Garmin eTrex Legend HCx

Advantages: Tough, compact, waterproof, accurate, cheaper than bike specific gps
Disadvantages: Expensive maps, Poor bike handlebar mount, slow data transfer

...This is a tough, well designed and compact handheld gps device. Personally I use this for mountain biking, with the GB Topographic map, and find that it accomplishes what I need it to do very well and is extremely accurate. It has a microSD slot which is great, I have a 2gb card and you can easily fit the whole of the GB topo map onto it. Ok so the road routing may not be great but I did not even consider using it in the car when I ordered it. However it does a perfectly acceptable job of navigating for me, although It does lack features of a dedicated sat nav. It is waterproof so ideal for outdoor use, this is especially handy on the bike. It doesn't float but I don't intend on riding through anything that deep!! It is bluechart compatible so thats another use for it if you purchase the marine maps, which I have and the detail is great...

ben1777 20.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Garmin eTrex Legend HCx

The Garmin etrex

Advantages: Small, Reasonably priced, Easy to use
Disadvantages: Route memory a little small, loses signal in pockets

...The etrex is a base model GPS reciever designed for walkers, cyclists and other outdoor adventurers. I have had mine for 3 years it still works and they're still making the same one so it must be good! The screen is large, monocrome and is backlit although this reduces the life of the two AA batteries quite significantly. This screen is easy to read and you can also adjust the contrast. The casing is yellow with rubber sides and back. This seems very rugged and hard to break. There is a plug on the back to connect to a PC or PDA. This allows you to upload routes, tracks or waypoints from mapping software onto the GPS. The route memory allows 50 different points along the route. I have found this to be a little small for longer, more complicated routes and have had to to simplify my routes accordingly. Also this plug is easily...

patricksimpson 29.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Garmin eTrex

Hiking fun! Till you're lost! Never with eTrex

Advantages: Lightweight, robust and easy to use
Disadvantages: No interface to the computer.

...many reviews on Ciao). After advice from assistants and internet research, I decided on the Garmin eTrex Summit. Of course the eTrex Summit can be used for more than just geocaching. It is intended for long distance walkers of hilly or mountainous terrain. It incorporates an electronic compass to aid navigation and an in-built barometric altimeter. It can store up to 20 routes and up to 500 waypoints. The eTrex Summit weighs just 5.3 ounces - definitely light in weight. It is shaped rather like a mobile phone and comes with a wrist strap making it very easy to carry. It is waterproof. Garmin claim that the unit can be safely submersed to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Now, I haven't actually put that to the test but my eTrex Summit has withstood heavy rain and snow and has emerged unscathed (unlike me). The eTrex Summit requires 2 AA...

MAFARRIMOND 12.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Garmin eTrex Summit

Garmin Etrex Vista after 2 years hard use...

Advantages: Lightweight, solid, reliable and accurate
Disadvantages: Used mine extensively for 2 years and honestly cannot fault.

...I bought my Etrex Vista a couple of years ago now, and has prevailed as being one of my favorite toys for all that time. Build quality is second to none-surviving gruelling mountain bike rides in harsh weather conditions whilst mounted on the handlebars and still has barely a scratch on it. The soft grippy plastic lightweight construction also makes it a pleasure to use in the wet. Radio reception seems good (works fine on the dashboard of a car in built-up central london, and under wet trees in woodland), and software design/user interface was very easy to get the hang of. I loaded mine with detailed local maps quite easily, and the 24Mb memory seems enough to hold about half of the UK in high detail mapping. Battery life is good (running for at least 48hrs on NiMh batteries), and the serial data connection worked reliably. The software...

robharg 02.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Garmin Etrex Vista

This GPS is for life, not just for Christmas

Advantages: Small, Basemap, Price
Disadvantages: No Electronic Compass-Altimeter-

...a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS. What does a GPS actually do? ----------------------------------------- With any standard GPS, they will allow you to receive co-ordinates to the accuracy of around 15 metres on average. How GPS work is through satellites. The GPS sends a signal to 24 satellites circling the earth and then using "triangulation", the receiver will tell you where you are. First off though, you will need to have a lock onto these satellites. Most GPS's need at least 3 locked on satellites. Make sure you have a clear view of the sky to be able to obtain connection with the satellites. GPS are great, but trees, cloud cover etc. can affect on you achieving a connection with the satellites, and making you go back to your map and compass. Garmin have now installed WAAS into most of their GPS...

steveking5000 28.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of Garmin Etrex Legend

There's Summit About It!

