There and back

[Ranger J]

Several years ago I was given what was a I am sure a very fine GPS by my father in law.  The problem was that it had too many bells and whistles on it and the instruction book was evidently written by a tec junkie and as far as I was concerned was not in English.  The result was that I was never able to get it to work.  All I would want a GPS to do is mark where I start out and where I end up and show me the way back and possibly mark the position of my deer stands so that I can find them in the dark.  I do not want to spend a bundle on one.  Any suggestions?

RJ

[Siskiyou]

The eTrex H

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=144&pID=8705

I have seen this unit priced from $90 up.  Do not mistakenly purchased the now discontinued yellow eTrex for the lighter yellow eTrex H.  The eTrex H has the high sensitivity receiver and will operate under forest canopy better.

This is a keep it simple gps unit. 

There are gps units to fit most user needs.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtiVjv8deNo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrAxxDkKA70&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrGe64sf-7c

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[bilmac]

GPS units have improved tremendously since their introduction. I used some of the early models, and the new ones are way more user friendly, quicker, use way less power, and are smaller. If you are sure you are only going to be using it in country you are familiar with then you may not need mapping capability.

Here are some things I use my unit for that you may not have thought about. When you get your critter on the ground you can mark the location and go back to your vehicle and drive around. You may find a location that is much closer to your animal. If you still hunt(sneak around seeing what you can see) with a GPS in your pocket you are freed up from keeping track of where you are. You can concentrate on being quiet,looking for game etc. and you can wander around on game trails without even worrying about what direction you are going. When it's supper time just dig out the GPS and follow the little arrow. With a mapping unit if you ever loose something it can take you on a backtrack pretty accurately.

Lots of uses for fishing. Troll around and mark structure. Mark other good spots and especially with a boat you can go back to the same spot. You don't need the expensive fishing GPSers to do that, the one you use for hunting will do it too.

[Graybeard]

Sadly that's the way it is with every piece of electronics I buy these days. The supposed instructions are so involved and complicated my brain can't comprehend them and no matter how many times I read them it's like I'm reading a foreign language. The manual for my cell phone is larger and heavier than the cell phone. All I know how to do is take and make calls on it but then really that's all I bought it for so I guess it's no great loss that I can't do anything more. My GPS is an old one a Garmin GPS 12XL and as long as it's been since I've used it I doubt I could anymore.

[bilmac]

The newest models are way easier to use, and the chieper ones without a lot of bells and whistles are the simplest to use.

[Siskiyou]

I understand what you guys are saying; I was born with a Cap & Ball mind.  I have looked at a lot of gps manuals from various manufactures, and I think the current DeLorme online manual stands out.  Garmin’s have improved over the years but I still get lost at times.  A while back I looked at the online manual for a Magellan auto gps and I could understand it.

The best thing for me is that I have taken my different gps units for a lot of walks so by deer season I have a fair understanding on how they work.  On these walks I play with the different functions (pages) so I become more familiar with the units.  Another helpful tool is Google Earth; I can enter different locations (Waypoints) in the menu and identify stands for other points of interest.  For a year I had Google Earth Plus, but I became unhappy with that because I was never able to get a response from their support.  When it came time to renew I chose not to.

Recently we purchased a new VCR which records DVD and videos, it is easier to let my wife play with the controls.  I have no problem with the VCR in the room that has the exercise bike, but it is simpler. 

 I have started playing with a new gps and found the manual an improvement over earlier ones.  There is a link on the Garmin Website asking for comment on manuals.  I look at a gps unit as a tool that receives a message from space and process that message in a mini computer, which displays information.  I will follow-up on this subject in my 530HCx topic on a later date. 

At times I feel that user friendly and age of the user span a broad ocean.  My best example is #3 granddaughter, and my grandson.  I had spent fair amount of time using my gps and had a good understanding of it from hours of practice.  I took these computer age kids who were about eight and fourteen years out searching for geocaches, and their first exposure to a gps.  For the rest of the day it was hanging around one of their necks and they were off and running.  I think their early exposure to computer games programmed their ability to understand the unit and shorten the learning curve.  They had never looked at the manual.

Garmin has a support page http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/lang/en/searchsupport
Where the user can look the answers to many questions.  At times I cruise the support pages without a question in mind, but to gain general knowledge for just in case.  I was able to find the GPS 12 series at this link.  Admittedly it has not had all the answers for me and I have called Garmin Support, and I have e-mailed Garmin and received responses.

Many guys step back and say they would not use anything but a compass.  Some of those guys really know how to use a compass; others do not have a clue.  If you take ten, 13-year-old Boy Scouts and ten forty year old hunters randomly selected in the woods the scouts would win a compass competition.  Having a compass and knowing how to use it are two different things. 

I have read a number of incidents about hunters becoming lost and having a problem with their gps unit.  From reading the reports I wonder how many of them would rate as competent gps users.  One morning I was out hiking and using my mapping gps in an area I had walked near before, but not the exact path.  When I viewed the screen I did not believe it was properly displaying my location.  When I came out of the area I realized the gps was correct.  Why was I confused, had I been daydreaming, or did I have an elder moment?  I even confirmed it by downloading the track to a map.  This little incident confirmed the value of creating a track and having it displayed on the screen from the start.  A common trait between lost hunters using a compass, and lost hunters using a gps is that they did not trust their tools.

Another modern tool that new users have problems with is the FRS/GMRS radios.  A few years back I bought a pair of Midland radios.  Before every deer season I need to pull out the manual and review the how to select the different tones, and channels.  Another manual that is written in geek. 

My pickup offers a number of electronic options, I have figured out how to reset the oil change monitor each time the oil is changed, but I have not tackled the door lock options, because I am afraid that I will lock myself out.

A while back I look at the old GPS12 manual, I have never owned a GPS12 but I felt the manual was not the best tool hopefully the online FAQ’s and answers are more helpful.

I have owned several generations of Garmin handheld units, and the common language between the units has been helpful.  The language has added new descriptive adjectives for new features.  There has been a major growth between terms in the early GPS 12 series manuals, and the current manuals but the common thread has helped me.  Most likely the newest models in the Colorado line will leave me in the back wash.