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Thanks, it arrived on time, packaged the way it was described. It is a nice Christmas present for my soldier who is getting ready to deploy overseas.
Well let's just say I did some "testing" on mine. I dried everything with a paper towel and put the parts in rice for about a day to make sure. I waded in to retrieve it, knowing NOT to try to turn it on, and took the batteries out immediately. I looked everywhere. I basically left it sitting a container of uncooked rice for 2 weeks to try to dry it out (sidenote: It turns out the unit does a very good job of holding water IN, at least under atmoshperic pressure).
My guess is that it had been there for about 24 hours. While houseboating, I lost it when we were docked on the shore one morning. The next morning, about 10 minutes before we were going to head to a different location, I saw my Garmin sitting right next to the boat. WORKED LIKE NEW. I've had it for about 3 years.The Foretrex (like all Garmin handhelds) is IPX7 waterproof, meaning it should withstand submersion in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
I cleaned all of the electrical contacts on the main board, some of which had corroded, with 91% rubbing alcohol. Well a few days ago I decided to take the unit apart as a last resort. After we got home from our vacation, I figured it was a lost cause, and was too busy to deal with it anyway. under about a meter of water, give or take a few inches.
Needless to say, it was not waterproof enough to withstand submersion in 1 meter of water for 24 hours. It even kept all of my saved waypoints and tracks. Since the Foretrex 101 has been around for a while, and there are plenty of other reviews you can read, I thought I'd just tell a little story about mine. I slowly squeezed it in a bar clamp long ways, as suggested on the internet, to get the 2 halves apart. I disassembled the guts as much as possible (not as easy as it sounds - very small/sensitive parts). I then reassembled everything, re-sealed the unit with pure silicone caulk, and used super glue to hold the case together.Yesterday, after waiting a day for the caulk and glue to cure, I put in fresh batteries and fired it up. I could hear water sloshing around when I shook it. Incredible.Aside from being ridiculously rugged (idiot-proof), I love this thing for geocaching and keeping me from getting lost in the wilderness.
I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out where it was. It's a great bare-bones GPS unit. I could see water behind the screen. This did not look good. I could not be happier. Seriously, it's the best you can get for $100.
Was hoping for something a lot better than this. Display looks like 1980's technology, and it is pretty confusing to use. It takes a while for the satellites to connect & when they do, it is still a bit uncertain what to do next. I imagine there will be much better technology with much better displays coming out soon.
This is exactly what I was looking for. It gives accurate MGRS after a short satellite link up, and is durable enough to go where I go. Thanks.
Pros:Clear, informative and responsive GPSSmall and lightweight unitClear displayEasy to use pages and menusUses any AAA battery, alkaline or rechargeable Cons:This gps is unreliable tracking distance when using it running, biking, or hiking. Reception is really bad in Europe & Afghanistan. I used this for unit for long runs, bike rides, and hiking. I have to bring my Magellan Triton along if I want an accurate distance. As soon as I enter moderately dense forest I will lose reception. Everywhere I go with this unit reception is an issue.This unit will take 10-20 minutes sometimes just to receive the initial signal.
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