First GPS

[chris667]

Hello

I have thought long and hard about this, and although I have always got by without one in the past want to buy my first GPS.

I'm going to be a long way from home when I visit Sweden this summer, and although I will of course have a map and compass I want something that will provide backup in case something goes wrong.

So what's a good beginner's GPS?

 

[Bowlander]

Go for a Garmin Etrex 20. It has GPS and GLONASS, comes with 600km2 of 1:25k mapping (I'm sure Scandinavia is included) has long battery life on AA's. Its easy to use, though the screen could be a bit bigger. c. £160.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

If you have maps and compass then an ETREX Cammo or similar.

You can upload, from a PC, waypoints and tracks before going out
You can download the waypoints and tracks later, to a PC
You can navigate to waypoints you put in.
Is accurate to <5m. Has long battery life.
You can 'breadcrumb' trail as you wander

You can't - map on screen
You have limited waypoints and small track memory

I still use mine, and a wee Gecko, I navigate hillwalking and climbing in progressions based on the visibility with 1 being clear for miles 4 being 10m or
less visibility

1- Map and features
2- Map and compass
3- Low cloud/blizzard - use map and compass check with Gps
4- Input a waypoint, read from the map, check at intervals

 

[Raw01]

Do yourself a favour and get a Garmin Dakota 20.

 

[PeterH]

I have both an eTrex and a Dakota; why? well I'll admit I managed to mislay the etrex in the snow last year near Dove Dale and on the recommendation of a Plas-y-Brenin instructor bought a used Dakota 20 on ebay. Shortly afterwards had a phone call from someone who had "found this thing in a pile of melting snow, no idea what is is put your name and address came up on the screen". Totally gobsmacked by the honesty and the chap refused to take anything so we had to go round and at least give him a couple of bottles!

The Dakota is lighter, uses less batteries and I have N England at 1:50K which is useful but not really that necessary. I tend to use it for tracklogs, occasional position verification not realtime nav so battery life is OK. If you have it on all the time almost inevitably a colour screen is going to eat batteries.

On the otherhand my son prefers the etrex as it is simpler (does less) the battery life is really good and to be honest he aims not to use it as it is just for fixes when they think they are off track.

Whatever you decide on I would say learn how to use it properly rather than by reading the instruction book. The two hours we spent on a sports field with a mountain instructor offering tips and which functions really were useful was far batter than a couple of nights with the book.