| Author |
Message |
BubblyBabs
Guest
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 Posted:
Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:08 am Post subject:
assist in choosing gps |
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Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been asked a
million times before...
I'm confused with all the gps info and don't trust the sales people at
stores...
My kids and I have discovered geocaching and that is the sole purpose we are
going to buy a gps unit though I want something that will help me out of a
jam if I get lost (which I am notorious for, I have to give myself time for
getting lost whenever I go someplace new no matter how detailed the
instructions are)...
Geocaching.com has some info about gps units but it's still confusng when
searching for one...
A friend of mine has a Magellin gps unit but it's rather large compared to
what I find now (hers is a few years old) and it's got a black and gray
screen... I would like a color screen if possible... And not a screen
that's very tiny... I plan on having my kids point me in the right
direction as I drive but I don't want a tiny screen... It looks as if the
larger screens are reserved for in car gps units which I'm not interested
in, I want one I can carry so I'm figuring I'm out of luck when it comes to
a nice big screen (which my friend has - it's 3-4 times the size of my
palm350 screen)....
I would like one that is farily accurate - a lot of the ads state their gps
units are accurate "up to 3 meters" - is that good?
I understand that a base map isn't very detailed? Is that correct? If so,
I see references to more detailed maps... Do you buy these maps? Can you
snag them from the internet and use them? I see references to map software
so you can transfer maps to gps units, that is what you must do?
Also, my friend added the waypoints (I think that is what they are called -
the coordinates of where you wish to go are waypoints?) manually which
didn't seem so bad but I've seen websites where people complained about
having to do that... Is that a big deal or should I not bother worrying
about it?
Also, if possible, I want to spend $400 or less on a gps unit but I don't
know which one to get, there's quite a few out there from $150-$400 but I
don't know which to choose...
Thanks,
Babs |
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Joe Stella
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:08 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 14:33:54 -0600, "BubblyBabs"
<bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com> wrote:
| Quote: | Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been asked a
million times before...
|
For the biggest screen in a handheld, you might want to take a look at
the Garmin IQue units. It's actually a PDA, not just a GPS, so it
has the largest screen. It's also very good for auto navigation.
Stay away from the 3200 though, it's a cheaper unit with a smaller
screen.
Don't worry about accuracy - all modern units are more accurate than
you could ever need.
As for maps, the units only accept maps that you buy from the
manufacturer of the unit - Garmin maps for Garmin units, Magellan
maps for Magellan units. The IQue comes with City Select maps which
contain street level detail.
The only caveat here is that the IQue units are not as rugged as some
of the handhelds - they are PDA's after all - so if you are concerned
about that then you might want to look at the 60C or 60CS. The
screen is smaller though and you have to buy the maps separately.
| Quote: | I'm confused with all the gps info and don't trust the sales people at
stores...
My kids and I have discovered geocaching and that is the sole purpose we are
going to buy a gps unit though I want something that will help me out of a
jam if I get lost (which I am notorious for, I have to give myself time for
getting lost whenever I go someplace new no matter how detailed the
instructions are)...
Geocaching.com has some info about gps units but it's still confusng when
searching for one...
A friend of mine has a Magellin gps unit but it's rather large compared to
what I find now (hers is a few years old) and it's got a black and gray
screen... I would like a color screen if possible... And not a screen
that's very tiny... I plan on having my kids point me in the right
direction as I drive but I don't want a tiny screen... It looks as if the
larger screens are reserved for in car gps units which I'm not interested
in, I want one I can carry so I'm figuring I'm out of luck when it comes to
a nice big screen (which my friend has - it's 3-4 times the size of my
palm350 screen)....
I would like one that is farily accurate - a lot of the ads state their gps
units are accurate "up to 3 meters" - is that good?
I understand that a base map isn't very detailed? Is that correct? If so,
I see references to more detailed maps... Do you buy these maps? Can you
snag them from the internet and use them? I see references to map software
so you can transfer maps to gps units, that is what you must do?
