Originally posted by alanfreed:
My one piece of advice for you would be to look for a unit that uses the Sirf III ("high sensitivity") chip. Most new GPS receivers use this technology, but I still see older ones on store shelves that don't have this.
The reason I suggest this is that older units are particularly susceptible to losing signals under tree cover, near buildings, etc. I have one of the old Garmin yellow eTrex units, as well as a blue Garmin Legend, and neither of those have the high-sensitivity chip. My Garmin 60CSx and Garmin Colorado DO have the better chip, and the difference in reliability is dramatic.
There's nothing more frustrating for beginner Geocachers than to look down at their unit and see that it says they're 5 feet from the cache... then bounce up to 150', then 73', then 200' without even moving. The newer models are much better for grabbing the signals and holding them... and you'll enjoy caching much more because of it!
Originally posted by Damzel:
...any advice on getting started and what a good starter GPS would be for my family. |
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I found the Magellan really bad for that, but the Garmin Etrex we got a few years ago is great. That said, we've hardly done any in the past 2 years :( |
