GPS recommendations?

[800813]

Hey, I want to get a GPS but I know next to nothing about them. Can someone recommend a site or a brand?

[youthsonic]

Garmin is about the best value. If you need one that is also a fully funtional palm-pilot and route navigator, I happen to have one for sale!
Please see:
viewtopic.php?t=354
if interested.

[White Rabbit]

Magellan and Garmin are the two big brands.

I have a Magellan Sportrak Pro that I use, and I bought it about two years ago. I absolutely love it, and it's allowed to find things via topographic maps (caves, mines, train tunnels) that I would never have been able to have found otherwise.

However, I have one MAJOR complaint with Magellan GPS devices. And keep in mind, this may have been fixed since I bought mine. When I bought mine, you get a cable to connect it to your car (so you don't waste the GPS' batteries in the car) and a data cable for connecting it to your computer, and only one of those can be connected at a time. The only way you could connect the GPS to your computer or laptop was with the data cable, which has a serial connector on it. Well, that's fine with a desktop computer, but a lot of laptops , including mine, don't have a serial port. You can get a USB-serial attachment at Best Buy or whereever, but here's the problem. When it's hooked up to the serial cable, you're not wasting your GPS' batteries because it's drawing it from the computer or laptop through the cable. However, when you use a USB-serial connector thing, it can't draw the power from the computer, so you waste the batteries FAST and it's basically useless.

In other words, if you're not planning to connect your GPS to a laptop and use it in the car, then I can totally say a Magellan is a nice GPS. If you are planning to do that, make sure they now offer some kind of USB data cable (and if they do offer a USB cable now, it will be able to draw power from the computer).

[800813]

Thanks for the information! youthsonic's gps looks ideal. Unfortunately, I really can't spend more than $200 (preferably less).

[ropingk]

This may be a big no no but wal mart sells several units under $200 and while they may not have all the bells and wistles they do a good job of helping you find you way to and from,

[youthsonic]

Unfortunately, I really can't spend more than $200 (preferably less).

What would you be using it for? If you let me know then I could recomend a specific model, and get you a damned good deal since I have a good friend who works at garmin.

[800813]

How this all started was I found this application from NASA called "World Wind". It has a component that downloads detailed satellite images from the USGS with coordinates. http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/download.html If you have a hight speed connection and a fast computer you really should check it out.

Anyway, one of the places I have been looking into for awhile has some historical locations that I can't seem to find on foot. Probably because they have crumbled down and are overgrown. With the info from World Wind and a gps I should be able to get close enough to at least do some metal detecting.

So, I guess in answer to your question, I really don't need anything fancy. Something that displayed topo style maps would be nice but probably not necessary.

[Willard]

I know this may sound crazy but if it's things your looking for here in the Springfield area, I might be able to find it without all that fancy NASA stuff. Some things just take research in order to find exactly what your looking for.

[Mindscape]

Willard's got a point. If it's in Springfield and he can't find info on it, then it probably didn't ever exist. That, or it's been built since WWII. Sometimes, he can even find the new stuff.

Willard's just spiffy that way.