Garmin Geko 201

The colorful Gekos are the smallest and lightest waterproof GPS units to hit the market. With its distinctive canopy-green case the powerful Geko 201 allows more waypoint and route storage as well as available PC and external power connectivity and built-in WAAS capability. In addition the Geko 201 boasts a user-configurable trip computer 10,000 trackpoints a new upcoming-turn feature as well as PanTrack and TracBack. Features include:- Accuracy: 10 feet or less with WAAS Easy operation: five buttons for one-hand use Weight: only 96g with batteries Compact size (HxWxD mm): 99 x 48 x 24 High-contrast display: 64 x 100 pixels Battery life: 12 hours on 2 AAA batteries Waypoint/Route storage: 500/20 x 125 Automatic track storage: 10,000 trackpoints and 10 saved tracks External ports: PC connectivity and external power Waterproof: submersible for 30 minutes in one metre of water (IEC 529 IPX7 standards)

Site	Price	Postage	Total
	£89.99	FREE	£89.99
	£99.99	£4.50	£104.49
	£101.97	£2.95	£104.92
	£119.99	FREE	£119.99

   User Reviews

General comments: I went for the Geko 201 as it had all the basic functions that I wanted for a great price. I use it as a back up when out hill walking and have found it to be very useful at times. It is great to have features such as estimated time of arrival and average speed but it really comes into it's own when you are navigating on featureless terain and want a bit of reassurance of your exact grid position. The screen is clear and the buttons are easy to use with gloves on. It also weighs so little that you can put it in your pocket and forget it is there until you need it. I have bought some memory map software which you can download routes onto the gps with. This, like the gps is very user friendly.

Pros: Light, waterproof, cheap,extra peace of mind, fun for people who like gadgets.

Cons: Can lose signal in woods or in valleys.

General comments: I have had the Geko for several months now, having previously owned the etrex and I must say how much more happy I am with the Geko. The user interface between the Geko and the etrex is essentially the same and this made the transfer easy. Even if using for the first time however, the interface is reasonably intuitive, and can be picked up in less than an hour. There are only four buttons (aside from power button) on the unit and only five 'pages of information to scroll through. Upon receipt of the unit I also connected to my pc, and this made the setup even easier as the software from meory map stated which datum settings to use etc. The unit is incredibly small, smaller than the etrex, which surprised me as there are more features to the Geko - which is what inspired my upgarde. The main one being that it can strore 20 routes whereas the etrex only stores one. On its first switch on, the unit took about 5 minutes to get a fix, subsequently the unit gets a fix in less than 5 seconds typically, even when the new location is some distance from the place where it was last used. There is only one downside for me and that is the position of the screen. I think it would make sense for the buttons to be where the screen is and vice versa, as the screen can be obscured by your thumb, when using with one hand. It is a small niggle though, and this would not stop me from recommending to other people.

Pros: Price Features Size Connectivity quite aquisition time

Cons: The screen is (for me) in the wrong position.

General comments: I have found this to be both a very useful safety back-up to the map and compass and a fun device to keep you on the right track. It was bought as a replacement for the eTrek, which was in a stolen bag, and I wanted the lightest model, this being only 100g. The 101 version only stored 1 route, rather than the 20 which this can hold, so I want for the 201 which is the second model up. Accuracy seems good, better than quoted. Elevation is also reasonably accurate. However, it is quite slow to fix its position when turned on and it is best to turn on before putting on your boots to avoid a long wait. Once locked-on it holds its position reasonably in the open country, although it is then best to keep it in your hand or the top pocket of your rucksack to avoid losing signal. It contains a host of useful information features, including route time, total distance and average & max speeds. The routes allow you to navigate to the next waypoint, as well as seeing how far it is away and how long to get there – perfect on the last weary uphill leg back to the car. I would have only two gripes: the battery life and the means of entering waypoints. Battery life is poor, as it uses 2xAAA batteries. Typically one set of normal rechargables would not give a whole day of hiking, so a spare set is needed for the GPS to be a real safety back-up. Secondly, waypoints can’t be entered on the unit by grid reference, only by bearing and distance from the previous waypoint, after which you can then edit the grid ref. This limits its practical usage for navigation unless you do as I did and buy the PC interface cable and some Anquet software. However the official cable is very pricy at £30 for really just a few wires and electronic maps aren’t cheap either.

Pros: Weight, accuracy, could be a life-saver

Cons: Battery life, time to fix a signal when turned on, really need to buy cable and mapping software

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