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Hand held GPS units


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  • #1218371
    David Plantenga
    Member

    @davidplantenga

    I’m thinking of purchasing a HandHeld GPS unit for charting waypoints on my favorite trails.

    What Brand/Model should I be evaluating?

    Thanks UltraLiters

    #1355108
    Jeff Black
    Member

    @thehikingdude

    Check out the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. Not sure how much money you are looking to spend, but I just got one a few months ago and love it.

    Previously all I’d ever had was Magellan, but my experience would suggest staying away from the Explorist line which is thier current model.

    Garmin makes many others for less money as well.

    -the hiking dude

    #1355112
    paul johnson
    Member

    @pj

    Locale: LazyBoy in my Den - miss the forest

    For the use that you are envisioning, I’ve had very poor experiences with pre-’06 model year GPS units in the hilly, and heavily forested NewEngland area -a signal ~25% of the time is all I can get.

    Recently, in another Thread someone posted that many ’06 models have a vastly improved antenna.

    I may give one a try. So, unless you’re just mapping out wide open spaces, i would only get a newer ’06 model.

    Sorry, at this point, given my experiences with older models, I can’t recommend one.

    #1355115
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    I’ve been using a Lowrance iFinder GO I bought for $79 at REI. I’m satisfied with it, but it can be slow if you make major changes in map sizing. It does have amazingly detailed maps of the US permanently installed and it will go 48 hours on 2 AA batteries. It is 16 channel and does a good job aquiring a fix quickly and is very accurate.

    We were driving up the Suiattle River Road in the North Cascades with the GPS running and taking readings through the windshield. As the GPS showed the National Forest boundary in shaded gray, we came around the bend to see the big wooden “You are entering…” Forest Service sign. It’s weird to have your location nailed so closely after wandering around with map and compass for years. All the other data like trip length, speed, etc, are really nice to have.

    #1355117
    Mike Barney
    Member

    @eaglemb

    Locale: AZ, the Great Southwest!

    I second the Garmin 60 / 76 CSX. I have a 76CSX, it weighs the same as the 60, but has the buttons at the top, which is easier for me to hold and read than the 60, which has the buttons at the bottom.

    The really nice thing about the CSX’s is they use a new SiRF chipset which is much more sensitive, locks much faster, and works well under canopys and inside. Lots of features, includes electronic compass and baro altimeter, removable memory. A little pricier than most. This is my 4th GPS unit, clearly the best (but also the largest).

    MikeB

    #1355124
    Douglas Frick
    BPL Member

    @otter

    Locale: Wyoming

    >I’m thinking of purchasing a HandHeld GPS unit for charting waypoints on my favorite trails.

    I see three variables here: price, overhead foliage cover, and the type of waypoints you’re collecting. If you’re on a low budget, have little overhead foliage and are just charting trail intersections or viewpoints, any cheap GPS should do–just stand there for a while and make sure the GPS gets a solid fix. The Garmin eTrex (MSRP $106; Froogle $90) works well for this kind of work; I used an eTrex Legend (5.6oz; MSRP $160; Froogle $120), which has the advantage of being able to load and display Garmin MapSource topo maps.

    If you have problematic overhead cover or are charting track points for trail mapping rather than just occasional waypoints, then you need to step up to a GPS with a better antenna. The Magellans are supposed to have decent antennas (my single use of a Magellan showed that it tracked fairly well under medium cover) and the Garmin GPS 60 (MSRP $193; Froogle $145) or any of the GPSmap 60 series (60, 60C, 60Cx, 60CS, 60CSx) have very good antennas. I highly recommend the Garmin GPSmap 60Cx (or 60CSx). I use a GPSmap 60C (7.8 oz; MSRP $429; Froogle $310) and have found it to keep a lock and record fair tracks under heavy jungle cover and in old-growth forest. I have occasionally wished for the CS’s built-in compass (mostly when geocaching) but the battery life penalty was IMO not worth it (I carry a compass anyway).

    As far as I can tell, the Garmin GPS 76 series has the same features as the Garmin GPS 60 series, except for button placement and a larger case so it floats (and maybe a marine database?). The difference is probably whether you hang the GPS around your neck and look down on it (76), or whether you clip it to your shoulder strap and turn it to look at it (60). Your choice. The older GPSmap 76C/CS has more built-in memory than the GPSmap 60C/CS, but that doesn’t matter with the new Cx/CSx models.

    If you are mapping trails with track points in jungle, old-growth or otherwise heavy cover, then plug a Gilsson amplified external antenna (2.8 oz; $50) into a Garmin 60-series GPS’s external antenna jack.

    http://www.gilsson.com/garmin_gps/antennas/mcx.htm

    Use a very thin 2″x2″ piece of steel to magnetically hold the Gilsson antenna onto your hat or shirt shoulder (it also acts as a ground plane for the antenna) and you will get solid tracks anywhere. I’m using the GPSmap 60C and Gilsson antenna to map out trails in the Medicine Bow National Forest and I have never lost my lock or had a bad track point.

    #1355195
    Craig Shelley
    Member

    @craig_shelley

    Locale: Rocky Mountains

    This is the unit I recommend. It is lightweight and does the job. I also recommend using a GPS together with map software and topographic maps on the computer. I use MapTech Terrain Navigator . I take a waypoint for all my photographs to keep track of them.

    Craig Shelley

    #1355205
    David Plantenga
    Member

    @davidplantenga

    Hey experienced ones,

    Thank you for your input. I’ll do some Brick and Mortar investigating armed with your recommendations.

    The Garmin 60 series was recommended by a eTrex owner last week. AND Thanks for the tip about the button placement.

    Plus, I’ll pull up REI for the Lowrance specs.

    The new technology, SiRF, is new to me also. Thanks a bunch there! Might be a SUPER reason to purchase a new one instead of eBay …

    Thanks again …

    #1355206
    Douglas Frick
    BPL Member

    @otter

    Locale: Wyoming

    In “Garmin Geko 301”, craig_shelley wrote:

    >I also recommend using a GPS together with map software and topographic maps on the computer.

    A GPS (with or without topo data) is certainly no substitute for a map, and a GPS with a map (especially one you’ve created for your particular hike) is a great combination. Search on BPL for “National Geographic” and you will find comments on NG Topo! and other map software. NG Topo! works with GPS as well as providing access to quads. The new version is excellent.

    There is also good free and cheap software, for both Mac and PC. More than you want to know:

    http://www.gpsy.com/gpsinfo/

    http://gpsinformation.net/

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