Hand Held GPS

[FishWisconsin]

Looking for the best handle held GPS I can find for the least amount of money...
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[carpkiller]

I don't think that the best for the least dollars works for gps. electronic compass, waterproof, and floats are an absolute must. If you are planning on using topo maps with a lot of detail color is also a must. You can only get these options if you are willing to spend 3-6 hundred dollars depending on the model. It really depends on the use. I think you will be disappointed with anything less.
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[pleasantmisery]

Garmin eTrex for $100 or upgrade to the eTrex Legend for $150.
Basic models but plenty of options for most activities.
I love mine.

I have my tree stands and hunting spots set up so I can find them in the thickets in the dark.
I also mark those special fishing holes on the lake. Last year even figured out trolling speed on a fishing boat w/out a spedometer.
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[Fishrmn]

I'll put my usual reponse to this one. I hate Garmins. They all have the buttons in the wrong place. The etrex series has buttons on the side. The map series have the buttons above the display. Imagine having your cell phone upside down while trying to dial. Or worse yet, turn it sideways and then try to dial a number. I've owned 3 GPS units, and used a dozen or so more. I'll stick with Lowrance iFinders thanks.

Fishrmn

[born2fish]

I really like the magellan gps units. I have a sportrak map. You can get them for under $100 new online because they were just discontinued. I have abused mine time and time again and it just keeps working. I lost it on Utah lake duck hunting and found it 3 hours later bobbing up and down. It was still running with a couple of glitches! Dried it out for two days and it is good as new. I have used mine for hundreds of hours for about 4 years. The buttons work great (Etrex had some problems with thier buttons wearing out a few years ago).

The topo mapping software is a must for any make of gps, makes a big difference in how you use the gps. I've used etrex, lowrance ifinder, and a rhino and all work, all are pretty easy to use, but magellan has my business.

BTW, they will not support the sportrak line anymore, but will replace it will their new explorist series. The mapping software is also different for the two gps systems.
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[RipNLips]

Rather then list what features you should try to get, I'll list a couple you shouldn't waste your money on:

electronic compass - An electronic compass adds considerable cost to the unit. You can take two or three steps with a unit without an electronic compass in it and it will tell you exactly which direction you just walked. So why spend money on an electronic compass option.

barometric pressure sensor - Considerable additional cost for little benefit.

built in hard coded maps - The more hard coded map info that's built into the unit the more you'll pay. Look for one with little or no hard coded map info in it. Just make sure you can upload map coverage data to it from your computer.
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[kd...]

Check ebay for a Lowrance Globalmap 100. This is a very good unit and can be bought real cheep on ebay. Watch for one that includes the Map Create CD if you can.
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