Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS
Customer Review: Love my HCx!
Summary: 5 Stars
A few months ago, I decided I needed to upgrade my old Magellan Sportrak Pro, because I was tired of losing signal in canyons and heavily treed areas. So I started reading on forums and every online site I could find to decide what to buy
Because I love the DeLorme maps programs (like Street Atlas for my laptop when we take long road trips), I decided to get a DeLorme PN-20 after seeing it had good reviews. DeLorme had a special price going and a 30 day return policy, so I felt I had nothing to lose to try it. Then reading some more, I kept coming back to a couple of Garmin models that were highly recommended, the 60Csx and the Vista Hcx. I had never tried Garmins before, but I found some good deals on both handhelds and decided to try them as well.
I received the PN-20 first, and I was impressed. It was definitely a nice handheld and seemed to acquire satellites much faster than my old Magellan. It had nice maps included in the package as well. My wife and I went on a few hikes, and I was pretty satisfied with the PN-20.
Then a few days later, the Vista Hcx arrived. I was immediately taken with the really small size and weight, so handy it would fit in a shirt pocket. I also bought the Garmin Topo 2008, because the maps the Garmin's come with are pretty useless - you definitely want the extra Garmin software - you pay extra but it's worth it for sure. I loaded about a third of the western U.S. on a 2 Gb micro SD card, and then we tried it out. It was even more impressed with the Hcx than the PN-20. It was far faster in starting up, better in cover, plus the small size gave it a user edge in ergonomics. It also seemed to repeat tracks on known trails better than the PN-20, when walking on the same trails. I immediately decided to return the PN-20 for a refund.
A few days later, the Garmin 60Csx arrived. This is also a very nice handheld GPS. Since I was now used to the Garmin Hcx interface, getting to know the 60Csx was easy. I loaded the exact same maps into the 60Csx and we went hiking again. The 60Csx performed fabulously, picking up satellites very fast, and finding a lot of them. It had a bit bigger screen than the Hcx, but part of it was a bit useless because of the time display always showing. It was also not quite as bright as the Hcx screen. But I liked the buttons a bit better on the 60Csx, so it was quite a challenge to decide which one to keep and which one to return.
We went on a few more hikes, carrying both Garmins, one in each hand. Both of them seemed to pick up the same number of satellites, about the same startup times, and both duplicated our courses with equal accuracy. I was very impressed with both handhelds. I told my friend who was also interested in a better geocache handheld about my findings, and he decided on the 60Csx because of its rave reviews everywhere.
While my buddy loves his 60Csx, I ended up keeping the Hcx, and for me, I think I made a good choice. The Hcx has two significant advantages over the 60Csx - for me anyway - it's small size and weight and the battery life, which to my knowledge is the longest of about any handheld. My Magellan used to go through batteries like it owned them - the Hcx batteries seem to last forever (exaggerating of course). For a truly portable handheld that performs great, you won't go wrong with either of these Garmins, but for me, the winner is the Vista Hcx.
Customer Review: Excellent unit, could use better PC software to support it.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this unit for 6+ months and have used it traveling in Italy and France, for biking, for hiking, for skiing and for auto navigation in the USA. I also use it to geo-tag photos that I take while traveling around. The unit comes with very little software i.e. the maps that make this a useful device. The maps get pricy and of course there are strict licensing rules that seem to rule out having the software on your desktop and laptop at the same time.
I have the Topo US 100K and the City Navigator. City Navigator on this small unit is still very nice, even although there is no sound other than the warning beep that a turn is coming up it works pretty well. For biking it works very well as long as you get the correct handle bar attachment which is not the simple rail mount kit but the larger handlebar mount. Just don't stare at the GPS unit too much while biking. The unit collects useful statistics but the software does not give you a lot of them neither Mapsource or Basecamp. In the past I have used Delorme software which will give you total climb and decent and other things that you really want to know when planning a trip or reviewing the statistics from a completed trip. The same would go for hiking. Planning a trip with too much vertical climb on either a bike or hike can be a real bummer. The software does not give you this information, just the profile with a marker you can move from a starting point to an ending point. Hence I am looking for third party software or write my own to process an output GPX file.