Advantages: Compact, Rugged, 50 routes, Electronic Compass
Disadvantages: Battery life

...feast of walks and the addition of a proper altimeter and a digital compass turn it into a comprehensive navigation tool. The robust case and waterproofing, complete with the lanyard or even handlebar attachment makes it ideal for anyone with a keen interest in finding their way around the great outdoors, but it works best if you invest in a PC data Cable some mapping software and a bit of time using it before you go out. 3 years ago I paid around £235 for mine. IN a recent check on prices I've seen it available for as low as £140 which is probably about as good as you will get. So if you're looking for a rugged, handheld GPS that's ideally suited to hill-walking in the UK, you could do a lot worse than the eTrex Summit. Sure, there are flashier models available, with colour screens and base-maps but in my experience you will be paying...

LegendaryMrDude 14.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Garmin eTrex Summit

There's Summit about it

Advantages: Larger Memory, Digital Compass, Altimeter
Disadvantages: Battery life.

...maps and then upload them, waypoints and all, to the GPS for future use. It's then a simple task of selecting the appropriate route when you reach the start point and the GPS will guide you all the way round (if needed). In summary, the eTrex Summit is an excellent upgrade from the base eTrex. The additional route capacity makes it a tool much better suited to a week long feast of walks and the addition of a proper altimeter and a digital compass turn it into a comprehensive navigation tool. The robust case and waterproofing, complete with the lanyard or even handlebar attachment makes it ideal for anyone with a keen interest in finding their way around the great outdoors, but it works best if you invest in a PC data Cable some mapping software and a bit of time using it before you go out. It just remains for me to remind you that...

LegendaryMrDude 10.09.2004 · Read review
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Review of Garmin eTrex Summit

Garmin Nuvi 200w Sat Nav System

Advantages: Easy to use, does what it's suppsed to do!
Disadvantages: Satellite pairing takes ages, no mains charger!

...480x272 pixel widescreen, with a very impressive, brightly coloured touch screen, sunlight readable, anti-glare display. Navigating through the systems menu's is very easy, with big, bright picture icons available on each screen, and the on-screen instructions and icon descriptions are available in a number of different languages. One thing I did find quite annoying and time consuming is when the system is switched on, pairing it up to a satellite can take some time. I found myself having to stand out in the open for up to 10 minutes whilst the system attempted to pair up to a satellite. Whether this is a common problem, or one that is dependant on your location, I do not know. The Nuvi 200w is packed full of great features. It comes preloaded with City Navigator NT data maps for all UK and Ireland roads. The maps themselves are bright...

danmclovin 27.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Garmin Nüvi 200W

Little yellow marvel

Advantages: Robust, Easy to use
Disadvantages: Buttons in awkward positions, Has the potential to leave you stranded with a flat battery

...15 formats available, and just in case you're using a really strange map you can define your own grid so that the GPS gives you a meaningful figure for the map you're using. Various accessories are available for the eTrex, possibly the most useful of which is the PC link cable. This allows you to do many useful things, such as setting waypoints and a route on your PC before you leave home and uploading it to the GPS. This can be done by simply pointing and clicking on a map contained in Garmin's own MapSource software which is available in various different versions, pricing starting at around £45. Other software is available, including some free software which, although doesn't come with maps like MapSource, does allow you to key in the details on your PC without going through the painstaking process of setting up 30 waypoints using...

Pritch 09.05.2002 · Read review
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Review of Garmin Etrex

Garmin Gremlin is back!

Advantages: gets me where i want to be
Disadvantages: a little quiet

...Satanic Navigation systems have become a common everyday item for many people who drive on a regular basis, but as with anything else technological there are hundreds on the market and a bewildering array of options to choose from. Luckily for me I bypassed this confusion by winning a satnav in a raffle at work last Christmas, so after 12 months of near constant use it was time to review the unit. I have the Garmin Nuvi 250, Garmin have a well established reputation for making good quality GPS receivers and many of my military and outdoor activity loving friends have them for use when hiking, boating, or even just a short ramble throug unfamiliar territory (though one friend has his soley to record the locations of his favourite pubs). So I had high hopes that my little unit would be a good product to use. In terms of its looks...

scuba_angel 02.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Garmin nuvi 250