Garmin eTrex Vista Handheld GPS Navigator
by Garmin
|
List Price: Buy Used: from $65.00 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin eTrex Vista Handheld GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Damn cool little unit
Summary: 4 Stars
The Vista is all around good unit. It does have it's short comings, but in general is one of the best hand GPS unit out there.The problem with small hand GPS units are usually: Lack of memory, lack of battery life and poor screen resolutions.
The Vista does not have the memory size problems. At 24 Megabytes of memory you can store a large amount of maps. In my case, I uploaded all of California, Washington and large chunks of Oregon in high detail and still had room left over.
The screen resolution is not bad. You might think it is a bit small, but this is a hand unit, not a dashboard car unit that has the luxuary of surface area. They can not make the screen any larger without making the whole unit larger. The pixel count is also fairly large making the images on the screen pretty crisp.
The battery life is also not that bad. If you turn on all the features of the unit, you can drain the 2 AA batteries in about 8 or 9 hours. If you turn on the power saver mode and turn off other features you can live without, you can get about 15 or 16 hours of use out of the unit. I do not think that is too bad, but it might annoy you. To me, it is not a big deal since I have rechargable batteries and regular batteries are cheap and easy to carry.
Another nice things about the Vista is that you can navigate all the features of the unit while it is in your left hand. Some people do not like this, but I think it is cool since I can use my left hand pretty well. I notice some people are a bit clumy with their left hand if they are right handed. I have no problems though.
The satellite tracking is good. Some people claim it does not track well in deep woods, but since I am urban explorer, I do not have those problems. I guess if you were a hunter, you might see that as a big negitive, but I have a Garmin Vista to keep me out of the deep woods.
If you get a Garmin Vista you should also get the carring case to keep it protected, and also get the data/cigarette power adapter cable. When you get into the car you can hook this up and not use the batteriers.
You will also need to buy one of the Garmin CDROM maps. They tend to be expensive, but the maps that come with Vista Garmin are really poor and are of no use.
The other thing I notice is not with the unit itself, but the company that makes it. Garmin does a very good job of supporting the Vista and it's like brothers (Legend, Trek, Camo). Firmware updates are released often and do fix bugs that crop up. The manual is quite good and very useful. There are a number of websites that are very helpful for the first time GPS owner, so do not worry about support; you'll get it from Garmin or someone else who owns a Garmin.
The Goods
Small size
Good screen resolution
Large memory
Plenty of features for the average trekker of any kind
Battery life can be long, if managed properly
Water proof, but does not float!
Great support from Garmin
Small size
The Bads
The maps that comes with it are worthless
Battery life can be poor if not managed properly
Satellite tracking might be bad under heavy tree cover
Customer Review: Good feature set, but the well known flaw is very annoying, especially given the price
Summary: 3 Stars
If you want a GPS unit for backpacking, this one (or the newer color version) has among the best feature sets. Downloadable maps, an altimeter, an electronic compass, etc. It's a Cadillac, unless you step up from the eTrex line to something beautiful but horrendously expensive like the GPSMAP 76CSx (super duper Cadillac). However, a few things need to be kept in mind.
Few backpackers should need a GPS receiver at all. A map ought to get most people down the trail just fine. A paper map, not the expensive, propriety software 1:100,000 scale topo maps you can pay extra for to put on this unit (its built-in maps are of major roads, cities, etc.) But if you wear the newest Patagonia, have spring-loaded trekking poles, etc., you'd best get this expensive doo dad (and Garmin does overprice all their gear), so you'll be fashionable outdoors. Otherwise, think before buying any GPS receiver. Apart from geocaching, I don't see much use for hiking with GPS. If you rely on GPS to get you around, you'll learn it's entirely insufficient as a substitute for good land navigation skills. Learn to read a topo map, and figure out where to go without assuming your batteries will last on a device that shows you only where you are and where you want to go, but not what's in between. The one and only reason I got this is for off trail use, primarily as an emergency backup to make it easier get back to camp (and I got a deal on it, or I wouldn't have bought it). This GPS isn't anything I rely on for my safety, since it--like most GPS receivers--won't maintain a satellite lock in most of the forests and canyons I visit. In hindsight, if I were going to buy a GPS receiver again I'd probably just get the cheapest one out there, since there isn't much practical use for a backpacking GPS receiver apart from showing where you are in relation to a particular waypoint (of course, if I could afford a Rino for each family member...).
