Name: David Michmerhuizen
Location: Fremont, CA USA
Date: 2008-01-16
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Best technology in a starter unit
Comment: This is my primary Geocaching GPS. The high sensitivity chip has the same strong processing power, and thus signal sensitivity and position resolution, as any of the more expensive units. It gives me excellent accuracy in areas where my older GPS units just give up, even dense forest cover. The software that drives the unit is the same as the older Yellow model (see below) and has stood the test of time.
If you're only interested in point to point navigation (geocaching, trail tracks or just finding your way back to the car or the ski chalet), then this unit will do a great job for a no-regrets price. If you're looking for road network navigation, then this isn't for you.
Be aware that this is the 'H', for 'High Sensitivity' unit, introduced in 2007. It's appearance is almost identical to older Yellow Etrex units, the difference being "High Sensitivity" in red letters just above the screen. Although the older units do work and may still be found, their worth is significantly lessened by the availability of this unit. That's something to keep in mind when looking at used or "new old stock" units at other venues.
One thing that other reviews mention is true - straight out of the box it takes a long time (hours) to acquire it's almanac (a digital description of where satellites are in the sky which is transmitted periodically) and then it's satellite signals. Mine took at least 3 hours and had me thinking it was defective until it finally locked in. Don't despair, this is a one-time thing - once accomplished, start-up time is about 5 seconds.
Name: William R. Drake
Location: Nevada City, CA USA
Date: 2008-08-07
Customer Rating: -
Summary: An Excellent Basic GPS
Comment: I wanted a basic, easy to use, GPS that would allow me to hike in the wilderness and easily find my way to and from various places without fear of getting lost; and to always find my way back to my campsite or car. I also wanted to be able to save locations I visited as well as locations on the topo map I had not visited yet but wanted to be directed to by the GPS. In addition, I wanted to take a reading "in the field" and be able to find that location on a topo map. This unit does all of this perfectly. Unlike the experience of another reviewer of the eTrex H on this site, when I first turned this GPS on it initialized to satellites and my position in only a few minutes. The description of this unit should mention directly that you can use it to save locations you are not present at. It implies this by referring to Geocaching, but some people, like me, don't know what that is. And the description of how to do this in the owner's manual could be a little better. I am not very experienced in using a GPS with a topo map and I overlooked the need to program the GPS to the "datum" used for the map I was working with, which resulted in my readings being several hundred meters off. My biggest complaint about the owner's manual is that, while it tells you how to program the GPS for various map datums, it does not tell the "beginner" that if you live in the lower 48 US states, for a map that says "NAD 27" for the datum you select "NAD 27 CONUS" (for "Continental US"). I had to buy a couple of books on GPSs to find this out. Otherwise the owner's manual, while it is a little concise, is pretty thorough and easy to use. If your needs are simple, like mine, and you do not need to have topo maps loaded into the GPs, this is an excellent choice at a great price. (Even with a GPS it is always advised to go into unknown areas of the wilderness with a map and compass as well. If you work with a map, you will probably use the UTM system so you will need to learn how to work with that and get a plastic scale for reading meters in "grids". A good book on the GPS can be helpful in these regards - the owner's manual does not go into these details.)
Name: Christina T.
Location: Hattiesburg, MS USA
Date: 2008-02-16
Customer Rating: -
Summary: I love it!
Comment: I got my etrex not long ago for free as a door prize at a company party. I've been interested in geocaching for a few years, but was never able to actually go find the caches. Then I got this gps, and it works perfectly for what I'm using it for. I've had no problems with it finding satellites. It usually finds enough to navigate within a minute. Its very easy to use, especially for a beginner like me. It navigates well in wooded areas, and keeps its satellites more often than not.
The only problem I've had is it wouldn't navigate inside a tall science building on the college campus I go to, but otherwise it navigates well inside and outside. It also seems to have a shorter battery life than I like, but that's easily remedied with rechargeable batteries.
Overall, I think its a great gps for beginners.
Name: Roger E. Harms
Location: Mid -West
Date: 2008-03-09
Customer Rating: -
Summary: eTrex H, hand-held GPS
Comment: Excellent product for basic GPS requirements, functions well in all modes. Defintely water-proof, survived harsh conditions including very cold weather, works well in heavy forest cover, battery life is good, very satisfied with product and price. Diodeman
Name: D. Moxley
Location: Chicago
Date: 2008-04-16
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Great for military use
Comment: I use my eTrex in my job as an Army ROTC instructor, which calls for plenty of opportunity to navigate in the woods. I've used it to plot start and end points for situational training exercises, and land navigation points. It works great in dense forest cover, and can be operated reasonably well while wearing gloves.
The backlight doesn't drain the battery too bad, and doesn't kill your nightvision. The yellow color isn't very tactical, but what about our new uniforms is tactical in a woodland green environment? Rain doesn't bother it, it seems pretty rugged, and at $87.99 (from the PX), I wasn't too worried about dropping it anyway.
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