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I would like to buy a small GPS unit. I have never owned one before...other than the Garmin in my car for driving. Not one that I can plot points on, etc.
#1 reason for use is ice fishing / fishing. I would like to mark spots but also be able to take coordinates and plug them in and have it lead me there.
I would like to do more backpacking into fishing holes, etc and would need it for that as well.
I would take it with me backpacking, 4 wheeling, ice fishing, etc.
When it comes to gadgets I tend to "over buy". I would go out and buy that nice Garmin Rino for $500 because its loaded with "stuff". But I am sure (from past experience) that I would only use the basics of the unit and not use it often enough to even know how to use the other features.
For example.....years ago when I bought my Garmin C550 it was roughly $600. I could have bought the C330 for around $299 BUT...the 550 had Bluetooth phone as well as an mp3 player!!! So I bought it. Duh....I have never used the phone or the mp3 player.
I don't want to be stuck in that habit.
What unit should I buy that will do the basics, but still have a few extras that would be nice. Also, easy to use?
Any help would be appreciated.
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If you are looking for just a good, basic GPS unit, that can get you from point A to point B, ( and a few other little goodies) I would go with one of the Garmin eTrex series GPS receivers. The learning curve is not as steep as with other GPS units and they are very reliable and accurate. If you do decided to purchase one, I would find a deal on a bundle package, meaning the GPS unit, software, and cables all in one. The software to load maps is generally in the $90-100 range, on top of the price of the receiver, so keep that in mind. Cabelas is constantly having sales on their GPS units so I would check it out and read reviews online. I just bought the Garmin CSx and love it!! Probably falls under the category of over-doing it, refering to your cell phone [cool], but I love it. Good luck!
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That Garman CXs is a good unit. Like most Garmans the buttons are above the screen(some are on the sides). For me that puts my right hand over the screen which makes it tough to see the curser when moving it. I have a Magellan 300,Platinum, and an Explorist 500 with color and a rechargable battery(10 hour life).
The Explorist worked well at 25 below when holding it in my hand when snowshowing.It has a faint backlight that is on all the time and that must keep the screen from going black in the cold.Very easy to see in the dark without the regular light on. The Magellan mapping program for it has all the states on it for about $100. They sell for $200 w/o the rechargable battery. They have a new one the Triton $200 to $500. Lower end is like the Explorist 500 and the top end has a camera that you can link to landmarks and an mp3. The Triton uses National Geographic maps that are $100 per state.
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I am not sure the brand really matters. The basic thing I look for is being able to download info on your PC. You also want to make sure you get one that has an SD disk. When you start putting maps on it you will need the extra storage. I too have the magellan explorist 500 it is very basic and does all I need it to do.
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"What unit should I buy that will do the basics, but still have a few extras that would be nice. Also, easy to use?"
[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]I think you have had such a unit all along and have not realized it. And that unit is you. You will be surprised to find all the extras in yourself if you looked hard enough. I personally find no use in GPS units for Utah. Unless you are fishing huge places like the Great Lakes or ocean how much could it really help?. My advice for GPS when hiking/backpacking? If you need one you probably shouln't be there.
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You must have a rather high opinion of yourself and your ability to triangulate your position . Tell you what. Take a five gallon bucket and fill it full of rocks. Tie an eight foot floating rope to it and go out in the middle of Utah lake and drop it in. Go home and rest. Go back out the next day and try to find it. You would be lucky to get within a thousand feet, even with the best notes on what landmarks to use for position.
I know of a spot out in the middle of Utah lake where there are a few basket ball sized rocks. About eight of them. And I can find that spot very easily with my old Eagle GPS unit. I've tried to see how close I can get without GPS. Just by looking at landmarks and then turning on the GPS. I'm usually about a half mile off.
A few years ago, my buddy left his knife under a bush where he had killed an Elk. He went back a couple times trying to find the spot again and gave up. I had the spot on GPS and went back after it snowed, a month later and found his knife in five minutes.
GPS is awesome and anyone who spends lots of time in the outdoors should have one and know how to use it.
