GPS recommedation needed (1 Viewer)

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tlcruiser66

tlcruiser66

Joined
Sep 4, 2006
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Location
Western Wa.
I'm looking to pick up a handheld GPS soon and I get a discount on the Lowrance Ifinder Explorer through the company I work for. Here's a link to the one i'm looking at http://www.thegpsstore.com/Lowrance-iFinder-Explorer-P874C74.aspx.

I'm looking for something I can use while hiking or wheeling. I'm hoping to find something that I can download trail maps onto and i'm not sure exactly what i'm looking at. I don't have any experience with GPS yet so, I look forward to hearing from any of you out there with more knowledge than me.

Kevin
 
Kevin,

I use a Garmin V and love it. I know I just talked with a guy the other day and I think he picked up a V for 300 b/c it was on closeout. The only "negative" with it is the screen is b/w and the memory isn't crazy big. These are not issues with me but I saw them mentioned in reviews when I was looking to buy. Garmins Mapsource software is what it comes with and it's good stuff. The unit is mounted in my Jeep and I can take it with me when I'm fishing or hiking and mark waypoints and then send that info to the laptop for a bigger picture that's easier to work with. Quite often, I will run the GPS through the laptop and then I use nRoute software from Garmin. It's a really easy model to use. I've used some of the Rhinos from Garmin and they were really similar as far as being user friendly. I wont go with anything but Garmin. I have had tremendous customer service from them and that means a lot to me. Does that help any?

-Chris

I just flipped through the iFinder owners manual and it seems like a pretty nice unit. If you can get a discount on it then it would probably make an excellent starter unit. Way more memory than what I'm working with, capacity for more routes and waypoints. Definitely seems solid and Lowrance is no slouch in that market.
 
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Well, I can actually get it for free but... they have other products that I could get instead so I just wanted to make sure I was getting something that I wouldn't regret. Thanks for the input.

If anyone else out there has anything to say i'd like to here it.

Kevin
 
I have an iFinder, in fact, I was just playing with it in my Cruiser. It's a great unit. I knew a bass fisherman that gets a lot of product from Lowrance and all their gear is great and it was Cliff that got me into the Lowrance line. I use mine for hunting and fishing but it was also very helpful when I took the backroads through New England a couple years back. We just kept it on the dash and it was a good backup to check our tour.
 
Hi Kevin..

Like you my son and i are new to GPS. I may be the guy riverfever is referring to. We wanted something portable, relatively easy to learn from, and reasonably priced. We didnt need color displays and voice prompt.

I had read in the past that Garmin customer service was top notch..that was high on the priority list for me. I had been watching ebay and saw alot of Garmin V's going cheap. I ended up buying a NEW V ($175 shipped) as they have been discontinued in favor of their other models. Asking around i learned the V is alot of GPS for the investment.

We had a chance to play with it a little this past Memorial Day on a trip, at this time it suits our needs just fine. As we educate ourselves with the GPS and all the options they offer he will no doubt want something "flashier" in the future. My point is dont get caught up on having the latest "IT" available...take your time and grow into what you will need from a GPS unit. Good Luck..

BTW Riv.. :flipoff2:

John
 
ExpeditionXJ said:
Hi Kevin..

Like you my son and i are new to GPS. I may be the guy riverfever is referring to. We wanted something portable, relatively easy to learn from, and reasonably priced. We didnt need color displays and voice prompt.

I had read in the past that Garmin customer service was top notch..that was high on the priority list for me. I had been watching ebay and saw alot of Garmin V's going cheap. I ended up buying a NEW V ($175 shipped) as they have been discontinued in favor of their other models. Asking around i learned the V is alot of GPS for the investment.

We had a chance to play with it a little this past Memorial Day on a trip, at this time it suits our needs just fine. As we educate ourselves with the GPS and all the options they offer he will no doubt want something "flashier" in the future. My point is dont get caught up on having the latest "IT" available...take your time and grow into what you will need from a GPS unit. Good Luck..

