The Beginner's Best Travel Mate - Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Small, light, waterproof and has a 32 hour battery life. The antenna is very good, it locks on to the signals very quickly, even inside buildings.It has a color LCD screen, which is a pleasant surprise considering its price. The menu is a bit weird for me , I had to look hard to find some of the functions. I'm pretty sure it can be learned though. A bigger problem is, that a map costs $100 - which is 50% of the GPS's price. So make sure you have that additional hundred buck before you invest in this. Still, it has a very high value for its price
Getting out and geocaching this Holiday Season is easy. A handheld GPS unit will fit nicely in anyone’s stocking or nestled under a tree. A handheld GPS unit would also make a great present on the final night of Hanukkah! To start geocaching today, you just need a handheld GPS unit.
First, let me explain the difference between a handheld GPS and the kind used in the car–there are lots. The car GPS that has become ubiquitous over the last couple of years will not provide the accuracy that someone geocaching on foot will need. Also, the most noted difference would be the fact that coordinates are not entered numerically on most car GPS units. Some higher end units may allow a user to enter numerical coordinates manually, but these are far and few between. A handheld GPS is mobile, and in most cases does not come with a set of roadmaps. Handheld GPS units have long been used by hunters, boaters, and people riding ATVs. Due to the off-road nature of these activities, the Earth is a blank canvas on a handheld GPS. The unit will not be able to tell you whether or not you’re on a road, land, or over water. It simply runs by the numbered coordinate system that we all learned about in elementary school: latitude and longitude.
Some handheld units have touch screens, some have numeric keypads, but the most basic models simply have toggle buttons or toggle sticks. This makes entering coordinates take a little more time, but geocaching isn’t about rushing–it’s about getting outside and enjoying time with friends or family while you play the game!
You’ll have to choose the model that works for you, but they can run from $40 to over $600 depending on the features and intensity of the signal. A good starter handheld GPS unit should run you just under $100. You’ll get years of use out of it and you’ll soon find that geocaching is a very inexpensive hobby to maintain. A single purchase and you can play forever!
Try adding a handheld GPS unit to your holiday wishlist. For an entry level model, I definitely recommend that Garmin eTrex H.
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The Beginner's Best Travel Mate - Garmin eTrex Vista HCx
ReplyDeleteSmall, light, waterproof and has a 32 hour battery life. The antenna is very good, it locks on to the signals very quickly, even inside buildings.It has a color LCD screen, which is a pleasant surprise considering its price. The menu is a bit weird for me , I had to look hard to find some of the functions. I'm pretty sure it can be learned though. A bigger problem is, that a map costs $100 - which is 50% of the GPS's price. So make sure you have that additional hundred buck before you invest in this. Still, it has a very high value for its price
Getting out and geocaching this Holiday Season is easy. A handheld GPS unit will fit nicely in anyone’s stocking or nestled under a tree. A handheld GPS unit would also make a great present on the final night of Hanukkah! To start geocaching today, you just need a handheld GPS unit.
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me explain the difference between a handheld GPS and the kind used in the car–there are lots. The car GPS that has become ubiquitous over the last couple of years will not provide the accuracy that someone geocaching on foot will need. Also, the most noted difference would be the fact that coordinates are not entered numerically on most car GPS units. Some higher end units may allow a user to enter numerical coordinates manually, but these are far and few between. A handheld GPS is mobile, and in most cases does not come with a set of roadmaps. Handheld GPS units have long been used by hunters, boaters, and people riding ATVs. Due to the off-road nature of these activities, the Earth is a blank canvas on a handheld GPS. The unit will not be able to tell you whether or not you’re on a road, land, or over water. It simply runs by the numbered coordinate system that we all learned about in elementary school: latitude and longitude.
Some handheld units have touch screens, some have numeric keypads, but the most basic models simply have toggle buttons or toggle sticks. This makes entering coordinates take a little more time, but geocaching isn’t about rushing–it’s about getting outside and enjoying time with friends or family while you play the game!
You’ll have to choose the model that works for you, but they can run from $40 to over $600 depending on the features and intensity of the signal. A good starter handheld GPS unit should run you just under $100. You’ll get years of use out of it and you’ll soon find that geocaching is a very inexpensive hobby to maintain. A single purchase and you can play forever!
Try adding a handheld GPS unit to your holiday wishlist. For an entry level model, I definitely recommend that Garmin eTrex H.