Handheld GPS Reviews - Customer reviews - Garmin eTrex Venture CX Color Mapping Handheld GPS

Manufacturer: Garmin

List Price: $267.99
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Average Customer Rating: -

Product details

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Name: techmannn
Location: New York, NY United States
Date: 2006-06-21
Customer Rating: -

Summary: nice but comes without USB cable
Comment: Just arrived yesterday and this is only an intro review, but I was surprised that this 200buck device doesn't come with the USB cable needed to connect it to your PC. It uses a fairly standard mini-usb connector that you can buy at a gadget store but annoying that this is the case. Be sure to get a cable when you buy if you want to upload maps and create waypoints.

It also bears mentioning that the device comes with absolutely no software on CD at all. You get a very basic world map built into the device and that's it for maps. Any additional maps must be bought from garmin and cost 80-100bucks each.

This model uses microSD memory cards which is a nice upgrade from previous models. There's now really no limit to how much map info you can store in the device if you buy a large capacity microSD card.

I like the device, but Garmin is really nickle and diming the consumer of its products. For the cost, there should be a USB cable in the box. Maps should cost no more than 50bucks tops.

Name: T. Pifer
Location: Traverse City, MI
Date: 2007-01-29
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Good entry level color unit
Comment: Our unit was purchased to replace a 3+ year old Garmin Geko 201 for Geocaching. The Geko was great, but the tiny screen was "shrinking" due to my middle-aged eyesight. Also, it was getting very tiresome manually entering caches into the unit.

I considered the cheaper Garmin Legend, but found the display less readable than the Geko. Also, it came with a serial cable, not USB, so I would have had to buy an adapter or an expensive cable(s) to get it interfaced with my notebook.

A word on interfacing with a computer: Be prepared to work a bit to accomplish this. The USB cable that came with my Sony digital camera worked fine. However, the USB drivers from Garmin's website DID NOT automatically install and set things up. I had to run the driver install executable, locate the drivers, then manually run XP hardware install wizard and point to the drivers. Not too bad if you are experienced, but might be a challenge if you aren't a "techie." I then setup and configured "EasyGPS" to interface with the unit and be able to load the .loc files from Geocaching.com, and we were off to the races. This was SO much easier/faster than entering coords by hand!

The unit performed well in our field tests. The color screen was a bit harder to read than the Geko in bright sunlight. Also, I found the unit would "flip-flop" the display when I was standing still. No big deal, just start moving and it settles down. Has many useful Geocaching specific features.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the build quality and features.

Name: slowtogo
Location:
Date: 2007-02-04
Customer Rating: -

Summary: "Venture" forth with this GPS
Comment: A friend excitedly told me about geocaching and I pursue other activities where a gps would be handy. I'd been on-the-fence regarding the purchase of a gps for some time as I'm old-school and not very "techie". However, a couple of my buddies assured me that "even" I could do it, so I took the plunge. Before purchasing, I visited a local outdoor store and REI hoping to glean some wisdom or at least knowledge to fill the abyss of ignorance. I read the posts on this site and narrowed the choice to the Legend cx or the Venture cx. Finally, I even called the Garmin 800 number and talked with somebody there regarding the differences between the 2 models. I chose the Venture cx for the following reasons:
1.Price - I just don't need all the whi$tles and bell$ of some of the $$$$ units that may be used in aircraft, with LORAN, etc.
2.Color screen - a big plus in various lighting conditions and with most maps.
3.Features - this unit does all that I think most (recreational, soft-core) users would ever need. If you need something more, then get the necessary unit.
4.Physical size & color - fits easily in pockets and the yellow is a good color if you need to go looking for it. Waterproof, but does not float.
5.User friendly - I say that with hesitation as early in my ownership I wanted to run it over with the car. I told my buddies and they weren't surprised as they know my phobia for any device where a button must be used for more than "on-off". However, after calming myself over a few days and sitting undistubed with the owner's manual (and websites), my daughter and I today found 3 geocaches. My buddy gave me a topomap cd and I even downloaded that and I feel I can use the installed data for its intended purpose. There IS a learning curve, but if you sit and push buttons long enough, the fog begins to clear. Even so, there are parts of the menus I haven't sampled and I plan to take the next series of classes offered by REI (just missed the last classes).
6.Apparently same as the Legend cx for fewer $$ - BUT, as others have said, this model does not come with a memory disc or the usb cable. I bought a storage mimi-disk when I ordered the gps knowing I would need one, and my digital camera cord works just fine to connect to the computer. I believe Legend cx purchasers would be buyin larger memories for their units to replace the stock one, anyway, so the only difference between the 2 is the inclusion of the cord with the Legend cx.

I gave it 4 stars because of the cost of the supporting software, lack of at least one of the things that comes with a Legend cx, and lack of flotation.

This thing amazes me (which my buddies say is not hard to do). It does so many things, and I haven't installed the City Navigator map which permits it to do even more. I 've had it about 4 days now and I don't want to run over it anymore. Unless you absolutely NEED something more, this gps should satisfy/please anyone looking for a reasonably priced, compact, useable gps.

Name: Bobby Brown
Location: East TN
Date: 2007-01-15
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Great value
Comment: This unit is basically the Vista without the memory card, compass, and barometric altimeter. The last two I thought I could live without and the micro SD memory I thought I could shop for one later. The maps out of the box are decent for navigating the trail, but don't expect to do very well navigating roadways without the City maps. I found that if you're hiking in mountainous areas you tend to lose signal in the valleys and when you lose line-of-site with the satallites, ie. big mountain in the way. The battery life is really good - I toyed with this thing for days before the battery died on me. There are some good websites for downloading waypoints to natural land forms - water falls, caves, arches, etc. This is a good all around GPS for the price with the ability to upgrade some.

Name: K. Hughes
Location: Northern California
Date: 2007-08-02
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Great for geocaching
Comment: We've used the eTrex Venture CX for about a month and it's great for geocaching. Battery life is outstanding. The only bad things about it are (1) you need to buy a separate set of topo maps, which aren't cheap and (2) the manual is not very useful.

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