Handheld GPS Reviews - Customer reviews - GARMIN Etrex Vista HCx GPS Receiver

Manufacturer: Garmin

List Price: $299.99
Our Price: Too low to display
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Refurbished Price: $214.99
Used Price: $150.00

Average Customer Rating: -

Product details

Offers (80)

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Name: R. Duncan
Location: Ballston Lake, NY USA
Date: 2008-07-03
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Replaced the B&W Vista for cycling
Comment: A few years ago I purchased the black and white eTrex Vista. I just replaced it with a Vista HCx with color. It is vastly superior.

The good: Obviously with the color I no longer confuse roads and rivers. When I hit a bump, it no longer shuts off. The sensitivity is fast and excellent even under tree and power lines. The batteries last twice as long - or even more. Tracks automatically log to the SD card. The menu system is much more intuitive. Though the old cycle mount back does not fit, the HCx includes a clip that hooks onto my old cycle mount - a much better solution. The altitude screen is configurable. The USB transfers data to and from my PC much faster than the old serial connection.

The bad: My old US Topo and Metro Guide software work for reading maps but does not work for routes. It requires another purchase of software - Garmin City Navigator NT North America. But on the good side, it re-routes on the fly - very impressive. You also have to buy a micro SD card. I bought a 2 gig one, they say the U.S. fits onto 1 gig and you have another gig for a history of your tracks (GPX format).

Overall: Garmin sells two mapping GPS for cycling. If you don't need cadence or heart monitoring, this is just as good, for far less money.

Name: Raymond R
Location: Lakewood, OH
Date: 2008-05-15
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Great product, but wouldn't do it again...
Comment: this is a great product which i picked up for geocaching. because the only difference between the vista HCX and legend HCX is the electronic compass and barometer (or altimeter, i dont remember exactly because i use neither) i would say to save your money and just go for the eTrex Legend HCX, it works exactly the same and costs less.

Name: James L. Evans
Location:
Date: 2008-01-18
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Lots of Bang for the Buck but still some bugs to work out
Comment: I bought this unit as a replacement for the E-trex legend CX. I was plesantly pleased with the speedy delivery by Amazon. The menus and functions are almost identical to the prior GPS with a few exceptions. The electronic compass makes stop and go waypoint finds very easy as you don't have to be moving to get an accurate arrow. The altimiter is nice to have, but unless you're a meterologist or skydiver, it really has no practical use in my part of the world. The GPS links easily with my laptop computer. The seperately purchased mapping software loaded like a dream on the micro SD card that I also had to purchase seperately. The unit is waterproof (accidently tried this feature out).

There is a downside, though......If you plan on using this GPS in cold weather, 45 or below, keep it in your pocket. When the screen gets really cold, the backlight makes the entire screen have a white hazy appearance until it warms up. Cold start-up satellite acquisition time is less than honorable, but the reception is awesome once it locks on. I can sit in my living room at home and lock on satellites!
There is a firmware update that had to be installed right out of the box, but it only takes a few minutes to load. No biggie.
The battery life on this little guy is teriffic. The longest I had it on was 35 hours using rechargable lithium batteries.

If you hunt or fish in rough, thick terrain, this GPS is for you. If you have a bad habit of abusing your toys, this GPS is for you. If you graduated 6th grade and can read English, you will be able to work this GPS. I couldn't give it five stars because of the cold screen issue and the firmware update. I really enjoy this device.

Name: SKI4FUN
Location: PA, USA
Date: 2008-04-02
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Ecellent
Comment: Got this unit because of the small size and thinner profile. I also have the 60CSx and use them both for GeoCaching and in the car as well. The eTrex is as accurate as the more expensive 60 series and actually has a brighter screen [even if it is a little smaller] I'd recommend this to someone looking for an accurate - easy to read - expandable - GPSr for hiking or camping and in car use. I'm glad that I bought this one.

Name: Thomas Kelly
Location: Park City, UT USA
Date: 2008-06-08
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Good Upgrade to eTrex Line
Comment: I'm a longtime Garmin eTrex user. I think this is our fourth or fifth unit and each upgrade has been well worthwhile. I grappled with this one as a part of me wanted to go up to the GPS Map line. Our primary use is Geocaching and other outdoor activities. In the end, I opted to stay with the eTrex Vista even if the only real changes were the expanded memory and higher sensitivity.

The unit is great and does all it is supposed to. I have just two comments:

First, it caught me off guard that the ONLY way to store maps is in the micro SD card. I headed off to Africa on a trip without going through the unit first. Fortunately, I was able to steal the micro SD card from my wife's stateside cell phone to use to store the maps.

Secondly, the control panel on the unit continually locked up. This was a strange problem I've never encountered before and I'll be calling Garmin on it. We would be driving down the road tracking our route, and the keyboard would completely lock allowing no inputs. It required a LONGGGGG hold down of the on/off switch or pulling a battery to reset.

Otherwise, it's a good step up from the earlier Vistas.

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