which GPS to buy

[jkola404]

I have been looking at the Garmin eTrex and the Garmin GPS 12 and am not sure which one to buy. what are you thaughts on these two units???

[islaysteelies]

I've had the E-trex for over a year now...It's great...I would recommend it to anyone...My buddy has the 12 and I hate using it...It has too much BS on it...E-trex is much easier to use...

[Swamp Monster]

I bought the 12 because it has a little more memory and can store more info...tracklogs etc. It was also on sale for the same price as the etrex and that was the biggest factor. In all honesty, the basic e-trex would have handled all my needs and be easier to use to boot. I haven't had the chance to use my 12 yet so I can't say if its difficult to use. A friend has one and he's happy with it so far. Unless you are going to be using your gps for serious mapping with computer programs etc, the e-trex should handle your needs. I basically wanted one to get me to point A and back.

[Hotwired]

I have been using a Garmin GPS 12 for three years now on Lake St. Clair. I have it mounted on the dash and hooked to my 12volt system via the cigarette lighter adapter wired direct.
When I go up north I pull it out of the dash mount and use the batterys that stay in it all the time and don't get drained when using the 12volt adapter.

It has gotten me back to the ramp in the thickest fog.

The best $149. I've put into my boat.

[tkpolasek]

It all depends what your looking for in a GPS. I personally wouldn't buy another one without new technology or without mapping cabability. I fish a lot of big water so I want to be able to download programs such as Hot Spots maps and other things into my GPS. For units like this you are talking about around 450-600 dollars. If you just need a point a-b type GPS I think the GPS 12 is a very good unit. These units are like anything else I believe taking the time to learn how to use them correctly and you will get the most out of them. I do know one thing though I wouldn't be without one on my boat anymore. They are unbelievable tool in the fog.

GOOD FISHING
TIM

[jkola404]

I will be fishing mostly inland lakes and this will be my first GPS purchase.

[grizzly]

Hands down the gps12 is very accurate and for the cost you cant beat it. If you put that thing in a .2 mile setting on the plotter screen you will be dead on. Be sure to buy the cigarette adapter and case when you buy it, they are a must.

Goodluck and hope this helps out.

Grizzly.

[tkpolasek]

If you are going to be just fishing inland lakes then I agree with Grizzly. I also would go with the GPS 12. Garmin makes very good gps products. I also read at one time that the GPS 12 was the most user friendly unit on the market in handhelds. You might want to check Wal-Mart and anyone else that may carry gps videos, but I have seen a video at Wal-Mart that is just for the GPS 12 , for learning the unit.

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING
TIM

[northern_outdoorsman]

I have the Garmin E-map...AWESOME! The Map amd the capability to buy the Topo Mapsorce CD that has all of the U.S. Lakes and river is top notch! Also alot of the other garmins have that capability, I just don't know which ones!

[Byron]

I also have the Garmin eMap, and it is nothing short of awesome. One nice thing, you can also use it in the car on trips, short or long. If you are planning a trip out of town, you can load in the street-level detail maps for all the areas you'll be traveling through. You can even plan a specific route, and it will show you the distance and time to the next turn, and display an arrow indicating the direction of the next turn. The eMap deluxe, with 8MB of memory and a PC connection cable with software, can be found on several reputable websites for around $200 delivered. It will typically cost around $300 plus tax locally. A 12V car cord is one accessory I wouldn't forget to buy, as well.

Best Regards,
Byron

[jpollman]

I don't have a GPS "YET".
But I'll probably get one soon .

I'm probably going to pick up the Garmin Emap Deluxe.
A very nice unit. I have two friends from the site that have them and they work very well.

The other unit I'm thinking about is the Garmin RINO.
It's an FRS radio AND GPS combined in the same package. What I really like about the RINO is that it has "peer to peer signaling".
Which means that you can send your position (distance and bearing) to other RINO users and they can actually "see" your position on their screen. Pretty cool I'd say.
RINO information link (http://www.garmin.com/products/rino/)

Good luck

[jkola404]

OK, I decided to go with the Garmin GPS 12. Now a friend of mine suggested that I look at the ones on EBAY, to save some money. I have never bought anything off EBAY before, do you think it would be better deal if I did get it on EBAY?

[jpollman]

Hello,

I've bought MANY things off of ebay. You CAN get a good deal but you have to be careful. A lot of people think that just because it comes from ebay it IS a good deal. NOT necessarily so!

You have to know what the item would cost you locally. I've seen items that STILL hadn't met the "reserve price" and were only a few dollars from local RETAIL PRICE. And of course, there's shipping charges involved. So, just be careful and you should be fine. Take a look and see what's out there on ebay. You might get a pretty good deal.

Good luck

[ESOX]

Those Rhinos are also going to have a built in FRS, I haven't seen one yet, but I am sure I'll own one...........