Request rec: hiking GPS with rechargeable battery

Discussion in 'General GPS Discussion' started by Gorlash, Apr 20, 2022.

  1. Gorlash

    Gorlash

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    I've been using a Garmin eTrex GPS for several years, for plotting my hiking paths... it works very nicely, picks up satellites quickly, and does a reasonable job of maintaining accuracy if I'm hiking under trees. The only problem with it, is that the unit tends to sit in my pack for months at a time, and I will sometimes pull it out to use it, and again find the batteries are dead.

    I would like to replace it with a unit which has an internal, USB-rechargeable battery. I always carry a large external battery with me, with usb-micro and usb-C cables to recharge my phone, Kindle, etc if they are low. I want to be able to do the same with the GPS, so it will just be ready to use when I need it.

    I also want the unit to have the higher-sensitivity receiver in it, so it can still track me when I'm hiking under cover.

    So, any recommendations for this??
     
    Gorlash, Apr 20, 2022
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  2. Gorlash

    Nuvi-Nebie Moderator

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    Obviously your eTrex can be run on rechargeable batteries, however you would need to charge them out of the eTrex itself, Garmin make quite a few models that use a rechargeable pack that can be charged in the unit (see the list below) , the pack is made up of two AA batteries held together with a piece of plastic, this plastic operates a switch in the GPS that tells the unit that the batteries are re-chargable, however it is possible to use other re-chargeable AAs and charge them in these GPSs by using a piece cardboard / plastic etc. to operate the switch as the Garmin battery pack is overpriced

    Here is a list of Garmin units that will take the Garmin 010-11874-00 re-chargable battery pack :-

    GPSMAP64, GPSMAP65, GPSMAP66, Oregon600,Oregon650, Oregon700, Oregon750
     
    Nuvi-Nebie, Apr 21, 2022
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  3. Gorlash

    Gorlash

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    Yes, I know I can put rechargeable batteries in the eTrex - in fact, I do... however, I still cannot recharge/maintain the batteries with an external battery pack, which is what I want to do, and expressed in my original post.

    Thank you for the list of units which use the Garmin rechargeable pack!! Do these all use the high-sensitivity GPS receiver that the eTrex uses, or something equivalent?? I wish to avoid the problems which I had with my first Garmin (over a decade ago), which had an older, less sensitive receiver, and would simply lose all connection when I was under trees.

    Beyond that, are there any other criteria that I might use to select between the units that you listed??
     
    Gorlash, Apr 21, 2022
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  4. Gorlash

    Nuvi-Nebie Moderator

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    All of the units listed above are considerably more sensitive than the eTrex, there are many 'extras' that these unit offer such as electronic compass, electronic barometer / altimeter, cameras etc. which don't add to their positional accuracy, however they also offer extra constellations of satellites in addition to 'GPS' such as Glonass (Russian), Galileo (Europe), Beidou (Chinese), also WAAS, EGNOS correction satellites etc. which all give you better sensitivity / accuracy

    The GPSMAP55 and 66 also have dual band (frequency) receivers for even better accuracy at price

    Depending on the age of your eTrex (there have been quite a few models over the years), it may already have some of the above 'extras' but it will still be out performed by all of the GPSMAP and Oregon models
     
    Nuvi-Nebie, Apr 21, 2022
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  5. Gorlash

    Gorlash

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    Thank ye very much!!! These sound great... I'll check the Garmin page and see if they have a comparison chart between the models...

    BTW,. my unit is the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx, I got it in 2010...
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
    Gorlash, Apr 21, 2022
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