Garmin GPS 12 GPS Receiver

If you are looking for a Geocaching GPS unit, this is the one for you. Simple - easy to read - great compass to guide the way! My first purchase of this unit was at a local pawn shop for geocaching, and this thing works with some great accuracy! Heavy tree cover seems to throw it off sometime when looking for a signal under these conditions. But for comparison, a friend of mine purchased a Garmin eTrex Legend, and it work flawless with the exception of heavy tree cover. Then it perform as well as the GPS 12. I have since purchased three more GPS 12's after going through the purchase of a couple of other units, for family purposes. Now, all relatives have one for the same purpose and are enjoying these units!
*(Likes)* - *Easy navigation through the menus. A day's time seems to be enough adjustment to start getting the hang of it. *Tough - the case exterior seems hardy enough to take a sustained drop. I have dropped mine a couple of times in the woods not seeming to phase it at all. No, haven't dropped in on cement yet. *Rocker Menu - This seems easier to use than the UP-DOWN choice menus types. The rocker menu pad seems easier to use than some of the other units.
*(Dislikes)* - *Eats batteries. Seems that half a day's use eats a set of 4 batteries pretty fast. Keep rechargeables! *Funky cable connector. Seems like they would have perfected a USB instead of a 9 Pin seriel. Hey! Look at when the thing was manufactured! Oh well, still.....*
All in all....Unit gets a 8 out of 10 rating on my scale. Cost, simplicity, and ruggedness all lean the scales in it's favor.
Also out of other brands of GPS units, Garmin seems to favor me.

The Garmin GPS 12 GPS Receiver is an excellent handheld GPS for the money. The manufacturer has installed many user-friendly features that make the first time buyer or the professional happy. They manufacturer has excellent customer service and many additional add-ons to make this unit an extremely versatile GPS to be used in town, on trips, hunting, fishing, cycling, hiking, four wheeling or camping.
Suggestion:
1. One of the best ways to protect investment is to purchase a Protective Case for this GPS. You can find a top of the in line protective case that protects while allowing full viewing and access to all the features of your GPS unit. See a variety of cases at: http://stores.ebay.com/FIS4HER​1-COM_W0QQssPageNameZL2
2. Purchase cable accessories that allow you to upload or download maps and data from your GPS. Purchase a 12v auto charger so that you can always keep you unit charged before heading out cross-country. Purchase quality power and data cables at: http://stores.ebay.com/FIS4HER​1-COM_W0QQssPageNameZL2
3. Purchase an Amplified External GPS Antenna for the unit. The internal antenna is ok but will become intermittent in high buildings, cloudy skies and stormy weather. Purchase a quality, high gain remote antenna. See specification on 28dB and 55dB GPS antenna at:
http://stores.ebay.com/FI​S4HER1-COM_W0QQssPageNameZL2

Cheers – Fis4her

I bought this for my brother since his old one sank in the Atlantic, its a very easy to use simple GPS unit. It has very good battery life probably due to the basic display. Its really good if your just using it to find your way back home, or just simple waypoints, I don't think the software is robust enough for complicated routes , then you should go with a Garmin 76. Its a very tough case , and hardy display and buttons. Its just and all around good GPS.

This is the only GPS unit that I have ever owned and/or used, so I don't have anything to compare it to. However, I can say that this particular unit is very easy to operate and seems to perform just great in all kind of rugged conditions & terrain.

What I want out of a GPS is some very basic functions - most notably the ability to create waypoints and then navigate to these waypoints. This GPS handles that task very nicely. Also, the screen is fairly large (in my opinion) for a hand-held unit and I can actually read what's on the screen. My buddy has a newer unit that is so small I can never read what is on the display.

The only thing that I wish this GPS unit had is a built-in compass. I have seen other GPS units with a built-in compass, which is a very nice feature. This one doesn't have that feature so I have to use the GPS unit along with my own hand-held compass.

I was looking for a GPS unit that was relativly inexpensive but yet let me have the ability to store numerous way points. I use the unit primarly for deer hunting. Going to stands in the dark, nearest access points to retreive a deer, and getting back to base when your unfamiliar with the area. The Garmin 12 fit these requirements perfectly. The unit is easy to use and provides the basic gps service. A good entry level unit for anyone to start with before deciding if you want or need a more complex and expensive unit.