Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Discussion about software such as GSAK, OziExplorer etc, as well as all things hardware, GPSrs, laptops, PDAs, paperless caching, cables etc
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PesceVerde
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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by PesceVerde » 16 June 11 6:53 pm

New eTrex due later in the year. Models will be 10, 20, and 30. :)

Edit: http://gpstracklog.com/2011/05/garmin-e ... unced.html

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by smitchnstu » 16 June 11 7:33 pm

thanks... am heading to the US in a couple of months, maybe they'll be out then??

so, is the eTrex the best entry level unit to get?

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by CraigRat » 16 June 11 7:35 pm

smitchnstu wrote:thanks... am heading to the US in a couple of months, maybe they'll be out then??

so, is the eTrex the best entry level unit to get?
It'll do you just fine.

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by Geoff-Raine » 03 July 11 12:00 pm

Hello... We have just joined up, have no idea what to do yet!! But we have Garmin eTrex H is this going to do the job? Many thanks

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by cantanga » 08 July 11 4:08 pm

Geoff-Raine wrote:Hello... We have just joined up, have no idea what to do yet!! But we have Garmin eTrex H is this going to do the job? Many thanks
Welcome. The etrex H is more than capable and is a tough basic GPS. I still use it after nearly 2 years and haven't been able to kill it. Don't expect it to be able to do anything fancy like paperless caching or mapping though it is just a GPS that points an arrow to the waypoint that you have selected. You will get tired of adding all the waypoints manually as it gets really repetative so it may be worth looking into a data cable for it if you don't have one.

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by Hashy » 14 October 11 8:26 pm

I just bought a Garmin eTrex 30 about a week ago. It is my first GPS. It was a decision out of either the new eTrex 10, 20, or 30. The 10 is what I like to think of as the new general basic model when considering a Garmin outdoor GPS unit. I really wanted maps, even if the screens on the new range aren't the best, so I looked harder at the 20. I then just decided that yeah its my first GPS unit and will be for a long time, why not go for broke on it and get the extra 3 axis compass and barometric altimeter.

The eTrex 30 seems to be a good little unit. Made a bit chunkier by the use of the double AA batteries, I don't mind that at all in favor of the convenience of being able to use AA's, which I see is pretty common or the norm when it comes to outdoor GPS units, can correct me if I am wrong, I know nothing! =)

The compass doesnt work very well indoors, and needs to be calibrated i think, every time you take it out doors. Can't give a ruling on the altimeter either, its hard to say, but it seems alright for the most part.

GPS + GLONASS, can't say weather or not that is a bonus or not, but the new eTrex range has the capability to use Russia's satellite network in conjunction with the United Stats GPS network.

Good battery life so far I reckon, on par with what the manufacturer says, 24-25 hours. Using some good alkaline batteries at the moment, but can use lithium, or rechargeable nickel metal hydride too of course.

The way it is with things, I can either have Contours Australia + Shonky maps, or I can have Open Street Maps, but I cant have both at the same time, I need to use a PC to switch between the two. If you have the cash to splash, might want to consider buying maps. But yeah, the screen is "alright", but not the best, and don't take the best advantage of what some maps can display.

GPS has been fun, simply because it is my first, and I would recommend the eTrex 30 to others as well.

Mini USB connection to computer is a bonus too, at least over the old eTrex H's serial connection. Its 2011, the word serial without the words universal and bus make me cringe =)
Quick and easy to upload tracks to Google Earth.. Not much luck with it throwing down my custom waypoints though.

EDIT: Additional info: The joystick main button controller thingo on the front of the eTrex 10, 20 and 30 feels abit dodgy, at least on my unit. Takes a bit of practice getting it to enter a menu or something. It is some thing I am already getting used to, but was a pain out of the box, my only worry is how long the stick and button is going to last.

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by gmj3191 » 19 October 11 8:53 pm

You really need to think in a broader sense - what is your geocaching "system" going to be?
Do you want to get out of a car or plane and then have a quick look at what caches are nearby?
Are you going to plan everything in meticulous detail before you get there?
Will you have access to a netbook or laptop?
Will you prepare a paper listing of all caches in the area you're interested in?

The GPS is just about the last piece in a chain of events finishing at the cache.

If you're going to plan ahead and in great detail, a cheap GPS will do you fine.

If you'd prefer to be a bit more impulsive or ad hoc about it, and just cast your cache net around without any pre planning, a top line GPS or a smartphone (perhaps in conjunction with a cheap GPS if it's an iPhone) will be your best bet. Perhaps a netbook with GSM web access and a cheap GPS would also suit you.

A cheap GPS with no planning about what caches you're hunting is practically useless.

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by Yurt » 10 November 11 10:05 pm

I got an email from Anaconda saying there's a 25% off everything sale until Sunday (for members). The only GPSr of interest is the Dakota 10. They don't seem to stock (online anyway) the Colorado or Oregon.
The Dakota is $349 in the online shop so I assume the same price in store. With 25% off that's just over $260.
I've got a 60Csx only a bit over a year old but I wouldn't mind a touch screen. Is it that much better than the 60Csx though? Lash out and buy a Colorado or Oregon?
My other benefit is that I actually use a hand held GPSr for my work so can use it as an expense for tax purposes.

