recommend GPS unit for Alaska

[dc9mm]

Right now i own a Handheld Delorme PN-20 gps but it has almost no detail of the state of Alaska. Need a hand held gps that shows roads and topo info of all of Alaska. I dont want to spen alot since I allready own the Delorme unit which works great were it has map coverage of course.
Looked at Meggalan web site BUT when looking at map software the state of Alaska is missing. I emailed them asking if Alalsak is covered, No reply yet.
So from what i see here it looks like Garmin units with the added topo map software cover alaska. So will one of the lower cost Garmins (etrext?) even though they dont take memory card and just have a small amount of internal memory (24meg) be able to hold most of Alaska?

I should say using GPS for marking postion of were iam taking photos of plus want to record the routes i take during my trip whether by car or plane or hiking to get to these locations for photos. NOT geocaching or anything like that. Just recording my routes and positions were i will be taking photos of the great state of Alaska. ;D

[FrostG1anT]

Try using a BlackBerry with GPSed or one of several GPS software (Itookthisfrommyphone, BlackBerry Tracker, Garmin Mobile, Trimble Outdoors, TeleNav Navigator to name a few). Your Delorme unit should still allow you to "mark" where you are, even without map-sets.

If you aren't looking to geocache with the unit, then any receiver that will tell you where you are globally should work for you if just way-marking photos.

Get a Garmin if you want any sort of mapping for Alaska. The new Magellan's have good maps now too with National Geographic's map-sets. The cheap Garmins may not give you what you want. Don't buy a Colorado as they are over priced and the interface is a bit quirky. I have yet to get any first-hand feedback on the Oregon.

Garmin is your best bet in Alaska.

[Malcore]

I would say that if you are looking for a Garmin then the 'eTrex Venture HC' would do everything you need and more. It's the most basic model of mapping GPS's in Garmin's current line up. The main limitation is the 24mb memory, but if you get the older verson of 'US Topo' and not 'US Topo 2008' you can put all the maps in alaska that are withen 50 miles of all the road systems in under 20mb. And even have room for 'northwest trails' so you can have all the local trail systems. You may even be able to pick up a copy of 'US Topo' cheep from someone that has upgraded to the new 2008 verson. Doing a quick Google search I found you can get a eTrex Venture HC for between $125 and $140 from many online sites.
Hope this helps....

[dc9mm]

Thanks guys.
I found a Garmin etrex legend Cx which takes micro SD cards for $139 brand new(not refurbished) at tigerdirect. This seems to be a half way decent one. Of course i need maps for it but i need maps for just about anyone unless you spend big bucks.

[FrostG1anT]

If you can find the Garmin in the "H" series for the price you want you will be much happier with it. The older models are good, but the improved antennae type makes a world of difference.

[oleruns]

I agree with FrostGiant, you'll want the "H" series if you can get one. They pick up better in the woods and in the car... not that anyone will use one while driving. All the Garmins have mounts that you can get for your bike pretty cheap at around $20 depends on the model.
The only knock I have on the Colorado is that it doesn't average waypoints. I use it more than my Etrex Vista HCX while caching and I didn't think that would happen at first. I love both units but I like the fact you can look at the cache page on the GPS and log your finds or in my case, DNFS. The Colorado has the ability to upload to geocaching.com via USB cable..maybe we could demo that at an event sometime.

You'll want to download trails Northwest too! (www.switchbacks.com) it's the neatest thing as it has a lot of the trail systems here that you can upload to the Garmin products that will save you time while hunting.

That's my 2-cents