Where to buy my first GPS?

[Albany Canucks]

New geocacher here and first-time poster - I've always loved exploring and going on walks, and I'm very excited to have discovered the perfect hobby! I've already logged about a dozen finds that I discovered with the help of my car GPS, but it is less than ideal in certain situations and I'm ready to buy a decent handheld GPS (thanks to my wife for the perfect birthday gift!).

Two questions for the experienced Aussie geocachers out there:
1. Where should I consider buying my GPS? Is it much cheaper to buy a GPS online, and if so, what online retailers should I check out? Or is it better to buy in-store? I live in a relatively small city (Albany, pop. of ~30,000) about 400km from the big smoke of Perth WA; there are some camping and outdoor type stores here, and I'm not sure if I should be looking there or elsewhere. Any advice?
2. I've done some poking around and research on the forums, and so far I've concluded that I should try to get something that will let me go paperless with the help of pocket queries, and that is waterproof, has a built-in map, can store waypoints, and has a decent battery life. Not sure yet on the merits of having an electronic compass or touch screen. The Magellan eXplorist GC looks like it might come close to fitting the bill, but I don't like what I'm seeing in reviews about it being so slow to update especially when walking slowly to GZ; many of the Garmins seem more favourable in that regard? Anything else I should be thinking about or looking for when deciding what features to have, e.g. maps or compass or anything else?

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions!

[tronador]

Hi and welcome
I bought both my GPS's online. First one from the US, a yellow etrex and the one I use now a Garmin Vista HCx from a dealer on ebay. Both were much cheaper than bought in store. Do an internet search and compare some prices, then drop by your local outdoor stores and see how much difference there is. I know Johnny Appleseed has been recommended for in store purchases but they don't have any stores in WA. I do believe they take internet orders.

[Albany Canucks]

Thanks for the reply. I guess that buying from the US won't always work, especially if you're getting something pre-loaded with maps. Aside from the obvious (eBay), are there any other online retailers or places online where I can be looking and comparing prices, for a purchase here in Australia?

[Map Monkey]

... are there any other online retailers or places online where I can be looking and comparing prices, for a purchase here in Australia?

For a local online site at reasonable prices, try http://www.octapc.com.au/ based out of Perth. There are others like Johnny-Appleseed and Ryda.com, based over on the east coast that are slightly cheaper in some cases, however sometimes the $10 saved is neither here nor there when a local shop is available.

Good luck in your endeavours.

mm

[Albany Canucks]

Thanks for the links, that's very helpful! Should the possibility of dealing with warranty issues and service be a reason to buy from a local shop if at all possible, or isn't this a reason to avoid buying a unit online?

[Map Monkey]

I prefer to know that a person and/or shop exists to hassle IF any issues appear. Whilst Ebay etc can be a good experience, it is the lack of future followup that may tarnish the experience.

Manufacturers like Garmin and Magellan etc will tell you that they won't honour warranty in all cases due to not purchasing from their preferred retailers etc, however they also have a good reputation in most cases and tend to care about their branding. Whether you get support from them is dependant on the issue and their policy at the time.

I have bought good units cheaper from overseas etc, however i find these days with the good aussie dollar and companies like Garmin establishing Offices in Australia, that the extra savings aren't that much anymore...buy local where possible to gain good support, all 3 of those companies have a good reputation for aftersales support. YMMV

Hope that helps,
mm

[tronador]

Thanks for the reply. I guess that buying from the US won't always work, especially if you're getting something pre-loaded with maps. Aside from the obvious (eBay), are there any other online retailers or places online where I can be looking and comparing prices, for a purchase here in Australia?

You can get free maps for anywhere in the world here.

http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

So it doesn't matter what maps are preloaded. I had US base maps,, absolutely no problems using it here or in Nepal... Bali etc

[CraigRat]

Also worth mentioning:

Garmin Mapping GPS's come usually with a 'basemap' loaded. This map on most is is as good as useless. The US ones that appear on ebay usually don't have a Australian basemap, but this is no great loss and the base map is usually THAT bad that no map is sometime better than the actuall map

You then purchase Garmin's OzTopo or City Navigator or some such supplemental maps which are VERY good, but very expensive (think $250+).
The OpenStreetmap free maps can be loaded on to most Garmin units too (as mentioned above) and have very good detail in most parts of the country, but they lack some of the detail in regional areas.

[Albany Canucks]

Thanks for all the info. Looks like my best bet is to get a Garmin from one of the Australian online retailers, since shops in my local area have a limited range, limited expertise, and higher prices. In addition to the free OpenStreetMaps, I should be able to add ShonkyMaps and Contours Australia maps, and be all set, right? Assuming I can figure out how to do this on my own...!

[PesceVerde]

Yes. I have commercial City Navigator maps (unlocked for a 60CSx), and also free maps like OSM, Shonky, and Contours Australia installed on PC. All are viewable in Mapsource, and in Garmin's Basecamp program which I'm slowly warming to. Then choose which ones I want to use and upload them to the GPSr. [thumbsup]

[PacketStorm4]

You never know your luck with some places like Good Guys,
I was able t get them to price match octa PC once.
Never know if you never ask....