My new paperweight.
Pros:
Size, WAAS capability
Cons:
Power switch that randomly turns unit under normal use
The Bottom Line:
If the power button problem can be resolved, this could be an excellent product. But as is, I find it to be unreliable and best left behind.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The primary problem with the Geko 201 is the overly sensitive power button, which randomly turns the unit on with the slightest jostling -- whether it's being carried in a shirt pocket, a pants cargo pocket, or even in a hardshell ballistic nylon case. I've never had this happen with any other unit I've owned, including the Garmin Etrex.
At times, I'd find the Geko on with the contrast turned up so the screen was completely dark. On other occasions, it displayed an ominous message indicating that personal data input was about to be erased.
On a recent 8-day backpacking trip to the Wind River Range with my children, my Geko used up a spare set of batteries I brought, as well as six other batteries that spares for Petzl headlamps we had with us. We ended up treating it like a holy relic, wrapping it in a t-shirt and isolating it deep inside a backpack to avoid setting it off.
By contrast, my 13-year-old son, navigating with topos and my old Garmin Etrex, never exhausted even one set of batteries. He still had roughly half the battery power at the end of the trip. I typically only power up a GPS unit long enough to get a UTM coordinate to find my location on a topo.
Perversely, in order to turn the Geko 201 off, the power button must be held down for a few seconds. If the same were true for turning it on, there probably wouldn't be a problem.
I contacted Garmin for help. I was told that the Geko 301 has a recessed power button, which doesn't help me much with my Geko 201. I'm not inclined to go out and buy a Geko 301, having only purchased a Geko 201 a few months ago.
The Garmin representative suggested removing one of the batteries when the unit was not being used. I'm not inclined to be fumbling with batteries every time I want to use a GPS unit. My solution is to leave my new Geko 201 at home and to start looking for a better-designed replacement, unless Garmin can come up with a software patch quickly.
