GPS suggestions (help)

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yotehunter6

New member
Im interested in buying a GPS but I have know idea of what to look for. I dont really want to spend a fortune on one but I dont want to spend any money on one that wont do what its supposed to do or is to complicated to work with. Any info you have that can steer me in the right direction would sure help. Thanks
 
Ive own a Garmin GPS 12. Rain, snow, Arizona heat, drops & bangs, etc. have not hurt it. Works like a champ. I use and carry it all the time while hunting, scouting, and ATVing. It cost $129 a few years ago...Money well spent.
 
I've got a Garmin ETrex Venture GPS. They run $169 or so in the catalogs. It's a second generation ETrex unit, with lots of good features for the money. I've used mine quite a bit and it's been accurate and trouble free. You can also get software updates for the unit online, right from Garmin. I usually carry mine on my trips and then load the tracks, waypoints, etc. in to a mapping program, so that I can see exactly where I've been. It also calculates the best hunting and fishing times and shows the sun/moon phases. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif MI VHNTR
 
I've had a Garmin GPS 12 for about 3 years now and its still working. I will say that slaming it in a car door doesnt do good for the display. The contrast got screwed up and the backlight doesnt worke but I dont have any complaints about it. A friend of mine has that same gps model and it working fine for him(display still works /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ). My uncle has had a Garmin GPS 12XL for about 4 years now and its still going strong.

I've heard that the e-tex has an easier learning curve then the gps 12's plus they are a bit newer and smaller.

I didnt mind the display on my old gps going wacko since it gave me a good excuse to get a new gps. I now have a e-trex vista and I love it. You can put up to 24mb of maps into it. Plus it has all kinds of goodies including a magnetic compass, barametric altimiter, calculator, and it can tell you when the best hunting and fishing times would be /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif .

I'm sorta partial to Garmin so I guess my opinion is kinda bias towards them but I dont think that you would go wrong getting one of their products. I would recomend the plain old E-Trex if you just want a good cheap gps that'll get you where you want to go for a price of around $150. Or you could go all out and get yourself a E-Terx Vista with all of its goodies for $350. http://www.gps4fun.com/main_gar.html has good prices but you'll have to give them your e-mail to get the price quotes.

I hope I helped.

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It sounds like the garmin is winning out so far. Im sure what ever I end up with that I will be asking you guys more questions. When it comes to all this electronic gadgetry I just cant figure it out. I do think that owning a GPS is a wise investment for anyone who trvels around alot in the outdoors, that is if they work like I have been informed and read about. Thanks for your input on the subject.
 
I have a Garmin 12XL and a e-trex. Both are excellent units. Easy to operate, small and lightweight. I had another Garmin before the two units I have now and it was good too.
 
Depends on what you want the GPS to do. If you are looking for something that can simply tell you where you are and the direction to waypoints and such, than most any $100 or so GPS can do that. I had a Magellan initially and went to a Garmin 12 since I needed something that could connect to a laptop. The Magellan was ok, it had pretty good run time for two batteries, but it was somewhat slow to initialize compared to the Garmin. The Garmin takes twice the batteries and lasts about half as long due to the different types of displays. I think 8 hours or so depending on backlight use, contrast, etc, for the Garmin on 4 AA batteries is about average for me. I usually have it connected to a vehicle power source though.

Glenn
 


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