Different And Weird Gpsrs

[+I.R. Geonut]

Sometimes when I browse these forums I see odd GPSrs (to me anyway cuz I'm a n00b still) like the Magellan GPS 315, or the Lowrance Globalnav. Heck even Lowrance was an odd one for me till recently. I thought it was Magellan and Garmin (we all know there is only Magellan ) and that was it.

 

So I want to see what you guys have for odd handheld GPS devices. I'm shopping on eBay for a second GPS and I want something that is old, reliable, rugged, and different. (Like the 315 or Globalnav although I assume they are not that old).

 

Please post your pics here or if you don't have the picture just tell me the name and I'll Google it .

 

Thanks,

 

IR

Edited January 19, 2006 by I.R. Geonut

[+StarBrand]

Can't get any more rugged then my Garmin eTrex Legend. It has sailed off the roof of my speeding (30+ mph) car 2 times and survived with nothing more than a scratch on the case.

[+I.R. Geonut]

That's it? We must not be into the old GPSrs eh?

[+NoLemon]

My first GPSr was a Magellan Trailblazer XL. If memory serves, I bought it in 96. Other than a severly faded display (to the point that it is neary not readable) the unit still works.

 

The first few caches I found were found using this old GPSr. However, I quickly learned the error of my ways and bought a Garmin.

[+briansnat]

I don't have one, but I've seen people using the Garmin GPS 12 and 12XL. For some reason Garmin still sells these old units. They are large, heavy and practically bomb proof. They also still work great.

 

I do trail work and the orgainzation I work for lends these out for mapping purposes to those who don't own a GPS.

 

[+W7WT]

My first GPS was a Garmin 45. I loved that GPS and still have it. This was way before Geocaching was even thought about. I used it for navigation in my van type RV. I had a external antenna that I had mounted inside the fiberglass roof. I got coordinates for towns I would be going through from aeronautical charts. I even used it to keep track where we were on the Alaska Ferry from Bellingham, WA to Haines, Alaska. It saved me once when I stopped for gas and started going back on the same road that we just came in on. I think Garmin had a 35 before that. Tried it for Geocaching but just didn't work very well under the trees. If in the open it works very well. I conduct GPS accuracy contests at events and wanted to have a session limited to single channel GPSs but didn't have much interest. I think I will keep my 45.

[+Airmapper]

I have a Lowrance AirMap 500, not really odd, but it is the brother of the i-Finder Pro.

 

I've played with a friends Garmin 12 and Garmin 38. I haven't found any good info for the 38, it is almost identical to the 12, except for a few features.

[+Jamie Z]

I started a thread a couple years ago about unusual GPSs. The title was "Euro GPS" if I recall, but I can't find it and can't search very well. Sorry, or I'd post a link.

 

Jamie

[+Juicepig]

I made a 4 foot long boat with a GPS receiver and webcam. It is controlled over the internet, or network. I could see it being used for geocaching to some extent, but for now it is still at the University Engineering department.

Edited January 20, 2006 by Juicepig

[+JohnnyVegas]

Hows thid for

[+nioda]

I am still using my Magellan 315. I've never had a problem. I've tried some newer models and can't see buying a new one untill I have a failure with this one.

 

If it aint broke, I'm not alllowed to buy a replacement...

 

So says the Finance department.

[+budd-rdc]

I think the Magellan GPS Companion would qualify as a different and weird GPSr. The version I have attaches to the Handspring Visor (Palm III compatible) as a Springboard Module. I use CacheMate and its CacheNav plug-in and it acts sort of like a Handheld GPS.

 

 

It was released around year 2000, and its performance is supposed to be comparable to Magellan 315/330. In terms of reception, it often performs better than a Garmin GPSmap 60c. Funny thing is, I'm not the only cacher who uses this setup in the area.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

Sometimes when I browse these forums I see odd GPSrs (to me anyway cuz I'm a n00b still) like the Magellan GPS 315, or the Lowrance Globalnav. Heck even Lowrance was an odd one for me till recently. I thought it was Magellan and Garmin (we all know there is only Magellan ) and that was it.

 

So I want to see what you guys have for odd handheld GPS devices. I'm shopping on eBay for a second GPS and I want something that is old, reliable, rugged, and different. (Like the 315 or Globalnav although I assume they are not that old).

 

Please post your pics here or if you don't have the picture just tell me the name and I'll Google it .

 

Thanks,

 

IR

One that isn't too old but is definitely "unconventional" is the Whistler Galileo, which my avatar shows as a picture.

 

It is actually made by Holux, and sold by them in Asia, Australia, and the UK, and sold in the rest of Europe by Alan, a German company that in the US is known as the Midland brand of CB radios.

 

It is the only GPS that Whistler (who makes pretty good radar detectors) made (they discontinued it in early 2005, Holux/Alan stopped making it later that year), initially it was a joint marketing venture with Wal-Mart (the 2 companies are both HQ'd in Bentonville, AR).

 

It failed for reasons I'll give below that make it a bugbear if you do more than occasional geocaching, but if you're desperate for a pretty cheap mapping/POI unit with CF card expansion, they're often on eBay sometimes for as little as under $50 (I got mine that way and I like it). Anyway, reasons it didn't last:

 

1) Was initially priced to compete with mid-range units, but has performance/battery life of an entry level unit (it definitely works better than rival radar detector maker Cobra's early handhelds, and I would say performance is at least on a par with both of my brother-in-law's Etrex Yellow unit, though battery life is mediocre).

