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Newbie looking for GPS info


74vwBus

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Hello from central Pennsylvania!

 

I am a newbie. My family and I are instantly hooked. We'd like to be well equipped. But at the same time we are looking to keep spending to a minimum. I was looking at a Garmin eTrex 10 tonight for $99. I thought that's what I would go with. When I just came home to get reviews from the Geo crowd, I saw a topic where a cacher was not happy with the "innacurate maps" that he downloaded.

 

I use a Iphone 4s at the moment. Would the Garmin eTrex 10 be any upgrade from my Iphone? Or am I just a good off using the Iphone.

 

Thanks for any and all info!

 

Justin & family

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The maps on an eTrex 10 are not necessarily inaccurate. They are merely lacking detail.

It is possible that the maps tiles could be misaligned, but not very likely.

 

Read the manufacturer specs before you buy any unit. In the case of maps, if it says 'Base Map', then what you get is a plain white (usually) map that shows major roadways and little, if anything, else. No secondary or tertiary roads, trails, streams, lakes, elevations or forested areas, etc.

 

'Tis a common mistake when people see Base Maps... they pay more attention to MAPS then they do BASE, or they simply do not understand just what base maps are. Some are disappointed when they find out just what all they lack.

 

Truth be known, the eTrex 10 is a raw beginner's model (a 'base' model, if you prefer)... or a very experienced GPSr user's model (somebody who doesn't need or want detail).

It uses a gray-scale screen, will not accept more detailed mapping programs, lacks sufficient memory (for some), and will not accept a card for memory expansion/storage. It is easy to overload a '10. Presumably it will hold 500 caches in the internal memory. Problem is, it functions decidedly slower when loaded at or near max, because you have used up most all memory it needs for operation.

 

I think you would be far happier with the eTrex 20. Best just to buy it now... and skip the upgrading later (it will happen :) ).

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Whatever you buy, do not buy a model without a Micro Sd slot. So a Etrex 20 will do fine.

For outdoor buy an outdoor model, be aware the dedicated outdoor gps models functions will look 2005 when you are used to todays apps. (smartphone)

But overall, Garmin works better then a smartphone.

 

Go to gpscity.com to find your model and look at the video's, to have an impression and how the screen looks like.

Edited by splashy
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Any input on the Magellan 310 vs the eTrex 10? Thanks!

Here again, after reading the manufacturer specs... I do not see that the 310 allows for the use of an SD (or micro-SD card).

Expandable memory is a fairly important attribute to a GPSr... especially when it comes to resale.

With Magellan, you need to move up to the 510 model to have an SD card slot.

 

I noticed this quote from the Magellan 310 "Learn More" introduction page:

Regional versions of Magellan’s Summit Series topographic maps are available for download to expand mapping coverage and level of detail.

This leads me to believe their "World Edition map" isn't quite what you may be expecting. Sure, it says all roads in the U.S., Canada, etc..., but it says nothing whatsoever of topography or detail.

I believe that free, downloadable maps for the Magellan are difficult, if not impossible to come by.

 

For the same (list) price, the eTrex 20 allows for expandable memory and many, many free downloadable maps -- some of which allow for routing directions.

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Any input on the Magellan 310 vs the eTrex 10? Thanks!

Here again, after reading the manufacturer specs... I do not see that the 310 allows for the use of an SD (or micro-SD card).

Expandable memory is a fairly important attribute to a GPSr... especially when it comes to resale.

With Magellan, you need to move up to the 510 model to have an SD card slot.

 

I noticed this quote from the Magellan 310 "Learn More" introduction page:

Regional versions of Magellan’s Summit Series topographic maps are available for download to expand mapping coverage and level of detail.

This leads me to believe their "World Edition map" isn't quite what you may be expecting. Sure, it says all roads in the U.S., Canada, etc..., but it says nothing whatsoever of topography or detail.

I believe that free, downloadable maps for the Magellan are difficult, if not impossible to come by.

 

For the same (list) price, the eTrex 20 allows for expandable memory and many, many free downloadable maps -- some of which allow for routing directions.

 

maps4me has maps for Magellans. I think it was about $15 per year for all the maps you want.

 

I would still go with the Garmin. The eXplorist GC is similar to the 310. I have used both a GC and an Oregon 450 extensively. The GC is a much better PDA, the Oregon is a much better GPS. Most of your friends will have Garmins. The Oregon 450 (discontinued but not obsolete) is about the same price as the Etrex20 and has the capability for wireless transfers, Chirps, and Wherigos, and has a magnetic compass. It is comparable to the Etrex 30 (YMMV!)

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The GPSMAP 62s is also on sale at cabelas.com for $199 right now. Its capabilities are very similar to the Oregon 450, only it is button-operated as opposed to the Oregon's touchscreen.

 

Agreed.....these are better units than the ones mentioned and at $200 you can't go wrong.

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