Hi Don, Half a year ago, I sold my GPS 12XL and bought an Etrex to replace it. The difference between the 12 and 12XL is ONLY the connection for external antenna. If you use it on the water, you won't need that so the 12XL is a waste of money. Advantages of Etrex over 12XL: - Display with 4 shades, instead of just black and white. Apart from menus with shades, this makes the map much clearer, because there is a clear distinction between travelled route/programmed route/track; - Clearer menu structure: Etrex has a windows-like menu structure now. Big difference with Windows: Etrex does not crash; - Better way of storing tracks: On the older units, a track is stored as a long list of waypoints, stored with your own waypoints. The Etrex stores them in a seperate part of memory, out of your way; - Smaller/lighter unit. - Slightly lower battery consumption: My 12XL worked 20 hours on 4 penlites, the Etrex works 12 hours on 2 penlites. Advantages of 12XL over Etrex: - External power supply with a broad range, so you can plug it into practically anything that gives power. The Etrex must have 3 volts; - Etrex has no audible signal for battery low or loss of satellite fix; - You have to take Etrex into your hand to operate the buttons. The 12XL you can operate while lying on your deck. Apart from that, all units have the same reliability and accuracy. All have 12 satellite receivers. For me, the Etrex is a big improvement for a lower price. On the site of Garmin (www.garmin.com) you'll find descriptions of all Garmin units, with a list of their features. The site also contains downloads of all user manuals, which is usually my way of selecting electronics. Niels. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Apr 10 2001 - 01:43:02 PDT
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