 

2) Only shows position in DD MM SS.S

 

3) Cannot be used with standard geocaching software for downloading waypoints, etc.

 

4) Only shows "error" as DOP, not both DOP and EPE.

 

But still a great inexpensive unit if you only do occasional geocaching and like to have a cheap "car unit". I think when it was made they were thinking of it as a "car unit" that could double as a handheld and didn't fully think it through.

Edited January 20, 2006 by hairymon

[+rusty_da_dog]

I have a Magellan 315 that works as good today as the day I got it 4 or 5 years ago. I also have a Magellan Platinum that has been back to the shop twice in 2 years. Once was when I dropped it off a good cliff, the other the screen just went POOF.

I still carry the 315 with me everywhere I go it gets the job done.

[+I.R. Geonut]

haha Great stories. That Handspring GPS is a great idea. Probably fairly inexpensive too eh?

[+ODragon]

I started a thread a couple years ago about unusual GPSs. The title was "Euro GPS" if I recall, but I can't find it and can't search very well. Sorry, or I'd post a link.

Euro GPS

[+Jamie Z]

ODragon, thanks for looking that up. The Euro GPS thread has some pics (and links to pics) of some unusual (to me) GPSs.

 

Jamie

[+ODragon]

ODragon, thanks for looking that up. The Euro GPS thread has some pics (and links to pics) of some unusual (to me) GPSs.

Yeah, they were interesting to me too!

[+Cow Spots]

I received a Lowrance Eagle Explorer GPS as a first finder prize in a puzzle cache a couple of years ago, and at that time it was a fairly old GPS. I don't use it on a regular basis at all, but it's nice to have as an emergency backup.

[+bhodisatva]

I don't have one, but I've seen people using the Garmin GPS 12 and 12XL. For some reason Garmin still sells these old units. They are large, heavy and practically bomb proof. They also still work great.

 

I do trail work and the orgainzation I work for lends these out for mapping purposes to those who don't own a GPS.

 

I've got one of the Garmin 12's and have had it since they came out. It's been thrown in and out of toolboxes, bounced around the inside of my Land Rover, dropped, kicked, sat upon and stuffed in the back of a drawer for nearly 2 years and it's never missed a beat. I reckon it's fairly bomb proof (it has had to have been to put up with the abuse i give it), and that's the main reason why it never got ebayed a couple of years back.

 

It's now undergoing a new lease of life that i've found geocaching to add to my list of pastimes:).

[+sbell111]

ODragon, thanks for looking that up. The Euro GPS thread has some pics (and links to pics) of some unusual (to me) GPSs.

Yeah, they were interesting to me too!

I like that eTrex Summit XXL. Appraently, it comes with extra thick grass, also.

[+I.R. Geonut]

I just realized that Summit is totally photo shopped

[+The Golem]

I don't have one, but I've seen people using the Garmin GPS 12 and 12XL. For some reason Garmin still sells these old units. They are large, heavy and practically bomb proof.  They also still work great.

 

I do trail work and the orgainzation I work for lends these out for mapping purposes to those who don't own a GPS.

 

I've got one of these - is it that much of a dinosaur?

 

I also keep this as a back up...

 

Edited January 21, 2006 by The Golem

[+meatstack]

I personally use a Motorola i710 cell phone with Trimble Outdoors software. It's not without it's problems, as I have to "reboot" the cell phone about three times a search.

I've also used a Garmin E-trex (the yellow one), and I like entering coordinates into the cell phone much better (you use the number pad).

 

Sorry, no pictures, but you can see one by going to the sprint/Nextel site.

[+BadAndy]

My first was an Eagle Accunav sport. Burned a brick of aa's per day and could track 4 sats at a time. Must've weighed a pound.

 

I also had a Geode springboard module for my handspring visor.

[+gdubbs]

I too, have the Magellan GPS Companion/Handspring combination. Seems to be VERY accurate. Problem is, the Handspring has a mind of its own and requires a reboot ....and I have to reload the GPS software. Not the kind of thing you like in the middle of a hunt. Tried everything, but cannot trust the little sucker. Also have an eXplorist 210, which I love, and is my main unit.

[+I.R. Geonut]

Do they make one for the Sony Clie?

[+rescue3]

My first GPSr was a Magellan 2000 GPS. Oh my gosh, that thing would take forever to get a lock on the satellites. Once going it would eat batteries alive too.

 

I still have it somewhere around here. I never used it very much.

 

I've since moved on to the E-trex Legend, the GPS V and now the 60CSx.

[+saturn639]

How about this homemade GPS (from hackaday.com):

 

Click for a larger view

 

Click for a larger view

 

Full link on how he made it:http://www.mhd.miun.se/~stok/ghetto-gps/

 

Can you imagine trying to cache with this? Amazing it could be made though.

[+sbell111]

How about this homemade GPS (from hackaday.com): ...

I can imagine the swearing when you slip on a wet rock.

[+budd-rdc]

Do they make one for the Sony Clie?

Not that I know of. It was made for the Palm V/Vx PDAs also, where the unit was designed like a cradle. This and the Handspring are the only models mentioned in the manual.

 

It's discontinued now, so you'll have to go to eBay, look through "clearance bins" etc.