Which GPS ????

[Stringdancer]

I'm considering buying a hand held GPS, and wondered what would be a good choice without breaking the bank?  I don't need all the bells, and whistles just a good reliable unit that's user friendly.  I want to keep it around $100.00-$150.00  Thanks in advance.......

Mike

[JDice]

Given that you are asking about a handheld GPS - in that price range - a Garmin eTrex Legend is a good unit.

[centaur]

Yep,eTrex Legend is a good, reliable unit. I have one that I'm not using since I got a Summit HC, but the Legend will do most stuff for a good price.

[Pointer]

Get the new e-trex from Garmin. The base model (little yellow one) is $99. Just be sure it is the H model which has the newer High sensitivity antenna. They catch and hold a signal much better than the older ones.

[FerretWYO]

e-trex is my vote as well

[Woodduck]

Can you put boundary lines, paths/trails, roads, and stand sites on there as you hunt a property?

Is this one that you download a topo map of an area on?

[Matabele]

E-trex Legend is a great unit, very user friendly and had all the features I ever needed.

However im not 100% convinced of their durability. I look after all my gear and dont abuse it but just recently my unit has started playing up. The screen gets scrambled sometimes and when it looks ok often the up/down toggle doesnt work. Makes it impossible to mark way points or select a destination.

To be fair my unit is about 5 years old, but as I say not been abused in any way. Just a thought.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

They (the Garmins) might last better in colder climates, but mine's just started to have that rubber that runs around the outside lift, as the silicon lets go. It'll be fiddly to repair it. This happened on the last one, too, and its brains got scrambled. The two that I've had have lasted about 2.5 years before this drama pops-up. I love the Garmins, but would like to get more out of them. Because of this, I'm eyeing-off a Magellan.

[hunt it]

I'm on my 4th Garmin, the new Vista HCX it's $299.00 but is an awesome unit. The new H series anntena works in my basement and has performed flawlessly in canopy. All of the past three units are still working fine, never had any issues. They work up here in cold real good, down to minus 50 for days on end never had trouble. Sounds like the really hot climates are perhaps causing issues for our OZ buddies.

[Tim Fishell]

Yup I have the etrex Vista from garmin as well and they work great!!  I am very happy with it.  I dont think you could find one that was more user friendly!

[Steertalker]

I am also thinking about a handheld GPS.  You guys that are veteran users.....what are the features about a GPS that you find the most important/useful?

As far as my background....I am very proficient and comfortable with just a simple topo and compass.  Being a geologist by profession I work with maps daily.  

Besides being able to navigate by night and pinpoint specific spots on a topo, such as benches, wallows etc, is a GPS really going to help me?????

Comments please.

Brett

[snag]

Your choices are narrowed down to the eTrex if you want to stay under $150.  I bought a used Garmin 60CSx that works great for picking up satellites, digital compass, and lots of other features. But it was $250. I started out with an eTrex. For the money it is a good unit. Stores hundreds of waypoints. But it wasn't very good with locking onto a satellite in the trees.

Brett, if navigating in the DAY or night and marking points of interest aren't important to you then you don't need a GPS. That's the most important function they provide! Yes, they can have compasses and altimeters and tell you the speed you are traveling and when you should arrive at your destination, etc....but they are for locating your position and other positions you want to find.  They don't find deer or elk for you....lol

[Frenchymanny]

Whatever you buy, practice with it before the hunt!

Garmin is a good brand IMO

Good luck,
F-Manny

[hunt it]

Brett,

These new GPS units allow you to download topo maps into unit.You can't possibly carry all the maps you can fit into one of these. Having the topos at your fingertips is the cats a$$. In new territory it can save you hours of driving/walking etc when you can see where every road goes without driving it etc. You can mark every item of interest and name it and when you get home download it and print maps for reference or your buddies. When tracking wounded game in big country or unfamiliar country, you go where you need to and when it gets dark, no big deal, hit the go to button and it will take you right back to camp or truck (as long as you entered that location as a way point). Map and compass skills are vital but GPS is the way to go. It's like the digital/film scenario. In ten years I bet you'll have a hard time buying roadmaps/topos etc, it will all be GPS and satellite driven.

[Mike Byrge@home]

I have a Lowrance Ifinder go2 and it works well and has most roads, waterways, etc. built in.  My only complate is that the buttons are very small.

It is only about $100 and worth it IMO.

[JDice]

For serious amounts of data on gps, gps units, using gps, etc, etc - try gpsinformation.net. If that one doesn't work for you - a web search on "gps reviews" will give you lots of options.

[dirtguy]

What you haven't said is what you want to use the GPS for. Snag hit on this already.  You have to ask how it will help you and what you want it to do.  I have used GPS for years, especially for work, but haven't used it for hunting, though I'm a pretty new hunter.  Here's some food for thought.

If you are looking at topo maps, either paper or electronic, and you see a spot that you want to walk in to and scout, you can enter the coordinates of the location as a way point and walk to it using the GPS.

