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Hi All,
In the market for a GPS unit .... been doing abit of online research but the online reviews and youtube are not much help.
I dont really want to go and spend $1000 so have been looking at some entry level stuff like the following
Hunting & Fishing
and
Magellan Explorist 310
What do you guys use? any pointers? anything I should stay away from?
This is more than likely going to be used for the odd day hunt if im in a new area and afew overnight/weekend hunts ....
I have had a Garmin 60CSX for at least the last decade. This model which has the topo maps in it has been superceded now but across the years it has been knocked and dropped many times but has proven itself to be very robust and still survives to this day so I have no reason to change it as much as I would like a whizzier version.
Hi Tikka I did a lot of research on these and ended up purchasing a Garmin 62s. The best place I found for purchasing units was PB Tech see attached link.
PB Tech - HHDGAR0065 : GARMIN GPSMAP 62s 1.7GB Rugged USB colour outdoor handheld 2.6" LCD built-in basemap w/GPS receiver HotFix &3-axis compass &barometric altimeter Bonus Topo Maps by redemption 1/08/2012 - 31/10/2012
Cheers John
PB Tech are advertising the eTrex20 for $268 with bonus maps for fathers day
Most hamills have a demo model or two for customers to play with .
Give your local a call to see if their magellen demo is avail.
Had garmins which worked very well but would take a bit of time to get/keep signal under decent bush .Got a magellen 610 now seems to hold on to signal better .Still sorting out all the features on mine but its cool !
thanks heaps for the feedback.
Was going to head into Hamills tomorrow to have a bit of a chat and what not to see what they can reccomend,
Great link to that PB tech!!! looks like i might even save abit of $$ there too.
Cheers,
Marty
Was looking at getting a better GPS ,what is the resolution like on the Garmin's is it as good as the Topo maps?
Hello
I have only seriously used dedicated GPS/Plotter units at sea but recently had cause to use one terrestially (is that a word ??) and took a different approach.
I had just purchased a Google Nexus 7 Tablet ($440) and read that they were pretty water resistant, and that battery life is good.
So armed with my Tablet, a $7 download of a mapping app, and a free downloaded 1:50,000 tile I ventured into Fiordland.
I have to say that I only used the GPS once or twice a day to pinpoint a position on a spur and the like (or would have used it to check we were on the right spur if we'd struck fog etc) BUT I was amazed at how it coped- in difficult bush clad spurs where you have to be in exactly the right place or you're bluffed it was a great tool.
It took maybe 2 minutes max to aquire and initialise a position under bush, which is as good as most of the older units I've previously played with. The Fiordland bush is a bit more open than you'd strike on the West Coast or Urerewas. I was careful to turn it off after each use and the battery lasted well, it still had 70 % left after 4 days. The off/on switch does need careful management, it got itself turned on at one juncture.
Probably not everyones cup of tea but I wouldn't bother again with a dedicated unit.
Cheers
get a garmin and then put the free GPS maps from the NZ Mapping project.
Tony whathisname pretty good to deal with and he'll put the maps on for you and set it up.
Garmin the way to go.
Tentman.... Can you mar clearings /campsites etc on this machine?
Garmin 60 CSX is a great unit and well with in your budget second hand or new, i have had one for many years now and it has never failed, i recommend it to every one but i want the latest and greatest now just to try it.
Yep - it'll do waypoints and tracks but I have know idea how long the battery would hold out if it was left on for . The app is Back county navigationQuote:
Originally Posted by oneshotkill
I bought a dakota 20, touchscreen.
yeah im thinking ill stick to Garmin, Heading down to hunting and fishing shortly for a look, more just to have a play with one. will buy online if i go that way ...
Take it for a decent walk and put in a couple of way points if they will let you.
Cant go wrong with a 60CSX , i mark a few places, can pin point myself, back track or get out in the dark, load it down on to google earth,dropped it, bashed it got wet etc keeps on going. 2 LSD rechargable batterys last mulitple day hunts for me
Well i ended up buying the Garmin 62S. afew hundy more than i wanted to spend but ill just hide the bill from the wife ... hahahaha
Good on ya. Enjoy but ensure you don't lose the map and compass skills.
ye old map and compass still hold their rightful place in the pack. When batteries die there is nothing more reliable than a paper map, pencil and a compassQuote:
Originally Posted by Rushy
(im just lazy and like gadgets - thus the new toy hahaha)
To get full use from a GPS you need to get the computer side set up well and be systematic with naming waypoints and tracks. Always save then clear the track when you get back to your car so you don't have a big spider web zig zagging across New Zealand ! The computer program you need is Garmin mapsource, which is good now. It's possible to edit, join and generally work with tracks, select just useful info to load onto your handheld and clear out the junk. Things have improved over the last 2 or 3 years so although you can search forums direct advice is easiest. I hope you do like gadgets because loading maps can be confusing (was to me). Tony Savage may help out even if you didn't buy the unit from him. If you have problems, post on here or elsewhere.
Tussock is correct, the 550 occasionally loses reception or gives an offset location for a while but just use common sense and you'll be right. The touch screen is poor and the camera is not as useful as you'd think. However, scrolling round and adding and editing waypoints is good and I think general useability of this model is good.
iphones and android phones seem to be pretty good and a dedicated $800 gps unit has to really earn its keep:
rugged
replaceable batteries
easy to use mapping software
local NZ topo maps
Once smartphones catch these, our GPS will be obsolete.
Is the Garmin 60 CX model as good or not worth bothering with ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagheera
correction: the program is Basecamp. Mapsource was previous and didn't work with the Oregon.
I reckon smartphones have caught these already mate. I'm yet to see a proper test comparing smartphones against dedicated GPS units sensitivity wise. I'd hope the Garmins would be better for all the extra moola you need to shell out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagheera
Rugged: Motorola Defy+ (water, dust proof. Just bung it in a case and shes rugged as)
Replaceable batteries: Yip with Defy+ (cheap as chips off ebay and light as so a couple of spares are a no brainer)
Easy to use mapping software: Locus or Back Country Nav
Local NZ topo maps: yes, and free. (Topo50 series and all stored offline on the phone)
+ you've got a phone & camera in the same unit, you can even use them for a gamecaller if you use an external speaker :) oh the weight savings! ..and all for ~$320