GPS

[kc8twl]

I am new to the world of GPS. I am looking for a handheld unit that I can use for off road trail riding, and also for hunting. I am looking to stay on the lower end of the price scale. I was looking at possibly the Megallen eXporist 200. Any and All suggestion are welcome. Thanks! KC8TWL aka. Chris.

[joe_jeep]

ya i always wanted a gps , but i know diily poo about em! whats a good unit and whats it gonna cost me??

[WhiteRhino]

Almost everyone on GL is using the Garmins. Kinda nice since we can share info. There are a large range of units available. In my book, getting a low priced one only makes you wish you had bought a better one. You want one that will allow downloading of both street and topo maps. Also, you need to be able to upload and download your tracks. (bread crumbs to some)

You can get into all this for as little as $300. Or you can spend over $1000

Checkout the Garmin V at 4x4books.com

[Jarhead]

I use the Garmin V also. It does everything Jim mentions, so it does everything I need.

[joe_jeep]

cool thx. so if i plug mine into another members i can download the drummond trails from his memory?? that would be cool, mabey west branch too. i gotta get one!!

[WhiteRhino]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joe_jeep &#064; Mar 5 2006, 01&#58;29 AM) 11487</div>

cool thx. so if i plug mine into another members i can download the drummond trails from his memory?? that would be cool, mabey west branch too. i gotta get one&#33;&#33;
[/b]

No, it&#39;s not that easy. All file transfers are from gps to computer. So, you would have to get a copy of the tracks from someone else, & then download them yourself. Or hook up to their computer.

[RockyTop]

Once I get my trail rig, I&#39;ll be talking to Brian and Blt4mud. They are very knowledgeable in this area. I&#39;ll be looking for nothing fancy. I figger on spending &#036;200-&#036;300.

RT

[Zookeeper]

I&#39;ll put a plug in here for the small, handheld Garmins. I&#39;ve owned two so far and both served me very well. I started wiht the Etrex Legend and when that eventually wore out, I moved up to an Etrex Vista. Both are under &#036;200.

I like the Vista much better because of its larger on-board memory (8mb for Legend, 24mb for Vista.) Because of the larger memory, I can carry maps for almost the entire state of Michigan, whereas before I had to be more careful about plotting out where I was going and downloading the appropriate detailed maps. (Note that if you hit an area where you haven&#39;t downloaded a detailed map, the Legend still uses a base map that shows main roads.

I like the ability to carry the GPS units between vehicles, plus the family and I do geocaching in the warmer months and you really need a handheld for that sport.

I have found Garmin to be great company in terms of tech support, firmware and software updates, etc.

Sometimes I wish I&#39;d spent a little more for the color-screen version, although I imagine that might chew batteries a bit faster, too, so you always have decisions to weigh.

HTH. Anyone with more specific questions about the two units I&#39;ve owned, feel free to post them here or PM me.

[RockyTop]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zookeeper &#064; Mar 5 2006, 08&#58;43 AM) 11507</div>

I&#39;ll put a plug in here for the small, handheld Garmins. I&#39;ve owned two so far and both served me very well. I started wiht the Etrex Legend and when that eventually wore out, I moved up to an Etrex Vista. Both are under &#036;200.

I like the Vista much better because of its larger on-board memory (8mb for Legend, 24mb for Vista.) Because of the larger memory, I can carry maps for almost the entire state of Michigan, whereas before I had to be more careful about plotting out where I was going and downloading the appropriate detailed maps. (Note that if you hit an area where you haven&#39;t downloaded a detailed map, the Legend still uses a base map that shows main roads.

I like the ability to carry the GPS units between vehicles, plus the family and I do geocaching in the warmer months and you really need a handheld for that sport.

I have found Garmin to be great company in terms of tech support, firmware and software updates, etc.

Sometimes I wish I&#39;d spent a little more for the color-screen version, although I imagine that might chew batteries a bit faster, too, so you always have decisions to weigh.

HTH. Anyone with more specific questions about the two units I&#39;ve owned, feel free to post them here or PM me.
[/b]

Silly question, I&#39;m liking the memory Cache of the Vista, would spending around &#036;250-300 be "worth it"? Or is &#036;100 a "significant" improvement over the Vista. Basically, would I be getting a better unit overall (or is spending MORE than &#036;300 (less tax))?

[Zookeeper]

Well, I just did a quick search at Garmin and found out that the Vista has an MSRP of &#036;289 -- I don&#39;t remember paying that much for it, but maybe I paid more than &#036;200 and blocked it out of my memory. LOL. The V is listed at &#036;321. So you&#39;re talking a differenc of &#036;30 or &#036;40.

Jarhead or White Rhino should chime in about the features of the V, because I have no experience with it. I like the toughness of the Etrex units; not sure if the V&#39;s are as beefy. It&#39;s almost one of those things where you need to see them in person to do a side-by-side comparison.

[Jarhead]

The Garmin V goes from vehicle to vehicle or can even be used as a handheld. You can save up to 10 tracks at any one time. If you need more, download one or two your computer to make space and then uphold ones you have sitting on your computer. You have the ability to name your tracks so you could be as specific as each location or each trail you like to ride. The nice feature is, not only can you share the information from person to person by transferring from computer to computer and than the to the Garmin Unit. But it is simple to make your own tracks. The Software is easy to use and gives you the ability to Download and Upload Waypoints, Routes, Tracks and Maps.

