Good afternoon chaps. As you can see from the title of this thread, GPS comes up yet again. I have an idea of getting my youngest daughter into geochaching as a way for her and I to spend some time together. And the fact that our geographical location will allow for trudging through the woods or state parks areas, it gives her a chance to experience the fauna of the state which ranges from cottontail rabbit to whitetail deer to badger to even mountain lion.
YES, they are here in the eastern part of Kansas but no one in the state government wants to really confirm that a wild population lives here. I guess the photo of one on our local golf course a few years ago was not convincing enough. Several other incidents leaves no doubt. Who, me? Saying that someone of close relation saw one? Naw, not me. So we can carry cameras and her new air rifle(not for the puddy tats I assure you) for impromptu plinking and snapshot photos.
Now comes the questions about GPS units themselves. I should preface this by saying it is about 99.9% certain if I buy one it will be Garmin. Two things make this sure. And both of them are called friends-who-work-at-Garmin-and-get-me-employee-prices. The corporate headquarters is about thirty miles from my home. So unless there is some hangup(and I will NOT get a friend in trouble by trying to do me a favour) it will be Garmin.
But I have always questioned the need unless you travel...or want to geocache. A couple of things throw me for a loop. There are handheld and car mount units and I understand the handhelds are much more suited to geocaching since they work with topographical maps. Yet if you go to Garmin's website, you will find it a bit confusing as to what maps actually come with each unit. They list things such as 'basemap' and then show topos separately. And I have been given conflicting information as to whether you can load topo maps on a car unit and carry it afield with a portable antenna. And some clerks at various stores seemed to think a bit more highly of Magellan's handhelds and such. Would anyone hazard an opinion on all this?
I would like to be able to buy one unit for both car and field but realise it may not be possible. And even with the "in' at Garmin, sometimes the employees are only able to get great deals on certain models at certain times of the year. And Garmin's website is not really clear on what the major differences are between the model series. Many of the 1300 series seem to overlap the 1400 series but there is noticeable difference in price. One clerk at Best Buy told me it was better processors and lock times on the sats. A higher number model generally meant a better unit, etc. I also quickly realised that for the paltry premium getting the lifetime maps and traffic models is the only way to go. These are spotted by their LMT suffix to the number. It is only about 20-30 dollars more than the models which do not include it. Most map upgrades are 50-60 dollars so it is a no brainer.
I like the looks of the 1490LMT with its five inch screen but have absolutely no knowledge of the handhelds other than they are PRICEY. So help me out guys. Help me spend some of my money. You won't even have to leave your living room!
Regards, Todd
YES, they are here in the eastern part of Kansas but no one in the state government wants to really confirm that a wild population lives here. I guess the photo of one on our local golf course a few years ago was not convincing enough. Several other incidents leaves no doubt. Who, me? Saying that someone of close relation saw one? Naw, not me. So we can carry cameras and her new air rifle(not for the puddy tats I assure you) for impromptu plinking and snapshot photos.
Now comes the questions about GPS units themselves. I should preface this by saying it is about 99.9% certain if I buy one it will be Garmin. Two things make this sure. And both of them are called friends-who-work-at-Garmin-and-get-me-employee-prices. The corporate headquarters is about thirty miles from my home. So unless there is some hangup(and I will NOT get a friend in trouble by trying to do me a favour) it will be Garmin.
But I have always questioned the need unless you travel...or want to geocache. A couple of things throw me for a loop. There are handheld and car mount units and I understand the handhelds are much more suited to geocaching since they work with topographical maps. Yet if you go to Garmin's website, you will find it a bit confusing as to what maps actually come with each unit. They list things such as 'basemap' and then show topos separately. And I have been given conflicting information as to whether you can load topo maps on a car unit and carry it afield with a portable antenna. And some clerks at various stores seemed to think a bit more highly of Magellan's handhelds and such. Would anyone hazard an opinion on all this?
I would like to be able to buy one unit for both car and field but realise it may not be possible. And even with the "in' at Garmin, sometimes the employees are only able to get great deals on certain models at certain times of the year. And Garmin's website is not really clear on what the major differences are between the model series. Many of the 1300 series seem to overlap the 1400 series but there is noticeable difference in price. One clerk at Best Buy told me it was better processors and lock times on the sats. A higher number model generally meant a better unit, etc. I also quickly realised that for the paltry premium getting the lifetime maps and traffic models is the only way to go. These are spotted by their LMT suffix to the number. It is only about 20-30 dollars more than the models which do not include it. Most map upgrades are 50-60 dollars so it is a no brainer.
I like the looks of the 1490LMT with its five inch screen but have absolutely no knowledge of the handhelds other than they are PRICEY. So help me out guys. Help me spend some of my money. You won't even have to leave your living room!
Regards, Todd
