GPS for car and caching - cheapest options?

[Op Ivy]

Right now I can't afford to buy any GPS but am researching for when I can. It seems to me that the cheapest way to be able to have a GPS for caching and also for the car would be to get the yellow Garmin Etrex H on special for $100 for geocaching and then buy a Garmin Nuvi 255 or Tom Tom Start or similar for the car for $100 also. Is there any single unit for $200 that could do the job of both - ie. voice prompts and maps for the car and rugged casing, long battery life etc for handheld use?

[Happy Chappies]

In a word, yes!

http://dicksmith.com.au/product/E6756/o ... bile-phone

If you do a search on that phone on these forums you'll see a lot of posts and a number of people who have bought it and are happy with it. You don't have to use it as a phone if you don't want to - You can just use it as a GPS/Sat-Nav.

Might not be as rugged as you'd like (and cases for this one are rare), but it might fit the bill nicely.

[Op Ivy]

Thanks for sharing that option Happy Chappies. I read that phones aren't as accurate for GPS because the aerial isn't dedicated to the GPS function... so perhaps I'd be better off with two separate units that are dedicated for GPS? I did check through some old posts but didn't see any that discussed accuracy...

[Happy Chappies]

You're right about phones and GPS in general, but the advantage of that Garmin-Nuvi-Asus phone is that it has a 'proper' GPS inbuilt, so it's as accurate as any other proper GPS (ie. Dakota, Oregon, etc)

[Zalgariath]

The Garmin Nuviphone has the same chipset as the CS62! It is super accurate and the apps you can get give it almost the functionality of a fully fledged unit. Only 2 drawbacks are you cant drop it in a river and the battery is poor compared to a 'proper' gps. Again, I have apps which keep it running well.

However, there is about a 50% chance it seems the thing will half brick itself as the software is a touch unreliable. Mine is in the half stuffed catagory. Most people it seems to be fine.

[Op Ivy]

Thanks Happy Chappies and Zalgariath. So pros for Garmin Nuviphone are has a proper GPS chipset and supports paperless caching. And cons are not waterproof or rugged and less battery life. I'm kinda leaning towards the etrex just because I'm less likely to break it and then end up lost... Went bushwalking on the weekend without checking the weather and ended up with rain bucketing down - everything in my backpack and pockets got soaked, paths got wet and slippery etc... think if I had a GPS on me at the time I wouldn't have been worried if it was an etrex but would have been if it was a non-waterproof phone and I was relying on it to find my way back to the car.

[Happy Chappies]

Thanks Happy Chappies and Zalgariath. So pros for Garmin Nuviphone are has a proper GPS chipset and supports paperless caching. And cons are not waterproof or rugged and less battery life. I'm kinda leaning towards the etrex just because I'm less likely to break it and then end up lost... Went bushwalking on the weekend without checking the weather and ended up with rain bucketing down - everything in my backpack and pockets got soaked, paths got wet and slippery etc... think if I had a GPS on me at the time I wouldn't have been worried if it was an etrex but would have been if it was a non-waterproof phone and I was relying on it to find my way back to the car.

Sounds very sensible

One word of warning though - with the etrex you'll also need to factor in the cost of the serial-usb cable so you can connect it to your pc (unless you're happy to do the time consuming and thumb-numbing process of entering coordinates manually on an etrex) - Check out the prices and then see if it's the most cost effective option vs. a slightly more expensive model with a normal mini-usb socket.

Also in terms of paperless caching, if you happen to have an ipod with a screen you can use that with the GSAK program to download notes to the ipod. I've got an ancient ipod mini which i use just for that purpose and it's brilliant (and cheap!). Just another idea to put in the mix!

[Op Ivy]

Thanks again Happy Chappies. I don't think the cable will be a problem - there is one on ebay that can be had (including delivery) for under $25 and has USB plug for PC end. I saw it recommended on the geocaching.com forum by someone who has used it with no problems. Thanks for the tip about the ipod too - I don't have one but if later I want to go paperless might be worth checking ebay for something like that going really cheap.