Does anybody have any experience with the handheld GPS units? If so what brand and model do you prefer? I will be deer hunting in a different location here in Pa. this yr. I have an older model which is only fair at best in ideal conditions. I have the Garmin E Trex which has the 12 channel receiver but it doesn't do very well in the woods. It loses it's signal frequently. Any opinions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I've got a Delorme Earthmate PN-30 and like it really well.
The maps are top notch and you can add additional things like color aerial imagery, USGS quad maps and even nautical charts from their website for a low annual fee with no limit during the year. You can store the maps on a standard SD card. It reads really well in pretty dense cover and I can't remember ever losing a signal like I did with my old ETrex. Check it out on their website and I believe you can get it fairly cheaply at Walmart's website last time I checked. The PN-40 and Pn-30 are the same units but the PN-30 is cheaper because it doesn't have a compass (you should bring a backup compass anyway, nor does it have a barometer).

Eyeman; I looked on the GPS store.com website and they have the PN 30 for $235 and the PN 40 for $275. How user friendly is it? I like the 32 channel receiver for better signal strength compared to the 12 channel receiver.

I use the Garmin 60CSX. Works everywhere, has never let me down.Very durable and easy to use with good battery life. These were pretty pricey when first out but have come down alot in the last year or so.

As for user friendliness I'd say not too bad for the basic functions but takes a while to figure out how to add the additional maps I mentioned. If you are more computer savvy than I even that would be not too bad. Delorme has some of the best mapping software in the business. The Garmin 60CSX is also a very good unit also (so I'm told). The technology has come a long way in terms of signal reliability since the Etrex units first came out. You can search on You tube and learn how to add the maps and also how to leave a "breadcrum trail" and find your way back to the truck or car (an essential feature when you're directionally challenged like I am).

Mike,

Wish I could make a suggestion but;

I've been using a Garmin E-Trex in the thick timber of N.H. for many years without too much trouble. Oh, now and then I'll be buried in something so dense that I would not expect any GPS to get a signal. But those times, in the 8-10 years I have had my E-Trex, I can literally count on one hand (and those times were probably compounded by thick clouds too).

No trouble with E-Trex here.

Sorry Mike.

Renster

Due to my job aswell as my hobbies i use a GPS just about everyday.The Garmin E-Trex has been dependable.The times my Garmin hasn't worked niether has some of our super expensive GPS systems and plotters.Cloud masks can and will cause problems with any of them.

I have the Garmin 76 and the 60. My friend teaches GPS to SAR groups, Nat Guard and at the local Community College. He has a lot of units but when he and I head out to the woods he is always carrying a Garmin unit.

In my opinion the Garmin is much more user friendly them the others. In an emergency situation you don't want anything complicated. I've practiced this with my daughter; I pretend I'm hurt, I hit the goto button and she follows the arrow to the truck where she can call for help, drive to help or get out of extreme weather. I've taught her to use all my gps's. I think the Garmin is pretty easy, and yes I have owned others.

Bill

Huntking, great idea for training your daughter!
You can enter "Dad" as a waypoint before she leaves you (If possible) or she can & away she goes. Will have to do the same with my kids.

Lowrance iFinder Hunt and a Garmin eTrex. Both are very easy to use---but I still carry my Military compass and a map of my area!!

Good info guys. My brother and I use the topo maps and compass when we bear hunt in the Adirondacks, or go hiknig in a really thick area. We each carry both. Double checking each other is a good plan. We have talked about GPS's for some time but never seem to get one.

For the Garmin GPS you can buy a SD card with BLM maps of most of the Western states, Long Range Hunting sells them.

I used a Hollux on a PDA (very good) until I bought my I-phone. I have been surprised and impressed how good the GPS is on the I-phone. though and I use it most of the time now. I never used a GPS until I began working in Western KY and Southern IL; with no landmarks to reference a map to a GPS can come in pretty handy. If you have a phone with a GPS you may already have what you need. I still carry TOPOS and a Compass in my daypack though because I don't like to rely on batteries.

I had and earlier Magellan,it was something like a 315 and I loved it even though it wasn't as tricked out as some of these new ones. I lossed the Magellan so I bought what the store I went to had on hand which was the Garmin Etrex and although it doesn't have as many parameters as my Magellan did it does the job. Alot of it depends on your needs. I hunt alot of deep dark wooded areas with lots of canyons and drainages and it's easy to be in the wrong canyon as they all look alike so I just use it to mark where my vehicle is so if I do get in a position where I've gotten of course I can follow it back to the truck. I don't need the maps and stuff so a more expensive unit isn't neccessary and the Etrex model starts at a hundred bucks which is hard to beat.

Geojanitor, what is a Hollux? I have a pda with automtive diagonstic software and leads I carry in my vehicle in case of breakdowns and I would be interested in gps software for it.
thanks,
Rod