Hand Held GPS

Hand held systems

The top ten most popular Hand Held GPS systems currently available on the market include the following:

Lowrance GlobalMap100 ($250 to $300)

• A resilient, waterproof handheld GPS receiver featuring a 1.5 " x 2.2 in display screen, 2MB of memory and a battery life of up to 10 hours.

• Pros: accurate, extremely durable and suited for use in the outdoors.

• Cons: slightly heavy at 75 lbs, supportive software is expensive and battery life is limited.

Garmin eTrex Legend ($140 to $200)

• A small, lightweight waterproof GPS receiver. Features 8MB of memory and a 1.1 "x 2.1 in black and white display screen.

• Compact, lightweight, good battery life, simple to use and economical.

• Base map lacks detail, inadequate memory, no voice navigation, display is black and white and screen is rather small.

Magellen Meridian Gold ($200 to $250)

• A waterproof, feature-rich GPS receiver with a 1.75 "x 2.2 " grayscale screen. Features a 16MB memory, built-in compass and fishing calculator. Battery is able to last up to 14 hours.

• Larger memory than many, easy to use, above average detail on base map.

• Bulky, lacks color screen and voice navigation.

TomTom GO ($400 to $500)

• A portable GPS receiver that features Assisted Satellite Navigation (ASN), three-dimensional mapping, voice directions and an SD memory card.

• Pros: ASN prevents signal fading, fine tuned speakers for extremely clear voice navigation.

• Cons: battery only lasts about 5 hours; vehicle mounting base is difficult to remove and may cause damage to your car.

Garmin iQue 3200 ($400 to $450)

• A combined PDA/GPS unit that features 16 bit color display, 32MB of memory, general and mapping software as well as turn-by-turn voice navigation.

• Pros: an all-in-one unit with above average screen resolution and extensive mapping software.

• Cons: difficult to switch between settings, battery runs flat quickly.

Magellan SporTrack Color ($280 to $350)

• Full color, fully waterproof, WAAS enabled GPS receiver. Features built in barometer, a built in 10MB mapping database and 22MB of additional memory space. Battery life of up to 14 hours.

• Pros: easy to use and extremely good satellite reception.

• Cons: small screen that is difficult to read, no rechargeable battery.

Garmin Foretrex 101 ($100 to $140)

• A handheld, grayscale GPS receiver that can be worn on the wrist or mounted on a bike. Features a 92 "x 1.43 "display and a battery life of up to 15 hours.

• Pros: economical, easy to use and waterproof

• Cons: slightly cumbersome, no color screen

Lowrance iFinder Pro ($150 to $250)

• A waterproof, handheld GPS receiver with a 16 level, grayscale display screen. Features an expandable memory, battery life of up to 12 hours.

• Pros: lightweight, software far above average.

• Cons: short battery life, lacks color screen.

Garmin GPSMAP 76S ($300 to $400)

• A waterproof receiver designed specifically for marine use. Features a large 1.6 "x 2.2 "screen, 8MB of built in memory, MOB and a fishing calculator.

• Pros: durable, accurate and full of features.

• Cons: slightly bulky and could have more built in memory space.

Magellan eXplorist 600 ($120 to $150)

• A waterproof, WAAS enabled receiver with a 1.4 "x 1.8 ", four level grayscale display screen. Features a compass and 8MB of built-in memory. Great entry level unit.

• Pros: good reception and accuracy, easy to use and carry.

• Cons: no mapping ability, cannot download maps and locations.