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Dirt cheap gps unit.


TheFinal1

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So, I just recently got into geocaching with my friend. We both used his phone's gps to go after the cache's. Problem is, I don't have a mobile device with gps. So, what I'm looking for is a cheapo gps unit. Don't really care about manufacturer, waterproofing, quality, or durability, since I don't plan to go wading through rivers just yet. :P

What I do care about is it's gotta be handheld and cheap.

Any suggestions?

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My wife, daughter and I as well needed a low cost GPS. We Geocached a few yeas ago but our unit got broke so we had to take a break for a while. Wanting to get back into it we did not have a lot of money to purchase a new one. So I went to the local pawn shop and purchased a nice Garmin Nu vi 2350 for only $25. They also had a Nuvi 265wt for $10 so I got them both. We use the 2350 to get us by car close and the 265 in pedestrian mode to walk us up to it. They work great! :laughing:

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Probably the cheapest handheld GPS worth buying new would be an eTrex 10. Other than that if you shop wisely, you can get some decent used units cheap. Check out the GPS garage sale here and places like eBay or Craigslist. But beware, I've seen some obsolete or crappy units being sold for absurdly high prices, and really good deals on top notch used units. If you see what you think may be a good deal, check here, or better yet, over in the GPS forum, for expert opinions. That could save you some frustration.

Edited by briansnat
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Here is possibly another option, and maybe some others can comment on the feasibility of this. You said you have a mobile unit without GPS capabilities, and want to look at getting a dirt-cheap GPS receiver. My experience (though limited) is that "handheld GPS" and "dirt cheap" are mutually exclusive...and if you do manage to find a handheld GPS for, lets say, less than $30, you will quickly come to hate it (probably very limited functionality, particular with respect to paperless geocaching). Hopefully I am wrong and you can find something.

anyway here is my suggestion: watch for a sale on a decent "locked" smartphone, and use that without ever activating it. I bought thea HTC Desire 510 for something like $35 via a Black Friday sale (I had planned to have the phone unlocked, since I cannot and will not use the carrier to which it is locked). Turns out the phone cannot be unlocked (unlock codes not released). So I didn't get a $35 smartphone, but instead I got a $35 portable device with built-in GPS. I loaded a geocaching app, loaded a GPX file, gave it a try and it works. I can't say how it compares to using a "live app" or using a phone with both GPS and assisted GPS since i have no experience. I can say that I still prefer my Garmin handheld, mostly because I can drop the garmin on a rock, use it in the rain, drop it in the snow (yes I've done all that) and the phone just feels, well, fragile. But if I was just starting out and wanted something cheap to start with, this is how I would have gone.

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I wanted some cheep GPS units for lending to the Jr. Forest Wardens, and other noobs I may take along with me. I surched kijiji (a used sale by owner website here in canada) for eTrex. You should be able to get one of the older ones (Venture, Ledgend etc.) for $30 or $40. Just make sure the model number has a H in it. That is the high sencitivity reciever. If it doesn't have the H you could start to have problems under tree cover.

 

You may need to low ball sellers. A lot of people think these are still worth $150. The fact is they are obsoliet, and have an outdated UI. They are worth $30 or $40, but not much more.

Edited by Andronicus
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