Garmin ForeTrex, any good for caching?

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 22 July 04 11:32 pm

It seems pretty good doesn't it. Found the cable but can't find the multimeter! Oh well, will work it out tomorrow at work.

Advantage of the eTrex - it wedges well between the dash and the windscreen on the Grand Vitara. No mount necessary unless over the rough stuff. I also found that even with the fairly sloping windscreen on the Vit I had trouble keeping lock with the Foretrex while driving home from work yesterday, so if you leave it on the wrist it may not replace a car based unit. I checked how it performed heading to one of my caches that I drive past on the way back home (within 3 metres if in the correct lane!), but had to leave it on the dash to get a lock.

This weekend just *have* to go caching to try it out now. Damn!

EcoTeam · Post by **EcoTeam** » 22 July 04 11:38 pm

Yes, the eTrex wedges nicely on my Vectra and EcoNic's RAV4, no mount needed as you say. Will be interesting to experiment with the Foretrex in this regard.

I got a 2.5mm stereo jack, it fits, but only with the plastic cover removed as the indent on the Foretrex means you can't push it all the way in. Nothing a little bit of polyurethane won't fix though

EcoDave

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 23 July 04 11:54 am

Cable pinouts are:

Tip = pin 2
Middle section = pin 3
Base nearest the shell = pin 5

EcoTeam · Post by **EcoTeam** » 23 July 04 7:15 pm

richary wrote:Cable pinouts are:

Tip = pin 2
Middle section = pin 3
Base nearest the shell = pin 5

Thanks!!

EcoDave

EcoTeam · Post by **EcoTeam** » 23 July 04 7:37 pm

The serial cable works like a bought one!
Just updated my firmware and tried GSAK which works perfectly.

Looks like you can switch the GPS off too, will be interesting to see if it uses less battery power in that mode. Might have to do some curent measurements...

EcoDave

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 25 July 04 12:33 pm

Went out yesterday to test the Foretrex on caching, and it worked very well. Found 1 mystery I had tried a couple of weeks ago with no luck, and also a traditional I had tried early on in my caching career. But that is reasonably well camo'ed so maybe I just didn't spot it first time. Also did a multi and 2 CBD caches, no trouble with sat lock with the tall buildings around so it gets the thumbs up from here. Haven't yet walked to a location with it and the eTrex to see which gets closer which would be an interesting experiment as well.

dak's Emu Mob · Post by **dak's Emu Mob** » 25 July 04 4:47 pm

alex wrote:I'm taking delivery of a few tomorrow . . .

I checked out the Carto Graphics web site, but the Foretrex isn't on there yet, and there is no mention of prices.

So, alex, what are your prices for the eTrex, Foretrex 101, and Foretrex 201? (A private email is OK, if you don't want to put them on the forum.)

I've been thinking about buying a Garmin GPS for some time (to complement my Magellan Map 330, and to have a spare that Emu-M can use). I was considering the ever-popular eTrex, but this thread is changing my mind. The eTrex is priced at US$99.95 (AUS$140) at Fry's. The Foretrex 101 is around US$115 (AUS$160), and the Foretrex 201 is around US$140 (AUS$195) on eBay. Shipping is extra.

It seems that I can't go wrong with this unit. As EcoDave is so enthusiastic about it, I can safely assume that it has absolutely no form of mapping included!

It seems that there is no down side. I'm happy enough to pay the extra for the Foretrex 101 over the eTrex. Should I pay the extra for the Foretrex 201? Is there any significant advantage in buying the 201? I know it comes with the PC cable, but it looks like I could fabricate one of those for ~$5. I'm ambivalent about inbuilt rechargeable battery--it begs the questions: what if the battery fails? Is the internal battery user-replaceable? If the internal bettery runs flat in the field, can it be replaced by alkalines? And so on.

Actually, reading the other posts in the thread, I'm hard-pressed to find a reason not to buy the 101.

Cheers,

dak

dak's Emu Mob · Post by **dak's Emu Mob** » 25 July 04 6:16 pm

I did some sniffing around on eBay for prices on the Foretrex 101. There is only one seller who ships worldwide: nakusi.

The "Buy it now" price is $US114. Shipping to Oz is US$36.

The serial cable is US$12.95 (no extra shipping if shipped with the unit).

All up: US$164.55, or AUS$230.75.

They will ship it as a 'gift' so you can avoid Customs fees, but they charge an additional US$10 for this 'service'.

EcoDave: who did you buy yours from on eBay? If the all-up cost was $182, what was the cost of unit/shipping?

I'd rather buy it from Oz, especially if the price is close to this (I assume it would be cheaper than this).

Cheers,

dak

leek · Post by **leek** » 25 July 04 7:03 pm

dak's Emu Mob wrote:I'd rather buy it from Oz, especially if the price is close to this (I assume it would be cheaper than this).

