GPS handheld questions

[Dakota Iceman]

Im looking for a easy to use hand held gps unit to use on my atv this year for ice fishing. Price is a concern as is user friendly. I would like to stay under 130.00 I know that limits me but thats what I have budgeted. Is there anything in this price range that delivers?? Iceman out>

[cjac]

I hate to talk you up in price, but for $180 you can get the Garmin etex Legend. Does more than you would want, accurate, reliable, easy to use. Software is pretty easy to get at an affordable price,as are accessories like ATV mounts, etc. Has a 8 mb chip, which would hold detail easily for all of S Dakota, and part of N Dak as well, if not all.

Do what I do and give up a "vice" of yours for a month, be it coffee, smokes, candy, etc and it'll pay for the diff in price! I have the Garmin emap and love it. Sure there are better, but it does all that I want, trust it on Mille Lacs to get me to my spots and back all winter.

Check out hsolist, there are deals to be had. Magellan offers nice products as well, I'm more familiar with the Garmin products.

[andy j]

Most of the GPS's are very similar when it comes to fuction and performance, A $100 GPS is just as acuarate as a $500 GPS. Mapping units are much cheaper now then what they were a few years ago. You can get a maping Lowrance I-Finder for $130. It is a nice unit for the money, good base map, larger screen. I am not a huge fan of the Etrex Series but they are popular and compact. I think they are to small (screen size) especially the mapping units. When you download detailed maps to a legend or Visa (mapping Etrex's) the screen is to small for that much detail in my opinion. If maping units are not a must, a plotting unit will perform just as well when it comes to marking waypoints, trails, routes, etc, you just don't have a background map, so If you are going to use it for traveling at all go with a mapping unit. Magellen just came out with a Explorist 200, 16 Mb of memory, mapping, waterproof and floats, for $149, only negative is you can't download to it. Anything over $250 you are paying for more things like,larger screen, more memory for downloading, color screen, electronic compass, Altimiter, Etc. Any unit you buy you will have to spend time learning how to use it, but in my opinion any of the units with the buttons on the front, rather then the side, are easier to learn how to use. Good Luck

[Dakota Iceman]

bump, does anyone have any other advice/info concerning this topic?

[Deitz Dittrich]

It all depends on what you want the unit to do.. if you just want it for getting you to the spot and back.. Garmin and many other companies make hand helds for about $99... they are just as accurate, just dont have the bells and whistles... no mapping softwear or smaller screen. But still get you where you are going!

[I'llTakeWhatiCanGet]

I got an etrex legend last summer, and there was a 50 dollar mfg rebate at the time, i'm not sure how often they do that but i've seen it at least once since. Since its from garmin the retailer doesn't matter. I definitely think that the legend is a solid unit. I've used older units without the base mapping software, and i honestly wouldn't go back. In a bad situation, like a time you forgot to mark the whereabouts of your vehicle, you can use the highways marked on the base map as a guide, it can also help you figure out where you're going when on the road. Just some thoughts....

[Dakota Iceman]

Thanks guys, just came from cabelas and had the guy give me the basic rundown on these units wich was really helpful to have a store with poeple who know what they are selling. Im deciding between the etrex legend and the gps map76....Oh and yes they are running the 50.00 rebate now through january 15th 2005.

[M.T. Bucket]

As far as I know, you can't get a new Garmin 76S for less than $400. The Garmin 72 is nearly identical and can be found new on hsolist for right around $130.

[Tahoe2349]

The standard (76) is $199 The map(76) $299 and the (76S) $399