Need Help From GPS Users - From Your Experience Which is Best at $200 + or -

[JohnnyFlake]

I am looking to pick up a GPS Unit for marking locations where I pick up material to be panned at other locations. I also want to use it when out Metal Detecting.

For those of you with experience using GPS Units, which is the best out there in the $200 range or less.

If you have only used the one you have now, do you like it? What are the features?

 

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[SLNugget]

I have and use a Garmin Etrex 20 and like it a lot. Small, simple and great battery life. If you download Garmin Base Camp to your computer (free) you can transfer locations from computer to GPS and vice versa. You can also download free topos into Base Camp and upload them to the E20. I get the ones I use from GPS File Depot. You can input claim corners, digging spots, etc. and keep a record of them on your computer and view them on the uploaded topos. You can also download birdseye views from Google Earth to Base Camp and the E20 for checking places out. All of this is relatively simple once you have done it couple of times. There are more features but I seldom use them for prospecting.

 

[Clay Diggins]

What Stan said.

 

[russau]

ir all depends on what you want to use your GPS for! but for just recording locations. any GPS (cheapest) would do just fine!i have 2 Garmin GS-12 devices and would be willing to sell one of them ($60.)if your interested.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Wow, those things are antiques russau! Nice sturdy reliable units with many projections but no usb and little memory pretty much limits them. With no WAAS capability they are less accurate (~49 foot) and aren't going to be able to interface (no USB) with modern computers or software.

I write software to interface with GPS units and this being a Garmin unit it can interface with any computer made if you can emulate the USB protocol. Most users aren't going to be able to do that themselves and most modern mapping software only looks for USB ports with GPS attached. Have you had any luck connecting these units with Base Camp on your computer?

You can find modern WAAS enabled color screen Garmin eTrex units on sale for well under $200 these days. A new eTrex 10 with a Black and White display is under $100 new and has WAAS and GLONASS (24 satellites instead of 8 with the GPS-12) and interfaces with Base Camp mapping software and displays satellite and topo maps downloaded from the internet.

That $60 isn't a bad price for the GPS-12 but finding mapping software and cabling is going to to be a problem. Most folks expect to see actual maps of their choice on their screens too which isn't going to happen with the GPS-12.

It's a nice offer on a good unit for someone on a limited budget but folks should know it just isn't going to have the accuracy or mapping abilities of a modern unit.

 

[Jimmydolittle]

Here's a site that has them for wholesale: http://www.hotbuy4u.com/catalog.cfm?do=search

 

[Hoser John]

Simply go to Consumers Reports and get the latest greatest info tested to death . To rate a product they require at least 10,000 opinions and since no ads to sponsor the mag you get the truth,such a rare commodity, from a huge sampling of concerned users. If folks don't care they simply refuse to answer the annual questionaires so nuttn' but good opinions. I am not saying nuttn' bad about these couple but thousands more minds and experiences sure help-John

 

[JohnnyFlake]

Some good information! Thanks to all who have posted so far.

I have looked at the eTrex units and they seem fine. My only objection to them is that the have small screens.

 

[lowctoy]

I have a Garmin Oregon 450 , got it on black Friday last year 200. normal price around 300. dicks sports supply, screen is 1.5 inch by 3 inch color screen more options then i will ever need works good in the hills,and can get it wet so that is some of the things i like about it YouTube the best GPS there is alot of info on all kinds. Hope this helps. Chris o and GPS file depot has alot of free maps and work great, see ya.

 

[JohnnyFlake]

Thanks for all the input guys. It's really appreciated!

After all the research I completed today and previously, I just ordered a Garmin Oregon 450 on eBay for $182.00 with free shipping. I am sure, it is way more of a unit, than I need at this time, however, when you check out the pricing on the Dakota 20, the 62czx, the eTrex 30 and a few others in that category, the Oregon 450 is a steal, at the price I paid. The eTrex 30 and the 62czx cost more than $182 I spent on the Oregon 450 and the Oregon is only a few dollars higher than the others.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Good choice JohnnyFlake. Good unit at a good price, it should last you years.

The biggest difference between the small screen eTrex Garmins and the large screen Colorado, Oregon etc is the eTrex can be operated with one hand and their batteries last longer with the smaller screen. That's important for the way I use a GPS unit but my eyesight is getting worse as I get older and I may be joining you in enjoying a larger screen soon.

 

[Hoser John]

Good ol'school lensatic compass and a topo and NEVER been lost in my looooooooooong life even once. No batteries,no satellites,no connectivity problems,solar flares,microwaves or other assorted bs. John

 

[russau]

clay diggins all he asked for was something to record locations,not do all the other stuff! thats why i posted what i did!and thatswhat i tried to reflect back to him.

 

[JohnnyFlake]

Good ol'school lensatic compass and a topo and NEVER been lost in my looooooooooong life even once. No batteries,no satellites,no connectivity problems,solar flares,microwaves or other assorted bs. John

It's not a matter or concern about being lost my friend. I also have several compasses and Topo Maps. It's all about getting exactly back, very close, to various locations, where I once was!

 

[JohnnyFlake]

clay diggins all he asked for was something to record locations,not do all the other stuff! thats why i posted what i did!and thatswhat i tried to reflect back to him.

I understood your post Russau and it made a lot of sense. The problem is or was, I did not want an older unit, with less technology than what is available today, and the cost of a simple basic unit is in the range of $100 / $130 today. At that price, I opted for a unit with much higher capabilities and the ability to update for years to come at $182 & free shipping. In my opinion the Oregon 450, is a steal, at the price.

 

[gerryk]

I have owned 5 handheld gps units. Two are Magellan and three are garmin. I have also owned four gps navigation devices for cars and all are garmin. My wives car has a Panasonic built in stereo navigation system.
I found the garmin units much easier to use and actually much more accurate. I used Magellan and garmin units for geocaching and the accuracy of the garmin is better. Magellan had what was called boomerang effect. You would be walking and stop and the gps would not stop when you stoped and take up to a minute to settle back to the correct spot.

Sorry for all the typo's I cant type well on the ipad

 

[Doitlaynstyle]

I just picked up a Garmin etrex c for $50 used on craigslist. Works great. Gets me within 50 feet and if you use the triangulate method out gets you within ten. The only bummer I think is not having a live compass and the satellite tracking isn't as strong as it could be. You have to move to get it to register direction and some of the newer ones pick up the satellites even indoors..

 

[bug]

The garmin 450t has the topo maps loaded and ready to go. I bought one recently from cabelas for $189 on sale.

 

[Clay Diggins]

The only bummer I think is not having a live compass and the satellite tracking isn't as strong as it could be. You have to move to get it to register direction.

None of the GPS "compasses" work accurately without significant linear motion. None are very accurate. Just the nature of the beast.

I've had several DeLormes and a Magellan and none of them were nearly as good as even the least expensive Garmin units. I had a $700 DeLorme that couldn't track consistently on a clear day in Southern Arizona with 11 Satellites. It too had the fancy compass feature and it only worked in an open top vehicle at speed. Even then it was usually swinging about 16 degrees either side of the indicated direction.

Stick to Garmin if you want repeatable accuracy and never rely on GPS compass or altitude functions.

 

[gerryk]

I follow a simple rule of them when going off the paved path with a gps. Take a compass with as backup. Gps units do fail and even moderate tree canopy will block out most satellite signals.