Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
03-25-2008, 05:12 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,139
RE: Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
david mil brought up an important point. Gps units dont always work. heavy weather or thick woods will sometimes make it tough to get a signal. ALWAYS CARRY A COMPASS. I like to use a compass with my gps anyway. If I am going to a established point I get the compass bearing from my gps then follow my compass. Batteries can go dead as well.
Buy one in a bright color so you don't lose it as well lol
Buy one in a bright color so you don't lose it as well lol
03-25-2008, 05:41 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Mn.
Posts: 3,399
RE: Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
I just bought the Vista HCx with the 08 topo chip(321.00 total),wnted to get something smaller then my Maridian Gold....I still carry my 1967 Boy Scout compass even tho the HCx has digital compass,like magicman said...Batteries can go dead......Even tho I carry 4 extra AA's........
03-25-2008, 05:47 PM
#13
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southeast Central Illinois USA
Posts: 6,969
RE: Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
As David and magicman said in really thick tree canopies they can lose the satellites, but as you keep walking and get into thinner trees or a small opening they will pick the signals back up. I had to walk back up a large hill or small mountain(whatever[&:]) in the pitch black one night and though losing the signal a couple of times for just a few seconds it picked the signals back up and took me straight to my buds waiting on top as I followed the same path I took. I was over a mile from them and there were bears around! Between carrying my bow, GPS, radio, and flashlight I chose to turn the radio off and put it in my pocket. I would no doubt have passed my buds and our camp by over a half-mile without my Etrex.
03-25-2008, 06:50 PM
#14
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson, Missouri
Posts: 7,051
RE: Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
I agree. Believe it or not the basic Etrex is what I used in Colorado in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Without it I would have been in bad shape and it allowed me to venture off in any direction with confidence. It worked great and is simple and easy to learn to use.
03-25-2008, 11:13 PM
#15
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Noble, Ok
Posts: 688
RE: Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
I think basspro has one of the etrex's on sale right now. Yep just checked Garmin Etrex H for $79.99. I just picked up a Garmin Rino 120 on ebay for $120. I really love it. It has tons of features and I can add up to 8 mb of maps. I can also talk to my buddies on thier two way radios and if they had the rinos I could look and see thier location. Keep your eyes open you will come across a good deal. Academy sports had one of the blue etrexs on sale a few weeks back come to think of it.
03-26-2008, 04:39 AM
#17
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: North Lima Ohio & Clarion Pa
Posts: 6,453
RE: Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
another vote fro etrex..but don't know what else is new and out there either. But etrex does the simple things for around $80.
I'll ne in SW PA this weekend..where abouts did ya say ya left it??
I'll ne in SW PA this weekend..where abouts did ya say ya left it??
03-26-2008, 11:54 AM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: England , UK
Posts: 1,089
RE: Who makes a good, cheap GPS....I NEED ONE!
ORIGINAL: mobow
Garmin Etrex, 100 bucks. It's a very basic GPS, no uploadable maps, none of that.....But.....you'll be able to find your way home. Pull up the waypoint you want to go to, select it, and a great big arrow pops up on the screen. Keep the arrow pointed in front of you, you'll walk right into it.
They're pretty cool, especially for as basic as they are.
Garmin Etrex, 100 bucks. It's a very basic GPS, no uploadable maps, none of that.....But.....you'll be able to find your way home. Pull up the waypoint you want to go to, select it, and a great big arrow pops up on the screen. Keep the arrow pointed in front of you, you'll walk right into it.
They're pretty cool, especially for as basic as they are.
Like mobom said the Etrex is good to point you in the right direction , but if the mist or snow comes in on you and you keep " following the pointer " ..... you may find yourself walking into trouble , like a big drop , melting ice on a lake or a river to cross . Somethings are worth spending a little more money on , it depends on what you want from it or where your going hunting .
Hope that helps , i speak from experience ( nearly fell 800ft following pointer ) .
03-26-2008, 04:21 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Southwestern, Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,059
*********UPDATE**********
Here's and UPDATE: I went and bought a GARMIN Etrex H at Gander Mountain for $106 (including tax). I hate to tell you but I wish I wouldn't have bought the dang thing. I have played with this thing for 5 hours now and read every direction in the manual and still haven't figured out how to use it. I'm so pissed off. I hope I find someone who has one and knows how to use it because if not I'm never going to be able to figure this thing out. The people who say it's easy to use and figure out are full of BS, you almost have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to use it and the directions and manual that came with it are non-sense. I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone, better off buying a compass and using it, it would be less stressful. Can you tell that I am not impressed??? lol
03-26-2008, 04:30 PM
#20
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southeast Central Illinois USA
Posts: 6,969
RE: *********UPDATE**********
Ridge, you are going to have to play with it. Take your time and practice one specific thing at a time. First time I played with mine the neighbors probably thought I was nuts! I walked around the streets learning how to use the compass feature, following my path back, and setting waypoints. Don't fret, just keep playing with it. Soon it will become easy. The model that you bought undoubtedly is the easiest to learn to use. Trust me on this........a buddy bought an Etrex Legend with all the available downloads for his and had a terrible time. Another buddy had a Magellan fancy something-or-other and it took about a year to figure his out. You have the basic model, same as I, it won't take you long and soon it will seem too easy!
Practice each individual thing listed in the manual until you have it down pat, then move on to the next thing and so on. Learning each button in itself and what they do is the first thing to accomplish, then it becomes easier.
Practice each individual thing listed in the manual until you have it down pat, then move on to the next thing and so on. Learning each button in itself and what they do is the first thing to accomplish, then it becomes easier.