I am in need af a GPS. I have used a few different units over the past few years like the Garmin 12 and 12XL the Magellan Tracker and the Magellan 315. I like the Garmin 12 and 12xl best. These units have been ones that I have barrowed. I am now going to get my oun. All I need it to do is mark waypoints and goto waypoints, and input waypoints I do not need any fancy #####. I have been looking at ebay for the Garmin 12 and 12XL they are selling for around $100.00 + and I see that the new Garmin Etrex and Etrex Legent sells new for around the same $100.00. I have no experience with these units has anyone used them? Should I spend the $100.00 for the older units on ebay or get a new Extrex unit? Thank You for any info.
GPS questions
- Thread starter HUNT
- Start date
D
DallanC
Guest
I have and love the 12. But its getting more than a few years old now so I gotta think some of the newer ones might offer more features for the same cost. Good things to have (used the death out of mine in Alsaka on the tundra caribou hunting).
-DallanC
-DallanC
S
saminwy
Guest
i have the etrex legend. seems to be a pretty good unit, though its the only one i've ever used, so i cant compare it to anything.
T
Taqukaq
Guest
I have owned a few GPS's, all Garmin. Even though I would never part with my 76S that's over-flowing with options. All one really needs is just as you say "the basics". I would have to pass on a used model, it may have gotten wet or other wise just been subjected to abuse. The internal batteries don't last forever and when they expire it will cost you at least 100.00 for Garmin to replace them,(been there done that). So if not just to get one that has fresh internal batteries in it let alone the "unknown" with used electronic devices. Try shopping prices at http://www.thegpsstore.com , I have bought from them in the past and found they were good to deal with. If you go to their site some of the GPS's will have a lower price after you view it in your "shopping cart". I believe this is due to the manufacture's limit on how low you can advertise a price for their product. Garmin has a great support team but they are busy around the clock and it takes some time to get a response from them @(1-800-800-1020). Every time I have called the gps store I have received a helpful hand instantly. They are also on the top of the list at Garmin.com under recommended retailers. There is a ?look-alike? company online called "GPS Store" and I know nothing of them. Use the link here or be sure and add ?the? in "thegpsstore" if searching online. Good luck........
~Jeff~
~Jeff~
3
30inchbuck
Guest
I would opt for one that I could download topo maps in. I have the vista but the legend is all you really need. Why I say that is that with the download you can see most of the dirt roads ect. It will also show you ponds, ridges, rivers, lakes, ect. All the better for locating animal hide outs. I know you said simple but once you get used to one the topo stuff really becomes more useful every time you use it. Also most people I know that have bought one that just does the waypoints ect. once they see what you can do with the topo maps ect on the GPS go out and buy one.
Anyway just my 2 cents
Anyway just my 2 cents
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Taqukaq
Guest
Nope, Not yet anyway. It's way to much data for the thumbnail LCD display's. I have most all of Garmin?s software including a few blue charts. Delorme has the 7.5's with a good interactive 3-D browser. You CAN?T use the Delorme maps with the Garmin GPS but you can share waypoints and routes from Delorme to your Garmin handheld GPS units. So I can scout and plan at home on my PC with the 7.5's and then it interacts with the Garmin maps currently uploaded to my GPS. The state by state 7.5's are spendy and I find with TOPO.50 that was recently released by DeLorme on DVD (this is the whole USA in 60min format?)to work pretty much as well. Zoomed in the contour lines are spaced at 10ft. Both TOPO.40 and .50 are on the market right now. .40 is in a 8 CD set, the single DVD .50 offers keeps you from having to swap CD's all the time while you are viewing and the graphics that were all ready nice have been improved. If you buy any of this mapping software you should burn back-up copies and put them away. I'd hate to have to buy the same software twice due to damage. The Delorme has the split screen mode so you can view a flat map and 3-D map at the same time or it will show the Satellite Image of the map area that you have opened at the time. All these mapping software packages sell for around the 100.00 range, give or take. The Satellite images can also be purchased state by state or if you got the bucks you can get the whole USA on a 250 gig hard drive for a mere 5 grand. The hundred dollar price comes back rather quickly if you can print instead of buying maps. I have a wide bed printer giving me 13x19 maps to take into the field. There is water proof paper available as well, It really surprised me with how well it holds up. All of this software is out there online and can be downloaded for free if one knows how to search for it. I've never figured out how myself 
just think hacker, cracker, user groups in your queries?happy hunting ???????.
just think hacker, cracker, user groups in your queries?happy hunting ???????.
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Taqukaq
Guest
Thanks, good to hear you find this information useful. It helps to know the efforts not in vain. I see the Garmin Legend (color) is 344.95 at http://www.thegpsstore. Com. How is that compared to what you are seeing elsewhere? I would really like to get one of the newer color models, I've noticed the maps are easier to view on them. Now if I could just find somewhere online to download one of them for free...) These mapping GPS's are the way to go, one of the best tools for hunting I have ever found other than my rifle. If I was not to be able to work one of these into my budget I'd still get a 79.00 bare bones model so I could locate and archive particular waypoints. And speaking of waypoints......
