GPS unit feedback

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cool because it will tell you how fast you are going...

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Mike K and I hiked this past winter/spring and he had a GPS that was getting much better satellite acquisition than mine standing in the same damn spot...hopefully he'll chime in with whatever model he has.

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The unit I use is the lowrance iFinder Hunt. It's been a pretty good unit so far. gets good reception in heavy cover, and has hunting related icons. good on battery life also.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:22 AM
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Cabelas has a Garmin® eTrex GPS unit for $99. Is this unit a good buy for basic waypoints and comp [no swearing please] backup (as I usually use a compass) My main concern is the 12 parallel channel receiver. Does this type of receiver get good coverage. I do not know a lot about these portable GPS units though I heard you have to pay attention to the number of channels in regards to best reception and movement etc. Any feedback would be appreciated...thanks.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:26 AM
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Wvinter, I have the etrex legend. It comes in real handy to find that secluded spot you hunted a month ago. After all, if you mark with tape or reflectors, it's no longer secluded. I do have some trouble picking up satellites if there is heavy cloud cover or treetops in the way. For the most part it's worth having. If you're just using it for basic navigation, you can't go wrong for $99.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:31 AM
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Thats a good deal dude. I have the eTrex Camo. I mostly hunt the big woods in NJ and PA... so sometimes (rarely) its hard to get positioning when you are on a side of a mountain under a bunch of big trees. Other than that... I also use it in the car when taking long trips. Pretty... cool because it will tell you how fast you are going... which direction you should be going... and how many miles remaining. I just stick it on the dashboard. Good luck. __________________ http://www.nra.org http://www.kriskrause.com http://twitter.com/dragthor http://twitter.com/newjerseyhunter The List - http://www.militarycity.com/valor/honor.html The Lies of Tet - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120226056767646059.html

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:31 AM
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WVinter, While I have not used a Garmin product, I can say this. After alot of research, the 2 best GPS's out there are the Garmin GPSMAP 60 series and the Lowrance Ifinder Hunt C GPS units. I'm steering towards the Lowrance model because it was designed with hunters in mind. Namely, it has icons for treestands, rubs, scrapes... you name it. Plus, I have yet to hear a bad thing about it. Just my 2 cents. David __________________ NJ... Where fun comes to die!

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:42 AM Last Edited By: Wvinter
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thanks for the advice all. Yeah, I just did a little researching and my concern about 12 parallel channels was unfounded. This is a good unit...apparently 6 and under channel may give problems with reception...but these are older models from what I quickly gathered. Dragthor...is your Camo model eTrex a $99 model. There is a camo one on cabelas site. Is that your model?...and does it have a built in compass? Thanks again all for the feedback...I smell a father's day gift in the wings

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:52 AM
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I have the Garmin Vista, got it many years ago...its a pretty good GPS but grabbing a signal isn't always the best. Forget navigating with it in the dark to any specific location, especially in early season with alot of foilage. I tried it once and spent 45 minutes walking in circles around my stand location...not good. But for basic waypoint management, its pretty decent. I would recommend against the camo...cuz if you drop it...you may not find it again!

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:54 AM
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Quote: cool because it will tell you how fast you are going... Hey Drag, In case you didn't know... that's what the speedometer in your car is for David __________________ NJ... Where fun comes to die!

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:55 AM
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Not sure, but I think the Camo model had a few more features...like hunting fishing calculator and sunrise/sunset info. I agree about camo items getting lost in the woods though. Good advice.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 10:59 AM
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To through more onto it. I have a Magellan Sport Map, and love it. It works really well under the canopy, and has some pretty cool features like hunt fish activity times, sun/moon direction finder and has downloadable maps. I can also upload my waypoints into Google earth, which is really cool and fun. -dan __________________ PLEASE DO NOT HUNT QUEBEC! NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE 168 HUNTERS WHO WERE ROBBED OF THEIR MONEY AND THEIR DREAMS IN 2008

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:02 AM
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Dan, I do that too with my Vista, I have the Google Earth Plus so I can import...wish they had export for GEP! GE is awesome though! Vista also comes with the calculators, sun/moon, etc. Mike K and I hiked this past winter/spring and he had a GPS that was getting much better satellite acquisition than mine standing in the same damn spot...hopefully he'll chime in with whatever model he has.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:06 AM
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Quote: Mike K and I hiked this past winter/spring and he had a GPS that was getting much better satellite acquisition than mine standing in the same damn spot...hopefully he'll chime in with whatever model he has. I was just going to ask you what model he has. Then I noticed that you don't know. Hopefully he'll chime in. David __________________ NJ... Where fun comes to die!

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:09 AM
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I have heard that the Garmin 60 series are some of the best for reception. Something about the antena being side directional instead of just up... -dan __________________ PLEASE DO NOT HUNT QUEBEC! NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE 168 HUNTERS WHO WERE ROBBED OF THEIR MONEY AND THEIR DREAMS IN 2008

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:11 AM
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The Megellan Sport Tracks are excellent units, I sold mine because I got a good deal on a Garmin 60C. I had a Vista which was a good unit, but under a canopy would loose signal. The Garmin 60 series all have "Helix" antenna's which hold the signal a lot better. You'll be happy with any of the mentioned units. __________________ Retired power lineman Hunter since 62 "Try to live up to your dog's opinion of you!"

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:18 AM
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helix, that was what I was trying to remember. -dan __________________ PLEASE DO NOT HUNT QUEBEC! NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE 168 HUNTERS WHO WERE ROBBED OF THEIR MONEY AND THEIR DREAMS IN 2008

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:24 AM
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Matt, The unit I use is the lowrance iFinder Hunt. It's been a pretty good unit so far. gets good reception in heavy cover, and has hunting related icons. good on battery life also.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:26 AM
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Quote: The unit I use is the lowrance iFinder Hunt. It's been a pretty good unit so far. gets good reception in heavy cover, and has hunting related icons. good on battery life also. I'm glad to hear that. And from what I've heard, the newer model, the Hunt C is even better. David __________________ NJ... Where fun comes to die!

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 11:41 AM
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Yoda4x4, The Hunt C is even better on battery life, and is a 16 channel receiver. With the lowrance units, you get FREE software upgrades from their website. They are always updating and adding new features.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 1:21 PM
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Mike K, Thanks alot for the feedback. It's good to hear that from people who are actually using the GPS in a similar manner that I will be. Just a question, how accurate would you say the unit is in reasonably heavy cover, say during the Fall? Namely how close will it bring you to a waypoint that you had saved previously? Thanks! David __________________ NJ... Where fun comes to die!

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 2:03 PM
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David, The iFinder has what is called EPE, The lower the EPE the more accurate the reading. this reading can vary greatly. The more satelites that you receive info from, the more accurate your reading will be. So to answer your question, The iFinder is very accurate most of the time. It will get you really close to your saved waypoint, provided you had an accurate fix(low EPE) when you saved your waypoint. reasonably heavy cover is not a problem, but really heavy cover will give any unit a hard time. no matter what brand.

Posted: 01 Jun 2006 2:59 PM
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Mike K, You've got a PM. David __________________ NJ... Where fun comes to die!