Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7843 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-00630-01    
• Released on: 2007-09-13
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .2 pounds
• Display size: 2.1

Manufacturer's Description
Deep foliage, nor canyons faze the rugged eTrex Vista HCx. Its high-sensitivity receiver holds a GPS signal in the toughest environments. Similar to the Vista Cx, this handheld navigator also has a bright color screen, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, microSD™ card slot and automatic routing for wherever adventure takes you.

Enjoy Clear Reception
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex Vista HCx locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Vista HCx to help you find your way when you need it the most.

Get Your Bearings
The Vista HCx has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you're standing still, and its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.

Expand Your Memory
Adding maps is easier than ever with Vista HCx's microSD card slot. Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD cards with MapSource data for your land and sea excursions. Just insert a MapSource card with detailed street maps, and Vista HCx provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet.

Take It Anywhere
Like the rest of the eTrex series, Vista HCx is lightweight and compact — the perfect size for all your travels.

Box Contains

• Garmin eTrex Vista HCx
• Basemap
• MapSource trip and waypoint manager
• USB cable
• Wrist strap
• Owner's manual
• Quick reference guide

Customer Reviews

Excellent piece of kit
I always find these product reviews helpful as they are based on personal experience and hopefully not predjudice.This is my 3rd e trex and is a fantastic navigation tool.The first was left in my walking trousers and endured a full wash cycle to survive another day and function perfectly well! Such is the reliability of Garmin products.The Legend HCx acquires a fix extremely quickly and hotstarts within 3 seconds or so.This means out in the field,it can be switched on and acquire virtually instantaneously.If left for a day or so,the cold start is 45seconds approx and on switching off,the next "hot" start is 3 seconds.
Battery life is as claimed,20 hours plus.I use NiMh rechargeables.As the unit will not be on throughout a walk(remember hot start time)I think it possible to have a 7 day trek on one set of batteries.I bought the Topo GB which is a stripped down version of OS,showing all tracks and paths.It is easy to use,but for route planning I find it easier to use in conjunction with a map.Once the route is planned,it can be sent to the device.On activation in the device it will be displayed as a purple line,with your position shown as a black triangle.It is possible to name waypoints created to give a name to your location eg,Blackden Edge,Dove Crag etc.I have found that when using a PDA for navigation(can they be machine washed?)sunlight can make reading the screen very difficult,particularly if there is snow about.The Legend HCx loves the sun,just like the rest of us.Finally if you want something reliable rugged and inexpensive (I'm sure the tight folks out there will disagree!)buy it.

Jon
Unfortunately I seem to have had a similar experience to Martin. My unit too hangs/freezes without warning, which is rather unhelpful to say the least if you are trying to use it to keep a track log in areas with few marked paths.

Fortunately, after switching off and on again, I was able to get grid references to confirm my position on a paper map but this seems a very expensive way of getting that sort of information intermittently.

I have not owned a handheld GPS before and bought this with great expectations. Sadly these have so far not been met. The user interface is byzantine compared to the TomTom we use in the car and the maps are far inferior to printed versions for off road use.

I will soldier on trying to solve these problems but cannot recommend this product to others as it stands.

Purchased for Christmas present for my husband
He thinks it's fantastic.
He uses it in conjunction with Tracklogs Digital Mapping V3, so he can easily plan walking/cycling routes and drop these onto the eTrex. Track logging is very accurate and can easily be downloaded from the eTrex onto Tracklogs - so he can see and record on his PC exactly where he's been.
We also used it to locate some geocaches and so far it has proved to be extremely accurate, beeping when you are within just a couple of feet of the target.
The mapping provided is very very limited, but if you use the device in conjunction with something like Tracklogs, and also carry an OS print of the area, it's good enough. That said, I think he's interested in the TOPO mapping for Great Britain, but appreciates that this is only vector based and will not provide the detail of current OS 50k maps.
The eTrex also works with RoboGEO software (about £25), which automatically geotags the photos he's taken when out walking - again this has proved to be extremely accurate and saves all the hassle of trying to remember exactly where he took the photos. RoboGEO can also upload photos to Flick and automatically place them on the Flickr map.
All in all, a fantastic device and well worth the money.