Handheld GPS........Anyone out there using one ?

[AmericanCoinHunting]

Most of us men would rather use memory,or a map,rather than let a little female voice tell us where to go. But I am not talking about the car attatched "Tom-Tom",or "Garvin" on the dashboard. I am talking ---Handheld GPS--
Is anyone familiar with handheld GPS? Can you use it to locate a site you have researched on an old map ?
Can you mark location of your latest find ? Or Mark (In an unfamiliar site )the location of where you left your vehicle so you can find your way back .?..LOL,,,I know I would not want to admit it but if I had a GPS.....That is one thing I would use it for LOL.
Lastly.........Since I am an (Older Soldier... .....quite familiar with the Map & Compass )But very unfamiliar with the handheld GPS.
I am doing the research this winter about Handheld GPS,and would like to use it for the things I mentioned above.
I could probably give up as much as $400-$500.......To own one,but I don't want to have to pay a subscription fee,nor would I want to have to buy a (Software---set of Maps) I would like it self contained with a set of maps,2008 or newer,that I could { Don't TELL my Wife},,,use to drive by as well.
Any ideas / I am sure I will have more questions ,as soon as some of these are answered.
Thanks for any HELP....

[trash n cash]

DeLorme earthmate pn-40. 349.00 at thegpsstore.com
Everything you want plus has the best topo maps on the market.
7.5 minute topo quads. Very detailed. Also traffic cone orange so if
you drop it you can find it easy. Same price at Tiger direct store.

[EDDE]

Garmin Etrex i have one it has a lot cool features
it only will show main roads but if you drive with it on it will map secondary road etc
has a digital compass
i used it alot a few years ago now i barely use it

[mikewaz]

Hi Dave,

I bought my son an Etrex a few years ago and I finally started using it this year. Now I got it all figured out.

There are some real cool ones out on the market, but this one does the job for me, plus it's pretty small, so you hardly notice it.

The one I use doesn't have maps, but the Legend model does. I don't think the maps will help out that much for what we do, but I could be wrong.

The only accessory I'd recommend is the data cable so you can enter coordinate info from your computer. You can get away without one, but it's a pretty slow process entering the data, especially if you enter a lot of waypoints.

I've seen some great deal on Ebay. I just looked at one auction that was for an Etrex which included the data cable, case / holster and lanyard for 70.00. I don't have a cable yet, but I will before Spring. I've seen those also on Ebay for 10.00, and they normally go for around 40.00.

Hope this helps!
Mike

[twistidd]

I just received my Garmin Etrex for my birthday (Dec. 15th). I haven't really used it yet, just played around with it, but I'll soon know for myself. It's apparently one of the best ones for treasure-hunting or geocaching purposes.

Joe

[Lookn4Seated]

I just bought the Legend at cIRCUIT cITY today for $96.00. It came with the data cable, and lanyard. I haven't played around with it yet, but have gone through the owners manual and it looks like it has some cool features. I don't think I made a bad choice for under $100 bucks. I especially like the feature that it tracks where you go, and you can mark places where you find something. (and then match up the coordinates with google earth and see where exactly you found something) I have so many ideas of what i'm gonna do with it, and find places i've seen on google earth, but was unable to locate once in the field. HH!

[Brett]

Looks like the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx is the sheezy... it's $293 w/free shipping at Amazon.
http://tinyurl.com/9nr4yx



You'll probably need the remainder of your budget to purchase some map software, like Topo USA 7.0 ($78 for whole country, less for specific areas). I heard Topo USA was good, but some of the reviews make it sound hard to use. The jury is out on that one.

[AmericanCoinHunting]

I just bought the Legend at cIRCUIT cITY today for $96.00. It came with the data cable, and lanyard. I haven't played around with it yet, but have gone through the owners manual and it looks like it has some cool features. I don't think I made a bad choice for under $100 bucks. I especially like the feature that it tracks where you go, and you can mark places where you find something. (and then match up the coordinates with google earth and see where exactly you found something) I have so many ideas of what i'm gonna do with it, and find places i've seen on google earth, but was unable to locate once in the field. HH!

I finally made a choice,broke down and bought one today.........Not sure how happy I'll be,but this is the one I decided on.
I went to Ebay and Bought a new Garvin Etrex Legend CX with accessories (that included an SD stick) .......for $120 shipped.
I then went to another ebay store and found an SD topo stick #6 for the Midwest shipping included for another $ 70....................I am not even sure if I will be able to use it for trips threw the city or not,but....................................Total for my detecting hobby $190

[Brett]

Total for my detecting hobby $190

Keeping the husbands happy... Priceless!

Let us know how you like the new GPS Dave!

[hns11550]

I have a Magellan GPS and I love it and consider it a valuable part of my gear. I use it only for hiking and metal detecting. I really enjoy using it for scout trips to check out areas when it is too cold to hunt, or raining. I will scout locations and mark and save them for future use. I do also carry mine around with me in my car. When I am out I always keep my eyes open for a new site. If I do happen to find a promising looking spot, I can mark it and return later. I Also do alot of research online with google earth. I do input coordinates from the pc to my gps to put me on top of where I am wanting to go.