Gps help....which one to get.

[limeyangler]

Hi all,

 

I am looking to buy a handheld Gps.

 

I am leaning towards the Garmin 62stc or the Lowrance Endura Sierra

 

Please chime in with any and everything you want to.

[chris.brock]

I'm happy with my older Garmin Etrex legend, I have the Topo Canada software for great detail on the base maps

[spincast]

get one that floats..... especially if you have kids and or a dog that likes to join you.somewhere in the mud at Longpoint PP boat launch is a Magellan with a year's worth of way-points.

After that it was fish finder & gps combined.

Edited April 3, 2012 by spincast

[turtle]

I recently picked up a Garmin Montana 650, has all the bells and whistles, touch screen and larger screen to view. A little pricy but I figured it would last some time. Having said that I still had to buy maps to load onto it. I still have a Garmin Extrex and used it for years until my close vision decreased, could no longer use it without glasses. Also the back light on it went making it worse. I typically use a GPS in the woods where the light is less than bright. The large colour screen on the Montana is an improvement.

[TJQ]

Garmin..... 'nuf said.. lol

[NAW]

I've never used a 62stc, but I've used one very similar. They are good units. You won't be disapointed with it.

 

I use a 60Cx, and a 60CSx. They are the older version of the 62stc.

[johnnyb]

Did a bit of research 3 years ago, decided that the Garmins gpsmaps67 series were the ones for me, and picked up a used 67csx off Craigslist for a great price. Even now that they are being replaced by newer models, I still see them for sale at the same price I paid, or higher

 

That aside, it is a fantastic little unit, I have the topomaps and some lake charts for it, really love it. Definitely would give my vote to anything in their lineup. Finds satellites quickly, screen is easy to read, and has a lot of great functions.

[BillM]

I used to own a Garmin 60csx, now a 62s. Fantastic units.

[Ice Fishing Ham]

I have the Garmin 60CSx it’s been a great unit for the last 6 years. If I were to get another I’d most likely get one of the 62 series.

[fishindevil]

well do you want it for hunting fishing or something else ??? get one with a navionics chip and you are all set,for taking it in the boat with you !!!

[Nipfisher]

Simon, I have a Magellan Explorist 500c (colour unit) and it was pretty good when I bought it. BUT...Magellan has since pissed me off so much I would never reccomend them. After the Explorisrt series they launched the Triton series making my Explorist obsolete as there is little info and no updates on their web site for them.

 

After the Triton Series they launched the Endura series which has made the Triton series obsolete? That was just launched 2-3 years ago?

 

 

Prior to the Explorist they had a Meridian Series.

 

 

Go with Garmin or maybe a Lowrance unit you can add the Blue Chip lakes series or Navionics to.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Nipfisher

[limeyangler]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I too am leaning towards the Garmin for many of the reasons stated above. I have not had the chance to see the lowrance powered up yet but have held one and its ok weight/feel wise.

 

Nipfisher and Fishindevil have brought up why i am considering the Lowrance units...(and yes blair....i too have been warned a lot about not touching magellan units) and that is because they support navionics. However Delorme for the same price as the Garmin offers really good mapping options plus a satellite messaging/text service too, but the screen is small and my eyesight getting worse.

 

Anyone own a Delorme?

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i too have a garmin 76csx. great unit. reliable, and has been everywhere through the bush with a canoe on my back, on snowshoes, and in the vehicle.

[whiskywizard]

i too have a garmin 76csx. great unit. reliable, and has been everywhere through the bush with a canoe on my back, on snowshoes, and in the vehicle.

 

 

Agreed. If you can find a GPSMAP76CS or CSx left on somebody's shelf, snatch it up.

 

I don't understand why Garmin discontinued the GPSMAP76CS and 76CSx. I have both - the 76CS is about 8 years old. Colour, full waterproof and it floats. I only bought the CSx because it offered the micro-SD card feature instead of onboard storage so I could change back and forth between topos, road maps and marine charts without downloading from a laptop each time.

[Dabluz]

I'm happy with my older Garmin Etrex legend, I have the Topo Canada software for great detail on the base maps

 

It's the one I still recommend if a person is on a budget. They are just as fast and accurate as the newer models but with fewer options. Yes, the options are nice to have but in no way do they make the machine better.

