Simple GPS for starters?

Shredder,

I know a lot about handheld GPS units. Owned Magellanm Bushnell and Delorme.

Rule #1.....Garmin.

The little Etrex 20 is an excellent unit. If and when my trusty 60csx ever dies, that will be it's replacement. The 20 not only gets American GPS sats, it also recieves Glonass sats. It is memory expandable and can connect to your computer.

Don't worry about the electronic compass or altimeter gizmos. Stuff you don't need and those functions just lessen battery life. All handhelds come with "compass rose" screen of some sort. All you have to keep in mind is to walk a bit to get accurate pointer directions when doing a "goto". The electronic compass allows you to get bearings while standing still.....and they need to be calibrated a lot. A week after I bought my 60csx, I disabled that function. Haven't missed it.

Don't buy topo maps. There are a ton of free ones available at GPSfiledepot.com

That site has a forum and tutorials on how to get maps on the Garmin units.
 
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Don't buy topo maps. There are a ton of free ones available at GPSfiledepot.com

That site has a forum and tutorials on how to get maps on the Garmin units.
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100% correct. Got some nice topo / detail maps there last year.
 
Flysubcompact-

I like what you're telling me, especially since I just ordered the etrex 20. The "rated" btry life on that model is 25 hours, and I can deal with +/-14 ft of accuracy. I can't wait to use it.

Thanks for the link to gpsfiledepot- thats a whole lot better than payin $100 for the cd from sportsmans warehouse. :D
 
While using your GPS as your primary direction finding "tool", you might want to bring an "old fashioned" good quality compass and topo maps along, too.
If you're not experienced with compass navigation, the GPS is right there to correct your mistakes as you learn.

Compasses don't need batteries and their "signal" can't be turned off or intentionally degraded for security reasons. Paper maps don't usually fail.

I've rescued several boaters whose misuse of GPS units (or equipment failures) got them hopelessly lost - especially if they didn't have charts (nautical maps) with them, too.

Just my 2 cents...YMMV
 
While using your GPS as your primary direction finding "tool", you might want to bring an "old fashioned" good quality compass and topo maps along, too.
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I totally agree. If a person has a good compass, you can shoot an azimuth or use cardinal directions to get you headed in the right direction. And I also agree with the use of printed topo maps. The gps should be a supplement to actual navigation skills, not your only source of guidance.
 
What Shep said. Totally agree on having a compass. Even better...a GPS, an orienteering compass and a back up compass. (Comapasses can break too.) :D

That GPSfiledepot site is a treasure trove for Garmin maps. Topos are the main thing, but they also have "transparent" overlay maps that you can run with the topos. Government "land ownership" is a really nice overlay. Topo data and you can tell if you are one gubbmint land or private, at a glance. My wife and I have taken up hiking again and there is a "trail" overlay that has the whole AT and a lot of other, popular trails. That map overlay has all the waypoints for the AT's shelters, camps, water holes, etc. Just remember that that site's content it all user compiled, so a small donation helps keep the lights on. A $20 donation is a pittance compared to what you'd pay Garmin for lesser content.
 
That overlay for public/private land would be really nice. Especially in CO where some 75% of the "national forests" are private land. At least that's what it seems like when you're hunting.:eek:

That website deserves a couple dollars I reckon. They're saving people a considerable amount.
 
The land ownership overlays are either "east" or "west" side of the US.

My brother lives in WY and I rigged his car GPS with an SD card that had the western states government land ownership overlays. He likes that for when he is looking for government land to fish on. That overlay map even differnciates between state and federal.

I live in the SE and use the eastern LO maps. From what I've seen, most boundaries are fairly accurate. You have to take in to consideration that there will be inaccuracies because the original data comes from the government. :D So it is more "ball park" than precise. Same thing happens when you type in an address into a car GPS and it misses the exact place. That is not the GPs unit's fault, it was the original government data. The GPS is capable of 30' accuracy.
 
I checked out gpsfiledepot for WA, they have quite a good selection of stuff for the entire area surrounding me. Pretty darn good resource.

I'll have to take my etrex out next weekend and give a report. I'll only be in CO for 2 more weeks, so I guess I'll enjoy Cheyenne mountain one last time:rolleyes:
 
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Garmin etrex-H. Get a used one or Walmart has new in sporting goods for about $90.00 Theyre worth they're weight in gold.
 
yes the H cannot add toppos. Its a very simple gps and works really well in all terrain. Hope yours works well for you.
 
Etrex H is a good basic unit, like Buckrub said, but also very limited.

About any Etrex with an "H" are good, but computer connectivity is something you look for if interested in adding maps. Some older Etrex units with computer connections were great too, but had serial connectors. Look for ones with USB unles you have an old computer with a spare serial port.

