Posted by Angela Classen on February 26, 2009 at 2:43 PM
After traipsing around the Flint Hills with Wayne and crew on Sat., I've decided I might need to buy a GPS so I can remember exactly where some of these great spots are so I can return later.
I know next to nothing about GPS devices. Probably a small hand-held version would work for me, and I don't really need it to talk to me. I'd like to be able to jot down coordinates for later use and maybe use for some navigation. How detailed are the maps?
Can anyone give me some basic info, what I need to look for, what bells & whistles I need to have, and any suggestions? Recommendations where to buy? Thanks.
Posted by Ed Cooley on February 26, 2009 at 3:06 PM
You can pickup a Garmin eTrex starting at $100 and up at available at almost any sporting goods store. I use an eTrex vista hcx which has compass and altimeter which comes in handy. I think I picked it up for a little less than $300. The base maps are basically highway maps but topo is available for downloading small areas to your unit. I have found taking a topo map is better than having it in the unit so I rarely mess with downloading topos anymore.
Posted by Bill Dark on February 26, 2009 at 4:13 PM
I don't think you could go wrong with the Garmin line-up. I've got the GPSMAP 60Csx that I absolutely love. It is very accurate, has sunrise/set and moonrise/set times for any date you want to enter, along with approximate azimuths of the sun and moon. And it has never failed to receive satellite data, except for the time at Keefe Falls when it was probably due to operator error.
There was a similar thread posted back in December that might also help...
Posted by Larry Daniel on February 26, 2009 at 4:38 PM
I use a couple of these units attached to cameras. I just have to remember to turn it on when I want it.
http://www.di-gps.com/di-GPS/index.htm
Posted by Ken Bachman on February 26, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Angela, I appreciate your question because I've been thinking about the same thing. I have actually been looking at some sort of geotagging hardware that will add gps information to your exif data like this one; http://www.jobo.com/web/photoGPS.447.0.html.
Why don't you buy one and tell me how you like it?
Posted by Scott Bean on February 27, 2009 at 9:15 PM
I've also been thinking of adding a GPS to my growing pile of camera gear. If you buy one and test it and then Ken buys another one and tests, I can narrow my choices down!
I've borrowed a friends Garmin etrex a few times when hiking and really liked it. I had been thinking of one that will show a satellite image of the location I'm at as well as the topo maps, but at the moment those are out of my price range. I'll probably get a Garmin at some point in the future, maybe one of the GPSMAP 60Csx mentioned above.
Discussion
5 repliesI know next to nothing about GPS devices. Probably a small hand-held version would work for me, and I don't really need it to talk to me. I'd like to be able to jot down coordinates for later use and maybe use for some navigation. How detailed are the maps?
Can anyone give me some basic info, what I need to look for, what bells & whistles I need to have, and any suggestions? Recommendations where to buy? Thanks.
There was a similar thread posted back in December that might also help...
http://www.di-gps.com/di-GPS/index.htm
Why don't you buy one and tell me how you like it?
I've borrowed a friends Garmin etrex a few times when hiking and really liked it. I had been thinking of one that will show a satellite image of the location I'm at as well as the topo maps, but at the moment those are out of my price range. I'll probably get a Garmin at some point in the future, maybe one of the GPSMAP 60Csx mentioned above.