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Garmin Geko 301


The Garmin Geko 301 is one of the smallest and lightest waterproof GPS units on the market. This inexpensive unit has a sleek design and simple operating system, and it's WAAS-enabled with an accuracy of three meters or less. With its sturdy, dark gray case, the Geko 301 packs an amazing amount of functionality into its slim frame--making it a great all-around handheld GPS unit for general navigation. In addition to regular GPS features, the Geko 301 includes an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. The compass provides bearing information while you're standing still, and the altimeter determines your precise altitude and provides a 12-hour pressure-trend tool for gauging changing weather conditions.


Map page. View larger.

Mark waypoint. View larger.


The Garmin Geko 301 packs easy-to-use GPS navigation into an affordable handheld device. View larger.
The Garmin Geko 301 features a user-configurable trip computer with 500 user waypoints that allow up to 20 reversible routes, and an automatic track log with up to 10,000 track points and 10 savable tracks that let you retrace your path in both directions. This unit also includes external ports that allow for PC connectivity for easy uploading of software upgrades and for connection to external power. The Garmin Geko 301 has five keys located on the front of the unit for easy one-hand use that allow the user to quickly access all of the unit's functions. The Geko 301 has a 64 x 100 pixel, high-contrast display for easy viewing, and it can run for up to nine hours on only two AA batteries (not included). In addition, the Geko 301 boasts a new upcoming-turn feature that alerts the user of an upcoming turn within 15 seconds by bending the compass arrow in the direction of the next waypoint, and it also features Garmin's PanTrack and TracBack functions.

Not just a regular navigational aid, the Garmin Geko 301 also includes five fun, interactive games that transform the great outdoors into a virtual board game, including the new Gekoids, which takes advantage of the electronic compass. Enjoy a good workout while chasing a virtual lizard in Geko Smak, match symbols in a grid version of Memory Race, navigate to reference points without crossing one's trail in Nibbons, and collect symbols along a path in Virtua Maze.

Designed with the user in mind, this Garmin GPS unit weighs a light 3.4 ounces with batteries, and measures a pocket-sized 1.9 by 0.96 by 3.9 inches (W by D by H). The Geko 301 is waterproof to IPX7 standards, meaning it can be submerged down to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes, and it's rugged enough to endure the most trying use. The Geko 301 also provides that most critical of benefits--peace of mind. With the Geko 301 you will always know where you are, where you have been, and where you are going. And since you will always know the way back home, you can concentrate on what you set out to do--explore the outdoors.


What's in the Box
Geko 301 GPS receiver, and manual.



Customer Reviews

Average rating:

Good for its size

Amazingly compact, no larger than a small cell phone. Easy to operate, even though there are only five buttons. Can be configured to use different units and coordinate systems. The battery life is okay but can be as short as four hours, depending on various factors (which I wish were documented somewhere). The built-in compass and altimeter are neat, but probably not worth the additional cost over the Geko 201, especially if you have a separate compass anyway. The screen resolution is okay, but in the view that shows tracks and waypoints the labels sometimes start overlapping and get unreadable when you zoom out. Getting a signal can require anywhere from less than a minute to more than ten minutes, depending on how much time (or distance?) has passed since the device was turned off or lost the signal. Getting a signal in urban areas, in forrests or even steep mountain sides turned out to be difficult or impossible; don't know how much of an issue this is for comparable devices. Finally, the USB cable which must be purchased separately is outrageously expensive. You'd expect this kind of thing to be included, but no luck.


Excellent first GPS

A great simple GPS with some neat extras such as Compass.
The manual is not very good on it. They seem to forget to put in the manual some simple things you would need to know on it.
However it is something I am very happy with...


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