retailed them for $220. Too good of a deal to pass up. Insane deal if you ask me, which you didn't...

 

We got a 16mb memory card for it and MapSource, which is just great for driving. and the screen size is almost twice that of a Legend, vista, etrex, etc...

 

I keep wanting to upgrade to a color GPS but just can't justify it yet.

Edited June 1, 2005 by The Magical Misfits

[+Renegade Knight]

My GPS is a GPS V. At the time it was the best handheld on the market. I wasn't sure what all I needed on the GPS so I got the best I could find. Since then some better ones have come out but not in a better form factor and until they improve mine I'm probably not going to upgrade.

[The Newfie]

All Very Interesting.. and Any one eles..?

Edited June 2, 2005 by The Newfie

[+jimmyreno]

I bought a garmin legend for $105, all of the gps on the market today are primitive,

1. No intellegent waypoint management,

2. No battery saver mode.

3. No back key

4. Limited memory.

etc etc etc.

 

In a few years maybe they'll have some decent features.

[+Round Robin]

I really like my Garmin Vista C. It is an all new eTrex model with updated electronics, similar to the 60CS in function, actually. 24MB memory is not exactly generous, but is enough for me to hold all of Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Harrisburg (where we go mostly). It is also quite fast (screen redraws, etc.)

 

I wouldn't worry so much about a patch antenna vs. a quad helix - the receivers are just as important and I've found that my Vista C gets much better reception than the yellow eTrex I borrowed from a friend when I was starting out. New models tend to do better than old regardless of the antenna type. I have never lost lock even under heavy tree cover.

 

It also serves quite well in the car, although the smallish screen makes it less useful than, say, the excellent 60CS. I got the suction cup mount for the windshield and it works great.

[+Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose]

Garmin eTrex Legend.

 

Great Size

Great antenna

Always gets me to a good location

 

However, the compass is beginning to get a little shotty. Sometimes it will point me in the wrong direction for some time. Then I have to tap it to get it going again.

 

Also, it is horrible in brush cover. Even the slightest.

 

Hope to upgrade someday.

[+PeachyPA]

I use a Garmin little yellow eTrex that I received for my birthday after finding seven caches without a GPS unit and five with a borrowed one. I now have 122 finds total. I also use a magnetic compass which I find to be an essential piece of equipment; I don't go caching without it. Monday, I found a cache that another cacher couldn't because I had a magnetic compass, he didn't.

[+Munin]

Foretrex 201

 

Good:

• Small and light
  
• Low profile when mounted on my mtn bike (less likely to get snagged by branches/etc)
  
• Easy to wear on forearm, leaves both hands free for the occasional scramble up rocky/steep areas, or fending off Mother Nature when bushwacking
  
• Muggles often think it's an MP3 player
  
• Semi-accurate communications protocol documentation - 99% of the time I'm running Linux, not Windows, so that let me write my own upload/download software
  
• Rechargeable battery - leave it on the charger when I'm home, always good to go
  

Not-so-good:

• Rechargeable battery - it's built in, so if it runs down I can't just swap in a fresh battery. (Gets at least 10, usually 12 hours on a charge.)
  
• Frequently loses lock under tall trees, particularly conifers
  
• No street maps - every now and then it'd be nice to know what road I've ended up on after my last three wrong turns, and how to get back on track
  
• No topo maps - occasionally nice to know which side of the winding brook the cache is on
  
• Did I mention "no maps"?
  

The main thing that might tempt me to get a new GPSr would be map support - I've missed a turn more than once while on my way to a cache and ended up driving at random until I could find a place to park, dig out my (paper) street maps, and try to figure out where the heck I've ended up. (As an added challenge, I'm in New England, where we make it a point of pride to never put a street sign on a primary road. ) Other than that, I've been pretty content with the Foretrex 201.

[+AtoZ]

One I have cofidence in, becasue it makes me feel good.

cheers

[+Prairie Dog]

Magellan Sporttrak Map. I like the price. Slightly larger display and easy to use button navigation all located on the front of the unit. It floats too! I have large hands and this model fits comfortably in them. That's about it. I didn't check out too many other models before deciding. I am planning to buy an Explorist 600 this year.