If you are out hunting or scouting and find a spot you want to return to, you can log it as a way point, and then walk back to it the next day, week etc.

If you hunting an unfamiliar piece of land and want to make sure you can find your way home, you can mark your vehicle as a way point and then navigate back to it.

Until recently, a weakness of any GPS was its inability to pick up satellites under dense tree canopy or in valleys.  Its a real pain to have GPS stop working due to loss of signal. The new high sensitivity antenas have largely done away with this.


It sounds goofy, but remember a GPS works on batteries.  Always carry extra, even if you just put fresh ones in.  In cold weather they go much faster.  If you keep the GPS in an inner layer this helps, but that means it is turned off and you won't have a track log for everywhere you've gone and you have to wait for it to aquire satellites before you use it.

Also, check out the buttons and display screen.  The Garmin etrex series works well, but the screen and buttons are small.  My next GPS will have a bigger screen.

I also think it is a good idea to know how to navigate with a commpass and a map.  It gives you an understanding of what a GPS does for you, and a compass doesn't need batteries.

You can also email GPS files of your favorite hunting spots to friends....Ok so maybe that doesn't happen too often !!!

All that said, even the basic GPS models out there have more than adequate features for hunters.  I would tend to go with a brand/model that you find easy to use.  If you have friends that have GPS - try theirs out.

[elk ninja]

This question comes up periodically and my advice is a garmin.  As far as which model there are two things to consider.... for hand held units, you generally don't need the mapping (roads) software they come with, so unless you just really want it, it just makes it more expensive.  

i have been using a Geko 201 for three years now, I use it A LOT for geocaching as well as hunting and hiking duty and it has performed flawlessly.  I chose the geko becauseit was smaller, lighter and, most importantly, used the same batteries as my headlamp (or your flashlight if youa re of that persusuasion) so i only have to carry a couple spare batts instead of a couple different kinds....

Mike

[eidsvolling]

Well, since I'm tasked to lead four GPS seminars for hunters over the next three days, I guess I'll chime in.    

Like Gaul, the world of handheld GPS receivers for land navigation can be divided into three parts:

  1. Simple, inexpensive (around $100), reliable -- epitomized by the Garmin eTrex.  This level gets you all the stuff that dirtguy described plus the ability to record your track and follow that track back to its origin (or to its end, on another occasion.)  Buy a simple receiver if this is all you want to do and you never want to see a map displayed.  (The screen will display your waypoints and your track, much like an old Etch-A-Sketch toy.)  You can transfer waypoints, tracks and routes to and from a personal computer mapping program with most of these receivers these days.  You'll need additional software for the transfers -- it's available as freeware, shareware, and commercial software.  Note that "eTrex" is both the name of the most basic  Garmin model and the name of a series of models based on it.

2. Mapping receivers, in which you typically pay substantially more money for a map-capable receiver plus additional money for topo maps.  (Note that the "base map" featured with some receivers is mostly an "interstate highway map for dummies" and utterly worthless for land navigation in the woods.) READ THE FINE PRINT ON THE MAP SOFTWARE to make sure you know what you're buying.   If you want a map displayed, pick the map first and then pick the compatible receiver with adequate memory capacity for your needs.  Think real hard about getting a color screen -- it makes huge difference in the utility of the maps and is worth the extra scratch if you have it.  

3. Mapping receivers with bells and whistles, e.g., electronic compass, barometric altimeter, touch screen, two-way radio that can transmit GPS info, etc.  Lots of scratch for this class typically, and the features bar gets higher every six to twelve months.

Garmin has great info on its website at garmin.com, including the means to do side-by-side comparison charts of whichever Garmin devices you're interested in.

[Mike Orton]

Charles,

I've never been accused of being a high tech Geek.  Frankly I'm much more comfy w/ a map and compass.  I'm a rock and stick kinda guy.

I've got a high end Garmin rino 530, which as you've described has all the bells and whistles.  Had it for a few years now.  2-way radio, compass, altimeter, GPS, etc.  The problem for me is that it's just too danged complicated.  Takes me forever to scroll through all the stuff just to find out where I am, where I'm going and how to get back to camp.  I'm a reasonably intelligent guy but the Rino system is just too input intensive for my likes.

Can you make a recommendation on a user friendly GPS system w/ a built in mapping program for the USA (mostly for the Rocky Moutain Range) that I won't have to graduate from ITT Tech with a Phd in Nerd to figure out how to operate?

I would say that the following issues are prioritized for me:
satellite reception power (see through deep canyons and tree canopy,

user friendly ease of operation

computer interface

I'd sure like my next GPS to operate on the CR123 Lithium 3 volt batteries so all my gadgets (flashlights) will use the same batteries so I only need one type of spares to carry.


Price is not really the important thing for me.  Not that I'm made of money but hunting and land navigation is my main hobby in life so I never mind purchasing high end equipment that is well made.

Thanks