Also, my friend added the waypoints (I think that is what they are called -
the coordinates of where you wish to go are waypoints?) manually which
didn't seem so bad but I've seen websites where people complained about
having to do that... Is that a big deal or should I not bother worrying
about it?
Also, if possible, I want to spend $400 or less on a gps unit but I don't
know which one to get, there's quite a few out there from $150-$400 but I
don't know which to choose...
Thanks,
Babs
|
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GSV Three Minds in a Can
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:26 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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Bitstring <b9Lgf.26693$Y82.20481@bignews4.bellsouth.net>, from the
wonderful person BubblyBabs <bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com>
said
| Quote: | Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been asked a
million times before...
I'm confused with all the gps info and don't trust the sales people at
stores...
|
Head over to http://www.gpsinformation.net/ and read all the prior art.
You may then have some extra/specific questions we can answer. You will
not get a large screen on a portable unit designed for hikers - they
already bitch that the Garmin 60C is too big/heavy. 8>.
--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
Contact recommends the use of Firefox; SC recommends it at gunpoint. |
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BubblyBabs
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:08 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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In the previous message GSV Three Minds in a Can GSV@quik.clara.co.uk wrote:
| Quote: | Bitstring <b9Lgf.26693$Y82.20481@bignews4.bellsouth.net>, from the
wonderful person BubblyBabs
bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com> said
Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been
asked a million times before...
I'm confused with all the gps info and don't trust the sales people
at stores...
Head over to http://www.gpsinformation.net/ and read all the prior
art. You may then have some extra/specific questions we can answer.
You will not get a large screen on a portable unit designed for
hikers - they already bitch that the Garmin 60C is too big/heavy. 8>.
|
OK, I was thinking about snagging a 60cs but the guy at the store said that
"they are crap" because they aren't very reliable nor accurate... He kept
showing me units that are in the $700-$900 range... I told him that even
the $400 priced ones were more than what I needed and I explained about
geocaching but he didn't know what that was...
Now I don't know what to do... Also, my husband thinks the 60cs is more
than what I need... He thinks I should go for a Magellan eXplorist 200 but
I said I'd be willing to compromise and get a 400... Would a Magellan 400
be good enough?
Thanks for the input...
Babs |
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BubblyBabs
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:08 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
|
|
In the previous message Joe Stella aaa@aaa.aaa wrote:
| Quote: | On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 14:33:54 -0600, "BubblyBabs"
bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com> wrote:
Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been
asked a million times before...
For the biggest screen in a handheld, you might want to take a look at
the Garmin IQue units. It's actually a PDA, not just a GPS, so it
has the largest screen. It's also very good for auto navigation.
Stay away from the 3200 though, it's a cheaper unit with a smaller
screen.
Don't worry about accuracy - all modern units are more accurate than
you could ever need.
As for maps, the units only accept maps that you buy from the
manufacturer of the unit - Garmin maps for Garmin units, Magellan
maps for Magellan units. The IQue comes with City Select maps which
contain street level detail.
The only caveat here is that the IQue units are not as rugged as some
of the handhelds - they are PDA's after all - so if you are concerned
about that then you might want to look at the 60C or 60CS. The
screen is smaller though and you have to buy the maps separately.
|
Thanks for the info, it was very informational... Please see my reply to
GSV... I was going to go for the 60cs but now I'm not sure...
Babs |
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tvnav.com
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:08 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
|
|
"BubblyBabs" <bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com> wrote in message
news:HQ6hf.82171$ty1.39092@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
| Quote: | In the previous message GSV Three Minds in a Can GSV@quik.clara.co.uk
wrote:
Bitstring <b9Lgf.26693$Y82.20481@bignews4.bellsouth.net>, from the
wonderful person BubblyBabs
bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com> said
Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been
asked a million times before...
I'm confused with all the gps info and don't trust the sales people
at stores...
Head over to http://www.gpsinformation.net/ and read all the prior
art. You may then have some extra/specific questions we can answer.
