Has anybody used any of the Garmin Geko's, in particular the 301?

I like the list of features it has, (*not* looking for a mapping unit) but the unit it self looks kind of cheesy/cheap compared to my old Garmin 12.

Any ideas how well the Geko's lock on to the satilites compared to the larger GPS units?

Regards,

Pete

The Geko has a patch antenna like the etrex. The problem i see is the AAA batterys, antenna, and no map. Everything uses AA, it would be a pain in the behind to have to carry a different size battery. The Antenna is ok but the 60 series has a better antenna and the new etrex C has a external antenna hook up.
I look at the Geko as a GPS for high school kids to Geo Cach with. If a guy wants to use a GPS for hunting and hiking I would go with a different one with a map. Ron

ron
im with you 100% i have a garmin 72 and it is brilliant ...uses two AA and they last about 12 hrs
i wouldnot bother with the geko
daniel

Ron,

I agree with your basic imperession of the Geko and even though the 301 has all the features I am after, I just don't like the feel or the size of the unit. If Garmin would produce an Etrax with the same features I would buy it in a heart beat.

I don't really want or see the need for mapping on a GPS meant for hunting or hiking as I find the screen just too small to be useful; I much prefer to carry a 1:25,000 topo map of the area covered.
The 3D mapping and waypoint management software now available for your PC is a different matter however. Its a bit beyond what I need, but for anyone hunting true wilderness areas its a very powerfull tool indeed, especially if you can down load current aerial photos off the net to go with it..

Regards,

Pete

I believe that all GPS units now have similar accuracy. So get one with features that you like. for me it hard to beat the Etrex units though.

Pete, The old etrex Venture is the same as the 301 I think.
I will disagree with the lack of need for the gps with the map for hunting. I use the BLM maps most of the time for bird hunting. The scale on the paper map is the same as the one in the GPS. I find it very handy to navagate to a new area when I am driving if I can see on the GPS where I am and look on the paper map where to turn next. The county I hunt is 8000 square miles, and only 8000 people live there. You can drive for hours and never see a house or a paved road, or another person. The ability to see on the GPS where you are is nice when you are 100 miles from a paved road.
Also the GPS at night with a map is a life saver. I can't tell you how many times I have came out in the dark. Several times I have been able to avoid cliffs, and added stream crossings because I can take the GPS and look ahead where i am going. I have also been able to find trails and roads I can walk out on at night that I would not have found without the GPS map, blank screens don't tell you that. While paper maps are great to have, the GPS Map with the paper map is even more powerfull. The new color units are even better because the conture lines, roads and streams are different colors. You can tell the difference between them much easier, and the battery life is 36 hours! You can pay for the GPS maps with the savings in batterys alone.
The 1-25,000 scale maps are great, but I can tell you most guys can't take a Lat/Long or a UTM off their GPS and tell where they are on a paper map. Or take a position from a paper map and enter it manually into the GPS and use it as a waypoint. I can, but it takes a lot of work to learn how to do it. If you have the map in the GPS all you got to do is look for the same conture lines , creeks, points, hills, or drainages. I think if you tried them you might like them. Ron

Ron,
Its too late now anyway as I have just ordered a Garmin GPS60 It doesn’t have the electronic compass, but does have what I consider to be more important features for my needs. It appeals because it is virtually a product improved Garmin12, which is exactly what I want…

With regards the utility of a mapping function, I think it depends on the type of area you hunt and what you want from the GPS. I don’t tend to hunt in huge wilderness areas and I use the GPS for safety rather than as my primary navigation aid. Plus there is the issue of cost. Decent colour mapping units cost at least $500 here in the UK and I just don’t use the GPS enough to justify that.

With regards transferring co ordinates from map to the gps or the other way around, it’s actually very easy here. I say that because all our topo maps are covered in a UTM grid of 1km squares, where as, I suspect yours just get “tic marks†along the sides? Anyway, using the grid system it only takes a few seconds to take a standard 6 figure grid reference. On 1:25,000 or 1:10,000 I will sometimes use a 10 figure reference but it’s rarely needed.
I think manually calculating the magnetic declination is also potentially a little more difficult in the US as depending where you are, it can be either to East or West of Grid North…

Regards,

Pete

I find the gps mapping feature a wonderful idea. I use mine all the time. Nothing like live time and distance to help figure out where you are and where you are going. the ability to put in way points and see them in relationship to your position is great.

I guess if I hunted on a Island it wouldn't be as useful.