what is the best portable GPS for a beginner?

Question

so you probably know what geocaching is. i discovered what it was today and i thought it was pretty cool so i want to start. but i dont have a portable GPS, and my budget is no more than 100 dollars. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Garmin+-+eTrex+H+Portable+GPS+Receiver+with+2.1%22+Display+-+Yellow/9263307.p?skuId=9263307&IcsCsid=2-39-850-25-5-13574-31125-25-850-567-25-850-2187-0-1&id=1218071324384

^is that good for me?

and my requirements are;

easy to use
has a map similar to google maps
can tell me where to go
water resistant
good reception
inputting latitude and longitude directly (not downloading)
and all that for less than 100 dollars (i can go over 10 dollars or so, but not more than that)

Answer 1

The unit you reference would certainly be adequate for a beginner, in fact many cachers have gotten their start with "the banana." Unfortunately, your requirements are not going to be met under $100 unless you can find a good used GPS. You reference inputting lat/long directly, and the unit will allow that, however why would you want to? Downloading from the computer is much, much faster and removes the chance for error when entering the coordinates manually. I would be more concerned that the unit is USB capable and not serial port only (as with some older units).



The little yellow eTrex will show the way via a compass and needle pointer, although you need to be moving for it to work properly. It is easy to use, although as I recall it has no mapping. It's water resistant and reception is OK, although not as good as pricier units when in dense cover, etc.



To get the feature set you're seeking you are going to need to spend around $200 and up. One possibility is to look for units that have recently have been superseded, such as the Garmin 60CSx, or the DeLorme PN-40. Both of those have the features you are looking for except they carry a much steeper learning curve with all the extra features. They are still available new at a considerable discount over the prices they commanded when they were the "latest and greatest."



I suppose "johnny" will chime in with one of his or her thinly veiled ads for off the wall Chinese GPS units, but I wouldn't go there. Stick with the proven units.



Hope you enjoy your caching experiences. See you on the trails

Answer 2

The big problem is "has a map similar to google maps". The inexpensive handheld GPSs don't have the ability to load or display detailed maps and the maps themselves would eat up most of your budget.



A road map will not be very useful other than to get to the park or other location where the geocache is. A topo map could be a little useful but most cache hunters do not use them (unless they have them for off road hiking).



All the outdoors units allow you to enter the location via the keys, but it is much easier to use software to do it via the computer.

All will be water resistant. The etrex family is very durable. Mine has been dropped a few times (while inline skating, onto roads at speed) and dunked under water with no problems.

Easy to use is a matter of opinion. I use an etrex and with some experiance you can use it with one hand quite quickly. I have a friend that uses her GPS a lot less and loves the touch screen on the Oregon, which I find clunky.



Generally Geocachers just punch in the cache location (easier if you link the GPS to a computer with software) and use the pointer to head towards the cache. For doing that, the etrex H will do well for caching. The H means that it has the higher sensitivity receiver that works better than the non-H etrex's when you have trees over you.



The drawbacks of the etrex H are:



It uses a serial port (you need to buy a special cable and many computers no longer have a serial port) if you want to transfer points or your wanderings to/from a computer. The units with a USB port can transfer to Garmin's Mapsource software for that.



It cannot have any maps loaded.



You need at least a Legend H for those features. I actually recommend the HCx versions since they can record longer tracks of where you have been (I save detailed tracks of the various trails I skate on).

See https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145 for details on the various models but remember that these are the list prices, not what you can get them for in a store (usually less).



I bought my newer etrex (Vista HCx) from Darrel at http://www.tvnav.com/productlist.htm.

Darrel Goheenm - [e-mail] - 785-625-3546

Answer 3

this is what helped me buy the right gps for geocaching.



http://www.newelectronx.com/help.php?faq_id=261



all great tips that will help you get the right cacher ;)

easy to use - perfect

has a map similar to google maps - hmm probably not possible, but something close

can tell me where to go - they all do :)

water resistant - not necessary, but good if you can get one for your price range

good reception - important

inputting latitude and longitude directly (not downloading) - look for importing and exporting feature too

and all that for less than 100 dollars (i can go over 10 dollars or so, but not more than that) - its possible look around.