You will not get a large screen on a portable unit designed for
hikers - they already bitch that the Garmin 60C is too big/heavy. 8>.
OK, I was thinking about snagging a 60cs but the guy at the store said
that
"they are crap" because they aren't very reliable nor accurate... He kept
showing me units that are in the $700-$900 range...
|
It's very obvious that either the guy was an idiot or he just wanted to
sell you a higher priced unit or both.
I told him that even
| Quote: | the $400 priced ones were more than what I needed and I explained about
geocaching but he didn't know what that was...
|
Imagine that.
| Quote: | Now I don't know what to do... Also, my husband thinks the 60cs is more
than what I need... He thinks I should go for a Magellan eXplorist 200
but
I said I'd be willing to compromise and get a 400... Would a Magellan 400
be good enough?
|
I'd stick with the 60CS. You could also get a less expensive Garmin unit
too if the 60CS is more than you want to spend. There are several units that
work great for geocaching that all have the same accuracy and less
expensive. Just depends on what features you want and how much you want to
spend.
--
Darrel Goheen
GPS@tvnav.com
http://www.tvnav.com |
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Jack Erbes
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:08 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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|
BubblyBabs wrote:
<snip>
| Quote: | OK, I was thinking about snagging a 60cs but the guy at the store said that
"they are crap" because they aren't very reliable nor accurate... He kept
showing me units that are in the $700-$900 range... I told him that even
the $400 priced ones were more than what I needed and I explained about
geocaching but he didn't know what that was...
|
He was a salesman, they always recommend what they have in hand.
| Quote: | Now I don't know what to do... Also, my husband thinks the 60cs is more
than what I need... He thinks I should go for a Magellan eXplorist 200 but
I said I'd be willing to compromise and get a 400... Would a Magellan 400
be good enough?
|
The Magellan 400 would be an excellent choice for what you want to do.
That is a model that uses SD cards (the 60cs does not) to provided
unlimited expanded storage for secondary detail maps and data files.
Also, you can save tracks, routes, waypoints and stuff like to the SD
card for use with other software. Having the files a on a SD card makes
it much easier than uploading and downloading from the GPS (although you
can do that also).
Here is a link to the web page for the eXplorist 400 page:
http://www.magellangps.com/en/products/product.asp?PRODID=1071
There is some info there about their Geocache Manager and a link to a
site with more info about geocaching.
If you were not aware of it, here are two other newsgroups that may help
you get answers more specific to the Garmin and Magellan models:
alt.satellite.gps.magellan
alt.satellite.gps.garmin
Good luck with that!
Jack
--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com) |
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Jack Erbes
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:11 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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tvnav.com wrote:
| Quote: | I'd stick with the 60CS... <snip
|
I guess you would. You don't sell anything but Garmins, right?
Jack
--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com) |
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lostparts
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:20 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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"Jack Erbes" <jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:S5KdnT3x393ajhjeRVn-tA@adelphia.com...
: tvnav.com wrote:
:
: > I'd stick with the 60CS... <snip>
:
: I guess you would. You don't sell anything but Garmins, right?
:
: Jack
Sure he does and if there is anything wrong with them when you get them from
him he won't exchange them for you.He will tell you to send them back to
Garmin. |
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Joe Stella
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:47 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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|
On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:29:44 -0600, "BubblyBabs"
<bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com> wrote:
| Quote: |
Thanks for the info, it was very informational... Please see my reply to
GSV... I was going to go for the 60cs but now I'm not sure...
|
I agree with others that the salesman you talked to was just trying
to get you to buy whatever would get him the most profit.
I recommended the 60CS because I am a Garmin user and that is
what I know. I own a 60CS and it works fine for me. Others
who use Magellan units will naturally recommend those.
