Which GPS to buy?

[Goldchaser1]

It's a question that pops up quite often,thought id start a thread to help out the folks out there trying to navigate threw the brands and prices and features or lack of,we've stuck with Garmin for many years now.
Pictured below is etrex 10's on top (yellow ones),early on the left and newer model on the right,there a great gps for the money,cheap and reliable,if used constantly though the buttons start to flog out a bit i've found.
Bottom row is an oregon 450,it's mounted on our quad,it's a touchscreen.
The other two are touchscreen 25's for walking threw the scrub,i bought one for the boss a cuppla yrs ago and my old 10 was getting tired so i updated a while ago.
The little extrex 10's are a lot bang for the buck,there still cheap and depending on use will last for years upon years.
The 25's and oregon are not cheap but the touchscreen is so user friendly it makes life easier out there.
Gps's are a very important part of our kit,maybe the most to be honest,they can be a life saver.
Keen to hear what others use or recommend,add your two cents....

 

[Northeast]

Good thread GC1.

Not that I do much remote stuff where I am out of my local area but when I am I just use my iPhone with the Trilobite app. I’d be interested to know what extra features a standalone GPS has.

Do they have satellite images and things like that, or is it just pre-loaded maps?

Always make sure I carry an extra battery and run it on Airplane mode to save battery. Easily lasts a day tracking routes, marking finds, etc, as long as it is on Airplane mode.

Edit: what I really do need to get is an epirb. Preferably with a messaging capability.

Cheers, NE.

 

[Simmo]

I just bought an Inreach mini 2 for my Dad, who is traveling around.
He managed to trade it for the Explorer that has the maps on board etc. (an older unit though)
I think comms, even without mobile phone coverage is imperative for piece of mind for you and your family.
If I were to buy another unit, it would be the Garmin inreach 66i.

 

[Goldchaser1]

Good thread GC1.

Not that I do much remote stuff where I am out of my local area but when I am I just use my iPhone with the Trilobite app. I’d be interested to know what extra features a standalone GPS has.

Do they have satellite images and things like that, or is it just pre-loaded maps?

Always make sure I carry an extra battery and run it on Airplane mode to save battery. Easily lasts a day tracking routes, marking finds, etc, as long as it is on Airplane mode.

Edit: what I really do need to get is an epirb. Preferably with a messaging capability.

Cheers, NE.

NE im hearing you,we use it a lot also but mainly navigating towards geology in areas atm,the boss uses it walking patches with the trail feature on.
I see a lot of newbies at work and the majority rely on it also,it's a awsome app and there's an argument for it replacing a gps,i don't navigate with the gps these days,i only use it to mark camp and when we walk off from the quad or car and gold spots are marked also of course.
So to be honest i don't think there's any benefit with the basic gps's over trilobite,personally im still in the mindset of "do i trust my phone out there"
I haven't seen trilobites malfunction out there anywhere,i feel safe with the gps though,that's just old habits really.

 

[Northeast]

mainly navigating towards geology in areas atm,the boss uses it walking patches with the trail feature on.

Yep, when I was in WA in June that’s what we used it for too.
And definitely marked camp each time I headed off which I did end up needing once, even though it was just to confirm that I definitely was heading in the right direction - I had a terrible feeling I was a little more geographically confused than I really was

Yes, trusting the phone is a big one, but trusting anything electronic has a risk. Brother in laws Sat phone died 2 days into the trip for no apparent reason. Thankfully he had an epirb as a last resort. Still had to drive 120 k round trip to let the girls know that we wouldn’t be checking in every night.

A good thread though, it is interesting to hear what works well for others

 

[user 22230]

Paper maps and compass as they are failsafe. (Knowing how to read and use a compass should be mandatory but funnily enough most don't even carry one much less know how to use it) Sorta like water if it should ever come to the crunch Note here in that mostly in areas with no cell phone coverage not that I'd ever rely on a cell phone anyways

 

[Dave's Office]

I use an Extreme 10 also and I always carry my PLB, another thing I do if I'm wandering in an unfamiliar area is to drag my chain behind me, plenty of times I've kept an eye out for my chain marks which saves a lot of time getting back to the vehicle.

 

[condor22]

Most of my detecting is in the VIC GT. I don't carry my smart phone as it interferes with the detector when it pings a tower and event tho not remote there are many black spots and online maps become useless.

I use a Garmin E20 with the Garmin maps. Then 2 waypoints - 1 for my camp position (CAMP) and the 2nd for the car (CAR) if in a different location. I then reposition the waypoint each time I move either of these locations. Then turn the GPS off unless I really need it. I call it being "temporarily misplaced" not "lost", lol.

