Garmin Geko 201 Handheld GPS Receiver

If you look on ebay there are dozens of different options if you are looking for a handheld GPS. I do some walking and running, and was looking for a lightweight GPS. There are many on the market some offer mapping and other advanced features. My shortlist was the Geko or the Forerunner. I eliminated other GPS units because I think the features included are all frills. For example even if you had a mapping GPs would you really go out into the hills without a map or compass? In the end I choose the Geko because the forerunner didnt give coordinates in the UK grid format. If it did then I might have choose the forerunner.

The Geko is light, easy to use. Interfaces with Memory map easily and provides all the basic features. I run with mine with it switched on in my waterproof pocket and it works.

In short. The Geko is functional, cheap and easy to use.

I bought the 201 because I wanted a small, compact and lightweight gps that was easy to use. I was not disappointed. In the time that I have owned it, its been very reliable and user friendly, and has not let me down. It's ideal for walking as you can attach it to your map case, ruck sack or handlebars if your biking and being so light and small it's easy to carry around, not like some of these bigger handheld units.

It is without a doubt a great unit.

Ok for a beginner, slow to pick up satellites in cloudy sky, and very weak signals in rain and virtually useless in any tree cover. It does do the basic things like the ability to download waypoints and routes from a pc and to upload the days tracks from the garmin to the pc. Battery life is nowhere near what the manufacturer claims. Best I could get was 6 hours with fully charged nimh batteries.

Overall ok for open spaces and reasonable weather conditions otherwise map and compass are better

This product has been road tested by my grandchildren over the last few weeks and their view of the receiver is thay it perfoms as new.

Garmin have pretty much got everything right with this GPS.
Main features
Great colour for an outdoor piece of kit.
Size of a small mobile phone
Weighs very little.
Waterproof to IP54.
Quick to get a location.
Good coverage in heavy woods and bad weather.
OS grid reference.
Back light.

You need some mapping software such as Memory Map to plan a route and upload, but this can be done in very little time if you are familiar with the software. You will then have a route marked as a thick black line to follow, this works very well even on a bike. You can use the compass style pointer to follow a route, but in practice this is more difficult.

Drawbacks
The OS grid reference info is quite small, as is the screen.
The memory is limited and not upgradeable.
You need a PC with a Serial port and the right cable not supplied but available for about £10 online. Same as Etrex cable.
No bike mount supplied.

Conclusion: When combined with Memmory Map and a cable for download a very useful piece of kit for navigating.

Light wt. x10hr battery life,Used it recently in lakeDistrict + it bailed me out of trouble, Also clip it to my Bike for trip times,av. speed etc, Great entry level toy that suports Import gpx files from GPS mapping software Cannot fail if you don't need maps. Use it in conjunction with Compass + map (Obviously)

When I lost my Geko 201 recently, I had to go out and buy another on eBay. I didn't think twice about it, I just bought another one the same. That really says it all - but I'll add a few notes for completeness' sake

The Geko 201 is a basic GPS with WAAS/EGNOS, it does things with waypoints and tracking, it has a tiny little screen and a serial port (which talks to a USB port with the optional cable). One screen is user-configurable and displays your choice of four parameters from a comprehensive list.

When tucked into its (optional) stretch holster, it wedges nicely in the speedometer cowl of a Mazda 626 or a '98 Fiesta. I don't do satnav as such, but speed/average speed/ETA figures are useful, and the tracking display gives me some idea of where I'm heading.

It's tiny, works off two AAA batteries or powered by the correct cable (NiCads work fine, but don't charge in the GPS). Battery life is excellent, although the screen backlight does shorten it. Still, spare batteries are easily carried and you can get AAAs anywhere.

Position from cold can take a few minutes, but after that it's quick to lock on. Performance indoors or under a leafy canopy isn't brilliant - my little Holux m1000 Bluetooth puck leaves it well behind - but it delivers the goods for what I do. My second unit with later firmware (v2.60)seems (subjectively) to be rather better than the old one in this respect.

Some people claim to have had trouble with the Geko switching itself on in their pocket. I've never had this happen to me. The little rubber buttons are well placed and quite useable with either hand. User interface is very basic, but does the job as well as can be expected. If you have lots of text labels to enter for waypoints, you would do well to get some software that talks Garmin and do it from your computer. I use Fugawi UK (versions 1 and 2) and it works just fine.

What I really like about the Geko 201 is that it's just there and handy for you to slip in your pocket when you go out somewhere. No nonsense, no fancy features, just a rugged basic GPS that you don't notice you're carrying. I have other GPS units, but the Geko is the one that gets the most use by far. There are others in the Geko family, but the 101 is really too basic (less memory, bo serial port) while the 301 gives you an altimeter and a compass at the expense of battery life. I'm happy with what the 201 does, and don't miss what it doesn't do.

The Geko 201 doesn't pretend to do it all for you. If, like me, you can be trusted to find your way outdoors with a map and compass you will find the Geko to be a fantastically handy little doodah which saves you a lot of trouble. When you're trying to navigate a car in a strange city, the Geko won't tell you which turning to take - but it'll show you when you're going back the way you came. When just wandering about in unfamiliar territory, the Geko will get you back to your starting point. If you take the trouble to plot an itinerary on a package like Fugawi UK the Geko will take you from waypoint to waypoint with a minimum of fuss.

The Geko's well worth the little space it takes up in my pocket. For many, it could be all the GPS they ever need.