The fact is, most modern units will do what you need. Read
a few reviews on gpsinformation.net, then pick a unit that
looks good to you and don't worry about it too much. |
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Skramblr
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 8:22 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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Note - Jack's recommendation for a Magellan eXplorist 400 is OK, but for the
color screen you wanted you'll need to look at the 500. The 600 adds an
electronic compass feature (that I find very useful for geocaching), but is
not required. There's also a larger XL model coming out. That will get you a
little larger screen, but the unit is larger too (probably similar to the
model that you described your friend as having).
-Skramblr
"Jack Erbes" <jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:43851282.7080106@adelphia.net...
| Quote: | BubblyBabs wrote:
snip
The Magellan 400 would be an excellent choice for what you want to do.
That is a model that uses SD cards (the 60cs does not) to provided
unlimited expanded storage for secondary detail maps and data files.
|
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Wayne R
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 8:55 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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BubblyBabs wrote:
| Quote: | Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been asked
a million times before...
|
Asked a million times, yes, but rarely with as much preparation.
You can use any of the really simple units for Geocaching. It's the mapping
part that starts cranking up the cost - especially when you add the data,
too. And, really, these days it's harder to justify a mapping unit while
skipping autorouting. That's why you're seeing so many suggestions for the
60CS.
You can save some dough by going with the 60C - the S is for sensors you may
not need. For instance, the electronic compass can be handy, but it gobbles
batteries, increases complexity and saves you from the evils of, what?, a
traditional compass?
Really, it's very hard to go wrong these days - simple comparative shopping
will prevent paying too much for any device from vendor to vendor. Any from
Garmin or Magellan will function well - none are "crap'!
Your question really comes down to feature groups: Beyond the basic 'Where
am I' (all current models are pretty equivalent), you can add map
storage/display, map data, color, autorouting - &/or extra sensors. Each of
these five represents another magnitude of cost/complexity.
Me, I'm a happy user of Garmin gear. There are a few things they could do to
make me even happier, but overall, it's great stuff! |
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Roy Lewallen
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:08 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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BubblyBabs wrote:
| Quote: | . . .
OK, I was thinking about snagging a 60cs but the guy at the store said that
"they are crap" because they aren't very reliable nor accurate... He kept
showing me units that are in the $700-$900 range... I told him that even
the $400 priced ones were more than what I needed and I explained about
geocaching but he didn't know what that was...
Now I don't know what to do...
. . .
|
The first very positive and productive step you can take is to never
darken that store's doorway again.
Roy Lewallen |
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Tom
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:08 am Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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|
On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 14:33:54 -0600, "BubblyBabs"
<bubblybabs_at_fractalfairy_dot_com@ng.com> wrote:
| Quote: | Just found this group and am probably asking a question that's been asked a
million times before...
I'm confused with all the gps info and don't trust the sales people at
stores...
My kids and I have discovered geocaching and that is the sole purpose we are
going to buy a gps unit though I want something that will help me out of a
jam if I get lost (which I am notorious for, I have to give myself time for
getting lost whenever I go someplace new no matter how detailed the
instructions are)...
|
Howdy.
If the sole purpose is geocaching, then I'll agree with everyone else:
60cs. But you state above that you get lost sometimes. And I'm
guessing you'd like something that you could easily use in the car.
Look at the Garmin Quest. It autoroutes, goes in and out of the car
easily, has a 20hour battery live, and works great for finding caches.
I have one and use it for both--it's a good tool that does both well.
Price is right too as the Quest 2 just came out (not worth it) and the
Quest is ~$350 or less now.
Hope that helps. |
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Wayne R.
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Nov 24, 2005 5:08 pm Post subject:
Re: assist in choosing gps |
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|
On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 21:36:18 -0800, Tom <none@nothanks.com> wrote
(with clarity & insight):
| Quote: | If the sole purpose is geocaching, then I'll agree with everyone else:
60cs. But you state above that you get lost sometimes. And I'm
guessing you'd like something that you could easily use in the car.
|
(For clarity, both the 60C and 60CS autoroute too. These are tilted
toward being outdoors in your hand, while the Quest is tilted toward
being in a car; both work well in both environments.) |
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