[GreyBeard]

www.gpsnow.com has the Vista for &#036;220 and the V for &#036;245

[RockyTop]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bwrettig &#064; Mar 5 2006, 09&#58;08 AM) 11517</div>

www.gpsnow.com has the Vista for &#036;220 and the V for &#036;245
[/b]

Thanks folks. I appreciate your assistance. This is going to be useful, and beneficial when I get my Early Bronco soon.

RT

[Zookeeper]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jarhead &#064; Mar 5 2006, 06&#58;05 AM) 11515</div>

The Garmin V goes from vehicle to vehicle or can even be used as a handheld. You can save up to 10 tracks at any one time. If you need more, download one or two your computer to make space and then uphold ones you have sitting on your computer. You have the ability to name your tracks so you could be as specific as each location or each trail you like to ride. The nice feature is, not only can you share the information from person to person by transferring from computer to computer and than the to the Garmin Unit. But it is simple to make your own tracks. The Software is easy to use and gives you the ability to Download and Upload Waypoints, Routes, Tracks and Maps.
[/b]

Hmm...see I can do all that on the Etrex Vista, too. That&#39;s why I&#39;m still not sure about the difference in cost...there must be something the V does that the Etrex units don&#39;t.

[RockyTop]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zookeeper &#064; Mar 5 2006, 09&#58;25 AM) 11520</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jarhead &#064; Mar 5 2006, 06&#58;05 AM) 11515

The Garmin V goes from vehicle to vehicle or can even be used as a handheld. You can save up to 10 tracks at any one time. If you need more, download one or two your computer to make space and then uphold ones you have sitting on your computer. You have the ability to name your tracks so you could be as specific as each location or each trail you like to ride. The nice feature is, not only can you share the information from person to person by transferring from computer to computer and than the to the Garmin Unit. But it is simple to make your own tracks. The Software is easy to use and gives you the ability to Download and Upload Waypoints, Routes, Tracks and Maps.
[/b]

Hmm...see I can do all that on the Etrex Vista, too. That&#39;s why I&#39;m still not sure about the difference in cost...there must be something the V does that the Etrex units don&#39;t.
[/b][/quote]

Yeah, that&#39;s my question, if I can get a good unit for cheaper, I figger it&#39;s money better spent. I don&#39;t need the best unit, just a damn reliable unit that can get me out of an "Oh s**t situation" if needed.

RT

[Jarhead]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zookeeper &#064; Mar 5 2006, 09&#58;25 AM) 11520</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jarhead &#064; Mar 5 2006, 06&#58;05 AM) 11515

The Garmin V goes from vehicle to vehicle or can even be used as a handheld. You can save up to 10 tracks at any one time. If you need more, download one or two your computer to make space and then uphold ones you have sitting on your computer. You have the ability to name your tracks so you could be as specific as each location or each trail you like to ride. The nice feature is, not only can you share the information from person to person by transferring from computer to computer and than the to the Garmin Unit. But it is simple to make your own tracks. The Software is easy to use and gives you the ability to Download and Upload Waypoints, Routes, Tracks and Maps.
[/b]

Hmm...see I can do all that on the Etrex Vista, too. That&#39;s why I&#39;m still not sure about the difference in cost...there must be something the V does that the Etrex units don&#39;t.
[/b][/quote]

It could be memory size, battery life (versus plugging it into the lighter), I don&#39;t know. :doah:

All I do know is, I still don&#39;t really understand how it works, but it is easy enough for me to use. Remember when VCR Recorders first came out and nobody knew how to program them (except your kids)?

[Zookeeper]

Maybe we need to have a little GPS comparo at the quarterly meeting in April. It might prove useful for lots of folks.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller...Bueller...

[GreyBeard]

If you want to compare GPS units, here are a couple of sites that have a lot of information, good prices to order, and give some ability to do the comparisons. I have purchased units from both, and have no complaints. They have both been in business for some time.

http://www.thegpsstore.com/ (multiple brands of GPS units and accessories)
http://www.gpsnow.com/ (Garmin units and variety of software aimed at off road)

I don&#39;t try to keep up on all the current units myself. There are just too many and they are changing all the time.
I personally have an old Garmin GPS 12 MAP which is great, but has limited memory capability.
I gave my son a Garmin V and he loves it, including the routing capabilities that the unit has.

I highly recommend a hand held mapping unit of any kind that will also talk to a computer. The computer has access to the rich resources of the InterNet. Eventually you may want to hook your GPS to a laptop in the vehicle and give yourself a really big screen. Fitting the laptop in the vehicle is a challenge, but it is a great tool hooked to the GPS along with some moving map software.

[JerryD]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zookeeper &#064; Mar 5 2006, 09&#58;25 AM) 11520</div>
...<snip>Hmm...see I can do all that on the Etrex Vista, too. That&#39;s why I&#39;m still not sure about the difference in cost...there must be something the V does that the Etrex units don&#39;t. [/b]Go to http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/compare.jsp

Looks like one of the differences that affect cost might be battery life (12hr v 25hr).

Take a look see for yourselves.

HTH,
Jerry

[RockyTop]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JerryD &#064; Mar 6 2006, 09&#58;39 AM) 11611</div>


Looks like one of the differences that affect cost might be battery life (12hr v 25hr).

Take a look see for yourselves.

HTH,
Jerry
[/b]

I may be getting the V. it looks like it is on the front burner. Thank you all for suggesstions, tips, things to look for, etc.

RT