Gps Rookie

[+where's_the_loot?]

i'm new to the geocaching experience and went out with a borrowed gps. i'm looking to buy one, no real bells and whistles and i found the Lowrance iFinder GO1 and 2. they're very affordable but there were no customer ratings on them so i'm not sure of the quality. i'm looking not to spend a lot but not looking to buy a rock with a lcd. any suggestions?

[+IVxIV]

The iFinder GO & GO2 are fine starter units, and every bit as accurate as even the most expensive (consumer) GPSr on the market. Someone sooner or later will chime in about the fact they have no computer connection capability, meaning you will have to key in coordinates directly into the unit. But really, this is not a tough task to accomplish. And for about $60-80 the units cost, they're quite good

 

Read this thread about some first impressions of the little GO's For the money, nothing else on the market comes even close to the value/power of the GO's

[+Team Zappy 45]

Read the opinions thread on this page.

[+New England n00b]

For a more expensive option (but still cheap) that allows for mapping & easy uploads of waypoints from your computer, consider the Garmin eTrex Legend. I have one of these somewhat older units, and I love it. It has 8MB of RAM for optional detailed maps, a black and white screen and is very easy to use. It also comes with a serial port cable so you can do bulk uploads of waypoints from such great software packages as EasyGPS, GSAK, etc. Most of these third party software doohickeys are very reasonably priced, or even free.

 

Anyway, these are available in stores for about $139 - probably cheaper online. They do have a base map built in, which is "OK" - I used it for a while myself. But then I bought the Mapsource TOPO maps for better detail of roads and terrain.

 

Why do I recommend it? Well, basically because you can add maps to it, and it is reasonably priced. A great starter unit that you can expand later if you feel the need or desire. Some of the other units (that don't do mapping) are stuck in place. Also, typing (by hand) in a whole day of coordinates for hunting is annoying at the least, and if you have a unit like the legend, you can dump in hundreds of waypoints. Great if you are out and have a few minuites to kill!

 

However, if cheap is the route you need to go, then the Garmin eTrex (yellow), the lowrance unit talked about above, or one of the similar Magellan units will all do very nicely for want you want!

 

Incidentally, thi s is the thread Team Zappy was talking about: Opinions

Edited June 3, 2005 by New England n00b

[+The Cheeseheads]

I'll second n00b's opinions of the Legend. I've been using mine for three years now and I've been perfectly happy with it. I've drooled over the newer color units, but geocaching-wise, they don't offer much more that I need that I don't already have.

 

The only real must-have for a geocaching GPSr is a port for a data cable so you can upload your cache coordinates directly to your unit without having to type them in manually.

[+trail hound]

Buy a Garmin Legend....Great unit for the price.. Plus all the things New England n00b said!!!

[+briansnat]

I have a review on the iFinder Go2 in the upcoming issue of Todays Cacher. I'm not going to give all the details here, but in short, buy a Legend.

[+IVxIV]

I'm looking forward to reading the review

 

I can understand the Legend would be a more sophisticated GPSr than the GO, and in actual fact the Legend was never coined to being an "entry level GPS" like the GO is, hopefully that is kept in mind.

 

It does concern me a bit to hear soooo many people constantly beating the "GPS-has-to-have-a-data-cable" drum, especially when giving advice to newbies on what to buy. Yes certainly I can see how an avid medium/hard-core cacher wouldn't want to be manually keying in waypoints if he/she is pursuing dozens of caches each time they go out. But I think it's unfortunate that noobs are being told to plain avoid buying any entry level "no cable" GPS. Every company makes these models and for a good reason. They help bring accruate & reliable technology to budget consious consumers, and they are NOT TOYS. Most of the caches I pursue I key in the coordinates manually even though I do have the ability to download them. It's just not that hard to do.

[+briansnat]

But I think it's unfortunate that noobs are being told to plain avoid buying any entry level "no cable" GPS.

 

I think explaining the pitfalls of not having a data cable to novices is important. No, not everyone is going to want to hunt a dozen caches a day. But when someone plans on shelling out money for a GPS I think its only fair to tell them that they may find their unit wanting if they start getting even a bit serious about the sport.

 

You aren't saving money if you buy a low end GPS and 6 months later have to upgrade.

 

I'm sorry if I gave the impression that the GO and GO2 are bad units. Quite the opposite. They are excellent values, but they are really only appropriate for someone who will go out and find a cache every once in a while.

Edited June 3, 2005 by briansnat

[+AtoZ]

What ever you get make sure it is capable of downloacing waypoints from a PC. Also the cacbles should be included. For 100 to 150 you can find a GOSr that will do this. If the GPSr can not download waypoint then DON"T get it.

cheers

[+Team Cotati]

While not 100% current, this info might prove to be helpful:

 

http://www.offroute.com/comparisons/gps-compare.html

 

Decide your own likely needs for the foreseeable future and get the unit that meets those needs. And what ever your decision, shop, shop, shop....the price differentials can be truly astounding. I have personally seen units at a retailer such as amazon.com selling for up to $90.00 less than the exact same unit at bestbuy. I would recommend sticking with 'reliable' well known trusted sellers and there are many from which to choose.

 

Rocket science...it ain't. Good luck.

Edited June 3, 2005 by Team cotati697

[+Team Zappy 45]

I bought a legend as a second GPS. I got it from Amazon.com. It was $133.00, I took their credit card and they knocked off another $30.00 on the first purchase. The shipping was free and no tax. If you are on a budget this is a cheap buy. If you don't stay with geocaching it would be easy to sell. You get the cable and 8m to work with.