sarge1967 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I have been seeing some great deals on the MAP 62s. Wondering if I should go that route over eTrex 30. eTrex 30 has GLONASS that is what is appealing to me with it. Not sure if 62s has wireless transfer like eTrex 30 does either. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment
insig Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 The GPSMAP 62s has wireless transfer. Grabbing a 62s for around $200 is a pretty good deal. Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I vote for the 62S also.....bigger screen, faster processor, quad. antenna, and I prefer the 62 button arrangement to the Etrex joystick. Quote Link to comment
+Timpat Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Same here- the 62s. It does it all and very well, and now for an excellent price. I picked up a 2nd one to keep in the box for backup. Rock solid unit that is my primary device. Quote Link to comment
+luvvinbird Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Just a thought about GLONASS...I'm not sure if it makes any significant difference here in this part of the world. Some folks on this forum who live in the U.K. however, claim greater accuracy because of it. Does that help with your decision, lol? (They're both great units...go with price) Quote Link to comment
sarge1967 Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Just a thought about GLONASS...I'm not sure if it makes any significant difference here in this part of the world. Some folks on this forum who live in the U.K. however, claim greater accuracy because of it. Does that help with your decision, lol? (They're both great units...go with price) Price is the same on Amazon right now. It would seem that Garmin has discounted the 62's drastically due to the 64's coming out. Quote Link to comment
insig Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Just a thought about GLONASS...I'm not sure if it makes any significant difference here in this part of the world. Some folks on this forum who live in the U.K. however, claim greater accuracy because of it. Does that help with your decision, lol? (They're both great units...go with price) GPS Tracklog has just posted an initial review of the 64s comparing it to the 62s. There's a bit of talk about GLONASS in it. Granted, it's not talking about the eTrex, but it does give an idea about the addition of GLONASS reception. The addition of GLONASS helps with a quicker initial fix time and in certain challenging conditions where you can only see a portion of the sky like in a canyon or in between tall buildings. In my opinion, the 62s has pretty good reception. Also, I think the joystick on the eTrex is a little more cumbersome to use than the keypad on the 62s. Quote Link to comment
+gpsblake Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I just got a 62s last week, love it except for one pet peeve that i mentioned in a another thread that doesn't affect 99.9% of geocachers. The screen is larger and the unit is much larger on the 62s vs Etrex 30, which is either a plus or a minus depending on your use. I think the pixel size is almost the same. They say GLONASS is better to have in downtown areas, canyons, and Northern latitudes as it gives your unit more potential satellites to get a fix. Some have reported problems with the Etrex 30 electronic compass in some firmware updates. My opinion is you won't go wrong with either unit. Perhaps go into a brick and mortar store to compare them. Quote Link to comment
Forkeye Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) I have never had problems with either my Etrex 30 or 62sc compass, the only time I get a failed calibration is if I go too fast rolling it over. As far as accuracy goes and reception in the mountains in the pacific northwest here in North America, I really don't see any difference between the 2 units. I can still see the benefit to Glonass though, at some point any unit that can receive more satellites still has a better advantage under less than ideal conditions. But I would consider over all size,screen size, weight, battery life first.I like my 30 for hiking and my 62sc for other things like geo caching. Totally different buttons too for each. Edited March 12, 2014 by Forkeye Quote Link to comment
sarge1967 Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 I do need to try and find a store that sells both. Perhaps a trip to Cabella's is in order. Quote Link to comment
+DazeDnFamily Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I got a 62s when Bass Pro had it for 199. I could not be happier. It locks on crazy fast, and I've been downloading BirdsEye for a couple of days now. The screen doesn't have the best pixel resolution for imagery, but it moves it around and zooms in and out fast. There is nothing about this thing I don't love. Later! Quote Link to comment
Forkeye Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Forgot to mention in my previous post. As someone else said the 62 series is way faster, you will notice it when you pan your map, but otherwise probably wont notice it. The 62 series has a battery saver mode too, where the screen will turn off after an adjustable time out, however the 30 will still beat it in the battery dept. The 62 also has a banner menu where the screens scroll left or right and you can adjust the order or the number of screens you want to view or disable it. And the 62s has an external antenna jack. The camera on my 62sc is a POS so in hindsight I wish I would have gotten a 62s as it has 4 hrs extra battery life compared to the 62s. Someone posted once the 62sc was faster than the 62s, but I haven't compared them and if so it wouldn't be worth 4 hrs battery life. Edited March 12, 2014 by Forkeye Quote Link to comment
+Mineral2 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Even with that review posted, I'm not convinced that GLONASS should be the deciding factor. Consider it an extra bonus if you prefer the other features of the eTrex over the 62s. Just remember that the wireless transfer, in both cases, is not between the device and a computer, but between two devices with wireless transfer capabilities. It's nice if you want to share waypoints or routes with a friend in the field, but it's a feature that I've used only once in my life. Quote Link to comment
+coshida Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I've owned & used both (for sailing. flying & hiking). The 62S is slightly faster, has the quad helix antenna and so on. The Etrex 20/20 are smaller, slightly slower. But they have GLONASS which is an added layer of precision (if you can see the sats) and they are smaller if you go hiking. I did sell the 62S and bought the Etrex as the smaller size was better for me. Fits in a pocket/aircraft cockpit, has terrific accuracy, SD card, fast to acquire sats. If you don't need the barometric altimeter and e-compass, the Etrex 20 is also very capable. Quote Link to comment
+HeavyD370 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 (edited) I have an ETREX 30 I am very disappointed in its performance. My OLD Garmin GPS 12 is more accurate. Also Garmin tech support is crap. I have couple friends that use Magellan Explorist GC and 110, they are both more accurate than my ETREX 30. I am seriously considering switching to Magellan. Edited April 13, 2014 by HeavyD370 Quote Link to comment
Forkeye Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) I have never had any accuracy issues with my Etrex 30 or other major issues for that matter. I got it for its small size and 25 hr battery life. Great for hiking, small and light. Its small screen may be a challenge for some who may not have good vision. I also have the 62sc, which is faster, bigger, not as good on batteries. I am equally happy with both, each has its plus and minus features for what I use them for and each functions well and it seems as if each is near the end of its software development stage. Edited April 14, 2014 by Forkeye Quote Link to comment
insig Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) FYI, GPSMAP 62s is on sale (online only) at cabelas.com for $199. Edited April 14, 2014 by insig Quote Link to comment
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