Comparison Of Handheld GPS

Handheld Marine GPS, Best Handheld Mapping GPS

Any comparison of handheld gps devices is hardly complete without the mention of top selling gps devices such as those manufactured by Garmin and DeLorme Earthmate amongst others. Comparing handheld gps receivers. In a world were there are hundreds of GPS receiver models there are specific things that any handheld gps comparison exercise will seek to establish. These things include but are not limited to battery life, waypoints, additional memory, trackpoints, basemap, display size, color display and so on. The following are some most popular yet not necessarily best handheld GPS receivers. They will be discussed separately and followed by tabulated comparison.

Garmin GPS 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator

This is one of the most popular handheld GPS navigator on Amazon today with over 500 reviews on average giving 4.5 stars out of five. The device price wise sells for just about $500.00 even though it can be found with a 63% discount on Amazon on your lucky day.

The receiver has a TFT display which makes it possible to read even in bright sunlight. The Garmin GPS 60CSX is also a best seller because it can double up for both marine and outdoor use. It is in other words a handheld marine gps. Most users want to be able to load maps from their computer in addition to base maps. This device permits that. You may also store more map detail on an SD card as it comes with an SD card slot. This is a highly sensitive device and can track your position even under tree cover. Scroll down to comparison of handheld gps table below to compare with other models. Read my detailed review of this model by going to Garmin 60CSx page.

Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver

This eTrex Venture HC by Garmin sells for under $160.00 online. Overall ratings for the receiver are as good as four out of five stars from satisfied users. This gps receiver also has a TFT 256-level color screen. It has a little less than the Garmin GPS 60CSx in terms of internal memory. Its 25mb memory can store waypoints and routes. It is also a high sensitivity WAAS-enabled gps receiver. This device is renowned for its comprehensive basemap which shows details such as rivers, cities, railroads and coastlines amongst others.

As you are probably aware there are some other eTrex models that have come before this Garmin eTrex Venture HC according to various comparison of handheld gps receivers. This model has corrected many of the disappointments that users endured in the previous models of this handheld gps receiver. Amongst the much appreciated corrections is the high sensitivity which can lock to more than five satellites even at some level underground such as the basement. The user interface has also improved from the previous models more so due to the now color display. This model is also a best seller and is a good buy for anyone doing outdoor hiking and so on. A quick reference comparison of handheld gps devices follows in tabulated form at the bottom of this page.

Garmin eTrex H Handheld GPS Navigator

The Garmin eTrex H is one of the most popular handheld gps receiver ever to be introduced by Garmin. This model first appeared on the scene on 2007 and has continued to a favorite and recommended navigator enjoying high ratings of as much as four stars out of five. The H in the model name stands for High sensitivity. The receiver is able to lock to satellites even under heavy cover of forest and tall buildings. It is typically suitable for hacking and outdoor explorations. It may disappoint individuals looking for city travel showing detailed street name and so on.

This handheld gps receiver has what one can call partial waterproof properties designed to withstand an incidental water spill onto to receiver. The 17 hour battery life makes the device worth considering as it also runs on two AA batteries. New users will need to note that straight out of the box this model may require some waiting time once turned on in order to lock to satellites. Some users have reported waiting for up to 3 hours. This is a once off operation and thereafter the receiver boots and locks to satellite within seconds. This receiver is compared against other navigators in the comparison of handheld devices below.

Garmin Oregon 450 Handheld GPS Navigator

Introduced in late 2009/early 2010 this Garmin 420 handheld gps receiver is an advanced high sensitivity receiver. Perhaps the most striking and favored accompaniment of this device is the worldwide basemap. Most handheld gps devices included in comparisons hardly have worldwide basemap. You may check this fact against the comparison of handheld gps table below. Many are limited to certain geographic locations requiring further further purchase or required maps on the internet.

Also exciting about this navigator is its full waterproof qualities. Should you be caught in a storm or hick through a rainy forest you have an added benefit of having your navigator protected form damage. Two similar units of this model can comfortably exchange information and data such as waypoints using the inbuilt wireless technology. This means you can easily exchange data and information with your hicking or expedition partner if you are using the same model.

This Garmin model gives you a touch-screen on which you can open and close windows. It has a 3-axis compass which has tilt compensation. Users have even reported impressive accuracy of up to 13 feet. In comparison with the Garmin GPS 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator described above this model is beat to the game considering brightness. It is adequately bright but not as bright as the 60csx. The touch screen technology mentioned earlier beats the Garmin 60CSX to the game. See the comparison of handheld gps models below.

Comparison Of Handheld GPS Models

	Oregeon 450	eTrex H	eTrex Venture HC	Garmin 60CSX
Price (Est.)	$400.00	$100.00	$200.00	$530.00
Display Type	Color TFT touch	Grey LCD	256 level color TFT	256 level color TFT
Basemap	Loaded	NO	Loaded	Loaded
Waypoints	2000	500	500	1000
Weight*	192.7g	150g	156g	213g
Battery Life	16 hrs	17hrs	14hrs	18hrs
Waterproof	Yes (IPx7)	Yes (IPx7)	Yes (IPx7)	Yes (IPx7)
Floating	Doesn't	Doesn't	Doesn't	Doesn't
Load Maps	Able	NO	Able	Able
Reviews	Yes >>> read	Yes >read	Yes >>> read	Yes >>> read

* weight is inclusive of AA batteries