Which GPS?

The basic equipment necessary to start geocaching is a hand-held GPS system. As with its in-car cousin, there are myriad systems available to newbie geocachers at prices ranging from around C$150 to over C$1000. Usually the higher the price the greater the functionality, so if you want to geocache but also would like use the GPS for coastal, marine or air navigation such dual or multi-purpose models are available in the higher price bracket. But if you only want to geocache and hike then the lower priced models are more than adequate .

Retailing for around C$150, the Garmin eTrex Legend is my personal favourite and is a great entry level hand-held system. The Legend is compact and includes a built-in Americas Highway basemap for North, South and Central America, containing lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, highways, coastlines and interstate exit information (some Canadian highway exits are also covered, but not all). The Legend has 8 Mb of built-in (non-expandable) memory, which allows the system to accept downloaded map data from Garmin’s entire line of MapSource CD-ROMs, including MapSource MetroGuide which offers residential street-level detail, addresses and points of interest. The only drawback to this otherwise excellent system is that satellite reception and therefore its overall accuracy can become degraded when using it in areas where there is moderate to heavy tree cover or when operating the unit in the vicinity of tall buildings.

The slightly more expensive (C$180) Garmin eTrex Legend HCx navigator is equipped with a high-sensitivity receiver so the unit locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover so this will overcome the problems experienced with the base model.

Although these hand-held units can be used in the car as well they do need to be positioned where they will receive signals from the satellites. However, do bear in mind that all distances and times indicated on the system are straight-line or ‘as the crow flies’ information, so an indicated distance of 100 miles to a destination may be significantly more if the road is anything other than dead straight.