I suspect that this is a slightly different version of the 201 for athletes, but nevertheless interesting for price comparisons...

http://www.gpsoz.com.au/garmin_201.htm

EcoTeam · Post by **EcoTeam** » 26 July 04 11:22 pm

I got my unit on eBay from DTM marketing:
http://stores.ebay.com/DTM-Marketing
eBay user name is "lawfive" and the guys name is Dan Marshall.
Cost was US$119.99 "Buy it Now" with US$16 postage. Grand total after conversion was about the AU$185 mark.
I'd recommened this guy, he shipped the next day (and emailed me to tell me so) and marked the customs note "gift" with a really low $value. Came adequately packed in a padded envelope in its orginal Garmin packaging. Delivery was about a week or less I think.
He doesn't seem to have any at the moment but give him an email he can probably get one.

I also checked out the "nakusi" guy but balked at the delivery and extra "fee".

The serial cable is easy to make up. A 2.5mm stereo jack for $1 from Jaycar and a D9 connector. You do have to keep the backshell off the 2.5mm connector though otherwise it fouls the "lip" on the foretrex. I used some heatshrink and holtmelt glue to seal the connector. Easy, took barely 5 minutes.

There is no reason I can think of to recommend the eTrex over the ForeTrex, apart from saving a few dollars. The dozens of extra features in the ForeTrex just make it so compelling. Also, the firmware on the eTrex has not been updated in years and I would not expect it be again. The Foretrex on the other hand is brand new and you can expect regular updates for several years.

As I see it, advantages of the 201:
- Much slimmer than the 101, but the same weight. A compelling reason if you can live with the disadvantages.
- Potentially more waterproof as the case is effectively "sealed". Serial/Power contacts are made with custom flush pins on the base, similar to the eTrex. Not that I would go swimming with the thing anyway, IPxx is NOT truly waterproof.
- You can "recharge" the unit in the field from AA batteries with the use of a charger available from several online stores, but you need to carry the "cradle" - yuck.

Disadvantages of the 201:
- Forget trying to make your own serial cable.
- If the internal battery dies (and it WILL given time) replacement may be very difficult and/or expensive. As far as I have read it is not user replaceable.
- You need a "cradle" to connect to the serial/power connector, easy to break/lose etc.
- Costs more.

I agonised over the 101/201 choice, and until I got my unit I thought I may have made the wrong choice. But now that I've played with the 101 it is not as "big" as a thought it would be, and not having to plug it into a cradle is great. I can also carry spare alkalines in the pack (and forget about them for years without fear of discharge) and instantly get it up and running again in the field without having to carry some battery pack thing.

As far as non-mapping GPSs go, the ForeTrex is absolutely unbeatable value for money, nothing comes close. I can usually find something to nit-pick about on any product (I am an electronics designer after all!

), but haven't found any negatives on the Foretrex 101 yet.

EcoDave

dak's Emu Mob · Post by **dak's Emu Mob** » 04 August 04 10:18 pm

I took the bit between the teeth and bought a Foretrex 101 from Carto Graphics in SA (alex). I couldn't get a price on eBay or by direct purchase that even approached EcoDave's. I almost bought one from a Canadian dealer (actually placed an order for it), but they contacted me to say that shipping would be AUS$24 more than specified on their web site, so I cancelled the order.

I tried contacting the bloke that EcoDave bought his from, but by the time he answered, I'd placed my order with alex.

Anyhow, I was out logging 12 caches yesterday, so I wasn't here when Australia Post delivered it. (Too bad, because I would have liked putting it through its paces in a full day's caching.)

So, today was the first opportunity I had to use it. After fiddling with it for five minutes or so, I headed out to do the nearest unfound cache. I've been using a Magellan Map 330 since I started caching last September, and I've been most satisfied with it. I think the Foretrex might change all that.

The first thing that struck me was the small size of the thing! Of course, small size also means small weight. Before I actually got it, I was apprehensive about the position of the buttons and the horizontal orientation. However, the buttons are very usable, and the horizontal orientation is not a problem.

I haven't used a Garmin GPSr before, but I found the operating system very user-friendly and intuitive. I had only spent a few minutes scanning the manual, so I had learnt virtually nothing about how to operate it. The cache I attempted was a multi, which meant I had to enter and edit coordinates several times. I easily figured out how to do this, which is testament to the ease-of-use, more than anything else.

You've probably worked out that I really like the Foretrex 101. I bought it as a back-up for my Magellan, but there is a real possibility that the Magellan will end up being the backup. Of course, the Magellan has mapping built-in, so I'm guessing that both units will be fully utilised.

I've only had minimal experience with it, but on the strength of my experience so far, I'd strongly recommend it.

Cheers,

dak

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 04 August 04 11:27 pm

Alex's list price on the 101 was $320 when I visited and got mine.

One thing I found with mine, when I first got it I upgraded the firmware to the next version that was already up on the website. I ran it on battery save mode in the car then when I got close to a cache switched to normal. It then seemed to lose the satellites even though displayed them OK, came up with a weak GPS signal message. To fix needed to be turned off and back on.

Since then have upgraded to an even newer version that is now on the garmin website and the couple of goes since seems to be fine now. That wasn't listed as one of the fixes on that version.

It's nice, I like it.

Geocaching Australia

Garmin ForeTrex, any good for caching?

First Impressions of the Garmin Foretrex 101