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.Read full review
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.Read full review
Bought the GPS receiver several months ago and have been learning about geocaching with my son. Fortunately my son had his for several months and understood all of the fine points of the GPS systems. You have to remember, when deciding to purchase any GPS, you will need more than just the GPS itself. Remember that if you want to do it right, you will need back-up batteries (hopefully, you remembered to purchase rechargeable type with charger); also, don't forget computer interface equipment. I purchased the interface equipment and later discovered my computer had USB ports. The interface cable was equipment with a different kind of computer lead (not the USB type); so, I had to go to Radio Shack and pay an additional $35 for an interface to the interface cable. Finally works for my computer connection. Now for the final chapter. I attempted to download the internet coordinates and learned that I needed to have the correct program. Fortunately, my son was able to assist me with my dilema and now all works right. Time to set the record straight; after spending about 200 dollars more than the initial purchase I am ready to pursue geocaching. Geocaching is a fun reacreational sport and the Garmin GPS 12 Receiver is a great tool for beginners. Hopefully, I will use it for enjoying life. Take care LOSTESORead full review
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/FIS4HER1-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/FIS4HER1-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/FIS4HER1-COM_W0QQssPageNameZL2 Cheers – Fis4herRead full review
Hi Folks. THE Garmin GPS12 is a tough lil guy manufactured upto MIL standards. its very easy to use compared with more modern GPS units available now and as a portable device the batteries do last long enough for me to get back home safe. on the downside my only gripe is the unusual keypad layout. that i suppose is people are used to equipment such as mobile phones where the keypad is on the lower part of equipment. overall GPS12 even a little ols and probably out of its league still is a reliable and tough guy which you can carry around. and i recommend it for people who wants an emergency back up unit or for casual users.
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.
Isn't it obsolete by now? It's much less sensitive than devices with newer GPS chipsets. You can't load topo maps into it. And, be aware that these units have an internal rechargeable lithium battery which will fail (permanently) if it has been stored without batteries for long periods. Which is how you would normally store it for long periods, if you don't want the alkaline cells to leak inside it. Bad design. The clue is a message "Stored Data Was Lost" whenever you install new AA cells, and of course you'll find any waypoints and tracks are gone. And it takes a very long time to initialize, since it can't remember where it last was. The battery can be replaced: it requires skilled soldering. The case can be opened easily, since it is sealed with silicone, and on my unit that silicone was brittle and the seal easily broken without tools. It was never any good at starting up in heavy forest; I had to stand in a clearing and wait for it to figure out where I was, then it would maintain a track once I headed down the trail. With the correct interface cable you can load and save locations, but you'll need a PC with a serial port or a USB to serial adapter. Powering it from 12V also requires a special adapter (which may be combined with the serial interface, so you could use it with mapping software on a laptop).Read full review
I am a Mountaineer for Fresno County Search and Rescue and this thing trumps all the junk and mumbo jumbo of every new reciever. At one time these were Standard NAVY SAR Issue and here is why: I was in Evloution Creek on Search at 10,350 ft it was like 65 degrees and the water was swift and wetsuit cold. I dropped my Garmin 12 like 3 feet into the water, it hit a bunch of granite and just then the Helicopter needed my position for pick-up—So I picked it out of the water, wiped the screen, and read my UTM to the pilot. That is the definition of reliablity! This thing ROCKS! Old, basic, simple, and life savingly reliable.
This older style gps is still sought out by many people, including myself. I bought one several years ago and my older brother talked me out of it. He took it to Antartica where he said many of the workers use this model for geo-caching. I replaced it with an etrex, but I really missed the bigger screen and better map definition, so I bought another one on e bay.Easy to use,fast satellite acquisition, and durable. The only fly in the ointment is it's not easy on batteries. I'll deal with that.
I’ve been using a Garmin 12 for several years to do archaeological field work. It’s easy to use, and the software seamlessly integrates into the MacGPS Pro software I use for mapping. The track logs function is especially valuable, since I can use it to retrace and map my survey routes for my reports. Ironically, I liked my Garmin 12 so much, I bought one on eBay as a spare, and it arrived just as I lost my original in thick bush in northern Alberta.
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