Hello-

I'm looking to get a hand held GPS real soon. Can anybody give me any advice on what to look for, Brands to shop, and features to have.

Thanks
Steve Jr

Garmin Etrex or Model 12 Maping

Boomer...I purchased the Magellan marine about two years ago and haven't used it to much except for a more acurate speed...but over the winter I bought the Mapsend Bluenav CD for the magellan marine and this has made the unit much more usable. I can sit at home on the computer, find a route to where I want to go, set waypoints and routes then just upload them to the unit! Now doing this makes the unit useful!! The only thing I would do differently is buy the marine color model which was not available when I bought mine...if you have any more questions feel free to ask here or PM me...

John

I think you will find Garmin easy to use and they have more models to choose from than anyone else in the market.

To give you some choices, we need to know what you intend to use it for. Navigation, mapping, or just as a speedometer.

I've had several Garmin handhelds...all were perfect for their intended use. A lot of models to choose from...
Good luck in your search.

Thanks for your responses and help guys-

The intended use of the GPS is mainly for navigation and Speed. I am looking for a unit very simple to use with some sort of feature where i can navigate anywhere in the US with the right chip or downloaded map... Again, simplecity is key here being that it's a gift for my old man...

The Garmin GARMIN GPSMAP 60C is an awesome unit. It can do it all. The GPSMAP76 is also a good unit.

This site has some of the best prices:
http://www.boatfix.com/elec/garminhh.asp

are these units relativly easy to use?

Well, that's kind of tough to answer, it's kind of subjective, but I thought they are easy.

After spending about an hour with it, I pretty much knew it inside and out.

I have 3 Garmins. All I would ever have at this point is a Garmin.