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[cool][#000080] I agree with everything you said and will add that if you are in trouble it would save many man hours and dollars for the rescue effort if you could give them your exact position. i personally would not be without a gps anytime AND when in remote areas, I carry a personal locator beacon. Nothing wrong with technology! [mad][/#000080]
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+1 Walleyebob
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I was in the MUrray Costco yesterday and they have a Magellen(?) handheld units that looked pretty user friendly for about $170 - I personally have the Garmin ETrex and they work great - I never have been one to get lost in the woods but if the fog or snow storm comes in fast a GPS could save your life or at least a long walk.
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I have used several (4) different GPS units over the years. The best I have found is the Garmin 76 CSx. It includes an electronic comapss which I thought was just another "whistle or bell" that I would not use. Now that I have it, I would never want a GPS unit without one. The benefit?......it tells you which way to start heading to a waypoint instead of you having to start walking/motoring around in order for the unit to "find itself". This saves not only time, but aggrivation! I could care less if the screen was colored or not, since I'm color blind, but others seem to like it. The 76CSx I bought was on line. I had it delievered for $327.15, compared to its price tag of about $450 at Cabelas. If you want more info, please send me a personal mail (PM).
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I have the Magellan Crossover...It does Marine, road and trail navagation it was a great unit until it became completley submerged in water while I was trying to cross the Webber. The car navagtion worked the best, but the trail navigator worked okay, I think I didn't understand how to use all of the features. I love the fact that when I get a new one all of my old waypoints are waiting for me on my PC. It holds MP3's and pictures....and expandable memory. I purchased it at Costco last December for $229 and I haven't seen it less then $349 anywhere else. I only wish it had a higher waterproof standard. IPX-3 where most are IPX-7 for outdoors use. ![[Image: suspicious.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/suspicious.gif)
The extra features are nice...but a GPS is a GPS....They are a necesatity once you own one...and it is nice having the confidence to go off trail and explore the back country. I do reccomend always carring a non digital compass and map, just in case. Hope that helped.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 4]Here is my next GPS unit. A steal at 300 bucks. Check it out at this URL: [url "http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtdItemDetail.jsp?item=27558§ion=10106"]http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtdItemDetail.jsp?item=27558§ion=10106[/url].[/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 4][/size][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 4]Be sure to click on the flash demo for an up close look at the unit.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 81 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
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get a Garmin eTrex. they are used by the US Military, and i work with some of these people..... and they are stupid as hell. its very simple to use, you can plot points with just a few flicks of your thumb, it doesent cost alot, and gives pretty decent battery life.
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I initially wanna say I am sorry for "wasting" a post on "arguing" an opinion but after reading the post twice I had to comment - for someone to think they do not need a GPS in utah is OBSURD! As others have pointed out they can be key for the backpacking/hunting situation and just as important in finding that exact submerged structure for fishing - once you have a GPS with good/great maps fishing is never the same. You can go to a new lake and simply by looking over the map get a great idea on where you should be fishing and also how to get there. Did this exact thing this past week on Rainy Lake ("#1 smallmouth lake in the world" - some mags claim) on the Canadian/Minnesota border - it is 72 miles long and has 1600+ islands with 1500+miles of shoreline. Whether it is a lake like this or a reservoir as simple as Willard it can be very beneficial if not a complete necessity to have - without even mentioning it can save your life!
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I agree with everything you have and the others have said in "arguing" why one needs a GPS in Utah. Also I have had fellow anglers try to tell me where they were fishing a body of water and I have gotten there and have had no idea if I was even close to "the point" or "out from the small bay" or whatever. I have also had others give me the gps coordinates for where they were fishing --- keyed them into my GPS and knew that I was within a few feet of exactly where they were fishing. Also, one should try to find one of those underwater springs at Bear Lake without a GPS; whereas, with one I can go straight to it, one of the rockpiles or whatever. One may have saved my life on Utah Lake a couple years ago. I went to Bird Island and was going to spend the night when the wind came up. I had been smart enough to turn on my GPS before leaving the dock, and despite almost total darkness I was able to follow that GPS right back to the entrance to the marina, with waves splashing over the bow of my boat. It has also guided me through blinding snow storms and fog while ice fishing.
