bigcountry

I think I want a GPS. I had one in 95, garmen 12, but back then, took forever to aquire, and lost easily. I want one that is good but cheap that is capable of downloading Topos. Any ideas?

MichaelT.

Sorry you had such a bad time with your Garmin 12. I started with a Garmen GPS 45 about 15 years ago. It was a good unit, so good someone decided they needed it more than me and stole it. I now have a Garmen GPS 72. It is really nice, but it does not have Topo map downloads. But you should still look at some of the other Garmen units. The e-trex line I believe has some upper end units with topo capabilities. And I know they have other units with topo capabilities outside the e-trex line. But Garmen is far and beyond the best and easiest unit available. I will not own anything but a Garmen GPS.

B.T.W. - There are more satellites in use now, than there was in 95. So satellite acquisition and lock is not a problem. Log on to bass pro shops web site and you can see the units available, and read their description to find just what you need and want.

Good luck and good hunting.

God Bless!

Montana Bob

Garmin!
It's the way to go I have the Etrex Vista model. They have Mapsource which you can download into your Puter then into your unit. I have both US Topos and MetroGuidethat are loaded to the unit in sections, meaning you load only the areas you are going to be in. It would hold a whole states worth if you wanted but takes more time to transfer data.
Metroguide is great if you travel as you load the route you are going to take and it then shows the local business's, attractionswith address's and phone numbers that you will pass along the way. Kinda takes the place of a phonebook, but shows the towns streets and how far you are away from the different area's of intrest.Great if you breakdown or are looking for a motel or restaraut.
Topo is great in that you can turn it on and it shows your route taken all day along with way points you can put in.
I got mine on Ebay new a few years back. I would check there for a unit They are pretty tough unit as I have dropped mine a few time and have had zero problems. If you use it all day plan on having extra batteries as they last about 24 hours. I go rechargables for mine.
For more info check there site. http://www.garmin.com/

bigcountry

After much deliberation, and surfin, I think I made my decision between the Garmin 76 and etrex legend. Both under 200 dollars and topo download capable. thanks guys.

kshunter

TheGarmin GPS76 actually doesn't have the capability to load Topo maps, you'd have to upgrade to the GPSMAP76 to accept Topo. Even though the Etrex Series are good, and a better price, they won't hold satellite acquisition quite as good as some of the other units. I would recommend looking into the 60 series units, specifically the GPSMAP60. Price will be around $200-250. The 60 series is perfect for the outdoorsman with the better quad-helix antenna, better battery life, more memory, better screen, USB Interface, &just a newer designed unit. If you have any questions on it, let me know.

Joey

bigcountry

Well, thatsimportant to me. Thats the reason I got all soured on GPS12 in 95. Thanks a bunch.

bigcountry

Kshunter, have you had both? Is the quad helix antenna really that much better?

kshunter

I've used all of Garmins units. For hunting and outdoor use, my favorite is the 60 series, and Rino units. The quad-helix antenna(Rolled) is more acceptable to the way that you hold it. The Etrex series uses a patch(flat) antenna.The quad-helix antennahelps to keep the reception especially when you have the GPS in your pocket or hunting pack. The Etrex models will still acquire good reception, but for outdoor use, the quad-helix antennas will have a slightadvantage.

But if you really wanted the best in acquisition, then the "x" model units are the best. They have an SIRF chipset, which is a higher sensitivity reciever which will acquire satellites better though dense trees, and foilage. But those units jump up in price considerably.

kshunter

Here's a couple articles I wrote on GPS, that may help on purchasing the right type of unit.

http://www.huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=307

http://www.huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=316

fillae

I also have the e-Trex Vista and love it. The benefit of the e-Trex series is their size/weight. As for difficulty acquiring a signal, I have not had a problem. I typically do not keep it on all the time to track my route. I set up waypoints ahead of time via the MapSource software, then check the gps whenever I need to get my bearing. When I do leave it on I keep it in one of those Buddy-Lok pouches on my backpack and it works well. It does lose the signal occasionally if there is a heavy canopy, but if I pull the unit back out of the pouch it will reastablish contact.