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Garmin Etrex Legend GPS Receiver by Garmin
Digital Photo Product DetailsManufacturer: Garmin Brand: Garmin Edition: Electronics Format: CD Platform: Linux, Mac, Mac OS 9 and below, Mac OS X, Windows Model: 010-00256-05 Color: Blue-10 Publisher: Garmin Studio: Garmin Music Label: Garmin Product features: - 8 Mb Of Available Flash Memory
- Download From Metroguide Usa Cd-Rom (Not Included), Detailed Street Map Info, Addresses & Points Of Interest With Phone Info
- Smallest GPS On Market With North & South America Basemap
- WAAS-Enabled
- Perfect For Outdoor Person & Adaptable To Be Fully-Functional For Vehicle Use
Accessories:
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Etrex Legend GPS ReceiverCustomer Review: Excellent price/performance point. Summary: 5 Stars
Every other person I know who owns a GPS has this model! I believe that's a testament to the performance and price point this model represents.
I finally bought the GPS receiver after buying a kayak. I wanted to know what kind of time we were making so I could plan future outings, and wanted a record of our trips. It works well in that capacity, but I also use it regularly in the car, and on my road bike. I use the suction cup mount, and it tracked my honeymoon train trip across Canada, stuck in the window of the compartment, and I'm amazed at how well it will work in the window of commercial airliners. Sure, it doesn't have the greatest display for use in a car, but this model was not designed for that. Garmin does have better models for that, but you have to pay 6 times or so as much. Regardless, the Legend has been handy getting me unlost on a couple of occasions, and helping me to return to infrequently visited places.
Despite the numerous features packed into this unit, after a few minutes of reading the manual, its operation quickly becomes intuitive, and you can often find features quickly on your own. Of course, some more advanced features, such as building a track using the map, can become somewhat unwieldy, and are better exercised on a PC with the results downloaded to the Legend.
With the complexity of this unit, I'm sure every user can find nits to pick about how some things are done, or under what menus functions should appear. Overall, I am very pleased with how the Legend operates, although I could come up with a long list myself. These items are pretty minor, though.
For example, the trip computer screen is customizable, but it would be nice to be able to store different screens for later use when using the Legend for different applications. The antenna is a patch antenna, and should work best with the unit horizontal with the face upward. However, if it hanging from its neck strap, it's in a very poor position. An optional external antenna would be nice (but would make the unit cost more.) The built-in maps are rather rough. I expect I-95 to be made of straight segments, but think it's inexcusable that US1 crosses to the wrong side of the Florida East Coast railroad in Cocoa.
Again, these are fairly minor points. The biggest complaint in relation to the Legend, although not with the receiver itself, is the price of the accessories. Adding an additional mount (I have the suction cup and bicycle mounts), a cigarette lighter adapter, and map CD costs as much as the street price of the Legend itself!
One thing that impresses me is that Garmin is continually improving the software, and makes the upgrades available for free on their web site. There have been two upgrades in the year since I bought the Legend. When I first got it, and turned it on after it sat in my hot car in the summer (In Florida, it's not really practical to NEVER have to leave it in a hot car at some time), a message would pop up saying that external power had been disconnected and it was turning itself off in 30 seconds! At the time, I didn't OWN an external power source. As the unit would cool, it would be fine. I returned it to Garmin, and they were accomodating, and sent me a new one. Guess what? It did the same thing. But I see the first upgrade included a change to better detect when external power was removed. Since upgrading, I haven't had a problem. It's a little disappointing that it had problems, but encouraging that the manufacturer was helpful, is continually improving the product, and making those upgrades available for free to the consumer.
Like I said, I think the Legend is remarkable performer for the price. The Vista is the next model up in the eTrex line. In going to it, you go from 8 MB of memory to 24 MB, and add a compass and altimeter, but at almost twice the street price. I would like to have seen a model priced between the two without the compass and altimeter but more memory for downloaded maps, like perhaps 16 MB or 24MB.
