My own GPS
It seems that the geocaching initiation during the team event exceeded my expectations so much that I got the ‘stash virus’. I told my family about it and under the excuse that it would finally help the kids to like strolling, I bought a GPS unit although this wasn’t without a struggle.
First thing I always do is search on internet for experiences, although I always take these experiences with a (large) grain of salt. It’s not the first time that these customer testimonials are fake or are biased. I had already bad experiences with car GPS units. That’s way I’m not so found on Garmin. Sometimes they don’t seem to understand in which country Belgium is located and don’t understand that Belgian roads aren’t divided in blocks.
Anyway, after some reading I thought I had found my ideal GPS unit in the form of a Garmin eTrex Venture® HC, which occured not to be too expensive and suitable for a beginner like me. Just when I was at the point to purchase it, I read somewhere that the proclaimed high-sensitivity isn’t like it should be since it hasn’t a classic SiRFstar III chipset. On top, the internal memory isn’t extensible and thus not a lot of topopgraphical maps – not even Belgium as a whole – can be installed on this device. Back to square one. Luckily I could rely on Pieter from GPS center, who gives some good advise averse from any sales pitch and sales figures goals and prefers happy customers instead. On top he’s has even better prices than most of the chain/internet stores with a lifetime warranty on top. Even despite the fact that his shop isn’t nearby home, it is worth while to consider this shop.
Btw I bought the Garmin GPSMAP® 60Cx. It doesn’t come cheap but it seems to be somewhat the de facto standard for geocaching. I also considered the Garmin GPSMAP® 60CSx, but I found the extra money for a electronic compass a bit overkill.