[dave1980]

Well currently i have an iPAQ 4705 from here that i use for work and decided to use it for caches, and so since its got a bluetooth option i researched and ordered

this gps package

the gps unit is on backorder for a few weeks. I figured I would post what i'm going to be using, I was told it was a great unit for general use and some people have used it for geocaching, i dont know them personally, buying all this stuff is more then you would pay for a general pda or just gps, "i'm going paperless caching" so i figured i spent the money on it i'm going to use it, i'm also going to order this here for my pocket pc protector.

 

once i get the gps in and start using it i'm going to post my thoughts about it on the forum for future chachers curious about bluetooth gps units.

Edited June 2, 2005 by dave1980

[ImpalaBob]

Garmin Map 60C. Easy buttons to use, good antenna, color screen, fits in hand well. Also use unit as auto navigation aid to the caches with City Select. Has USB port, external power input, external antenna input ... all of which we use. This is our 1st GPS and the only one we have experience with. Works great for us. ImpalaBob

[+geobc]

I'm on my fourth GPS which is a Garmin 76C (similar hardware to the 60C but with twice the memory). I chose it because I wanted a GPS that could do autorouting and had a fairly fast processor so that screen updates and route calculations were done quickly.

 

My big wish is that it had removeable memory (SD or CF) but I should also note that I haven't run into a problem with the 119MB of built-in memory. In other words, it'd be a nice feature to have but so far, I haven't needed it. Another nice-to-have would be voice turn-by-turn directions but again, I don't need it. It works just fine with its graphical display of turn-by-turn information.

 

What I love about my 76C is that it works very well as an in-car navigator but is also waterproof enough for caching (often times I have left it sitting in the rain and snow to average its position).

 

GeoBC

[4x4van]

SporTrak Pro. Love it! 'Nuff said.

[+denali7]

garmin vista c:

city select maps with autorouting to get to the parking spot, then switch over to the detail on the topo maps to search out ground zero. i don't leave home without this slick little toy. for the price, and they've come down a bit since i bought mine in late december, you can't get another unit that does all the things this one does. i have no memory problem using city select and topo maps for areas i need, either. sure, more memory is always better, but i'm not traveling through all 50 states in one day!!

 

p.s. the color screen is a must if you're over a certain magic age that will remain nameless. trust me one this one!

[+KA7CJH]

I myself am currently using my old 1998 model Magellan 2000XL. Talk about a brick.. But will hopefully buying a Foretrex 201 or 301 soon. The added feature of being able to strap the thing to my forearm while im riding my motorcycle is a plus..

[+Alan2]

I use a Vista on the trail and a Pocket PC for autonavigating in the car and for paperless caching. It also seconds as a field GPS and allows better displays of 24K topo maps.

[texasgal89]

I use a Magellan SportTrak Color.

I bought it because of the color screen that I usually use because I travel so often. Also because of it's many neat features like weather and topo maps.

[+Docapi]

After some heavy duty research, I just upgraded from a Magellan 315 and bought a Garmin V.

 

I got it from a ford dealer for $199 + tax.

 

Why?

 

It came with the CitySelect software, auto mount, and 12v power cable. I would have had to buy all of those seperately with any other unit. I figure that the accessories would have been over $150 to buy seperately, so I look at it as I got the receiver itself for $50

[+briansnat]

After some heavy duty research, I just upgraded from a Magellan 315 and bought a Garmin V.

 

I got it from a ford dealer for $199 + tax.

 

Why?

 

It came with the CitySelect software, auto mount, and 12v power cable. I would have had to buy all of those seperately with any other unit. I figure that the accessories would have been over $150 to buy seperately, so I look at it as I got the receiver itself for $50

The GPS V is one of the best deals out there.

[+Team Drought]

I use a Magellan Meridian Platinum. It has many, many features that I use, and with the data cable, laptop (or Palm), makes a very nice car navigation system with an app like Destinator.

[+Chuy!]

Garmin 2003 Vista with MapSource MetroGuide software. Holds 1000 waypoints (currently have 800+) and very compact. Electronic compass is very handy. Wife got it for me for Xmas from Amazon.com. She paid $323.00; Offroute.com has them for $216.00. MetroGuide was about $70.00

 

Garmin 2004 60cs with MapSource City Select software. Holds 1000 waypoints. "c" is for color, "s" is for altimeter and electronic compass. The color screen and electronic compass are very handy. Auto-routing feature is a godsend. And even though the unit is about 50% larger than the Vista, it's still quite portable. This one belongs to my employer but is assigned to me and I use it as my primary GPS. Paid low $400 at Offroute.com; purchased navigation pack (City Select, windshield and sandbag mounts, and DC power adapter) for $160.

