LordHultonus Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 (edited) Hey there! I was thinking about buying Garmin Etrex 10... Not only for geocaching, for "standard-trips" too... Is it accurate? Is it worth spending 100$? And what about geocaching? Can I download files needed to track cache without premium account? I have doubts after seeing information that paperless geocaching is available with premium account... Edited June 28, 2015 by LordHultonus Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 (edited) Can I download files needed to track cache without premium account? I have doubts after seeing information that paperless geocaching is available with premium account... You can download to the GPSr w/o a Premium Membership. However -- that will not include some of the data that PM provides. Regular Members download (what we call a .LOC file) containing: cache name, ID# and coordinates only. Premium Members download (.GPX file) which includes that above plus: cache page info, hints and the last few logs posted to that cache. Better yet -- Premium Membership allows for download multiple caches via Pocket Queries nearly instantly to the unit. Regular Members must load caches picking and choosing one-at-a-time. sussamb is correct too, the eTrex 10 is very restrictive regarding map usage; total caches being loaded to the unit... it suffers (quite severely) from lack of available memory. The eTrex 20 allows for expandable memory (micro-SD card), which allows for nearly unlimited mapping and cache loadings. Most everybody (not all, but most) that get a '10 usually upgrade to a '20 or better before very long. Save that money and skip the eTrex 10 "step". Accuracy is another issue -- they all are accurate to a similar degree. It centers more on the user capability than it does on the device capability. Edited June 28, 2015 by Gitchee-Gummee Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Be aware that you cannot load additional maps to the Etrex 10, and the basemap it comes with is not very detailed or accurate. You really need to get the Etrex 20 ... I've cached and hiked with one for years and find it excellent. Second that, definitely worth the extra for one with mapping. Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 If you do buy a Garmin, register it via http://www.geocaching.com/garmin/freetrial.aspx and you will get 30 days Premium Membership FREE! To get full use out of a GPS and the Groundspeak site, you do need Premium Membership... Or carry a smartphone with good internet access or one of the apps installed, so you can read the cache page. Quote Link to comment
LordHultonus Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 (edited) Problem with the smartphone is that Im using BlackBerry and I can download only few android apps trough special appstore... Theese apps very ofen dont work so I was looking for chap GPS I could use. I don't think I wanna spend more money for Etrex 20... :/ Are there any other navigations (maybe not garmin?) which will be +/- cheap and OK for geocaching/tourism (good maps)? Edited June 28, 2015 by LordHultonus Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 It's a bit like your computer printer. The printer is cheap... You pay over the odds for the ink, which gets the manufacturer their money/profit. The 20 will take maps. Maps can be sourced free from Open Street Maps, and others sources. Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 When you bring up the question of maps, Garmin is about your best choice because there are many free (and not-free) maps to be had. Magellan, so I have been lead to believe, will accept only Magellan maps which of course, are not free. You speak of ($$) so I am going to assume that you are in the Americas or Australia. Delorme PN-60 comes with great mapping, but it costs more than an eTrex 20 and the maps are only of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Too, I think the PN-60 is still in back-order status. .... so, that pretty much leaves you looking at a Garmin unit. I understand wanting to get into the game as cheaply as possible. But in this case, if/when you decide to sell off your GPSr unit, you are still better off with a '20 as they resale higher and are much more in demand (quicker sale). Your other options are to look for used units online or even in the GPS Garage Sale forum here . Occasionally you can find used units at a walk-in sporting store. Good luck in your searches and final choice. Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Problem with the smartphone is that Im using BlackBerry CacheSense is available as a native Blackberry app, I've used it for several years and it's very good. You can get it from Blackberry world. Quote Link to comment
+JohnCNA Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Problem with the smartphone is that Im using BlackBerry CacheSense is available as a native Blackberry app, I've used it for several years and it's very good. You can get it from Blackberry world. I started with CacheSense on Blackberry. I think I had the BB Curve at the time. They worked very well together. When we upgraded to Android phones later, CacheSense for Android was the very first app I bought for the new phone. Quote Link to comment
LordHultonus Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) You speak of ($$) so I am going to assume that you are in the Americas or Australia. Nope, actually I live in Europe. Poland. CacheSense is available as a native Blackberry app, I've used it for several years and it's very good. You can get it from Blackberry world. My BB Z30 is not compatible with official CacheSense app (I guess that CacheSense for BB is available for qwerty, classic models :v). Anyways I had to download Android version. The problem is that it sometimes crashes and/or lags... This is very annoying so I would like to buy GPS which would be fine for geocaching but I dont want to spend much money as I wont use GPS very often... Edited June 29, 2015 by LordHultonus Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 My BB Z30 is not compatible with official CacheSense app (I guess that CacheSense for BB is available for qwerty, classic models :v). Anyways I had to download Android version. The problem is that it sometimes crashes and/or lags... If you haven't already done so it might be worth looking on the CacheSense forums at http://www.zitafarm.com/forum/index.php Quote Link to comment
LordHultonus Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Ah! It's on Amazon Appstore! Okeys, so its compatible! Anyways, if you would have to recommend a nice garmin GPS which would you choose? And what about theese Garmin watches? Are they accurate? I dont want to spend much cash for a simple GPS device but I could spend a lot more for a watch which would just have GPS included Espesially as I was thinking about buying new watch for few weeks... Quote Link to comment
+coachstahly Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I've heard mostly good things about the eTrex 20 and 30 and MANY with the 10 who have buyer's remorse. As to the watches, I have no idea about their accuracy. I thought there might be a thread in this topic about the watches, but can't remember, especially as I never looked at it. Quote Link to comment
LordHultonus Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Okeys... So eTrex 20 And the watches? Anyone knows somenthing about watches? Quote Link to comment
+Mineral2 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Given the very limited screen size on the watches, I'd say that the mapping watches are gimmicks at best. Watches are meant to be fitness tracking devices and not really to be used as a serious navigation tool. For geocaching and hiking, you'd be better off with an eTrex 10 than a gps watch. Quote Link to comment
+cliptwings Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 As far as GPS watches go, I use a Garmin fenix for running and occasional caching. Although it is very capable and accurate, it has a very small display for viewing and navigating to geocaches. Plus, it's pretty expensive at over $200US. I would recommend the etrex 20. It's fairly cheap, reliable, accurate, and has a good display. Quote Link to comment
LordHultonus Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hah, eTrex 20 is more expensive but... Eh, I will think about this Thank you all for informations and reviews! Quote Link to comment
+Mineral2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Hah, eTrex 20 is more expensive but... Eh, I will think about this Thank you all for informations and reviews! More expensive? I don't think so. The eTrex 20x is $199.99 - the discontinued eTrex 20 should be a bit less. A Fenix 2 watch is $299.99. The eTrex 20(x) is still worth the cost for what you want to do. Quote Link to comment
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