• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Hand held GPS users out there

So I got lost pretty good today in one of my public spots and I’m considering a hand held GPS like a garmin. I was using OnX today but it was so off and it was having trouble figuring out what way I was facing probably due to poor cell service. So my question is, how accurate are these hand held GPS unit? is it something that can replace the phone app or are they pretty comparable to OnX or base maps…more concerned about accuracy as to where I stand, some spots I go to can have you turned around pretty quick.

If you dont mind me asking, what type of land are you hunting?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back in the day I used to sell Suunto gear to the surveying community. They were always top of the line and I don't recall a single complaint on any of there stuff. Never had to send anything back or deal with any drama ..... just good gear that reliably did what it was supposed to do. My MC-1 is going on 40 years old and it has taken everything thrown at it like a champ .... outlasted half dozen GPS units and probably twice as many phones. You won't regret buying a Suunto compass.
What would you recommend, what model?
 
I hunt heavy canopy swamp a lot and it does confuse a GPS from time to time or at a minimum will add some wobble to your actual position or track. I've carried a compass since getting started hunting in the late 60's, a sane habit my father instilled in me and further reinforced by getting lost a few times without one. :) So I always carry a compass anyway and now use it more to sanity check my gps if needed.

To the question of a handheld gps I've been a garmin user for decades. I've had several models over the years starting with a basic eTrex and the all worked well. I recently picked up a gpsmap 66sr to replace a well used (since 2014) oregon 450. After comparing 66sr tracks on basecamp with tracks from the 450 I can see the 66sr is much tighter and more closely follows established trails, roads and waypoints etc. Could be the helix antenna or multi-band receiver in the 66sr or both. Either way there is obvious accuracy improvement over the 450. The 66sr is expensive and I hope to get many years out of it, but so far the performance appears to be better than anything I've used previously.

Regardless of whether you use a gps or not, its a good idea to carry a compass and learn the basics then actually use it so you are confident if/when you really need it...
 
What would you recommend, what model?
If you want a sighting compass then the MC series. If you just need N, S, E and W then I would go with the A series. The sighting feature was super useful in the days before GPS. Not as much when paired with a GPS. The one thing I still use it for is finding the last spot I saw a hit deer. My GPS will project a waypoint with a bearing and distance and I do it anytime I don't know for sure an animal is down and sometime even when I see it fall in tough terrain. Mostly just for insurance but a habit I have developed over the years.
 
I have a Garmin 64csx that I’m pretty happy with other than it seems to use a lot of battery.
Use Lithiums. Just got a 24 pack from Amazon today as a matter of fact. They also weigh almost nothing, but last twice as long. I keep my backlight off and use my headlight.
 
Use Lithiums. Just got a 24 pack from Amazon today as a matter of fact. They also weigh almost nothing, but last twice as long. I keep my backlight off and use my headlight.
They definitely help. I use em in my trail cameras and can usually get all season out of them.
 
has anyone used the combo of their phone and the small insight device? I like the SOS feature, but I am wondering if there is a way to use the power of the garmin insight satellites to report location to phone apps? is that possible? if someone made a gps booster for a phone that worked like a handheld gps but with the onx style software, I would think it would sell like crazy. I bought a garmin rino with the radio, and returned it because of the ancient feeling UI.
 
Back
Top