whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps GOT ONE NEED HELP

[raggie33]

looking for one with maps of the usa.dont need to be fancy but the one i have now has no maps and ya cant add em ekk sorry for caps but wanted to let ya know i got one.ok i traded a amd 3800x2 and a mobo for a magelan explorist 500 .i got ripped i think it didnt come with usb cable or charger and uses aaa battts.. but as said above the maps stink on it.is there a place i can download a map for soutern usa that has lot of detail for free?

 

[geepondy]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

Raggie, I think both Garmin and Magellan offer basic black and white screen models for about $100 but they only come with basic maps which I think mostly only cover the main roads and some of them are not upgradeable to more advanced maps, providing you have the mapping software.

 

[raggie33]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

o that stinks i wanted something if i get lost would at least tell me how to find the roads that are near me when hikeing

 

[geepondy]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable on the latest handheld GPS's will chime in but they like to suck you in with having to buy the mapping software as well as the GPS. I know my Garmin Etrex Vista did not come with mapping software and I had to acquire it myself. I use my GPS as a fancy bike computer. It's kind of cool, when exploring new territory, I can go down some unfamiliar roads and find my way back.

 

[steed77]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

I am a huge Nuvi fan. they are not the cheapest.

I did pick up a Tom Tom One for around 150.00 NIB last month

 

[geepondy]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

I think Raggie is talking about the handhelds for hiking or does TomTom make those as well?

 

[gadget_lover]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

Cheapest with map will probably be an off brand that may not have much support. Even so, you don't need real accurate or up to date maps to find nearby civilization when hiking.

That said, there are some that are small enough to fit in your pocket that are designed for use in a car that are pretty cheap. The tom-tom, as mentioned, and some of the MIO models.

IN a pinch, most modern cell phones have the ability to do some navigation with their built in GPS.


Daniel

 

[AndyTiedye]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

The Garmin eTrex Legend is the cheapest and smallest of the Garmins that can have maps loaded into it. They have road, topographic, and maritime maps.
I expect the other major brands would cost about the same.
Off-brands may not have topographic maps available for them.

 

[chamenos]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

Is $170 shipped for a brand new Garmin eTrex Legend HCx a good deal? I'm gonna need one in a few months or more, but I'm not sure if this deal is too good to pass up.

 

[jtr1962]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

While on this subject what's the lowest cost GPS unit which will display your speed to the nearest tenth of a mph? I may purchase a GPS this year, and I need this feature for various reasons.

 

[gallagho]

Re: whats the cheapest handheld gps with maps

The Garmin Foretrex® 101 is pretty cheap.

Owen

 

[raggie33]

ps here is a update i traded some one for a used explorist 500.it came with no cable i got riped off im sure.is there away to get more detailed maps for it for free?also it is way off in my location id say like it is 200 feet off

 

[DM51]

200 feet off is not good at all these days, but it is workable as long as you are aware it isn't super-accurate.

I remember you told a story in another thread about that time you drove back from a market - if you'd had the GPS then, maybe you wouldn't have ended up in Alabama by mistake lol!

 

[raggie33]

lol i still recall that day well.i was like wth.i still get lost in big stores.and wheni play first person shooter games i always get lost.they should call me wrong way

 

[gadget_lover]

The accuracy depends on how many satelites it can see and where they are in the sky. According to a website I just found, ( http://www.maps-gps-info.com/gp-rvw-mag-xplr500.html) it should be accurate to at least 25 feet.

It uses a USB cable... Look on e-bay for a compatible cable.

You can upgrade the maps using Magellan MapSend software. It's sometimes possibe to get free maps, but I've not found an easy way to do it. I buy the maps for my Garmin so that I have the routing information and "points of interest" like coffee shops, banks and gas stations.

Good luck with it.

Daniel

 

[DM51]

The accuracy depends on how many satelites it can see and where they are in the sky. According to a website I just found, ( http://www.maps-gps-info.com/gp-rvw-mag-xplr500.html) it should be accurate to at least 25 feet.

In general that is true - the more satellites the unit can "see", the more accurate its fix will be.

However accuracy also depends on the instrument itself. Some of the newer ones, such as professional units used by surveyors etc, are extremely accurate, to within ~5 centimeters or better. Consumer units don't have to be as accurate, but they have been improving gradually, mainly because the price of the electronics has come down since they were introduced.

 

[raggie33]

i think the meter is more acurate then i thought i used it this am to go to a geocache and it was very close but i think the maps aint acurate since it still shows me im in the lake lol.now we are haveing snow right now so maybe it blocks it