Handheld GPS Recommendations and experiences please ?

[ChaosCatalunya]

High people,

I am going to stick a few plants in a dense overgrown bit of land, and need a GPS to find my way in and out.

I know there are various Garmin models [Like the ETrex] that seem to be the best established make, but would value all your experiences and opinions.


Oh, and I guess I already know not to get caught with one....... I seem to remember a nasty story of one of our American brothers who is having trouble explaining all the other grows marked as waypoints on his when he got caught near one plot..........

 

[LORD BENIS]

I bought a Garmin GPS for my job just yesterday, I'll let you know how it works when it arrives.

 

[supermanlives]

you get what you pay for. i tried several models till i found delorme. bought a laptop gps and a handheld. worth every penny but pricey. delorme pn 20 with topo 7 software. DAVESNOTHERE

 

[bongasaurus]

what superman says. spend more, get more

ive got a Garmin 60CSx. One of their better models when i got it last spring. im not sure what any other unit is like, its my first one. but i very much like this one. easy to use and seems to work very well. always got lots of satilites. id reccomend it

be prepared to spend another hundred bucks on maps for it too. something i didnt forsee. topo canada was 125 i think and then the blue charts if ya want them cost another hundred for each region! that really got me but i had to have em.

 

[Mr. Smoke]

I got the Magellan 500 gets sat signals even in vehicles. I paid $150

 

[supermanlives]

its all about the reception and the maps . delorme gives you plenty of maps and free 100$ worth of free downloads.

 

[blynx]

I got the Garmin gpsmap 76csx and use it all the time. I don't like to lose the signal and wait for it to re-find itself so I was willing to pay more money for this model. I used a Garmin etrex vista c in the mountains and it would lose signal. The 76csx has a better antenna and I have yet to see it lose signal.

The model I have uses micro SD cards so it can hold a LOT of maps/data/waypoints.

If you are worried about storing site locations on your gps, keep in mind that you can store literally hundreds of these points in most units. These points don't ALL necessarily have to be site points, they can be geocaches, cool places, or whatever.

You could load up your unit with geocaches you download from the web and hide your points in that data, using similar waypoint naming conventions but using numbers in a certain range or whatever you choose. You could also move a certain distance from the plot when taking a waypoint. I just don't see someone checking 200+ waypoints in a unit, especially if they are not taken right at the plot.

What supermanlives says is correct. Mine also comes with a built in compass and altimeter. If you live in a flat area, the altimeter might not be important to you, but if you live in a hilly/mountainy area, it might. You also get fluff like best fishing/hunting times, sun/moon rise/set times.

 

[supermanlives]

just upgraded to 2 mb sd card now i can store the whole states map LOL. go delorme

 

[Guest]

So what would a person be looking to spend if he gets one that will work good enough? USDollars please? I just need a simple one that will put me within a good 30 or so feet.

 

[Mr. Smoke]

So what would a person be looking to spend if he gets one that will work good enough? USDollars please? I just need a simple one that will put me within a good 30 or so feet.

Most will get you within 12 feet. Price has come down alot, mines on ebay now for $140US buy it now price. Mines the Explorist 500 12 sat connection to Wass enabled.

 

[TheGreenMushroo]

I've also got a Garmin 60CSx, which I would recommend to others.

 

[pakalolo420]

Remember cheap ones are every bit as accurate as the most expensive. You don't need the built-in maps- paper 7 minute topos fold up and fit on your pocket, work without batteries (don't use the GPS alone without fresh spare batteries) and you can set your GPS to tell you exactly where on the topo you are instead of lat/long coordinates.

Don't store your grow locations on your GPS, write them down on paper, but change the numbers using a simple substitution cipher to make them useless as evidence.

It's a useful tool, but I recommend knowing any area you use much for guerrilla so well you shouldn't need it once you're rolling.

 

[facelift]

I have an etrex with a max speed of 545 miles per hour at an altitude of 35,638 feet. I got it from an airplane. The little yellow etrex, the base model is perfect for the job. I only needed it for my 1st few trips back into the woods. After that I learn where the plants were. The unit is very accurate. It will give you 500 way points, one for each plant/plot. Unless you're driving 100's of miles to your field with the unit on, it will remember your exact trail.

I think the map will only plot 10,000 bits. I don;t know exactly what this means, it might be like 10,000 footsteps, or about 30,000 feet before it starts erasing your track from start. In fact, I was looking at getting a new one. On of garmin's etrex models will let you syncronise upto 3 units. I also remember reading that they all have this 10,000 point limit.

But it's a good toy and will get the job done. I love my etrex!

 

[MoeBudz^420]

Ol' Faithful...

Ol' Faithful...

Hey, i've used this basic etrex for quite awhile, still going strong. Hehe got a satlock in my bedroom...


Peace

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Remember cheap ones are every bit as accurate as the most expensive. You don't need the built-in maps- paper 7 minute topos fold up and fit on your pocket, work without batteries (don't use the GPS alone without fresh spare batteries) and you can set your GPS to tell you exactly where on the topo you are instead of lat/long coordinates.

Yep, yep, I second!

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

Many thanks for al the information people, a lot to think about and some great tips.

 

[SiR-GrOwS-aLoT]

i own a garmin nuvi 250...paid 350 for it and worth every penny and more, its accurate then any other i have owned, and belive me guys i have used alot of em, my nuvi 250 takes me right to my patches without fail..its the most valueble tool i have..i can apprach from any direction and find my way right to them never haveing to follow the same path twice

 

[Cascadia]

Does anyone have experience with the Magellan Explorist 210? A local pacific northwest chain store has them on sale for $99(normal $150). For those of you in Oregon and Washington, the store is Bi-mart, you might want to check it out..........