I saw a clearance Etrex Summit HC at a local Academy store. $69. Nice little unit, but only had 25 meg of internal memory. 25 meg in my state (Alabama) would hold about half the state in topo maps. Not bad if your pursuits are in a local area.

BTW, On older Etrex units, the letters mean:
H-high sensitivity
C-computer interface
X-expandable memory

The new line of Etex are the 10, 20, 30. 10 is basic, but has high sensitivity, the 20 adds computer inteface/mapping, the 30 adds e-compass and altimeter sensor.
 
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The new line of Etex are the 10, 20, 30. 10 is basic, but has high sensitivity, the 20 adds computer inteface/mapping, the 30 adds e-compass and altimeter sensor.
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You are spot-on, sir.

The 30 was a good bit more in $$$ so, I decided that I could probably live without a barometric altimeter and e-compass (especially since I don't know personally what it's like to have them) and still have a good unit that does what I need it to.

I'm really looking forward to using it in WA here in a couple of weeks.
 
gps on android phones

I see that you got a Garmin. But for others still viewing, there are some free or very low cost gps map systems for android or apple smartphones..... and they precache your map so you dont need cell signal. Your phone gps does the job.

One lets you photograph or scan or download a map ahead of time. It is called custom maps. I have stored local BLM, atv, and dept of wildlife game units with boundaries. Being able to just photograph a map you have or borrow is pretty slick. You can have the same area in topo, aerial or road and trail.

Another is maverick pro running microsoft maps which you merely zoom and browse before going out....either topo, road, or sat photos.

Another is gaiagps costing about $12 or so giving all kinds of downloaded maps and topos.

Lastly, google maps have recently allowed you to save their online maps for offline use.

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I have owned 12 different chartplotters or gps units. Two failed.
If you are out in the boonies where there is no cell signal, you would keep it off....therefore minimal battery usage. Free or $12 can buy a backup battery vs $165 garmin and leave $$ on the table.
Garmin can't show maps from six or more different sources. I currently own three garmins, but the most expensive HcX died and they will not honor a repair even though it was run once then put in a drawer but wouldn't come on again just out of warranty.

I can't tell you how many times I or a friend were out and needed a gps but didn't take it along. But that equally capable smartphone was on hand.
With the ability to share the exact same map via a jpg file, photo, or paper such as a Delorme book, you get some collaberation benefits.


These are a heck of a lot better than running a base level garmin
 
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Your phone gps does the job.
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And what about people who want to repeatedly use their source of maps for a week + at a time, away from civilization, where there are no walls to plug into? Extra "smart" phone batteries are an average of $50.

A garmin etrex can run up to 25 hours on 2 AA batteries, which can be simply replaced.

Also, modern "smart phones" are notorious for having an endless list of problems leaving them unreliable at best. Out of the few I've had, I wouldn't trust the life of a tick with them.

I'll stick with a traditional GPS.
 
Phone GPS apps can work well, but they do zap the battery. Quick. I run an app called Backcounry Navigator Pro. It is really nice and works as accurately on my Android as any dedicated GPS. It even stores offline maps for when out of cell service.

If that is all you have, there is a work around to save battery life. This also works with a GPS where the battery is almost dead. Some phone apps and most handhelds will store waypoints. The waypoint lists will store the name, the distance from your current location and bearing (degrees) from your current location.

All you need is a decent baseplate compass. Decent Suunto's or Bruntons are less than $20. Just let your phone or GPS aquire a satelite lock to update your current location. Go to your listed waypoints and find the distance and bearing to your intended destination. GPS or phone app says: "Truck-1.2 miles-bearing 124 degrees". Dial in 124 degrees on the compass, turn off the GPS or GPS function on the phone to save power and follow the compass for a mile. When close to the target turn the GPS or phone GPS back on and finish finding the destination if needed.

Note that the only real hitch with this is for folks who are in an area with a high varience with magnetic declination. Study that in a orienteering book or online.
 
A Garmin will do fine for getting around, although DO NOT rely on it or any other GPS to function when you really need it to function, near dark and getting colder, two miles from the road.

You MUST carry a paper map and compass, and know the lay of the land. YOU are the instrument that will get you out of the woods in the snowstorm.
 
Hmm... My original post-

Anyone have experience with a simple, fair-priced, reliable GPS they could reccommend?
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Your comment-

I've been an active hunter since 1968 and have never owned a GPS.
- Buy a decent compass and a Boy Scout manual
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I hear ya, Jack. But I was born almost 30 years after you began actively hunting. Technology is something I've grown up with. I appreciate it, but don't completely rely on it.
 
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