 

Garmin 2005 2610 with MapSource City Navigator. Holds 500 waypoints. Voice autorouting. Redraws about 50% quicker than 60cs. Touch screen and comes with remote controller. CF card. Paid low $600 from Offroute.com and Garmin just made good on the $100 rebate . I got this for my wife; I steal it when I go power caching as it's much more convenient than the 60cs, not to mention faster, and the touch screen is a godsend. The software is included in the price. AC/DC power only.

Edited June 3, 2005 by Chuy

[+Night Stalker]

Originally used the SporTrak Pro. It did everything I needed it to go, and it gave Renegade Knight something to give me a bad time about.

 

I now use a 60CS. Love the awesome color screen and the auto routing is the greatest thing around. It doesn't find caches any better then my older unit, but I get to the parking spots a whole lot sooner with auto routing giving me more time to wander around lost looking for the cache.

[+Cheminer Will]

Sportrak Color because it was on sale at Costco last fall. Turns out to be VERY fast and accurate with satellites, even under heavy tree cover. The color screen can be a little hard to read in bright sunlight compared to my son's Meridian Gold. Magellan also has a few issues getting confused with smart names generated by GSAK. I think that problem is in the firmware. Happens with both my STC and my son's MG.

[TCE]

Garmin Legend. Why? It seemed like the best one for the $ I had according to all the reviews and posts online. It was $135 with free shipping on Amazon.com

 

It does all that I thought it would, the only thing I might like in addition might be some maps, and auto-routing. Maps can be added to it, so that might be a future thing...but the auto-routing...I think that would cost me another $200 or so, 'cuz I'd have to upgrade to to something better...maybe a 60CS?

[+Team Cotati]

After some heavy duty research, I just upgraded from a Magellan 315 and bought a Garmin V.

 

I got it from a ford dealer for $199 + tax.

 

Why?

 

It came with the CitySelect software, auto mount, and 12v power cable. I would have had to buy all of those seperately with any other unit. I figure that the accessories would have been over $150 to buy seperately, so I look at it as I got the receiver itself for $50

The GPS V is one of the best deals out there.

Dang...I didn't realize that ford dealers were retailers for Garmin? When did that happen? Is this a regional kind of thing or is it nationwide?

[+LionsFan]

I have a Megellan 200 Explorer. A really basic model but just what I needed in the price range I was willing to pay ($140) since I'm new to this wonderful sport. I didn't want to get stuck with an expensive GPS if I ended up not liking geocaching. (But how could that be?!?! ) Turns out I'm totally hooked!! Magellan is great for those who haven't used GPS before. It does a great job in getting me withing 5-30 feet depending on the variables of weather, tree cover, etc. I'm very happy with it and would recommend it to anyone who is just starting out.

[+geo-merge]

Started out with a Magellan Meridian gold, and being ignorant (and no serial port on my laptop) entered the numbers by hand. Pros being it has a slot for a SD card, and was a nice size for my hand, and a lot of screens for seeing where you were going.. Cons, no autorouting.

 

Next was (is) a GPS V. Awesome unit, just a bit small in the memory department and it communicates via serial cable. Also a bit slow in the recalulating when using autorouting.

 

Now, I am using a GPSMAP 60CS. I love this unit. Great color, fast processor and it can load data using either serial or USB. I just loaded 50 MB worth of maps from city select (with autorouting data) in 4 minutes, not counting the index stuff. I use this for caching as well as kayaking and getting from here to there.

[+Docapi]

Dang...I didn't realize that ford dealers were retailers for Garmin? When did that happen? Is this a regional kind of thing or is it nationwide?

Ford had some kind of promotion- buy a new $40,000 truck, get a free $250 GPS type thing. They got the Garmin v's in for the promotion. Now the promotion is over, and some of the dealers have some of the GPS'es still on the shelves.

 

My Brother in law is a parts manager for Ford, I got it for the best price that he could come up with at $199.

 

You might want to give your local ddealer a shot- even try dickering with them a bit. One they get them off the shelves there will be no more.

[+Deneye]

Etrex Summit

 

because it is what i have...