Although there are always minor things one can think of to improve this product, after a year of use, I am very very pleased with my decision to buy the Garmin eTrex Legend, and it receives a great deal of use.
Description of Garmin Etrex Legend GPS ReceiverWith an eTrex series GPS is by your side. The eTrex is a basic GPS with a built-in electronic compass and barometric altimeter. These smart little handhelds are tough, waterproof and feature simple, one-hand operation. Amazon.com Review There are now enough handheld global positioning system (GPS) receivers on the market that you can be choosy when it comes to price, features, and design. Garmin--a leading manufacturer of car, boat, and personal GPS receivers--has a complete line of eTrex handheld receivers, with our Legend falling about midrange. With Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) support, the eTrex Legend offers extremely accurate readings (rated to within 2 to 3 meters). (For more on WAAS, see the Frequently Asked Questions section.) A good-size screen--288 x 160 pixels--makes it easy to see location details, and the Legend redraws maps quickly when zooming in or out of a position. 
The eTrex Legend provides precise GPS positioning using correction data obtained from the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). | 
The Satellite page shows satellites being tracked, and their corresponding signal strength. View larger. | 
The internal trip computer provides a range of data about hikes and drives. View larger. | Its 8 MB of memory means there is also plenty of room for waypoints, routes, and saved tracks. The Legend will hold up to 500 waypoints, complete with a name and graphical symbol, 20 routes with 50 waypoints each, and it contains slots for 10 saved tracks. You can also download maps from Garmin's MapSource CD-ROMs (thorough but expensive accessories for the GPS receiver) to see street-level or topographic detail (depending on the CD-ROM title). But one of the most striking attributes of the Legend is its comfortable and efficient design. While it rests easily in the palm of either hand, it's most suited for the left hand, where its handy click-stick can be manipulated with the thumb. The click-stick works like the pencil-eraser nubbin on laptop PCs and is handy for moving through screen icons and menus. It also works as a button when pressed down. The Legend is coated with a waterproof, rubberized plastic shell that grips nicely. Weighing in at only 5.3 ounces, it fits into a pocket or clips onto a belt loop, going almost unnoticed. The internal trip computer of the Legend provided a range of data about our hikes and drives, including current speed, average speed, trip distance, and time traveled (both moving and stopped). For those interested in checking out their foot pace and distance traveled, it's a handy GPS to have in hand. Our only major beef with the Legend is that the receiver sometimes seemed to grow weak. Even when it wasn't in WAAS mode (which can be tough to maintain a signal in), it dropped the signal from time to time. We even lost the signal once while walking along the streets of San Francisco--it seems that the medium-size buildings were enough to interfere with the reception. But this only happened on a few occasions. Most of the time the well-designed Legend was able to keep us in touch with up to 12 GPS satellites for a strong-enough read to maintain a tight handle on our location. --J. Curtis Pros - Comfortable, compact design
- Click-stick for interface navigation
- Bright backlight
- Handy distance-traveled feature
Cons - Sporadic reception within urban areas
- Can take several minutes for a cold fix
Amazon.com Product Description There are now enough handheld global positioning system (GPS) receivers on the market that you can be choosy when it comes to price, features, and design. Garmin--a leading manufacturer of car, boat, and personal GPS receivers--has a complete line of eTrex handheld receivers, with our Legend falling about midrange. 
Easily look up nearby services with optional downloadable details from MapSource CD-ROMs. | With Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) support, the Legend offers extremely accurate readings (rated to within 2 to 3 meters). (For more on WAAS, see the Frequently Asked Questions section.) A good-size screen--288 x 160 pixels--makes it easy to see location details, and the Legend redraws maps quickly when zooming in or out of a position. Its 8 MB of memory means there is also plenty of room for waypoints, routes, and saved tracks. The Legend will hold up to 500 waypoints, complete with a name and graphical symbol, 20 routes with 50 waypoints each, and it contains slots for 10 saved tracks. You can also download maps from Garmin's MapSource CD-ROMs (thorough but expensive accessories for the GPS receiver) to see street-level or topographic detail (depending on the CD-ROM title). 