BTW Riv.. :flipoff2:

John
Click to expand...

Oh no....it's all down hill from here. :rolleyes: :D

Geez John...I didn't know you got that V for that low of a price. That makes my deal look like a....not so good deal.

I've been lurking here for quite a while now. Heather's not real thrilled about it b/c she says she wants to get the wedding outta the way first. I asked her if she thought we could register in the MUD 40/55 classifieds section. Not sure why I caught the stink eye. :whoops:
 
ExpeditionXJ said:
Hi Kevin..

Like you my son and i are new to GPS. I may be the guy riverfever is referring to. We wanted something portable, relatively easy to learn from, and reasonably priced. We didnt need color displays and voice prompt.

I had read in the past that Garmin customer service was top notch..that was high on the priority list for me. I had been watching ebay and saw alot of Garmin V's going cheap. I ended up buying a NEW V ($175 shipped) as they have been discontinued in favor of their other models. Asking around i learned the V is alot of GPS for the investment.

We had a chance to play with it a little this past Memorial Day on a trip, at this time it suits our needs just fine. As we educate ourselves with the GPS and all the options they offer he will no doubt want something "flashier" in the future. My point is dont get caught up on having the latest "IT" available...take your time and grow into what you will need from a GPS unit. Good Luck..

BTW Riv.. :flipoff2:

John
Click to expand...

So where did you end up getting your V from?

Kevin
 
Personally, I consider this GPS craze silly, I mean, I use one of those tiny black compasses floating in water and never get lost! Revive the Boy Scout in you and save a few hundred $$$ :flipoff2:
 
That looks like a decent unit, especially at your special price:
  • It has WAAS capabilities (which increases accuracy through ground based transmitters, so long as you are where you can pick up the signal and they are adding those stations like daily),
  • comes with barometric/altitude sensors
  • has memory card slot, for fast/easy (but not necessarily cheap) loading of maps.
I can't see using a GPS without map storage capabilities, but then again I really like maps! You should make sure Lowrance has map coverage for the areas you want to go to, at the detail you expect you'll need.
I have no experience with Lowrance or their mapping software (my company buys Garmins for commercial environmental-engineering field work).
I was surprised at the list price, compared to what we buy Garmins for! BTW, the Garmin V everyone in this thread is so happy with has been discontinued (my department has 4).
Just last week I had to go buy a new GPSmap76CSx and I have forgotten ALL about that old V!;) MUCH better reception under heavy vegetation, which is where I spend most of my time with a GPS.
 
Be advised that many of the "GPS compatible" maps will not actually load onto the GPS'. They are intended to run on your computer and then download coordinates or tracks, not maps to the GPS. I was pretty disappointed to find that the most detail maps I could load in my GPS were the 1:100k Scale Mapsource maps. The 1:24k maps are not compatible.

Also watch that you don't purchase the discontinued version of Mapsource. The new one is USA Topo I believe but some retailers are still selling the old.

A pretty steep learning curve with the GPS before it will be very useful and a long ways yet for substituting for map and compass. IMOP
 
NMuzj100 said:
Be advised that many of the "GPS compatible" maps will not actually load onto the GPS'. They are intended to run on your computer and then download coordinates or tracks, not maps to the GPS. ...
A pretty steep learning curve with the GPS before it will be very useful and a long ways yet for substituting for map and compass. IMOP
Click to expand...

Im running an oldschool StreetPilot I (Black/White screen) and I was thinking of using a laptop to run Topo National Geographic for California.

Does the TOPO mapping software run realtime along with the GPS - ie plots where you are on the map (ON the LAPTOP not GPS unit) while offroad?

Agree with the curve - Im mostly learning to use the GPS to use offroad and didnt really need to have the $$$ on road features at this time.

Playing around with it when Im off the city map grid made me realize the need for a real compass and map!

Thanks for the reply to my question.
 
I'm a pilot and use Garmin every day when I fly. I also have a Garmin 12C that I use off-road. Great units. Easy to use, reliable... you won't be disappointed by the Garmin.
 
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