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Hand Held GPS


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I didn't find any results when I searched. I'm looking for some advice on a good hand-held GPS to use when prospecting. Is there such a thing as one that is easy to use and easy to connect to a computer? Thanks for helping a novice.

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I have both Garmin and Magellan. The Garmin is definitely a better unit. With that said the Magellan’s are cheaper. Not sure what your budget is. 

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A lot of us detect in areas where phone reception is poor or non existent and most phone apps require some support from the network ,hence the necessity for satellite guidance systems . I use the Garmin units and find them easy to use and reliable. The e trex units are economical units for waypoints and basic breadcrumb trails or you can upgrade to the mapping units .

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Most good cell phone GPS mapping programs have an offline mode. Even Google maps. The GPS in a phone does not need a cell connection to work. The app merely needs the ability to download maps.The main problem with phone is battery life plummets if the GPS is on all the time. A battery back / case can solve that.

When it comes to dedicated units I have had good luck with Garmin units myself. A basic Etrex can be had for under $100

For just buying a GPS unit it is hard to go wrong with a basic Garmin. However, if you ever think you might work much in tandem with somebody else, take a hard look at the Garmin Rino combination GPS and radio. It it fairly standard as a tracking GPS device. What makes it special is at any time you can hit a button and it will tell you exactly what direction and how far away your partner is. And you can of course talk to them. Very handy also for rough survey work, like claim staking and such. You can lay out distances just by having your partner walk off and by checking now and then know when they are 1000 or 2000 feet away. Mine are really old but still working fine.

My most useful phone app is OnX Hunt which is a subscription service that maps private property. For creating basic tracks on my iPhone I have used MotionX GPS and been happy enough with it for that purpose. I also have Gaia GPS (Apple and Android) but have not really played with it yet. These days I use the GPS built into my GPZ 7000 for 95% of my GPS tracking.

Lots of people speak highly of OziExplorer for PC and Android devices.

garmin-rino-650-gps-communicator.jpg

Previous threads:

GPS With Built In Camera?

An Interesting Advance For Google Maps

Backcountry Navigator

Avoid Getting Lost

 

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My prospecting partner & I have a Rino 750 each, great for keeping in touch and knowing exactly where we each are for safety, but for downright GPS mapping & prospecting usability I also carry my Samsung S6 with Oziexplorer, nothing beats, IMO, having access to both topo & geo maps in the pocket and knowing where exactly you are in relation to geo features. If you setup your phone in airplane mode & just use the moving map app and the GPS you`ll get a full day out of its battery no trouble. The smart phone & Oziexplorer combo is a big a must for my type of prospecting as the detector is, has been for yonks.

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