I've been tasked with coming up with some suggestions for a GPS for my GFs father as part of a long term service award from work (so not necessarily looking at the budget end of the market).
It's primary use would be for walking/hiking, predominantly in European mountains.
I've had a Garmin etrex 30, whilst the unit was ok the Basecamp software was abysmal, I can easily see him not getting along with it at all. Also I think he's unlikely to take a laptop on holiday with them so being able to manage the unit from an iPhone or iPad is a must really.
Can anyone offer any experience based suggestions on other makes and models?
Ease of use is probably at the top of the list of requirements. I don't want to be phone tech support whilst they are on their holidays!
Garmin GPSmap 64s. Or if you're splashing out, the newer 66.
It's the only genuinely foolproof GPS I've ever used. Takes AA batteries which last forever; can have any OpenStreetMap country loaded easily; capable of quite advanced navigation; easy to use with gloved hands; rock solid reception; electronic compass...
It'll also spit out a grid reference if you want to double check on an OS Map (or any other country's grid format for that matter).
Garmin's software is, generally, shit, but not in this case. I'd never use anything but one of these for walking.
Downsides? Screen could be bigger and higher resolution. That's about it, really.
The new Garmin GPSMAP 66i inreach looks the business with the satelite communication function. Pricey though.
Satmap Active 20 - it's large and expensive, but mostly straightforward to use and a lot more intuitive than Garmin software. Excellent screen. Maps come on SD cards, UK Ordnance Survey and foreign equivalents. It's excellent for navigation if you mostly want a map on a screen plus an arrow to follow etc. The only downside is that it uses a bespoke file format for nav, so you have to convert GPX files using free software they supply. It fails on your iphone compatibility though. ViewRanger on a smartphone is very good, but obviously is a phone app rather than a stand-alone unit - it works very well on an iPad Mini in a waterproof case and a bluetooth GPS unit, but not really what you're looking for I guess. And like I said, it's big and heavy, mostly I think because the battery is huge to give decent burn time. Oh, and the cover for the micro USN port has a tendency to escape a little too easily. You can buy spares, multipacks if you want, but it shouldn't really happen when something's that expensive.
https://www.satmap.com/active-20/
Not a fan of Garmin here, but there's not much else out there. I've never used the Ordnance Survey branded stuff, might be worth a look I guess.
Check which Garmins are supported by the Garmin Explore app. It is quite useful for on phone or tablet, lets you transfer waypoints and routes back and fore. Probably a lot easier to use than Basecamp.
Looks like the GPSMAP 66 models are compatible. Not sure if any of the Etrex are.
Other advantage of the GPSmap series is that one can wirelessly transfer routes and waypoints to another. The GPSmap 64 won't talk to your phone, but a reasonably modern Android phone and a USB-OTG adapter will let you fire GPX files across to it in a pinch.
Thanks for the info. The GPSMAP 66 series look pretty good.
Anticipating a follow up question:
What are the best options for European maps (Austria primarily)? keeping in mind ease of use over cost, buying an SD card of maps that just works is more preferable than having to manually download maps and put them in the right place on an SD card, even if that saves a few ££.