Back up your waypoints! I learned the hard way when an internal battery died, I lost every thing. The models that allow you to share data with your PC make this easy. After your first upload to your computer the Garmin software builds you a folder where these waypoints will all be stored on your hard drive. You can got to this folder and view these as well printout a hard copy. If you want to "manage" these waypoints they sale software to help you but I have never used it. I started my own system before they offered such tools. I simply group my relevant waypoints with a prefix when I name them so the all stay in order in the file. My file looks sorta like this...
123shafercrktrailhead (quads)
123shafercrkcamp (quads)
123shaferckhorsegraze (quads)
123shafercrkgametrail (quads)
123shaferckdeadelk (quads)
234elkhillcamp (quads)
234elkhillgoodwater (quads)
234elkhilldeadelk (quads)
My favorite waypoints always include deadelk in the file names.) By now you gotta be wondering why I want to screw with this file.. The GPS manages my waypoints fine all on it's own. But when the same data is on my computer not only can I copy this for back up but I can SHARE.. Sorta like you show me yours and I'll show you mine. I have traded with many online. I can give you a good drainage in Bob Marshall in Montana with trailheads, camps, graze, etc. If you were to share a good area with me. This is another form of back-up as well, I've returned waypoints to others that have lost all thier data. By copying and pasting this data when e-mailing you eliminate any margin of error. When I receive quads in an e-mail I rename them accordingly and then just copy and past them into the one of my waypoint files. Then I can open my PC's mapping software and look at the waypoints as they lay in the area. Usually at this point I will be trading e-mails with who I am sharing with and we start asking more detailed questions. We can use the drawing tools provided in our mapping software to add in trails and points of interest and then e-mail the maps back and forth. This has worked out great for me when going into new country. I can ride right into a good camping spot in the dark or find a small game trail before sun-up. It's even more effective for finding those 'hotspots' on a lake or bay for fishing. Between all my fishing and hunting locations combined I have a few thousand waypoints. Learning to manage these files also allows me to store them in files of my own creation for extra storage just keeping what I need at the time in the Garmin file that I share with my GPS. You might want to play with these files and get familiar with them before to try to export the ones you have created to your GPS. You can always load them one at a time to your software and create waypoint that way as well.
Here's a screen snag of the Garmin Map Source software.
It's a rather generic browser but there is some good options and this software alone can take you a long ways.
Back up your waypoints! I learned the hard way when an internal battery died, I lost every thing. The models that allow you to share data with your PC make this easy. After your first upload to your computer the Garmin software builds you a folder where these waypoints will all be stored on your hard drive. You can got to this folder and view these as well printout a hard copy. If you want to "manage" these waypoints they sale software to help you but I have never used it. I started my own system before they offered such tools. I simply group my relevant waypoints with a prefix when I name them so the all stay in order in the file. My file looks sorta like this...
123shafercrktrailhead (quads)
123shafercrkcamp (quads)
123shaferckhorsegraze (quads)
123shafercrkgametrail (quads)
123shaferckdeadelk (quads)
234elkhillcamp (quads)
234elkhillgoodwater (quads)
234elkhilldeadelk (quads)
My favorite waypoints always include deadelk in the file names.) By now you gotta be wondering why I want to screw with this file.. The GPS manages my waypoints fine all on it's own. But when the same data is on my computer not only can I copy this for back up but I can SHARE.. Sorta like you show me yours and I'll show you mine. I have traded with many online. I can give you a good drainage in Bob Marshall in Montana with trailheads, camps, graze, etc. If you were to share a good area with me. This is another form of back-up as well, I've returned waypoints to others that have lost all thier data. By copying and pasting this data when e-mailing you eliminate any margin of error. When I receive quads in an e-mail I rename them accordingly and then just copy and past them into the one of my waypoint files. Then I can open my PC's mapping software and look at the waypoints as they lay in the area. Usually at this point I will be trading e-mails with who I am sharing with and we start asking more detailed questions. We can use the drawing tools provided in our mapping software to add in trails and points of interest and then e-mail the maps back and forth. This has worked out great for me when going into new country. I can ride right into a good camping spot in the dark or find a small game trail before sun-up. It's even more effective for finding those 'hotspots' on a lake or bay for fishing. Between all my fishing and hunting locations combined I have a few thousand waypoints. Learning to manage these files also allows me to store them in files of my own creation for extra storage just keeping what I need at the time in the Garmin file that I share with my GPS. You might want to play with these files and get familiar with them before to try to export the ones you have created to your GPS. You can always load them one at a time to your software and create waypoint that way as well.
Here's a screen snag of the Garmin Map Source software.
It's a rather generic browser but there is some good options and this software alone can take you a long ways.
