[Ashen15]

Sounds like a good show lol! Congrats to him!

[Ashen15]

Wow! Congrats! I can’t even picture finding that many! 😀

[Ashen15]

I use Zagg covers. It was just my observation. For MY hand the 550 literally felt like the shape and size of a computer mouse with a smooth surface, which I drop constantly. I completely believe the 550 is rugged enough. Again in my hand, the 62s just felt more so. I have very tiny hands and it has a nice grippable surface. My husband, on the other hand, felt they were equally durable but that the 550 would be more likely to be dropped. Someone asked me to check back in when I decided and that was my decision after 30 minutes in the store. It involved several this or that decisions, and either way I “lost” something.

[Ashen15]

I got the 62s today after a sporadic trip to the Hoffman Estates Cabelas in IL. I took feedback from the WGA and Groundspeak forums and played with both units. The 550 touchscreen was perfectly responsive with gloves on and the resolution is definitely better but the 62s was, in fact, much easier to navigate when screen toggling (though not as intuitive). However, the 550 feels as durable as a cell phone and my first thought about picking it up was that I was holding a very droppable computer mouse. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using it one handed while multitasking. Losing the touch screen wasn’t a big deal; the camera was a small loss. Picking up the 62s felt perfect. It was both narrower and thinner. It also seems much, much more durable….signifcantly so. The screens aren’t quite as intuitive but easy to figure out. I thought it would come down to screen but it came down to fit and durability.

Thanks everyone! I really appeciated all of the input. I feel it helped me make a well informed choice.

[Ashen15]

As I now have a smartphone with internet, a camera and geocaching apps, I’m not sure which unit I’d get so I don’t envy your position.

Yes! It seems like its coming down to one or two “this or that”s and I’ve only been caching for about 10 months with less than 100 caches found, so it is hard to decide from a caching standpoint. I do love c:geo and have had great luck with it but my phone dies quickly and it is obviously not waterproof. I think without my phone or the camera I have my eye on I’d go with the 550 but since I have those…. I’ve also had several people suggest the 450 if I decide on the touch screen without a camera. I should be able to get to the Richfield Cabela’s on the 20th (I hope my mom can keep my niece mesmerized by the fish tank long enough to play with the units).

Thank you everyone for your input!! I hope to have something no later than the first week in March, which should give me time to test it out in (hopefully!) warmer weather.

[Ashen15]

Also, specs aside, like kmhiker mentioned with cache notes, how are these models when it comes to GC specific needs? That is something I’m finding it harder to get input on….downloads, cache hints, etc…

[Ashen15]

Thanks for the info.! Are there any other significant differences between the 60, 62, etc. models?

[Ashen15]

@labrat_wr wrote:

congratulation!

Each step is an adventure. There is no hurry.

(roofing the house while on crutches?? sounds risky!) 😯

🙂 Wrong place for an and/or. I was on crutches, recovered, then it took us 3 weekends to reroof so I lost a LOT of cache time!

Thanks everyone!

Sandman your signature makes me laugh because I’ve just had to “suck it up” a few times when no one else would.

I think our biggest “obstacle” is my husband and one friend’s tendency to pull a “It’s gone! It’s not here! Someone must have moved it” after ten minutes. Which, after of course, we then find it immediately. 😆

[Ashen15]

If you have the serial numbers try calling any local “pawn” shops (I know WI doesn’t officially have real pawn shops). They’re required to take drivers license info. from anyone they buy from. My husband is in law enforcement and has recovered several things in Madison area stores.

[Ashen15]

😳 I figured I was doing something completely wrong. That helps a TON!

[Ashen15]

Oh! And “wonderfully supplied” was completely sincere! I hope that didn’t come off as sarcastic due to the driver issue!!!!

[Ashen15]

@EnergySaver wrote:

Ashen15 … what kind of computer do you have? The GPS receiver I gave does NOT allow you to go paperless, that is true, because it just loads the coordinates not the text. But you say you can’t connect it … you should be able to, using the cable I gave you with it. Before you shell out a lot of money for a GPS receiver to allows you to load the text, I would recommend that you make sure you can load caches into the older GPS receiver without text, as the connect of connecting a GPS receiver and a computer are the same basically.

For some reason my computer (Dell XPS 1530) won’t accept the driver download. I actually just took my comp. in for a virus sweep before the semester began and took it with me to ask about it thinking it was a firewall issue and got no real reply about what was up. I’d been hoping to try for a download at the Cache Bash but my group was in a hurry so we stuck to the booklet.

Thank you so much for replies to both of my posts!!!!

[Ashen15]

Please bear with me as I’m not good with tech stuff.

Is this still the best device everyone is eyeing up? Has something better come out or is there an expected new version coming up?

In regards to the info. below something about my current Garmin that EnergySaver so wonderfully supplied me with doesn’t connect with my computer and I can’t download the cache files into it to make a list and I’d like to go to paperless caching with a new unit.

For the first quote, am I understanding that there is not a way to download anything from GC.com onto the device to set up caching for a particular area on a trip?

Or for the second quote, is that an instant link to GC via satellite (internet like?) Or is that some type of device feature that is just a map?

Sorry if those questions don’t make sense. 😳

The main drawbacks relate to Garmin-specific “features” which I’ve already mentioned in other threads; namely, the lack of any robust device-level geocache (GPX file/waypoint) management.

@Lostby7 wrote:

@-cheeto- wrote:

@Lostby7 wrote:

@-cheeto- wrote:

Only one question thus far. Can I tell it to go directly to the compass instead of the map when using the Geocaching function? Like older GPS units? I will never use the base maps and have a Nuvi for vehicle navigation purposes. It seems a bit awkward to have to go back to the menu to switch to the compass pointer from the map. Will it not do this if your closer to ground zero? Or does it always jump to the (useless) base map.

I’m not following you on this question perhaps someone else can chime in on this one?

From the menu:

Geocaches
Find a Geocache
Select Cache
Go
.

[Ashen15]

Thank you very much!!

[Ashen15]

I’m glad to see some intuitive ideas. A few days after we found out first TB I was excited and purchased four with various missions. One was mailed to a friend but the envelope tore and it disappeared. She replaced it with one of her own and dropped it off in Europe for me but the adoption links she’s sent haven’t worked and I’ve just gotten a generic response from tech support. Don’t want to keep bugging her.

Of the other two I’ve launched neither has been picked up which is surprising because one was put into a very active cache (I’m going to stop soon and see if it’s still there or if it’s missing-other TBs have been picked up from that cache since). The other was put into a West Bend Cache Bash cache Friday evening so I was also surprised to see it not moving yet.

I’m wondering if I should even bother with the final TB I still have.

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