The altimeter, of course, is barometric, so air pressure changes will affect it even if you're staying in one place. That's not a defect, it's just the way things work. Better than trying to get altitude accuracy from the satellites (GPS receivers are good at latitude and longitude, not altitude, which is why this unit has a barometric altimeter).
You shouldn't need the electronic compass, because you should always have a real one. Real ones don't die when the batteries do. And the electronic compass uses more power when it's on.
With those caveats in mind, this unit does about what you'd expect and want, with one exception: as people have said, it sometimes shuts off unexpectedly. This is not, as a recent reviewer guessed, a fluke with his own unit. It's a common problem with Garmin's eTrex receivers, generally attributed to poor battery contacts, but there was also a software glitch that contributes (Garmin claims they fixed it). It'll restart, but it shouldn't even happen occasionally.
Customer Review: Good, but with compromises
Summary: 4 Stars
Recommendation: I'd buy this if you want this particular combination of features. But to get the features there are large compromises in performance.
In this review, I will mention the Gecko 201, Quest, and Vista C. These are other units made by Garmin. I own a 201 and a Quest (early version) but have not yet used the other unit or the later Quest's.
Driving: When placing it on the dash I am forced to compromise between seeing the display and aiming the antenna outside of the car for reception, since the antenna is in the body of the unit. The effect depends on the design of the car (how big the windows are, I would guess.) On the Quest, the antenna flips up and it does not have this problem. Sunlight reflecting off the front face of the unit into the driver's eyes is sometimes a problem, and aiming to unit to fix this can compromise reception and/or readability. The battery life is short enough that I find a car plug necessary (at additional cost). However, the battery life can be extended by disabling features. It is not able to find automobile routes, such as the Vista C or Quest can do. I find that when I compare the cost of a Vista (plus maps and plug) with, say, a Quest (where these are included), they are pretty much the same. So I would not get a Vista if the only planned use was extensive route finding while driving. The Quest is a much better solution.
Hiking: I live in California. Here there are grassy hills to tree covered hills. I find that my main area of concern is finding my location when in the trees since in other areas I can navigate with a map (the GPS does not rule out needing a map, even with the topo map CDs) and my eyes. I have been comparing the reception of the Vista with my Gecko 201, and find that the 201 gets noticably stronger signals. This results in the 201 getting faster, better positions, and getting positions where the Vista will not, such as in moderate tree cover, which is where I'd really want a position. I find that e-compass and e-altimeter do not outweigh the fact I cannot get a position lock. So if your only planned use is hiking, I'd get something with better reception, and a Silva "Ranger" style compass.
I am finding that when I switch on/off the compass feature (to save battery life, the compass is a noticable drain) the software in the unit crashes and it shuts off. A pain, but not a fatal one.
However, all the preceeding being said, if you want a single unit that can get you to a park, then navigate around the park, and back to the car, this unit is cheaper that two separate GPS units for each aplication. And it nicely fits into a pocket for hiking. I also hear that geocachers like them since they need to get close to the cache in the car, and then take the unit out of the car to find the cache. I could see this unit being nice in that application.
Customer Review: Never leave home without it.
