budget GPS

[RobATK94 1]

im looking for a new used GPS. right now i have a 10 year old magellan meridian green. im looking for a unit to mount on the bike and use for speedo and route mapping. my old megellan does not work with GPX formats and most of the programs that convert are for PC and im on a MAC. there has got to be plenty of good solid units out there in the used market. any suggestions? ive been drooling over all the routes at dualsportmaps.com and want to check them out.

my biggest complaint about the meridian is the whole mess to convert GPX to whatever format the old magellans used. id like to have a decent basemap, or the ability to buy good road maps for it. turn by turn would be nice as well.

any ideas?

[Goofy Footer 539]

What's your budget? The Garmin 76cx is $180 new at West Marine

I have a Mac and have never had a single issue with the 76cx. I can swing by before a North County ride sometime and walk you through the software. I downloaded Basecamp for free and haven't spent a dime on GPS other than the unit and Ram mounts.

[CalNub 0]

+1 on the 76cx. Picked on up at the suggestion of goofy and others used for under 100, including a topo map for SoCal. Color screen. Waterproof. Floats. No complaints from my end. Tho I still need to figure out the software myself. Maybe I'll try to entice goofy to give me a lesson.

[FuzzyNugs 0]

Rob, I am using a Garmin Dakota 20 on my bike and like it so far. It is comparable to the 76 and 60/62 models with the exception that it is touch screen only and uses USB power. I have only recently begun to have issues with a weak power connectin, but it's most likely just dust.

The good entry level units are about $200, but deals can be had and there is always the second hand market. You can use free maps or buy the Garmin ones to get directions etc.

[Goofy Footer 539]

Here are a couple older Garmins

$150 Garmin 76S

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/ele/3407896074.html

$100 Garmin 72

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/ele/3398552885.html

[CalNub 0]

Here are a couple older Garmins

$150 Garmin 76S

http://sandiego.crai...3407896074.html

$100 Garmin 72

http://sandiego.crai...3398552885.html

$150 is a rip, but if he'll take $120 i think that'd be a deal.

the 72 is not a color screen, makes fore difficult viewing in daylight.

[Guest Crusty]

I was at West Marine today.

Garmin 76 149.99

But I think I want the newer version (GPSMAG 78 ) for 199.99

http://www.westmarin...MCFal7QgodMFkAy

Geocaching-friendly handheld GPS with wireless data sharing

Garmin has updated the popular GPSMAP 76 with the new GPSMAP 78 Series, powerful marine handheld units that now feature color mapping, a high-sensitivity GPS receiver and a built-in MicroSD card slot for loading additional maps. A whopping 1.7GB of built-in memory provides cutting-edge performance, and you can also add maps from Garmin’s wide array of detailed marine BlueChart g2, topographic and City Navigator road maps. Plus, the 78 Series supports BirdsEye Satellite Imagery, and is compatible with Custom Maps, free software that transforms paper and electronic maps into downloadable maps for your device.

Like earlier generations, these new handhelds feature the same soft-key interface but with a sleek easy-to-hold design with rubber side grips. The “s” models also add a three-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, which shows your heading even when you're standing still. Each unit features a worldwide basemap, and the 78Cs comes with built-in BlueChart® g2 coastal charts for the U.S. And with the 78 Series, you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other compatible devices. So whether you're kayaking, fishing or just cruising around, the 78 Series has everything a mariner needs. They’re completely submersible and float if dropped overboard.

• Display Type: Transflective 65K color TFT
• Screen Size: 2.6"diag.
• Screen Resolution: 160 x 240
• Cartography: BlueChart® g2 preloaded cards, City Navigator NT®; Supports BirdsEye™ Satellite Imagery (subscription required); Compatible with Custom Maps
• Receiver Type: High-sensitivity
• Battery Type: 2 AA batteries (not included); NiMH or Lithium recommended
• Battery Life: 20 hours
• Dimensions: 2.6"W x 6.0"H x 1.2"D
• Weight: 7.7 oz.
• Waterproof: Rated IPX7 Submersible, and it floats
• Interfacing: High-speed USB and NMEA 0183. Garmin Connect™ compatible (online community where you analyze, categorize and share data). Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units)
• Included Equipment: Wrist strap, USB cable, manual
• Warranty: One year

[RobATK94 1]

thanks for the replies. i would like to keep it to 150ish. i will be keeping an eye out for some used units locally. now with the garmin 76 models you all mentioned, or any newer GPS really, is the seriel chord the only why to connect to a computer? i do not have any seriel ports on my apple. do the garmins use any sort of removable card?

goofy footer - looks like your going to have to give some down and dirty classes to a few garmin newbies one of these days.

[Goofy Footer 539]

The 76Cx that I have comes with a standard USB to mini USB cable (the same cable as GoPro and many cameras). It comes with a small Micro SD card but you can inexpensively upgrade to a larger 2GB card (if I recall, its the same size as my digital camera - I can check to verify). It takes 2 AA batteries or can be hard wired to your battery with an accessory cable.

If the 76Cx is new at West Marine for $150 because the 78 just came out, score, pick one up. Here is an excerpt from another thread a while back

I downloaded "basecamp for mac" for free somewhere online and use it with my 76cx and macintosh. I do my track editing on dualsportmaps.com, save the .gpx to my computer, open the .gpx with basecamp, filter-->limit tracks to 500 points and then transfer to my device.

To add to this:

In order to Limit Track to 500 points you must click "Basecamp" at the top of the window, select Preferences, click Transfer, check Simplify Tracks by Removing Intermediate Points and then type 500 into Maximum Number of Points per Track to Send to Your GPS Device.

(I actually forgot the steps but I have this thread marked so I am updating it so I can always go back to it)

The 76cx can only handle 500 points per track. Longer tracks which have over 500 points will be cut short. By limiting a track to 500 points you possibly lose some intermediate points. The 76cx can only handle so much specificity being at $180 GPS device. If you were doing something like the TransAmerica Trail, you would have many different tracks and possibly different memory cards etc.

[Crawdaddy 96]

If the 76Cx is new at West Marine for $150 because the 78 just came out, score, pick one up.

Solid advice. That's the unit I recommend to all.

[Spank 0]

Recently got an Etrex 20 to replace my dead 76s for $168 at GPS City. Used it for LAB2V and worked great for me even with my "old eyes" as the screen is smaller.

Put a new set of lithium AAs in it Thursday night and ran it all day both days at 50% back light and the battery meter still is showing full power.

I'm using Base Camp on a Mac with it and no issues.

[johnnyg 0]

not trying to hijack here, but i'm comparing the 76cx and the new 78 due to the discussion here... are the internal memory and wireless sharing worth the $50 price difference? i'm brand new to gps shopping and am getting ready to pull the trigger on one -- west marine in o'side has six units left of the 76cx and unless there's a real upgrade, i'd just as soon save some $.

i'm looking to you all to tell me how to part with my money.

thanks,

johnnyg