Garmin Geko 201 GPS (12 Channel, WAAS)

[Archived in $100 - $200, GPS Units, Garmin, Handheld GPS Units, Products, Vehicle GPS Units]

Manufacturer: Garmin
Price at amazon.com: $117.94
Usually ships within 24 hours

Product Features:

• Compact 12-channel GPS receiver with high-contrast display (100 x 64 pixels)
• WAAS-enabled for 3-meter accuracy
• Stores 500 waypoints and 20 routes with 125 waypoints per route
• Easy operation: five buttons for one-hand use
• 12-hour operation on 2 AAA batteries

Product Description:

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 and 10,000 trackpoints, as well as PanTrack™ and TracBack« features. The Geko 201 also includes four fun, interactive games that transform the great outdoors into a virtual board game. Enjoy a good workout while chasing a virtual... read more
From Office Depot Bright green, lightweight, waterproof, 500 waypoints, 10,000 tracks, 4 interactive games



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Average Customer Rating:

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Comment: Excellent (and tiny) GPS Rating:
This little GPS, while not having any removeable memory nor a large bank of memory, does VERY well with what it does have. It easily stored a 6 hour hike in it's memory, with less than half the memory used. For street mapping, it has a connection for a computer -- And coupled with Delorme Street Atlas USA, is a high-end solution for in car navigation. (Requires the cables and a serial/USB converter, which are reasonably priced and excellently assembled at the pfranc project.) The eTrex cable/converter is the same for this Geko.

The battery life isn't really a negative -- ten to twelve hours of operation is just fine, and you can replace low batteries without losing information, so nothing is hurting there. Overall, the price for this unit makes this unit an excellent purchase. Only complaint is that the color is a bit ugly -- And the stretch holster offered by Garmin doesn't do anything for its appearance either.

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Comment: Just a Toy? No way! Rating:
Intrigued by Garmin's Geko 201 Personal Navigator®? It's smaller than an eTrex and dwarfed by many standard GPS units. But is the Geko a real GPS or just a toy?

First, the Geko 201 is a serious GPS receiver. It features WAAS differential correction; memory for 500 waypoints, twenty routes, a whopping 10,000 track points and ten saved tracks; and it connects to external power or to your PC for data transfer with an optional cable. It floats. The array of five buttons is easy to use. The screen is tiny, but it's not that hard to read. Menu choices allow configuration of the data screens to your liking. The back is rubberized, so you can lay it on your dashboard (where it works quite well) and not have it slide around. Using only two AAA batteries, the unit is light as well as small enough to fit in a shirt pocket (but the limited power supply may be an issue for some as explained below). The Geko also has four built-in arcade games, a novelty to emphasize that GPS can be fun.

The Geko doesn't show base maps but is adept at recording points and lines (keeping track of where you've been, locations you want to remember and where you'd like to go). If you want a GPS unit to use primarily for hiking or recording locations, the absence of base maps isn't that significant. Fact is that the base maps in many GPS units don't provide enough detail to be of much use at a close-in scale unless you can download more features from a CD. If you need map detail, a Geko easily connects to a PDA or laptop computer to display your location in navigation programs or even projected on aerial photos.

The Geko utilizes a built-in "patch" antenna (a square plate inside the unit, located under the lizard logo). I found the antenna remarkably sensitive when the unit is held correctly. It works best in a horizontal orientation, the top edge of the unit pointed to the horizon. That way the antenna can look up to the sky. Hang it around your neck on a lanyard, though, and the reception will drop. (Note: Unlike receivers with a patch antenna, GPS units like the Garmin 72 and 76 series using a quadrifilar helix antenna should be operated with the top edge pointed skyward.)

As an experiment, I took both a big Garmin GPSMAP 76S and the Geko 201 on a hike through a forest area. I wanted to see if the Geko could perform as well and hold a track in a wooded situation. After the hike I downloaded the data with a freeware mapping program (USAPhotoMaps) to overlay the GPS tracks on a TerraServer aerial photo. That's the best way to visualize where you've been. To my surprise the tracks and waypoints recorded by the two units were nearly identical. The Geko had no problem holding a signal in the test, even while I walked through a crowded pine plantation.

On the downside, Geko's rather feeble power supply - two AAA batteries - disappoints me. Garmin claims that two AAA alkaline batteries can last up to twelve hours (on battery saver mode). For economy, however, I use NiMH rechargeable batteries. I know that NiMH power cells don't last as long as alkaline, but the duration was far shorter than I expected - only 40 minutes set on standard mode in 32° F March weather. At 60° F (~16° C) the Geko ran just two hours on fresh NiMH batteries. It operated five and a half hours in battery saver mode with NiMH batteries on the warm dashboard of my car. It's also peculiar that the Geko manual extols lithium batteries for cold weather use and long life when nobody manufactures AAA lithium batteries. Only AA-cell batteries from Energizer are available in a lithium formulation. They can operate to -40°F and last four times longer than alkaline batteries, but sadly do not fit a Geko.

Although you may rely on a more complex GPS for serious tasks, having a miniature Geko tucked in your pocket or bag could be handy. If you toss the Geko to your kids in the back seat to play arcade games en route to your destination, however, the batteries could be dead by the time you arrive. You might prefer a recreational GPS unit using AA batteries for extended outdoor activities, but a Geko is a good buy for educational, casual or backup use.

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Comment: Good product in need of small improvement Rating:
Very good, lightweight GPS system, ideal for hiking/mountain etc.
However 3 cheap improvements would be advisable:
1. The accidental ON/OFF is a real issue. My own trick is to install one of the batteries the wrong way in order to give zero voltage and protect against accidental switching on. The designer could easily have set up a system like on mobile phones. Already got twice out of power because of accidental switch on!
2. Real autonomy with alkaline is 6 hours - far too short for my use. Current AAA NiMH rechargeables are 800mAh while one can find AA rechargeables at 2000mAh. AA Alkalines can be found in nearly any village in any country, not AAA. I would fancy an accessory allowing external power supply with bigger batteries (ideally 4 AA size) or connection to a solar panel for long expeditions.
3. Would be nice if it had a loop for a carrying strap (like on any camera).
If nothing is available soon I will make an external battery power supply myself.
Jean

Posted at November 11, 2003 07:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)