Down the road I plan to get myself a hand-held GPS to use on the trips I take. I'd like to get one for direction, elevation, longitude, and latitude. Wondering if anyone recommends a certain brand or type. I'm not looking for any real fancy ones, just the simple stuff. What should I look for in purchasing one? Thanks.

 

I want one too! I was thinking of going down to a pawn shop, we still have a few, to buy one. A third of the cost of a new one. $30-$40 bucks. Give me a chance to check it out before I get serious. There are quite a slew of them out there to choose from these days. I think I'm gong to look for the Granddaddy- GPS with the non-folding antennea. A friend of mine still has his he bought in 96' and is still compatable with todays tech. Talk with you later....

 

I've got Garmin E-trex and it is very simple to operate and has all the bells and whistles I have ever needed. It will show you where you are, where you have been and how long it will take you to get back. I usually get accuracy of around + or - 15 feet. It shows time, elevation, lat, long and you can store hundreds of waypoints for reference. I carry mine in my truck and use for hunting and to check my speedometer (off by about 5 mph). Usually costs around $100.


Longneck
1987 F-150 4X4

 

Garmin's GPS units are pretty much on top.
I've got a marine unit in my boat and it has worked exceptionally well.

The e-trex is a good unit if you need only basics, but check out the Garmin GPSmap 76. It's a handheld with a plotted moving map for orientation. Really neat.

 

Garmin E-Trex Summit. Does everything on your wish list and more. I've got one and I love it.

Waxy

 

Purchased a Magellan 2000XL back in '96. It was slow to aquire satellites, and got poor reception inside the cab. It hardly worked a year and quit. Purchased a Garmin GPS II+ right after that and I still use it today. I still remember the day the Feds canceled the Selective Availability (partial scrambling). The best possible accuracy before that was 49 feet, now it typically reads in the teens, and sometimes I have even seen 10 feet accuracy show up. It made a big difference on altitude readings; much more consistant now. Removal of SA was probably the best thing Clinton ever did.

If you are planning on using it while you do a lot of driving in the woods, I would recommend you get a unit that allows you to use a remote antenna you can place on the roof (magnet). GPS recievers can read through your windshield, but they are blind under sheetmetal. With an antenna on the roof, you will be able to read in all directions for better geometry and accuracy.

I would also purchase high-capacity NiMH batteries for it. The extra cost will pay for themselves very quickly over alkalines. And again, if you are going to use it in your vehicle for extended periods, you might even want a cig lighter adapter. Using it at night or with backlit display on will drain batteries even quicker. A remote antenna will also place an additional load as most are amplified.

 

I've been very happy with my Garmin GPS. I use it in the car for long trips and for boat trips.

This weekend I drove up to Staten Island, and I set my GPS on the dash. It displays speed, direction, elevation, and the closest cities. I especially like the feature where you can enter waypoints and name them ("brother's house") and then turn on the Go To function. Then you have an arrow pointing the way to that point and how many miles or feet away from that point you are at the moment.

I have the Garmin Etrex Venture handheld:
http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexVenture/

 

I bought a Garmin GPS12 from West Marine and was very happy with it. It allowed me to find survey points in my woods that I could not find without it because the distance traveled was very accurate. Check E-BAY for used prices.

 

Lowrance also has some nice units available, and some more coming out this fall.

http://www.lowrance.com/outdoor/default.asp


Some advice on buying the older units;
-Check to see what version of software it is currently running and contact the manufacturer to see if it can be upgraded at no charge if needed.
-Check to see if the manufacturer still makes or sells accessories for the unit. Otherwise you might have a hard time finding accessories.
-Check with the manufacturer to see if the unit is still repairable and will be for a while. Some units become obsolete and thus the larger chain stores will clearance them out to make room for the newer models.

 

I have a Garmin 12. I bought mine from http://www.thegpsstore.com they gave me a free case that offset the cost of shipping. The 12 is waterproof and has a larger display than the Etrex. You can also load a map into it with the cable available from the gps store. I paid $159.00 for mine and I have used it to find myself a couple times.

 

I have a Garmin I got for a birthday present. I want to get one for the airplane. But the kind i'm looking for have a big screen with moving map and put about a $1000 dent in the ole wallet. My Garmin has been dunked, cooked, froze, dropped, ect. Still works. Used a magellan once and it was more useful to hold the map down in the wind.

 

If you have a laptop, check out this URL:

www.delorme.com

I've had their GPS & map software for several years now, and it
is great!!!! The software will talk to you, and it has voice
recognition, so you don't have to watch it, you can keep your
eyes on the road. Just recently they have released a USB
GPS receiver, the older one uses the laptop serial port (9 pin).

 

I found this to be the best available software, especially for the money.

http://www.oziexplorer.com/

Waxy

 

...GPS? I have more fun getting lost and then trying to figure how to get unlost...

 

I have an Etrex Legend. Works fgreat for me. The built in map is good for most minor highways in California. I have even used it on waterways ver effectively. Can download maps with the computer cable. With the right software can even use it with a laptop like the deloreme. Best I ever got was radius to 7ft usually get 12 feet. I trust it enough to use in SAR.