TOPIC: Advice on Best GPS Unit for Seng Hunting (mostly)

Hey Guys,

I know some of you use GPS units when hunting seng and can mark a location (nice patch) and locate it years later.

I am considering buying one with some of my seng $$$ this year.

The main things I would like to use one for is:

Marking good seng locations, patches, etc.

Marking places where I plant ginseng seed.

I think you get a electronic compas with a GPS and would want one of those.

I would also like to be able to collect very accurate latitude/longitude readings to use with some property survey software (can print off plots of land with acerage calculated).

There are lots to choose from and just wondering what some of you experienced GPS users think about the newer models out there.

If you were going to buy one today, considering what I want to use it for mostly - which one would you buy ?

Thanks

TNhunter

I have had a gps since the 90's and all are useful if they get a sattelite lock and can keep it. For me the Delorme PN models are most useful. I have a PN-20 and recently bought a PN-40, the new one out now is PN-60, but the main advantage with the PN-60 is to access Spot communication which I was not interested in. The best thing about the Delorme is the maps you can place on them, USGS 40,000 topographical maps which have as much detail as you could want, you can also put aerial imagery on them, the PN-20 will hold at least 2 gig the PN-40 will hold about 40 gig. The PN-20 would hold about 1/2 a county, they accept sd cards, which I would guess about 10 SD cards on the PN-40 would hold the state of KY. The PN-40 will also redraw maps a lot quicker than the PN-20. The PN-20 I used for the last 3 or so years and it seemed to not lock on as easily last year, not sure if it was the unit or the satelite signal I was receiving. It is very nice to be walking in the woods and watching the map on your gps and know when you are approching a drain or that the hill is going to turn to a favorable slope. A new Pn-40 can be had now for less than $200., when they first came out they were close to $400.

TNhunter,

This was my first year using one, so I'm not an expert by any means. I purchased a middle of the pack Garmin, and I really love that little contraption. I can easily mark any spot I want to revisit in the future, it has a digital compass, it tells me information like lat., long., and elevation, and so far, I've never lost a signal, and I have been in some thick woods and deep hollers. The only drawback to the unit is if you want detailed topographical information for your area, that has to be purchased seperately. That wasn't a big deal to me. All I really wanted was to be able to mark a spot and have the unit help me navigate back to it. I purchaed the unit, a car power cord, and carrying case for around $200. The detailed software runs around $60 I think.

One thing I really did like was using the unit \"backward\". I would go to Google Earth and find a location on the map that I wanted to visit. I would then plug the lat. and long. into the unit and let it direct me to it once I hit the woods. Another interesting thing is the tracking feature on the unit. The unit will show me the path I took on each trip. There would be days that I felt like I walked forever, and when I got home and had Google Earth show me on the map where I had been, I could see that I barely made a dent in the property I was hunting. Pretty neat stuff.

KYsang and Jacquo,

Thanks for the information.

I checked at cabelas and they have several GPS units available including both of the brands you mentioned.

Both seem to get good reviews too.

The Garmine unit below talks about a rather new reciever that picks up better in deep cover or ravines.

www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/Handheld...TEGORY_SEQ_104373180

The Delorme unit below gets good reviews too and the last review on it the guy seems to be somewhat of a expert on GPS units (works with them professionally) and he sure said some good stuff about the Delorme (commented about how nice and detailed the maps were).


www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/Handheld...4373180#BVRRWidgetID


Ahhhh - decisions, decisions - - -

Thanks

TNhunter

TNHunter, I currently use the Gramin 60CX which is the model right beneath the first one you mentioned(60Csx). I debated back and forth between these two models for two weeks, reading reviews and weighing the pos/neg of all of their features. I opted for the cheaper one because the updated compass was not a priority for me. They are basically identical units to a \"T\" minus the compass difference. I love mine and wouldn't trade it for the world. By the way, I got all of my road and topo maps for free from gpsfiledepot.com, and they are the same quality as the ones you can purchase from Garmin(24k qual)

As far as the Delorme goes, the expert who claims the quality is great doesn't really mention that quality in a unit is just one side of the coin. The maps on your device are only as good as the map you put on the micro card. The question is what GPS manufacturer carries the most detailed maps, and what devices are capable of displaying those maps. As for Garmin, they supply 24k maps, and from what I understand is the most detailed map available for any handheld GPS. So It is your call, you won't be disappointed with either one.

Hope that helps

TNhunter,

Here is a link for the GPS I have. The unit I use is perfect for me. Not only does it have all the functions I wanted, it's not much bigger than a cell phone. It fits nicely in my fanny pack along with all the other junk I like to carry around.

www.amazon.com/Garmin-eTrex-Legend-Perso...291674430&sr=1-6

Hunz,

Thanks for the info - made a note of the site to get the maps.

Looks like Cabela's only has the 60csx model (not the lower one), and they seem to have it at a really good price too.

Cabela's price on the 60csx is 199.00 with free shipping and it shows that as being a On-sale price.

I found the 60csx listed at a few other sites below - but could not find a better price.

Bass Pro 219.99
Walmart's 259.98
Gandermountain 349.99
Sportsmansguide 449.97

I may just have to do a little business with Cabela's this evening.

TNhunter

That does seem like a very attractive price considering I paid $185.00 for mine used only 4 months ago. What I find funny is that it seems that just about every topic related to GPS on the forum, you find that everyone uses either a 60 series Garmin or the Etrex. I have looked at both heavily and it seems the only difference is that the 60 series uses a quad-helix antennae and the Etrex uses a patch antennae. The quad-helix is supposed to be better for heavy cover. All have their positives I suppose.....Glad us members could be of some help!

Hunz

I pulled the trigger last night and purchased the Garmin GPSMAP 60csx from Cabela's at that sale price of 199.00 w/free shipping.

The sale price for the Garmin and the mention of the newer reciever that picks up better in deep ravines and heavy cover swayed my decision.

Thanks again all !

TNhunter

Let me know how you like it TNhunter, Im lookin to possibly buy one before next year myself. I have heard of one that calculates the area of land and I think that would be very handy as far figuring acreage and seed.