Geko not so good

I got a Garmin Geko 201 in May 2003. I enjoy the features it has but it has some problematic limitations also. First the limitations. NICad batteries don't last long, maybe 4 hours. Alkaline batteries last about 8 hours of continuous operation. Also, the GPS loses the satellite signal if you are under trees, so it is useless in the forest or jungle or inside any structure. Although this may not be the fault of Garmin, it may be that the satellite signals are just weak. I am also finding it real hard to find accessories for it online, and those I do find are outrageously priced ($70 for an auto power adapter, $35 for an auto mount). Accessories at local stores here in Michigan are non-existent.

You cannot download maps to it and display them but you can download your "trails" to your PC if you have a cable. Despite what one reviewer says, you CAN pan your trail (dots where you've been) but not in the usual way. You cannot pan side to side or up and down. You pan by going back to each point in your path. Since there are many points in your path this can get tedious. I don't use this function.

It also is too easy to turn on when packed away. On my trip to Belize I pulled out my Geko and the batteries were all but drained, because it had been bumped into the ON position somehow. You should first set the power setting to turn off after a few minutes. The default setting is ON all the time. That didn't matter much because the thing didn't work in the jungle anyway due to the thick foliage overhead. On the other hand, it is waterproof and resisted the copious amounts of sweat my body produced.

Now the good news. When you turn it on it takes about 3-5 minutes to lock on to the satellites. It has to lock on to at least 4 satellites before it will tell you where you are. It has 4 separate screens (called "pages"). One for connecting to the satellites, one for the path or trail which shows where you've been, one containing 5 lines of info (you can change each line from a possible 30 different items), one for a compass, and one for setup. You can scale the path screen larger or smaller to show more or less area.

Some of the information you can show is: latitude and longitude, local time, sunrise, sunset, current speed, current arrival time (like 4:12pm), estimated arrival time (in minutes), odometer (total mileage since you bought the GPS), trip odometer (can be reset).

Waypoints also have some more information on them, like best hunting/fishing time for the current day (does not tell you about the next day so you can plan ahead), current moon phase (as a graphic of a moon). I really liked the best fishing time as I like to go fishing a lot, but I could not find out the best fishing times for the next day so I could plan when to be at the lake.

Would I buy this again? No. Because of the fact that it didn't work even under light foliage in the forest. It makes geocaching difficult to impossible. In order for the GPS to work in the forest you have to find an area with a WIDE view of the sky, say about a 20 foot radius or so. However it gets a great signal in wide open spaces. On the open water I got a lock in about 10 seconds.

For LOTS of GPS FAQS and info, go to http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter/index.html.

Another good site for GPS comparisons and info: http://gpsinformation.net/.


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Aug 25, 2003

The GPS just stopped working. It will not receive any signals from any satellites. I will keep you updated. Also, Garmin requires a copy of your sales receipt if you want warranty work. No receipt=no warranty.

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Sep 11, 2003

I received my Geko 201 back from Garmin. They promptly replaced it. I want to say thanks for responding quickly to my emails, they responded within 24 hours each time.

A note about reception under a forest canopy. Even the best GPS receivers with 12 parallel channels, will not get a satellite signal 100% of the time. Especially if you're are in deep forest cover or in a deep valley. It all depends on if they can get a signal from a satellite.

If you want to get a signal in light forest cover (i.e. the average north american forest, not a jungle) get a 12 channel receiver. Get more information at www.gpsinformation.net.

I still like my Geko though.