You can find a geocache with nearly any working GPS receiver.

Eric Duncan

 

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Best inventions ever – The global positioning system (GPS)

There are many different types of GPS receivers available and any of them will work for geocaching. The features you desire and your budget, will determine which GPS receiver is best for you. There are several features that you should keep in mind when shopping for a receiver. Use this checklist to guide you.

Top of the Line and Mid-Range

At the top tier of hand-held GPS units that are easily configured for geocaching are the Garmin Oregon 400t, the Magellan Triton 1500 and the DeLormre Earthmate PN-40. These newer models have color touch-screens and can be short on battery life. Be sure to compare the unit’s power source and battery life before making a buying decision.

Garmin Oregon 400t

This receiver has a 3D, color touch-screen that can be preloaded with United States or European topographic maps. It also has a world-wide gray-scale map preloaded. It has a micro SD card slot that enables the owner to add maps or use additional map layers to enhance existing maps. The Garmin Oregon fully supports Geocaching.com’s .loc and .gpx files, enabling geocache data to be directly downloaded to the GPS receiver.

Magellan Triton 1500

The Triton 1500 is Magellan’s answer for the geocacher. It has a color touch-screen and includes a preloaded map of the U.S. and has a SD card slot for additional map storage. The Triton fully supports .loc and .gpx files from geocaching.com by using the software, VantagePoint, that is included with the unit’s purchase. The Triton has some additional features that most GPS receivers don’t have though, a built-in flashlight, voice recorder and the ability to listen to mp3 music through headphones.

Delorme Earthmate PN-40

The Earthmate is the popular choice for the paperless geocacher. This is a super-fast GPS receiver that not only supports .loc and .gpx files from Geocaching.com, it will retrieve more than just the waypoint coordinates. Cache size, difficulty, description, last logs, etc. can all be loaded directly onto the receiver and read while in the field. This unit has a 360-degree rotating view that allows the user to view the terrain just as you would see it as you walk through it. The Earthmate PN-40 supports SDHC cards up to 32 GB to provide greater capacity of additional mapping data and higher transfer rates of data.

Budget Minded Receivers and Work Horses

The Garmin GPS 60

The Garmin GPS 60 is a waterproof, dependable and reasonably priced GPS receiver that has excellent battery life. It is WAAS enabled and has geocaching modes as well. It does have a monochrome display (grayscale) which isn’t as impressive as many of the high-end receivers, but the battery life of this unit more than makes up for it at 28 hours.

Garmin eTrex Vista HCx

This rugged receiver has a color screen and is preloaded with a good color basemap with lots of details like lakes, rivers, cities and railroads. It has an microSD card slot to load additional MapSource data. It is WAAS enabled, has a barometric altimeter and a built-in electronic compass. The HCx is very small and light weight and can be operated with one hand. It accepts up to 1000 waypoints and has a “geocaching mode”

Garmin eTrex Venture HC

The Venture HC is another small Garmin receiver that can be operated with one hand. It is WAAS enabled and very accurate. It has a color screen and the basemap includes lakes, rivers, cities, interstates and highways and 24 MB of internal memory for storing waypoints and maps. The unit will store up to 500 waypoints and has a “geocaching mode”.

Used or Refurbished GPS Receivers

There is also no reason not to get more bang for your buck, especially if those bucks are tight, buy purchasing a used or refurbished GPS receiver. There are several features you will want to consider before purchasing an older receiver. Use this checklist to guide you.

You can find used and refurbished GPS receivers on auction sites and other listing sites. You can also find fellow geocachers that are upgrading their equipment and selling their older equipment on the geocaching forums, in the GPS Garage Sale Thread.