Handheld GPS HELP!!!!

[HandiKap Bowhunter]

Well my b-day wwas this weekend and got a lil spending cash. I have been wanting a good handheld GPS and have never realy had alot of time to spend messing with them. I have used the Lowrance Ifind and it is very user friendly for someone who has never messed with one. I have also looked at the new Garmins that are out there.

My question is what is the best allaround GPS for hunting and fishing that I can load maps and such on for the price range of 300 to 350 dollars.

Thanks for any help

Cullen

[Shake1]

I've owned the Lowrance, Magellan and now the Garmin. I like the Garmins as they are easy to use and everyone supports / integrates with them. The software works great and integrates with Google Earth as well.

[Henry]

Well, all i can say is that i have the top end handheld Magellan, i think its the 600, (couple years old now) but it was more than $350.00.

I think the only difference that i remember is that its not in "color".

I can download a number of maps to it, and i currently have the entire US in mine.

I think there are also programs for topography and/or hunting which would really help.

[EnglishRedneck]

I just use a magellan, and although it doesn't have all the fancy color screens etc, you can still pile on a load of points fro stands, rubs etc. It still talks to the PC so I can enter maps etc, but is short on other bells and whistles. Think I paid around $250. If you have your heart set on the "Full Monty", Garmn is probably the way to go, otherwise save a little for the corn bill!

[JP Dorris]

Garmin GPS MAP 60, nice unit, colour and you can upload USGS map to it.

[Bill]

I use a $99 eTrex and mytopo.com maps, so I'm at the low-end of $$. Or get an eTrex and a new laser range finder for the same $ you want to spend.

[Snakelover]

Please forgive me for repeating myself on some of this, but I'm copying and pasting my responses from previous similar threads and compiling them here. So if it sounds like I'm saying the same thing two or three times in different ways, that's why. Just didn't want to retype...


I know this will sound weird, but if you want to know about GPS units, talk to geocachers. I happen to be a geocacher, myself. Here's why I say that. If you can find a camoed 35mm film canister hidden in the woods, finding a deer stand shouldn't be much of a problem problem. I have the Garmin Map 60CSx and I love it. The Garmin GPSMap 60Csx is a great receiver. The antenna that is on that particular model is much better than most at acquiring satellites in heavy cloud cover or under tree canopy, which I would consider to be an important consideration.

It has an electronic compass that will give you direction when you are standing still IF is is calibrated. While there are times that it could be very useful, it seems to go out of calibration easily and I get tired of calibrating it. So I have mine set to turn off the electronic compass anytime I am on the move. That allows me to use satellite orientation as my compass, which I think is probably more accurate anyway. The only downside is you have to start walking to get a reading. But that is also true of any GPSr that doesn't have an electronic compass to begin with.

I don't have topographic maps on mine. I do have CityNavigator on it, though. That shows pretty much all the roads, even some dirt roads that don't even have a name. And, of course, major topigraphical features like rivers and lakes are also on there. Pretty much the only thing you don't get are lines of topography. I can live without that, even in a hunting situation.

Groundspeak Forums

By the way, I mainly use my Garmin GPSMap 60Csx for geocaching and it is probably THE most popular model among geocachers. Why do you care? Because geocaching is undoubtedly the very best test of a GPSr that there is. If I can find something smaller than a thimble that has been carefully camoflauged and hidden in the woods by someone else based only on their giving me the GPS coordinates, then finding my truck or a deer stand should be a piece of cake!

In case you're not familiar, geocaching is sort of a hide and seek game. People hide "treasures" called caches and then post the coordinates on the geocaching website. Then other people use their GPS units to go find those caches. When they find them, they sign their name to a log and then post the find on the website. Of course, those hiding try to make them hard to find by using camo duct tape, etc. Naturally, this is a much more demanding application for a GPS receiver than hunting could ever be. I have 397 finds and have hidden 11 caches. But some geocachers have tens of thousands of finds and literally use their GPS receivers every single day. That's why I say they are a good source of information.


... Hope some of that helps.

[HandiKap Bowhunter]

Thanks guys, Snakelover that is one I was looking at and Im glad you have had luck with it. My concern was getting into the timber and not getting a reception. Our ranch is in East Texas near Huntsville and the wooded areas are thick with pine and old oaks so the canopy is very thick almost all year.