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Garmin Geko or Magellan Explorist?

 
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13squared





Joined: 14 Dec 2005
Posts: 25
Location: walbridge, oh (Toledo)

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 6:00 am    Post subject: Garmin Geko or Magellan Explorist? Reply to topic Reply with quote

Anyone use these for much?

I have previously used a garmin forerunner 301 while hiking and it would get wildy confused in anything closely resembling a canyon... can anyone comment if the Geko is better about staying 'found' while in 'canyons' or under moderately heavy tree cover?

What about the Magellan(?) Explorist series? I was looking at the 300 one too... ideally though, i'd like to find a GPS that is using the new Sirf chip and that is relatively inexpensive since I only get to hike in the wild very infrequently.

Thanks for any help Smile
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13squared





Joined: 14 Dec 2005
Posts: 25
Location: walbridge, oh (Toledo)

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

a couple more questions...

how do you use your gps? i.e. do you strap it onto your pack? do you leave it on for the whole day or do you turn it on at random breaks?

i'd like to have a route saved of the mountains i'll be hiking up this summer, so i'm looking for the best way to do that.
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Al_HikesAZ





Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 263
Location: Scottsdale, AZ

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

13squared wrote:
ahow do you use your gps? i.e. do you strap it onto your pack? do you leave it on for the whole day or do you turn it on at random breaks?


I use a Garmin etrex Vista C. I have an open webbed case that I hang from a carabiner on my shoulder strap. I try to keep it as high as possible. I do lose signal on Humphrey's under the trees and in some deeper canyons, but all in all I get a good signal. I keep it turned on all day when dayhiking.
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I leave mine at home 9 times out of 10, and use a map and compass. I have an old Garmin 12, works fine.
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Al_HikesAZ





Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 263
Location: Scottsdale, AZ

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azbackpackr wrote:
I leave mine at home 9 times out of 10,


I carry a map and a compass, but the data from the GPS is great. I use the trip computer function and the track function. This tells me how far the hike was, the accumulated elevation gain and all sorts of other neat but essentially useless information. Hey I'm a Tax CPA, I'm used to useless information Laughing

When I get home, I download the track info and look at the topo to see where I thought I hiked and where I actually hiked.
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

That sounds neat, if only I could muster the patience to figure it all out. (Hooli: 12:00, 12:00, 12:00.) I use my GPS for search and rescue training, and for a fun game we play called GPS tag. Our search team is a youth group, mostly high school kids and they enjoy this game. I do, too!

Here is the game: You need about 10-15 people to form several small teams of two or three people. You could also use 4-7 or so people, all going solo, not as much fun, though. You need an area about 2 to 4 sq. miles that is a little hilly, with some cover of trees, brush, boulders, where you can move fast. We go out in the juniper/grassland hills. Each team must have a GPS, a two way radio, notepad and pencil. The "IT" team goes out first for about 5 to 8 min. Then they stop and radio their coordinates. They sit still for about a minute then move, stealthily, no running allowed, to another location. Meanwhile the other teams have entered those coordinates into the GPS's and they are on the move, trying to find the IT team. After about 5 or so minutes, the IT team radios new coordinates, then sits still for a minute or so. Then moves on, no running allowed! The other teams enter the new data and keep trying to find them. The first team that finds the IT team hunkers down with them, then the second and third teams. Finally there is usually one team out there that hasn't found everyone else yet, but they can be seen looking, so everyone starts laughing, and then the last team shows up, finally, because they hear the laughing.
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1375
Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 1:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Garmin Geko or Magellan Explorist? Reply to topic Reply with quote

13squared wrote:
Anyone use these for much?

I have previously used a garmin forerunner 301 while hiking and it would get wildy confused in anything closely resembling a canyon... can anyone comment if the Geko is better about staying 'found' while in 'canyons' or under moderately heavy tree cover?

What about the Magellan(?) Explorist series? I was looking at the 300 one too... ideally though, i'd like to find a GPS that is using the new Sirf chip and that is relatively inexpensive since I only get to hike in the wild very infrequently.

Thanks for any help Smile


I don't know about those but I have a Garmin Etrex Legend C loaded with maps and it is one of my precious tools. It can loose lock at times in deep canyons but it has lock a good 80% of the time even down deep or under tree cover. It will acquire inside my house as I sit at my desk.

