What kind of GPS should I buy?

[Abbe Osram]

I am planning to get myself a GPS. I have only used map and compass before and have no clue where to start. I don’t know anything about GPS and are not very technical minded either. What I am looking for is a simple reliable tool to find exact positions on the map. I am trapping up here in Sweden and often have to check for my traps under the snow. The landscape changes very much after a snowfall here and I thought to make my life a bit easier.
My neighbor told me not to get one with a map screen, they would suck a lot of energy and are bad to read.

How is Garmin as a company, are they any good?

I put myself in your hand and expertise
Thanks for all the help and info I can get

cheers
Abbe

 

[led]

Sounds like you aren't looking for anything fancy, so something like the Garmin Geko 101 should do what you want (it's small and straighforward). One of the things to check first though is if you want to use it with a PC (to up/down-load waypoints). Make sure that you can connect the GPS unit OK (eg with a serial or USB cable). Also check the battery life of the unit, you don't want to be having to have a pocket full of batteries to keep it going on a trek.

Garmin seem OK as a company, though their prices in Europe seem rather inflated compared to the US.

 

[Bumblebee]

Garmin makes very nice GPS units!

To do what you want a simple one without mapping functionality is best. Just save a waypoint at each trap and then you can use the GPS to guide you to them. Normally a GPS has +/- 15 meters accuracy but a system called WAAS/EGNOS will go live soon so you'll get +/- 3 meters, if this seems like a good thing to you make sure the GPS supports this system.

 

[BorderReiver]

I'll second Garmin.
I have an ETREX which I have had for a few years now.Only use it to confirm my location.The etrex is waterproof and the batteries last a long time(as I use it infrequently,the batteries in mine are about two years old!)

One problem is that it won't work in dense woodland;the unit must be able to "see" the sky to access the satalites.

 

[swamp donkey]

I have used most types over the last few years and to some extent they are much off a muchness. I would recommend having a trip with as many different types as you can and choose one that you can get on with.

I chose the Silva multi navigator..

It is bigger than many and more expensive than the average.

But

1. It has longer battery life than most.

2. The display is bigger and clearer than most , which I have found easier use in poor weather.

3. It has a very accurate battery life indicator .

4. I have found the built in compass to be excellent.

5. One of the plus points of the size is that it is easier to use when wearing mittens or big gloves . Lot of other makes are to small

6. The built in altimeter is more accurate than many I have tried.

Hope that helps

 

[mojofilter]

I also have had the basic Etrex for a few years now and it has been absolutely reliable, regularly guiding me up and down Loch Lomond in near zero visibility!

Perhaps I have been fortunate, but I have never had any signal problems in woodland etc... I find that as long as you get the initial lock in a clear area, it holds it very well, indeed, I regularly just stick the GPS in a pocket when Im on the motorbike, and it never loses signal!

 

[halo]

i,ll second the etrex abbe,it's got 500 waypoints battery life's good theres a back light built in for bad wether or darkness and its quite a hardy little unit about the size of a mobile phone i've also had mine for two years i origianaly bought it for logging lanes while out on my enduro bike i,ve also never had problems with signal tracking in woodland,oh there bright yellow so should be easy to find should you drop it(depending on how deep the snow is though)

halo

 

[Doc]

I too have the etrex. Cheap on ebay.

Consider the batteries. Etrex uses AA, Gecko uses AAA. If you also have a torch or radio it makes sense to try and use the same size batteries in them all for flexibility.

 

[mark a.]

Sounds like something like the Garmin GPS 60 is worth looking at. No mapping, WAAS capability, and waterproof.

I'm not an expert on GPS at all, but I was able to get on really well very quickly with a borrowed Garmin etrex Legend - it's very easy to use. So that's got to be a plus point for Garmin.

The Legend has mapping, which is quite nice to have, but not essential (and certainly fairly pointless when I was in north Norway, as it wasn't mapped to any useful degree). So if you do get one with maps, definitely make sure Sweden is covered to a reasonable degree.

Led's tip about checking PC connectivity is good - the Legend (and other Garmins) use a serial connection, but none of my computers have serial sockets any more, so I had to give up on that. Connecting to PC would have been handy to upload newer/more detailed maps (sounds irrelevant to you), but also new firmware etc. I think the GPS 60 uses USB.

Battery life for the Garmin is reasonable, but poor when at 0 degrees in Spitsbergen! So it'll just be useful for checking location every so often, rather than keeping it on all the time, tracking your every move.

Hope this helps.

Mark

 

[led]

Battery life for the Garmin is reasonable, but poor when at 0 degrees in Spitsbergen!

Lithium batteries are the way to go in low-temperature environments, they perform a lot better than standard ones.

 

[Rod]

Hi Abbe,

Garmin are all good and the eTrex Legend is good if you want to 'progress' in GPS navigation, as you can upload/download multiple routes. The standard eTrex can only take one route at a time.