Built-in exit listings show services at U.S. interstate exits. | But one of the most striking attributes of the Legend is its comfortable and efficient design. While it rests easily in the palm of either hand, it's most suited for the left hand, where its handy click-stick can be manipulated with the thumb. The click-stick works like the pencil-eraser nubbin on laptop PCs and is handy for moving through screen icons and menus. It also works as a button when pressed down. The Legend is coated with a waterproof, rubberized plastic shell that grips nicely. Weighing in at only 5.3 ounces, it fits into a pocket or clips onto a belt loop, going almost unnoticed. The internal trip computer of the Legend provided a range of data about our hikes and drives, including current speed, average speed, trip distance, and time traveled (both moving and stopped). For those interested in checking out their foot pace and distance traveled, it's a handy GPS to have in hand. Our only major beef with the Legend is that the receiver sometimes seemed to grow weak. Even when it wasn't in WAAS mode (which can be tough to maintain a signal in), it dropped the signal from time to time. We even lost the signal once while walking along the streets of San Francisco--it seems that the medium-size buildings were enough to interfere with the reception. But this only happened on a few occasions. Most of the time the well-designed Legend was able to keep us in touch with up to 12 GPS satellites for a strong-enough read to maintain a tight handle on our location. --J. Curtis Pros - Comfortable, compact design
- Click-stick for interface navigation
- Bright backlight
- Handy distance-traveled feature
Cons - Sporadic reception within urban areas
- Can take several minutes for a cold fix
The Garmin eTrex Legend GPS receiver is modeled on Garmin's popular entry level eTrex, but adds the same base map found in Garmin's III+ and eMap models, along with 8 MB of memory, making it a solid midlevel offering in the eTrex line just behind the eTrex Summit. Housed in a translucent blue case, this powerful, 12-parallel-channel, global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver weighs only 5.3 ounces and measures 4.4 by 2 inches. It literally fits in the palm of your hand. The Legend boasts the ability to hold up to 8 MB of amazingly detailed information that you upload for the area you plan to navigate. In addition to all that detailed information at your fingertips, the Legend actually gives you a higher-resolution screen than the slightly better equipped eTrex Summit. The massive 10,000 track log points of the Legend compare well to the 3,000 track log points the Summit model offers and the 2,048 that the Venture offers. The eTrex Legend's 8 MB memory enables you to download points of interest and map data from optional Garmin MapSource CD-ROMs to make your GPS unit more useful. The built-in base map of the Americas displays city and interstate highway information for North, South, and Central America, as well as U.S. highway exits. Address and business listings are displayed with data downloads. It also provides points of interest along lakes, rivers, and coastlines. The Legend has a front-panel rocker switch that allows for quick and accurate map panning. View maps on a liquid crystal display with a resolution of 288 x 160 pixels. The unit is waterproof to an IPX7 standard, so it can withstand a dunk. The Legend maintains a tight satellite lock, even in a forest. The unit can store up to 1,000 user waypoints with graphical icons, and it boasts Garmin's own TracBack feature, which reverses your track log and helps you navigate your way back home. The eTrex Legend also uses animated graphics that will help you identify your marked waypoints quickly and easily. Garmin makes some of the accessories to help you integrate your GPS with your life and your priorities. Keep your GPS at the ready while protecting it from knocks and bumps with the carrying case. If you'll be on the road, you'll want to have access to the most detailed topographical maps of the United States available: The Garmin MapSource CD-ROM (USA TOPO). And don't let the product's many abilities overwhelm you--train yourself in all the eTrex's ins and outs with a handy instructional video. The Garmin eTrex Legend comes with a PC interface cable, a manual, and a quick-reference card, and it's covered by a one-year warranty.
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