What GPS units do you hunters like the best. I believe mine is a Magellan 12 or something, not really sure, I have had it for 5 or 6 years and use it alot, but it is really a pain to get signal with it and I know it is outdated.
Which model do you fella's like best???


Also, this is kind of the same subject, but where the hell can I find a good compass these days!? I think I just need to look in the right spot, it seems like every time i find them at the store they are cheap pieces of $HIT and never good quality!

i've had a couple gps units the one i have now is a garmin 76s . the best ant. i've had yet, rain, snow, deep folage, no problem. excellent unit all around but kinda pricey.

try looking at a army surplus store for a good compass. i got cought with out my day pack last year and picked up a cheapy liquid filled one on the way out. shure enough followed a deer blood trail deep within a ceader swamp after dark. on the way out i walked in circles for about two hours. until i found that the paper face with the printing on it had a little sliver like the size of a hair, sticking up, and just enough to rubb the neddle. had to look real hard to see it. played skeet with it the next day while bird hunting.

just won a lowrance i finder h2o+ in a fishin derby. has good general map, mapping program and is really easy to use. you can download a demo from lowrance electronics and check it out. i would buy at jollyannsales.com they are 20 to 30 percent cheaper than BP or GM. unit costs about 190 bucks and will accept navionics cards. JMO

GPS was not designed for reception on the ground level. Weather and other "air" borne interfereance does not bother it. however foilage and buildings ...."solid objects" do. You have to get the new type of tracking unit if you want those features, but unless you have 40++ grand for one and the right subscriber, you wont have access to one. I believe the 12 sat gps unit is the best you can get with differentianal postion. basically a calculus computeded accuracy formula to get passed the govt public standard of 25 meters. the more sats it is linked to the more accurate it will be based on infinate computations at a givin interval of time.

You can do real time differential correction in the field with a unit that has the capability (but like you say, those can be very expensive).

Or, you could try to find a software package that allows you to diffentially correct your data once you upload it into your pc. I do GPS collection for the Maine Office of GIS and we use Trimble's Pathfinder Office software for this purpose. I don't know if this is strictly for Trimble GPS units or not, but if it is, I'd have to believe there are other applications out there for other GPS units.

Here's the link to the Pathfinder Office application:

http://www.trimble.com/pathfinderoffice.shtml

GARMIN. heard magellans are junk

anyone have any info on the magellan explorist... looking to get one but dont want to dump alot of money into one cause i wont be using it much

i have the garmin etrex legend, no problem with it anywhere, snow, rain, trees, very affordable too, right now at scheel's it is only $169.99 plus tax, excellent unit for the price

I have a few year old Magellan Meridian.

If this unit can put up with the abuse I give it, then it is worth its weight in batteries.

I've taken this unit sledding, hunting, fishing, ice fishing, driven the roads...you name it, this thing has done it. Dropped it in lakes, dropped it off quads/trucks/boats...used it, abused it and it keeps going.

If the next generation with mapping capabilities are as good, then I am sold on a new one...

However, I ALWAYS carry a good Topo map and compass as a back-up....batteries only last so long.


Jimmy

lowrance i-finder hunt model. buy the kit, comes with topo, memory card and a 12 volt power cord. check them out. the topo included is great. used it last year a lot atving in northern wisconsin and the u.p, tracked the entire trip and there were times that we were pretty tucked away is some pretty deep stuff.