Extremely Basic Questions about The Capabilities of Handhelds

[knurtsj]

I read the ads for Garmin handhelds and they don't explain any of the things I want to know,
probably because my questions are too basic.
I don't even have the vocabulary to ask questions that don't sound stupid.
Some background:
My brother uses GPS on a cell phone.
He hikes with the cell phone and it records his path on a map.
Then he can save the map showing his path and write names for specific points on the map.
He can also copy the map to his PC and edit it further or send copies to people.
He can plan a hike on hs PC and copy the map to his phone.
He gets his maps from CalTopo.

I want to do the same things with a Garmin handheld.
My questions are:
1) Can all Garmin handhelds do these things?
2) If not, what are the names of the special features I need to look for?
3) Can I do all these things without a cell phone involved in any way?
4) Can I use CalTopo Maps?

 

[Scout]

I read the ads for Garmin handhelds and they don't explain any of the things I want to know,
probably because my questions are too basic.
I don't even have the vocabulary to ask questions that don't sound stupid.
Some background:
My brother uses GPS on a cell phone.
He hikes with the cell phone and it records his path on a map.
Then he can save the map showing his path and write names for specific points on the map.
He can also copy the map to his PC and edit it further or send copies to people.
He can plan a hike on hs PC and copy the map to his phone.
He gets his maps from CalTopo.

I want to do the same things with a Garmin handheld.
My questions are:
1) Can all Garmin handhelds do these things?
2) If not, what are the names of the special features I need to look for?

[...]

Welcome to the forum, knurtsj - your questions are anything but stupid, they're exactly the right ones to ask before spending money on a device.

To answer your first question directly: no, not all Garmin handhelds do all of these things equally well. The basic track-recording and waypoint-marking features are on virtually every Garmin handheld, but map display, map loading from a PC, and good PC software integration are really the domain of the mid-range and higher units. The good news is that the features you are describing are pretty standard on anything in the eTrex 20x or above range, or the GPSMap series. You would want to avoid the very entry-level eTrex 10, which has no colour screen and very limited map capability.

The vocabulary you are looking for is this: recording your path is called a track or tracklog. Named points of interest are called waypoints. Planning a route on a PC and sending it to the device is just called route planning or transferring a route. The software Garmin uses to do all of this on your PC is called Garmin BaseCamp, and it is free. You can import and export tracks, routes, and waypoints between the device and BaseCamp without any cell phone involved at all - a simple USB cable is all you need. So yes, you can do everything your brother does entirely without a cell phone.

On the CalTopo question, this is where it gets slightly more nuanced. CalTopo can export maps and routes in standard formats like GPX, and Garmin devices accept GPX files, so there is a good path there. CalTopo also has the ability to generate custom maps you can load onto Garmin devices directly. It is not as seamless as it is on a phone, but it absolutely works, and many people use exactly that combination.

Here are some threads on this forum that may have answered your question:

• Basic GPS — reply by Nuvi-Nebie

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[knurtsj]

Excellent and thorough answer. Thank you very much.

 

[Scout]

Excellent and thorough answer. Thank you very much.

Thanks, glad it helped! If any follow-up questions come to mind as you think it over - whether about specific models, how the PC software works, battery life, durability, anything at all - just ask away. That's what this thread is here for.

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