As I'm out there by myself most times, the even more important thing to carry is a PLB, if I go down, I can signal for help.......

 

[Dave's Office]

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in a thread before, but it's certainly worth mentioning again, my old mate from the Magnet area told me the first time I went there to always drag my chain. He became totally disorientated while detecting a new spot in his area and he had no tech gear with him, if he didn't find his chain marks he would have been totally lost. That's advice I always use.

 

[Goldchaser1]

Yep, when I was in WA in June that’s what we used it for too.
And definitely marked camp each time I headed off which I did end up needing once, even though it was just to confirm that I definitely was heading in the right direction - I had a terrible feeling I was a little more geographically confused than I really was

Yes, trusting the phone is a big one, but trusting anything electronic has a risk. Brother in laws Sat phone died 2 days into the trip for no apparent reason. Thankfully he had an epirb as a last resort. Still had to drive 120 k round trip to let the girls know that we wouldn’t be checking in every night.

A good thread though, it is interesting to hear what works well for others

Well that makes two of us,2-3 months ago our iridium did the same in the pilbara,ended up having to go to victoria for major surgery,got it back a few weeks ago,near $400 i think it was

 

[David-Karratha]

I’ve recently bought a Garmin GPSMAP66i. It’s a pretty standard portable bushwalking gps, but it has most of the features you’ll ever need, plus it has satellite Comms and epirb built-in.
I still carry a separate plb, but with the 66i, I can send & receive text message updates on how things are going, and others can log-in to a Web page, and see where I’m at (and if I’m still moving).

 

[Northeast]

but it has most of the features you’ll ever need, plus it has satellite Comms and epirb built-in.

Hi David.

That actually sounds pretty good. Is there a monthly cost for the messaging capability or a per text charge?
Is satellite imagery available on it?

Cheers, NE

 

[Goldchaser1]

I’ve recently bought a Garmin GPSMAP66i. It’s a pretty standard portable bushwalking gps, but it has most of the features you’ll ever need, plus it has satellite Comms and epirb built-in.
I still carry a separate plb, but with the 66i, I can send & receive text message updates on how things are going, and others can log-in to a Web page, and see where I’m at (and if I’m still moving).

Just had a look online,gps and sat coms all in one
https://www.garmin.com/en-AU/p/623975

 

[Mackka]

Just checked the age of my TomTom as it is not updating anymore. It's only 4 years old and to me the line " Free Updates for Life" shouldn't mean the life determined by the manufacturer. Mackka

 

[David-Karratha]

Hi David.

That actually sounds pretty good. Is there a monthly cost for the messaging capability or a per text charge?
Is satellite imagery available on it?

Cheers, NE

Yes,
like all these things, there’s a number of subscription plans available https://www.garmin.com/en-AU/p/837461

 

[baz09]

Hi, What a timely article as it was suggested by a retired prospector that I should get a GPS for 40e permits in WA.
I was planning on using a Sat phone as an emergency device ($16.50 per month plus out going calls and texts. Incoming calls and texts (to the sat ph) are free to the sender and receiver) so I just turn on the ph at an agreed time each night so the kids can contact us. I also have the Trilobyte app on our normal phone.
The retired prospector said the GPS will make sure I say within the 40e permit area and it makes a good safety device. Would the Garmin etrex 10 or etrex 22 be a suitable device since I already have a sat phone and Trilobyte on another phone or should I look at the GPSMAP66i.
Thanks
Baz

 

[Simmo]

Mate unless the 40e area you applied for is supplied with boundary co-ordinates, (.kml file) they would have to be entered in manually anyway??
You could do that with Trilobyte??
If you are intent on a HH GPS as well, I would ignore the E10 and consider the E22 as a minimum, as it has preloaded topo's.
If money is no real object to your safety ( ) The 66i is an awesome bit of kit with the added feature of the sat comms as well.

 

[baz09]

Thanks Simmo, I just assumed I would get the co-ords from Tengraph and have to put it in the 40e application.
Only signed up to Tengraph recently so need to use it and understand the process etc.
The old 'crawl before you can walk' scenario

Baz

 

[Northeast]

I just assumed I would get the co-ords from Tengraph and have to put it in the 40e application.

If you get the WA Prospector subscription on Trilobyte (about $11 a year) it shows all tenements (live, pending, etc) and we just used that to stay within the boundaries.

 

[Northeast]

Looks like this. As long as your device is GPS enabled it all works well.

Red lines are tenement boundaries. Blue dots are spots I marked. Green lines are were I walked.