[Terry]

GPSMAP76CS or CSx

great units

lots around at real good prices

 

and a very lot selection of maps are available from the internet

[limeyangler]

i too have a garmin 76csx. great unit. reliable, and has been everywhere through the bush with a canoe on my back, on snowshoes, and in the vehicle.

 

 

Agreed. If you can find a GPSMAP76CS or CSx left on somebody's shelf, snatch it up.

 

I don't understand why Garmin discontinued the GPSMAP76CS and 76CSx. I have both - the 76CS is about 8 years old. Colour, full waterproof and it floats. I only bought the CSx because it offered the micro-SD card feature instead of onboard storage so I could change back and forth between topos, road maps and marine charts without downloading from a laptop each time.

 

 

It's the one I still recommend if a person is on a budget. They are just as fast and accurate as the newer models but with fewer options. Yes, the options are nice to have but in no way do they make the machine better.

 

 

Doc and whiskey....i worry that because they are discontinued future software/maps etc will not be available....but i have heard lots of good things about the csx series both 76 and 60 series.

 

In fact as i understand it the new 62 series was intended to bring the best features of those 2 'older' models together into one unit.

 

dabluz...i have agree and disagree....i too owned an etrex legend, and yes it was accurate...but no way was it as fast as the 62stc. Also some features like 16gb internal memory with upto 32gb sd capability would definitely make the machine better than the etrex legend.

[atvaholic]

I've never used a 62stc, but I've used one very similar. They are good units. You won't be disapointed with it.

 

I use a 60Cx, and a 60CSx. They are the older version of the 62stc.

I also have a 60 Cx I purchased some time ago. Solid and I wouldnt leave home without it.

[limeyangler]

Its kinda of a looking like Garmin is the way to go. However the more i dig the more i find.

 

 

This looks great for the price...my wife would certainly be happier knowing i was always contactable, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

[BillM]

$600 + $10 a month in service fees? No thanks..

 

Buy a Garmin 62S and be done with it.

[whiskywizard]

Doc and whiskey....i worry that because they are discontinued future software/maps etc will not be available....but i have heard lots of good things about the csx series both 76 and 60 series.

 

In fact as i understand it the new 62 series was intended to bring the best features of those 2 'older' models together into one unit.

 

dabluz...i have agree and disagree....i too owned an etrex legend, and yes it was accurate...but no way was it as fast as the 62stc. Also some features like 16gb internal memory with upto 32gb sd capability would definitely make the machine better than the etrex legend.

 

Unfortunately, whatever you buy, it will be obsolete 5 minutes after you get it home. Garmin still supports the 76 series and the maps are on micro SD cards so once you buy one, it's frozen. Topo maps and marine charts don't change much over the years.

[Dabluz]

Actually, you don't need to buy any maps or software. You can make your own. There are free programs on the internet explaining how to make your own maps for Garmin GPS units. Sure, it takes time and some fiddling around different sites on the internet but it is quite simple. Yes, it's easier when you can use SD cards in the unit. This means that for Canadian maps, you can use 1:25000 scale maps instead of the 1:50,000 scale maps that are now sold for Garmin gps units. You have to have a home computer and if you want to use aerial photos or simple drawings, you will also need a scanner. For those who want nautical maps, there are lots of free ones on the internet too.

 

There was a time when I had a Garmin 45. This is an old unit with 8 sequential channels instead of 8 parallel channels and the screen only showed the tracks on a blank screen. The old Garmin was great for going into the woods and coming back out by following my tracks. All other functions worked very well but no map on screen. I was going to hook it up to an old Palm Pilot and use the screen on the palm pilot to view the maps.

 

But, I got a Lowrance IFinder Pro plus an SD card with maps of a good part of Eastern Canada for 80 dollars. The maps dated from 1994. I've been using that ever since. It even came with a computer cable, a 12 volt car lighter cable and an external antenna. The first thing I did when I got the GPS was go to the Lowrance site and upgrade the internal software.

[Fisherman]

GPSMAP76CS or CSx

great units

lots around at real good prices

 

and a very lot selection of maps are available from the internet

Oh ya, amazing amount of info especially with some help from Terry, thanks. That thing is sooo accurate it keeps telling me I'm on the wrong side of the bed, hahaha, it doesn't take into account the "stacking" effect. On sale right now for $149 at West Marine.