My first GPS device, bought from Cabelas on sale. The bad and ugly: -Very disappointing battery life, gobbles them up if the backlight is used, which it must be or can't be read. -Owner's manual is 60 odd pages, and has to be obtained by download. That's OK if you want to burn up a cartridge on your printer, or carry a laptop (or a book full of pages) for reference. -The device does not acknowledge inputs, you have to step back thru the menu to find out if what you wanted actually happened. -Useless while driving. Period. (You can pull over and fiddle, but who wants to? Had to do that once so far, and hope to avoid a repeat.) -No way to power externally that I've found, so captive to the battery changes. Rechargables can be used, but you still need to change them. (Retains what's in it during the changes.) -Garmin map addons are pricy. -Menu is not the easiest to navigate. -No sims cards come with it, you are stuck with the on board general map which does not have sufficient detail for much. (But run of the mill sims cards will fit.) The good: -Small, pocket sized, lighter than a pistol. -Acquires satellites in seconds, you KNOW where you are; accuracy is +/- (more or less) 3 meters, call it 10 feet, good enough for driving, but not enough to measure rifle ranges. It can average a number of readings that will increase the accuracy, but I've no idea if it can get to under a couple feet. -Records tracks accurately (as long as it is left on.) -"They say" you can import maps from other sources, have not tried it. (Looks like a necessity for some applications.) -Has several ways to view the data in a map format, including a driver's perspective that a passenger can use to relay turns in close quarters. I'll put up more comments as they become relevant.
Features & Benefits: Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads) Yes (with optional mapping for detailed roads) Electronic compass Yes (tilt-compensated 3-axis) Touchscreen No Barometric altimeter Yes Camera no Geocaching-friendly Yes (Paperless) Custom maps compatible Yes Hunt/fish calendar Yes Sun and moon information Yes Area calculation Yes Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest) Yes Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units) Yes Picture viewer Yes Garmin Connect™ compatible (online community where you analyze, categorize and share data) Yes Does not look to have any external charging/ power option.
I recently bought the same one you have, upgrade from a Garmin eTrex I got in 2001. Agreed that the supplied map sucks so I bought a hunting map for it. Much better map and tells you who owns the property you are on. SD card with map is $100 and you can update online. Garmin GPS Maps for Hunting
GPSes are like InkJet Printers... ( you pay thru the nose for Ink) They sell the units for cheap, and make the money on accessories, like Maps, and other Goodies.... If you want the "Cool stuff" you have to fork over some more Bucks.....
Magellan Meridian Gold Water Resistant Hiking GPS | eBay This is what I use. Will not recharge by wire, but will run by cigarette lighter power plug, and only use battery when away from the car. Obsolete now, but I've seen them on eBay for $40.00 with all the bells and whistle. Topo or metro discs run about $80. (Last I saw).