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased my Eterex about 2 years ago, and have used it a lot since. I like to turn it on when on an auto trip across country. Click the scale small and use it to navigate off ramps as you wind through freeway interchanges. Always set a way point at your motel in a strange city. One night in Huntington, West Virginia, we were on our way back to our motel after a late dinner. Several minutes went by until we realized that we must have taken a wrong turn in the dark. We had no idea where we were or which way to go to the motel. Flick on the Eterex, and in thirty seconds we knew we were on the right street, but 4 miles away going in the wrong direction. I also love to go to National Parks and Monuments, and go off the beaten trails. Until getting the Eterex I was always worried that I could get lost, no trail, no markers, just more trees. Now, it's always set to tell men the direction back to the car and how far. I even use it on my walks around town to count miles of exercise. For those of you who have never used one, the Eterex GPS system fits in a pocket or the palm of your hand, about the size of a cell phone. It has a general map of the entire US, including all towns and highways. It holds 24 megs of detailed topographic or other maps. You need to load the detail map of specific areas because you can't hold the whole US all at once. I bought the accessory CD set for topographic maps, and a cable to plug it into my desk CD for easier programming. The software set is easy to use. I got the topo maps because I'm off the road in the back country fairly often. You can also get a set of data on restaurants, gas stations, chain motels, etc. With that set the Eterex can tell you the direction and distance to the closest motel or other business.
One drawback that could be improved is the compass. It needs a little work. Oh, it works fine if you don't mind doing a double rotation calibration every time you turn it on, but that's annoying. I love the altitude graph that it draws giving a chart of your gain or loss of altitude, and current rates of assent or descent. You also can read current and max speed. We hit 86.4 mph once on our last road trip. Don't know where. High altitude reached on the last trip was over 10,000 feet while in New Mexico. You don't need that information, but it's fun to know. I should buy a plug adapter for the car. The batteries (AAA) last about 12 hours. Don't start into the woods without putting in new batteries.
Positional accuracy seems to be good to about 17 feet or less most of the time, about the length of a pickup truck. It doesn't work indoors very well, you need a clear view of the sky. Large trees can also interfere a little sometimes. In a car hold it near a window. I sit mine on the dash (rubber back doesn't slide) or on my outside knee. I never used the neck cord.
Customer Review: Good features, but screen refresh is too slow, not good for car
Summary: 4 Stars
I had a Magellan SporTrak Map GPS before I got my Garmin eTrex Vista. I bought the Garmin because I needed an additional GPS as my two sons were constantly using my SporTrak for geocaching, and I always like to keep a GPS in my car for those times when I need a quick detour, or need help getting somewhere and I don't want to miss the turns. I had read in a number of reviews that the Garmin units were more feature-rich than the corresponding similarly priced Magellan units, so decided to get an eTrex for my car, and let the kids keep my Magellan.
Here's what I found. The features are good, 24MB of map memory compared to my Magellan's 6MB. The waypoint siteline (the line it draws between you and your destination) properly moves *with* you, instead of the Magellan's wacky fixed siteline that stays put from the moment you set a waypoint destination. Good screens, I like the fact that you can customize it so that the satellite accuracy in feet can be displayed on both the map and the navigation pointer screens (good for geocaching).
But as it turns out, this unit is completely inappropriate for use in a car. The screen is too small for use in a car, the light is way too dim, and the redraw is *way* too slow. If you scroll the screen a bit just to find out what roads are up ahead, you will wait 8 seconds (sometimes longer) just for it to repaint! The only way to avoid this long repaint time is to zoom out so that not as many detailed roads are displayed, but then that defeats the whole purpose, since you then can't see the smaller roads that you're interested in.
The items that this unit falls short on compared to my Magellan SporTrak Map are:
-Incredibly dim light, not very useful unless your eyes are 3 inches from screen
-No audible beep feature
-Very slow repainting
-Very clumsy panning (slow to move the cursor, and once you move off screen it repaints, causing a long wait).
-Small screen
In order to get the detailed maps, you still need to buy the MapSource software. I got the MapSource Metro Guide USA, it has detailed roadmaps for all of US.
The features of this unit that are superior to Magellen SporTrak:
-Waypoint siteline moves with you
-Shows satellite accuracy in feet
-Much more space for maps (24MB)
-Built-in compass, keeps you oriented even when you're not moving
-Longer battery life (12 hrs)
-Small, fits well in pocket
All in all, a good unit, but not useful for driving when you need *quick* response in order to avoid taking your eyes off the road for too long. For geocaching and hiking, I think this is a very good unit.