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000000]Alright I give up. Y'all are right. I just get carried away sometimes. [crazy] There are good things about GPS so if someone wants to buy it be that as it may.[/#000000][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 2][#0000bf]once you have a GPS with good/great maps fishing is never the same. You can go to a new lake and simply by looking over the map get a great idea on where you should be fishing and also how to get there.[/#0000bf]
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Thanks for the info guys, I was going to make the same post! [img]../../../images/gforum/  .gif[/img] I've never used one, but see the value in it and I need some more clarification on some things. Please.
The Garmin eTrex HC keeps showing up at the top in reviews, and it's in my price range.
My understanding is that I will need some separately purchased road maps if I want to be able to go from "point A to point B" and have a visual for driving. Is that correct?
And, what about what was said above? This is the kicker for me wanting a GPS, some kind of lake map. Does the eTrex HC have lake maps and will I need to purchase additional separate software? (How does this work, will it show lake depth, just an outline?)
Outside of what has already been mentioned above - what other features/options are a must have for fishing and outdoors stuff?
THANKS!!! I REALLY appreciate it! [img]../../../images/gforum/  .gif[/img]
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I have owned several GPS units. I prefer the Garmins. They seem to be the most user friendly. The E-Trex units are the most compact and will do what you want and then some. Make sure it is a color unit if you are getting one with mapping capabilities. There really isn't a unit (brand) that works better than another. All lock into the same satilites. There are just different bells and whistles and ease of use. I would first find the software that I am interested in. Then I would buy the GPS unit that reads that software. All GPS units are software specific. All software can be down loaded onto any computer, the way points can be transfered back and forth, but the mapping software can only be loaded onto the specific brand the software is made for. IE: Garman uses Mapsource, Earthmate uses Delorme and Magellin uses National Geographic. The need for a SD card is debatable as you can load different areas of maps onto your unit and if you need a different area but are out of memory, simply down load a different map area. My Garmin e-trex will hold a little more than 3/4 of the state of Utah. I have never needed more than that. If I am traveling to another area, I simply down load the area I want to visit. You don't have to buy mapping software as the unit will come preloaded with maps. It will be very general and won't show much detail however. If you want the best, get state specific mapping software and you will get the best detail. Map source software is 3 cd's for the entire world and actually has pretty good detail. My Delorme has 7 disks just for Utah. My National Geographic has 5 or more disks for just Utah. You can imagine the detail difference. I use mine more for hunting and ATV riding, so the 3-d versions are quite helpful and useful. Hope this info helps.
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Actually, that's the most help I've ever received on the matter. [ ] And I wanted to thank you publicly.
I've asked many people about GPS units, and about all I get is "It depends on what you want it to do". Well... I can't even ask better questions because I do not know what GPS units CAN do. [crazy] Salesmen, and often web research, produces what people want to sell you - and sometimes leaves a lot to be desired in practical info - and consumer "reviews" can be subjective and misleading. I've held off buying so far till I can get some reliable facts/answers about a few things.
The info you gave on software is good as gold, and gives me an avenue to explore. If you don't mind that I follow up please - what I was told is that the eTrex HC will do lake and road maps, (but if I can't put in an address, I question if it's better than just printing out something from something like Mapquest). And, I was also told that there is insufficient memory to load a road map AND a topographical on that HC (for example), because the software covers everything in the nation! [unimpressed] If you can load on only a specific area/State, that changes matters.
For my current understanding, I'd like a unit that does lake maps, and road maps. So, I've been looking into devices with a memory card, and I'd like something that I could put in street address and get directions (I know the the HC won't do the latter very effectively). However, those features seem to bump the price to the impractical range - and it can be cheaper go buy separate dedicated devices.
If you believe that another device would serve me better than the eTrex line - I'm all ears. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you prefer, please.
And again I'll ask others, what is it that you find useful in these units that I don't know about? [ ] FWIW: My interest are not with hunting, it's mostly fishing and whatever else would make life more manageable.
Thanks again
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I just got an eTrex Legend HcX and though I haven't used it in the field yet, I love it and does everything I need. It's my first GPS, and I consulted a friend who does Geocaching and operates a goecaching website (and used to sell GPS units there). He says all the Garmins are best, and as you have been told the difference is in the bells and whistles.
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