Is there a GPS...

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 DaveHK 03 Mar 2015
...that's small, light, cheap and robust. All I need it to do is reliably give me a grid ref when I'm unsure.

I don't own and don't plan to get a smart phone.
Clauso 03 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

Garmin eTrex 10.
Post edited at 20:27
 Rick Graham 03 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

+1

I await UKC's answer also.

Without trying to hijack, would also request a simple low graphic screen option to save battery life.

I get really frustrated when borrowing my wife's GPS, all I want is a grid ref but it insists on a full high intensity screen when all I want is a few numbers.
In reply to DaveHK:
I take a Garmin Etrex H - the much older version of the 10 and it does exactly the job you want but a tip I have learnt is to keep the batteries out of it until I need it. I find they run down even when switched off - don't know why but it does it on both my GPS devices. It usually finds satelites within a few minutes in an open area.
 Rick Graham 03 Mar 2015
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

> I take a Garmin Etrex H - the much older version of the 10 and it does exactly the job you want but a tip I have learnt is to keep the batteries out of it until I need it. I find they run down even when switched off - don't know why but it does it on both my GPS devices. It usually finds satelites within a few minutes in an open area.

I hate the things TBH, The wife's does the same trick, I think it is only a screen saver and the satellite tracking is still ongoing.
 nathan79 03 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

Yeah etrex 10 is what you want.
I got an etrex 20 to replace my old etrex h (which had a stupidly outdated cable interface) but only because it was on offer cheaper. Etrex h still gets plenty use thanks to it's simplicity.

Re:the battery drainage issue, never an issue for me after I switched to lithiums for reasons the low temperature performance.

OP DaveHK 03 Mar 2015
In reply to nathan79:

> Yeah etrex 10 is what you want.

Even that does way more than I want / need!
RockShock 03 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

Hmm, wouldn't a simple GPS watch be a solution to that (if indeed you only are looking for getting GPS coordinates)?

Cheers
RS
 ScraggyGoat 03 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

Etrex and I presume etrex H screens provide a grid ref, but the text is very small....point to consider depending on your eyesight, and conditions you will use in. They still have more (useless) screens than you need! Garmin clearly didn't understand how they would be used in 'anger' when they designed them, pandering instead to techy gadget freaks whom they hoped would be blindly following a bread crumb trail of pre-programmed waypoints...err no! But they are robust and take AA batteries.

If anyone knows how to 'hack' the software so you get a screen with a 6 (or 8) figure grid reference in big bold text, i.e. maximum readability for low light, with snowed up googles and a bit of internal fog, plus spindrift on the gps screen and filling the air all around (i.e. the conditions when you might actually need a gps) please let us all know......................
ylem 04 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

I'd recomend to look for a model with electronic magnetic compass.
Without it just to find a direction to move you will have to start moving. You will not be happy when it's for example on ice slope in wind and snow.
 Damo 04 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

If you really want the most simple handheld GPS look around for a 2nd hand Garmin Gecko - they don't get much simpler.

The severe battery problems mentioned in the other post strike me as very unusual and if true, are a problem with either the unit or the batteries used. I've got several Garmin models used all over the world and the batteries last for ages - so long in fact that I take them out after a while and renew because I worry they've been in so long. Now I mostly use the silver Energizer Li batteries in nearly everything.
 mbh 04 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

If you have a smart phone, there is an OS app that gives you your grid ref. Works very well.
 L.A. 04 Mar 2015
In reply to ScraggyGoat: Etrex and I presume etrex H screens provide a grid ref, but the text is very small....point to consider depending on your eyesight, and conditions you will use in. They still have more (useless) screens than you need! Garmin clearly didn't understand how they would be used in 'anger' when they designed them, pandering instead to techy gadget freaks whom they hoped would be blindly following a bread crumb trail of pre-programmed waypoints.
- Exactly !!
 mbh 04 Mar 2015
In reply to Dave Kerr:

Well, I clearly didn't read your OP very carefully!
 StuDoig 04 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

try a Garmin Fortrex. Still has more functionality than you want (but then pretty much everything will do if all you want is a GR), but still very basic and can be setup with a text only screen that's easy to read. You might be able to find an older 101 or 201 model second hand as well.

Cheers,

Stuart.

Dorq 04 Mar 2015
In reply to StuDoig:

I'm in the same boat. The Fortrex looks good and is lighter than the other Garmins I was considering. Takes the same batteries as most of the head torches I've seen lately.

I like the idea of a large display of the grid ref, and am surprised you cannot programme something like the etrex series to automatically start up by displaying it in large font. However, if I cannot see the tiny screen details without my glasses, how will I need *just* the grid ref --- I won't be able to apply it to a map as I can't see that detail either. So I am thinking the only time I would need a large grid ref is when I was telling someone else, such as rescue, and so on.

There's also the point that the weight of a garmin 20 with maps is the same as the basic 10, so if you lose the map you might find it easier to finish the journey with the 20 and topo maps etc. But if you lose a map, should you really be trusted with advanced technology?
 wilkesley 04 Mar 2015
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Some of the eTrex H's had a bug where the unit would simply decide to switch itself off. Not serious if you just want to turn it on to get a position, but bad news if you are recording a track.

I would go with whatever is the cheapest of the current eTrex range. Much better battery life than the H. Also I think they all have GLONASS, which means you get a fix much faster even if the unit has been turned off for some time.
needvert 04 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

I got a foretrex 401, definitely recommended, got mine on eBay.
 StuDoig 04 Mar 2015
In reply to wilkesley:

I think that bug was a firmware issue - the 62 / 64 series had problems with it as well, but firmware update fixed it. Mine had the lovely feature that it switched its self off when you used the "go to" function.....
 ianstevens 04 Mar 2015
In reply to DaveHK:

They all do that. Buy the cheapest one you can find, and its lack of "features" will ensure you get decent battery life.

I'd recommend you get one that's under 2 years old, as most units of this age have access to the GPS and GLONASS satellites (meaning you get access to 54 rather than 32) making it easier to get a fix. Equally, you get slightly better precison - usually +/- 3m, rather than +/- 10 m of older units.

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