Gentlemen, and I use that word cautiously,

Considering price, ease of use and reliability, what is the Best GPS Mapping Handheld in your opinion  ?

Is it one of these ? https://buy.garmin.c...shop.do?cID=145

Thanks,

Mike

You are in the right list. I don't have experience with the newer ones like the Montana and Oregon but the GPSMAP "60" series is excellent. I have the one in the link below and swear by it. I would have to compare software upgrades for the newer ones to see if they are worth the xtra money. Mine is "older" but it does not seem out of date in any way.



http://www.amazon.co...&sr=8-1&seller=

Got a 60CSx.  If I had to buy a new one today, I'd go with the 76Cx.  You can find these for about $150 brand new if you look around.

-RAM mount for the 76-series wraps around the entire unit, rather than relying on the flimsy belt clip of the 60.
-No (S)ensors, the compass you can turn on and off but the baro sensor you cannot.  I don't care for either; the elevation reading is going to be further off from a straight-up GPS elevation unless you calibrate the altimeter every few days.
-I prefer the buttons-above-screen layout, especially when you're holding the receiver in your hand.  My old GPS12 was like this, and the layout works well.

The newer 62/78 series have a few more features; the one that I'd like is raster overlays on the map page... think aerial photography or trail/MVUM maps.  Other than that, they're not worth the $ IMO.  Spend the money on a good RAM-mount and maps instead.

Most importantly is taking the time to learn how to use it.  Having the best GPS in the world does you no good if you don't know how to effectively use the tool you've got.

Android GPS phone with Locus and MyTrails. I have a garmin I never use

n16ht5, on 04 March 2012 - 02:53 PM, said:

That works if youre in proximity to a cell tower.

Bullwinkle58, on 05 March 2012 - 04:19 PM, said:

WRONG

I dont even live within proximity to a cell tower. no service at my house. mytrails and locus store map tiles on the sd card, like google earth, topo, mytopo, etc. I have most of the cascade range cached.

n16ht5, on 05 March 2012 - 04:38 PM, said:

So you're saying that when your phone says no service, the gps still works & tells you where you're at on the map?  This is news to me...

Bullwinkle58, on 06 March 2012 - 12:52 PM, said:

Most newer smartphones have a standalone GPS receiver too.

The cellular network gets you a quicker fix and can be more accurate in urban/high noise areas, standalone GPS will get you an elevation and more accurate speed/heading values.

Bullwinkle58, on 06 March 2012 - 12:52 PM, said:

yes. used here, can't see the screen much though. Without it and just mine and my friends Garmin/whatever gps, we cant see half the old roads up here.. there are hundreds of miles of old logging roads that you need google earth to see

Edited by n16ht5, 06 March 2012 - 09:15 PM.

Wow, I had no idea.  I'm going to try this out on my phone, I almost bought a new gps.