Also, Garmins tend to loose satellite connectivity if you are under tree cover, in a cliff shadow etc This is due to the fact that they have a flat panel type aerial. Magellen's use a quradraphillic helix aerial that does not 'suffer' from this. I have been able to test both brands simultaneously. And that was the only drawback.

It is also worth looking at the models that have a colour monitor - if you want to use mapping software. If you just want a position fixer an eTrex or eTrex Legend from Garmin; or Magellan SporTrak are great, reliable units

hope this helps

 

[Andy]

There is a good thread on GPS units on britishblades (teach me about GPS) also this site helped me a lot
http://www.maps-gps-info.com/

I've just got the magellan sportrak, the battery life isn't as good as some but it has a big screen which I needed as it's going to be mounted on my mountain bike. I wanted either that or the Garmin GPS 60. The sportrak came to £50 including postage second hand from canada. It's very easy to use and has some nice features. There are lots of review out there for it by people who know what other units are like but I really think I made the right choice.

 

[Bumblebee]

And talking about forums, Utsidan.se has a very active GPS forum!

 

[Abbe Osram]

Hi guys,
thank you all for the info. I feel already better knowing a little.
That will help me talking with the shopkeeper selling me the gps. I dont want that he sells me some crap only because I am stupid with technical stuff.

thanks
Abbe

 

[zambezi]

My advice would be to define your need before you shop. Is compact low weight the grail? Long battery life? Moving map? Memory capacity for large numbers of waypoints or routes?

As with other users in this thread, I do not use all of the rich features that you can find in a GPS. Basic location confirmation is the norm. I.e. you are pretty sure that your compass work is fine, but just want a double check.

For me, lightweight came tops. Plus altimeter function. In the event that the satellites cannot be "seen" then at least you have altitude to reference against your map contour lines. [I admit this works best where your terrain has large gradient differences. Perhaps not so useful in Norfolk ]

My choice.

 

[Abbe Osram]

My advice would be to define your need before you shop. Is compact low weight the grail? Long battery life? Moving map? Memory capacity for large numbers of waypoints or routes?

As with other users in this thread, I do not use all of the rich features that you can find in a GPS. Basic location confirmation is the norm. I.e. you are pretty sure that your compass work is fine, but just want a double check.

For me, lightweight came tops. Plus altimeter function. In the event that the satellites cannot be "seen" then at least you have altitude to reference against your map contour lines. [I admit this works best where your terrain has large gradient differences. Perhaps not so useful in Norfolk ]

My choice.

Batterie is very important as I am out in around minus 20 to minus 35 celsius for the entire wintertime which is here about 7 month.
Easy to handle for a person without programming skills ;-))
I want to find my traps when they are snow covered. I want to give exact positions to my family via phone where I am just in chase something happend.
Light if possible, bright colour if I drop it in the snow, waterproof, strong so it doesnt break to easily.

cheers
Abbe

 

[Andy]

You will want wass if your using it for traps that's less the 3meters away from wher it says you are, Etrex doesn't use this so is accurate to about 10meters. The sportrak has a fairly chunky feel about it and can be handled whilst wearing thick motorbike gloves. I don't think I'd want to use a geko with gloves on.

 

[BorderReiver]

Perhaps I have been fortunate, but I have never had any signal problems in woodland etc... I find that as long as you get the initial lock in a clear area, it holds it very well, indeed, I regularly just stick the GPS in a pocket when Im on the motorbike, and it never loses signal!

I must have a duff one .It's fine in the open but loses signal most times in dense woodland.
It was one of the first ones out,so it has probably improved.
I notice that on line updates stop at 2002 and so I have the latest software.
Good piece of kit though

 

[innocent bystander]

I have two Garmin's in a bid to feed my hunger for gadgets

1st one is the venerable Garmin GPS12XL. It's about as simple as it can be, and totally reliable. No software that need's updating, and is accurate. I checked it against trig points, and everyone i tried was bang on the nose. I like it, even after 10 years or whatever...

2nd is the Garmin NavTalk, which is a GSM phone with GPS built in and mapping. This one i use in the car, so i dont look like I'm lost when in a strange town. With added bonus of being able to talk on it. As well as sending your location by sms text....And finding the nearest pub/ garage / restaurant / station / airport etc. etc.....

 

[BorderReiver]

Batterie is very important as I am out in around minus 20 to minus 35 celsius for the entire wintertime which is here about 7 month.
Easy to handle for a person without programming skills ;-))
I want to find my traps when they are snow covered. I want to give exact positions to my family via phone where I am just in chase something happend.
Light if possible, bright colour if I drop it in the snow, waterproof, strong so it doesnt break to easily.

cheers
Abbe

Sounds just like the spec of the etrex