[+New England n00b]

I have a Garmin eTrex Legend (blue case, black and white screen). I personally love - I bought it nigh on two or three years ago for hiking purposes, and came across geocaching.com during a search. Actually, now, that I think about, I may have asked in the forums. Can't remember!

 

But, I love it for its small size, one hand operation and ability to load maps (I have Mapsource TOPO).

 

Would I trade up if I could afford it? Sure. But I can't, and it does what I want it to do very nicely, so I'm in no hurry.

[+Kllr Wolf]

I have the Garmin eTrex Legend as well. I do not have any of the extra software for it it because if I need maps it is while driving, so I hook it into my laptop so I can use the bigger screen to see the maps at a glance instead of a smallish screen. The only complaint I have is trying to get used to useing it with my left hand, but taht is nothing really that important, just convience.

[+Team Cotati]

I own a Meridian Gold because it meets 100% of my caching needs now and for the foreseeable future. Also the fact that I got it brand new from amazon.com for 33% less than the then current bestbuy sale price was a big plus. The screen is crystal clear and easy to read even in difficult lighting conditions. I have mapsend direct route loaded for turn by turn when needed. Since it will accomodate up to a 1GB SD memory card (I currently have a 512mb installed) and that I also own a multi-card media reader/writer, rapidly loading very large maps will never be an issue. The unit is compatible with MS-Mappoint so that I can effectively use it as a dash mounted GPS antenna when traveling with my laptop. The unit works great on rechargable batteries with up to 16 hours of power-on time per set of two AA's. Unless the unit craps out or some really whiz-bang techno geek functionality that I really really need comes along, this unit will most likely satisfy my cache hunting needs for many years to come. The neoprene belt clip case is nice also.

 

Of course at the end of the day it is still a Magellan.....what can I say. I suppose that I will just have to learn to live with the fact of it, eh?

Edited June 5, 2005 by Team cotati697

[+IowaRohn]

Just purchased my first GPS last week. Garmin Vista. Holds 1000 waypoints (currently have 12) and very compact. Electronic compass is very handy.

 

It does all that I thought it would, the only thing I might like in addition, might be some maps

 

[+Miragee]

That's a very familiar picture. I also use a Vista.

 

I got the Mapsource maps on eBay. They are very helpful.

[The Newfie]

WOW.. This is Really Great guys.. im Also now looking to buy a New gps.. sometign smaller then the Lowrance iFinder H2O. soe thing that will sit on my Handle Bars Of my Mountain Bike.. this is All really Great Help.. i hope to read moreabout why they choose the GPS they have.

[Buffalo Ray]

I just bought my first GPS (Garmin GPSmap 60CS) So far I love it.

 

Buffalo Ray

[+RockyRaab]

Magellan Meridian Color with 256 SD card, auto mount and DirectRoute street mapping software. I'm afraid to ask what it cost. Got it for Christmas, and my wife ALWAYS overbuys for me.

 

Awesome unit. It runs days on rechargeable NiMH batteries, takes me turn-by-turn to the parking spots and then reads sats almost no matter WHAT cover I'm under (including a shake-roofed gazebo yesterday). It's waterproof and the screen is fine except in bright sun. Has sun/moon rise/set and hunting/fishing solunar times, plus things I haven't even tried yet.

 

Downsides? That dumb serial-only connection when I need to upload waypoints while on the road for business. My laptop is USB only. I also wish it would automatically recharge the batts while plugged to auto 12V, but no dice.

 

It's also a bit bigger than some, and it cumbersome to have to remove the safety carrying strap every time I put it in the auto mount and then re-attach it again.

[TexRN]

Mine is the Garmin Map 60 CS been pretty happy with it although still new to it.

[+sbell111]

After some heavy duty research, I just upgraded from a Magellan 315 and bought a Garmin V.

 

I got it from a ford dealer for $199 + tax.

 

Why?

 

It came with the CitySelect software, auto mount, and 12v power cable. I would have had to buy all of those seperately with any other unit. I figure that the accessories would have been over $150 to buy seperately, so I look at it as I got the receiver itself for $50

As of last week, Best Buy had GPS Vs on clearance for $199. It was a good enough deal that I finally upgraded from my beloved 3+. Then, I went nuts and picked up a Geko 301 for $139.99.

[+The Davis Crew]

I use a Garmin Summit because it basically has everything you need with no extra bits that eat up battery life. The electronic compass is very useful as well.