Which GPS to buy?

[Jazdo]

Hi .. Have been wanting to try a handheld GPS unit for finding Detecting sites. Have a couple of questions.

1.How much success have you had with locating a site by lat. and long. coordinates,and how close can you actually get.

2.What are some features you really need on GPS unit for locating spots.

Thats the basic questions I have, my primary use would be locating old post offices, and towns that no longer stand. I have lat. and long. for many,and also have maps for finding them,but thought having GPS would or could make it easier,and quicker to find.

oh ya looking at spending under two hundred for one. Any advice is appreciated. thanks!

 

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[dingode]

I have the garmin venture hc and i like it.

Erin

 

[CWnut]

1. lat/lon is good but UTM coordinates are much more practical for a person on foot. You can enter coordinates as lat/lon and let the gps convert them to utm. If your datums match you can expect 15 meters(50 feet) accuracy w/o WAAS. If you can receive the waas signal your accuracy increases greatly. The 15 meters is what the manual states for accuracy, I think they do better than that.

2. I use the yellow e-trex that sells for about 100.00, even less if you catch them on sale. It tells me exactly where i am and which way i need to go. And after all, that's all i need to know

 

[Bum Luck]

Um.... how do you get lat/lon for these sites?

 

[BuckleBoy]

I have found about a hundred sites using GPS coordinates so far. Comparing the coordinates I had vs. where the site actually was, I have a margin of error of +/- .05 mile in any direction from where the initial coordinates indicate.

That's an area almost 1/10th of a mile square. Not incredibly accurate, but I've found every one of those sites but two with a little extra effort.

Geography will either be your friend or foe in this case--either narrowing the possibilities or not ruling any possibility out...depending on what kind of site you're looking for.


Regards,



Buckleboy

 

[Jazdo]

Um.... how do you get lat/lon for these sites?

Bum Luck I found mine through this site!

http://iowa.hometownlocator.com/

I have found about a hundred sites using GPS coordinates so far. Comparing the coordinates I had vs. where the site actually was, I have a margin of error of +/- .05 mile in any direction from where the initial coordinates indicate.

That's an area almost 1/10th of a mile square. Not incredibly accurate, but I've found every one of those sites but two with a little extra effort.

Geography will either be your friend or foe in this case--either narrowing the possibilities or not ruling any possibility out...depending on what kind of site you're looking for.


Regards,



Buckleboy

Thanks Buckleboy..thats close enough for me. If I am huntin the area anyhow walkin that far searching at random doesn't really bother me. Sounds like possibility of ending on someone elses property before you find it ?

 

[BuckleBoy]

Thanks Buckleboy..thats close enough for me. If I am huntin the area anyhow walkin that far searching at random doesn't really bother me. Sounds like possibility of ending on someone elses property before you find it ?

But the secret is NOT to hunt at random. Look back at the old deeds/property maps/etc from the time of the age of a structure you're trying to find, and the property boundaries on the old map will be your boundaries today--so it might end up being on another owner's land (and you'd have to get permission there), but that will only happen if the land has been subdivided and sold since the structure was there. Otherwise, the property lines will be the same.

This should help you:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,188838.0.html


Best Wishes,


Buckleboy

 

[CWnut]

Jazdo, which county are you located in? I can send you some info.

 

[Jazdo]

1. lat/lon is good but UTM coordinates are much more practical for a person on foot. You can enter coordinates as lat/lon and let the gps convert them to utm. If your datums match you can expect 15 meters(50 feet) accuracy w/o WAAS. If you can receive the waas signal your accuracy increases greatly. The 15 meters is what the manual states for accuracy, I think they do better than that.

2. I use the yellow e-trex that sells for about 100.00, even less if you catch them on sale. It tells me exactly where i am and which way i need to go. And after all, that's all i need to know

I have seen yellow e-trex for 100 and I believe that's the one I am going with. I may be able to get a Military discount. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Moe (fl)]

I was looking at the e-Trex (yellow) but found more than one model:

e-Trex H $99.00
e-Trex HC Venture $199.00

The e-Trex HC Venture has color maps and the plain e-Trex H doesn't have maps.

Are the maps worth the extra $100?

I just want a unit simple to use and reliable to keep track of my finds and use it for finding locations.

Thanks.
Moe