You say you go infrequently. A good GPS is some inexpensive insurance. If you get a map capable version, it becomes almost magic. As said in some of the previous posts here, you also need a paper map and compass and know how to use it. I consider these items as valuable as water. Knowing where you are even when you become turned around is extremely valuable. It can happen to anyone.

I can mark "found" things and places, inscribing the coordinates in my notebook with a GPS and the map versions help with so many things. I am a map junkie and have been since I was about 12 years old and requested some maps from the county where I lived while planning an backpack.

I carry it on the sternum strap of my pack and sometimes only turn it on when I need something, other times leaving it on all day. Spare batteries are good. Mine is very long lived but I have forgotten to bring spares and one time did have it die. No big thing, I knew the lay of the land and had my paper map and two compasses.
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fairweather8588





Joined: 30 Dec 2003
Posts: 716

PostPosted: 4/26/2006, 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I've got the Geko 101, but I don't rely just on that for navigating. Its pretty minimal (no way to hook it up to a computer or anything else) but at 3 oz it gets the job done.
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 5/13/2006, 6:03 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I use the Garmin Map 60CS. It's an excellent GPS. I lost signal one time in the middle of 75 Mile Canyon for about half it's length. 75 MIle Canyon is 40 feet fide and 300 feet deep and it's cocked most of it's length.
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Hikngrl
Canyoneering is my 'Happy Place'




Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 5578
Location: Peoria, AZ

PostPosted: 5/13/2006, 6:16 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Sounds like a lot of fun Elizabeth!
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thesuperstitions
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PostPosted: 12/5/2006, 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Garmin Forerunner 101 GPS Personal Trainer At Buy.com $49.99 after rebate and Google Checkout.

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90134422&adid=17653&dcaid=17653
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MikeInFHAZ





Joined: 15 Feb 2004
Posts: 1401
Location: location location

PostPosted: 12/5/2006, 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

using the Garmin Geko 201 is a way to assess mileage and elevation without straining to see the topos. Also, the Geko costs much less than buying every quad for the entire state.
Also, its a great starter unit to see if GPS suits your personal needs. If so, get something more technical if not youve only spent a hundred bucks.
I like to use it for cross country too. eBay has the 201 model for close to $100 brand new. here it is

oh, and my signal is strong in canyons like Labarge, fossil springs, and thick tree cover on the Highline. Never had a problem.
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gpsjoe





Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 535
Location: Mesa AZ

PostPosted: 12/5/2006, 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Any of the inexpensive starter models WILL lose signal in canyons and under significant forest cover. But they probably will receive and hold signals as well as the expensive models if used while driving, boating, air travel as long as the built in antennas are given an unobstructed view to the sky. Obstructions can be trees, canyon walls or your own body so it's important how you carry the GPS.

The superiority of the expensive models comes in the tough reception enivironments. At this time the Garmin models 60CX or CSX and the Garmin models 76CX or CSX are leading the pack. The least expensive and the one I own is the 60CX (without a barometric altimeter, my preference as well). It can be had online for $359 or so and then Garmin is offering a $50 rebate on purchases made on or before 12/31/2006. So net cost would be $309 and you will want to buy topo software (and maybe other software like street navigator) for about $100 for that.

Any of these receivers will rarely lose sattelite signal even in canyons and under forest cover. They are truly truly superior to the others in tough reception situations and are the ones I recommend for serious hiking and backpacking and especially off trail exploratory adventures.
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 12/5/2006, 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Joe, I use the Garmin GPSMAP60CS. It was my first GPS. I bought all the bells and whistles with it so I dropped a grand but it's some of the best new fun I've had with backpacking day hiking. It's literally changed the way I hike....yet I've never used it to navigate.
I'm very pleased I have all the software; I love downloading a track and seeing my progress splayed out on a map when I get home but I'd never use a GPS map to navigate from a GPS window.
How you carry a GPS is hugely important indeed. Mine is on a clip high on my shoulder strap and sit much like a Canary on my shoulder but I can release it or put it back on the clip one handed in one swift action. I don't loose signal in 75 Mile Canyon at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. HUGE fun.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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