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by gmj3191 » 10 November 11 10:53 pm

Yurt wrote:I got an email from Anaconda saying there's a 25% off everything sale until Sunday (for members). The only GPSr of interest is the Dakota 10. They don't seem to stock (online anyway) the Colorado or Oregon.
The Dakota is $349 in the online shop so I assume the same price in store. With 25% off that's just over $260.
I've got a 60Csx only a bit over a year old but I wouldn't mind a touch screen. Is it that much better than the 60Csx though? Lash out and buy a Colorado or Oregon?
My other benefit is that I actually use a hand held GPSr for my work so can use it as an expense for tax purposes.
I have an Oregon 550
Paperless caching features... much better than a GPSMap 60CSx
As a follow the needle GPS/screen visibility .... not as good as a 60 CSx

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by quiet1_au » 20 January 12 7:32 am

gmj3191 wrote:
Yurt wrote:I got an email from Anaconda saying there's a 25% off everything sale until Sunday (for members). The only GPSr of interest is the Dakota 10. They don't seem to stock (online anyway) the Colorado or Oregon.
The Dakota is $349 in the online shop so I assume the same price in store. With 25% off that's just over $260.
I've got a 60Csx only a bit over a year old but I wouldn't mind a touch screen. Is it that much better than the 60Csx though? Lash out and buy a Colorado or Oregon?
My other benefit is that I actually use a hand held GPSr for my work so can use it as an expense for tax purposes.
I have an Oregon 550
Paperless caching features... much better than a GPSMap 60CSx
As a follow the needle GPS/screen visibility .... not as good as a 60 CSx
I've had two Oregon 550s - the first one died after hitting cobblestones in Brugge, Belgium :-\ I looked at other options and still thought this was the best for me. The second one was on special and cheaper than the 450 which I was considering downgrading to :-)

Paperless caching is great (shame about lack of image support, although you can load them onto the unit and view via the image viewer but its limited - so watch out for that if it has photo clues). The camera is average but does come in handy for virtuals, waymarking, etc and geotags automatically (photo locations appear on the map). The touch screen can be annoying for scrolling through long cache descriptions and typing can be a little hit-miss sometimes, but the hi-res display is very good. I use openmtbmap.org maps on mine (I recently paid a subscription for them) - it's great combination :-)

I believe the GPSMap 6x models have better under tree cover reception than the Oregon/Dakota due to the better external antenna.

There's a $50 cashback offer on some Garmins at the moment (including the Oregon 550) so you could get one for $449 or there-abouts.

"Purchase an eligible Garmin Handheld GPS between 15th January, 2012 and 30th March, 2012, and receive a a Garmin Cashback card via redemption.

This cash back is awarded as an EFTPOS card. Cashback value depends on eligible product purchased - see below for Cash Back Values.

Visit GarminOutdoorRedemption.com to fill out the online entry form. (Final claims close 15th April 2012)."

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by Bronnie_1990 » 02 February 12 5:18 pm

Ok. So after a series of unforchanate events, i've lost my bloody etrex. \:D/
(Yes, that's the right smiley for this! I got annoyed at mine too much!)

So after looking at all the camping shops in canberra, i've decided to buy a Dakota 10, as it looks good.
And mainly, as paperless caching sounds like a dream. (i blame the iPhone for making me like that!)
It's on sale at anaconda for 350, or if you are an "adventurer club member", it's 210!

And i've just read that there's the cash back scheme going on for garmin, so i'd get 30 back! So that'd make it really $180!

Good idea or not? My budget is under 250..

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by Bronnie_1990 » 02 February 12 7:51 pm

And now i'm considering the Magellan Explorist..199 from rays outdoors, and it'd be 186 if i'm a member (Do i really want to become a member of another camping shop? It's going to become a hazard!)
I cant see it listed in the cashback option either. (Hey, free money is free money..)

Now i am confused and have two options! TWO! Ah-hah-hah!
:-k

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by quiet1_au » 03 February 12 7:09 am

The main concern I had with the Dakota 10 when I was first looking at GPSs was lack of expansion - so you rely on the internal memory for storing everything.
The new eTrex20 is within your budget, a new model, seems similar to the Dakota10 but expandable (micro-SD), even longer battery life and can use the new GLONASS satellites (whatever they are! ;-P) Also has a $20 cash-back if you get it in the next month or two (Dakota10 has $30 off - both work out practically the same price of just over $200 with the Garmin cashback). Never used one, but the claim the interface is improved over the old eTrex

eg: (scuse the plug, its just a shop I bought my last unit from - no kickback! - and refer to often) http://www.ja-gps.com.au/Garmin/etrex-20/ The do Magellen too but I only looked at them briefly before returning my attention to Garmins when I had to replace my broken Oregon550

Paperless caching is great it was high on my must-have list (after maps, battery life and memory expansion)

There's also the eTrex10 but its B/W, non-expandable, and seems very limited to me - cheap though.

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by Bronnie_1990 » 03 February 12 4:50 pm

Went with the Dakota. So far, so good!

Kind of confused where the usb bit goes umm no, never mind i'm an idiot....

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Re: Newbie thread: Which Garmin handheld GPS to buy?

Post by 2max » 17 February 12 7:09 pm

Had a read through this thread and couldn't really find the answer I'm looking for... so here goes..

I'm tossing around the idea of buying a basic entry-level GPSr and want to buy a Garmin. Been window shopping online and now am wondering if someone can tell me which would be the better buy - the eTrex H or the eTrex 10? Or is there any difference (apart from the case)?

With the current cashback offer it sits them both at roughly around the same price.

Thanks for any and all advice. :)

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