For trips to places like Europe where I did NOT want to spend a lot of money for another map product that I would rarely use, I found public domain maps that worked fine at [...]. These maps do not have the navigation functions, they just have an image so you can see where you are. By directly dragging their IMG file onto the SD memory card I was able to install these maps. I was very happy with the results - knowing where I was all the time and where the nearest Paris metro station was at any time! It even knew which fountain I was standing to the palace of Versailles.
The software provided by Garmin could be integrated with Google earth better. The software will export and kick off Google Earth, but it does not import anything from it. For example since I lacked navigation in Europe I set push pins in Google Earth and then exported and had to convert to gpx and then import them one at a time. This was very useful but it should have been able to read the Google formats and not force me to spend hours marking important landmarks. Having done that I was able to Find-Waypoint-MyHotel and always be able to find it. I love never being actually lost.
When taking pictures I the Garmin files can be downloaded and used by external software (Copiks) to add GPS coordinates to your photos. Just having the time set on the camera correctly allows the software to compare your tracks and mark the photo.
Sensitivity is much better than my old Garmin 12XL. The little joy stick to move around menus and select things could use some improvement but this little unit does a lot for me and I am very happy with it. Now if they improve their software products it could be even better.
Customer Review: Garmin Vista HCX is a great GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
I spent a great deal of time selecting this unit. I wanted a GPS that had the following features. This unit made the cut on all the features except for the manual/documentation.
- turn by turn routing
- compass - magnetic and GPS
- bright color screen that provided clear detail
- ability to handle both land and marine maps and usage
- high sensitivity and high accuracy
- as water proof as possible
- over 500 waypoints along with at least 10 routes. It has 1000 and 20.
- reversible routes / tracks
- time to waypoint and to final destination
- distance to waypoint and to final destination
- eta to final destination
- needed to be good in the car and superb on the water.
- proximity alarms
- altimeter
- strong back light
- at least 12 hours of power from one set of batteries (easily meets this requirement with several hours to spare)
- needed to accept power from my iGo power supply
- several different screen color displays to get the most out of available light / too much light / not enough light conditions
- lots of options in terms of numerical data displays
- ability to have road and topo maps loaded at the same time
- reasonably easy to master (It is easy to use.)
- USB connection to the PC
- enough memory to store road maps for the entire country and Canada along with topo maps for at least two non-contiguous areas (it did it with a bit of room to spare using a 2 GB memory card)
- good to excellent manual (This is the area it failed miserably in. But, the unit is easy to use and there are lots of tips and tricks on the web to get you started. So, I let this one go in terms of the decision process.)
- under $300 for the unit and under $500 when I added in the maps and optional stuff like a car windshield mount. I went first class on the maps and the mount and still made it.
Cons
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1) The manual is next to worthless. It explains the buttons but does not detail how to use them. It does not show the all the sub-screens underneath the buttons/selections. If you are a first time GPS user you will need to buy a book or Google the tips and tricks along with the GPS basics. I have used a GPS and I just spent a few hours playing through all the screens and took notes on how to get back to the features / selections I know I would regularly need. I good manual would have made this extra work unnecessary.
2) The manual is next to worthless. (I won't type this in any more.) Garmin could and should do much better given the cost and the sophistication of this unit.
3) The car power supply sold by Garmin is way over priced. I chose not to use it. Instead I bought a USB adapter for my iGo power supply and used one of the short USB cords I had lying around. Cost $10 bucks and works perfectly for me.
Customer Review: Great little GPS!
Summary: 5 Stars
This GPS is near perfect for what I need. I previously owned the Garmin Etrex Legend, and this is a huge step up, both upgrading to the vista and going to the HCx model. I am very impressed, first of all, with the new high-sensitivity antenna. With my old GPS, I really needed a clear view of the sky to lock onto the satellites. When backpacking, the track log would be spotty at times where the GPS lost its signal in heavy tree cover. With the new high-sensitivity antenna, all these inconveniences are in the past! The vista HCx will lock on in less than a minute in my basement! It always has a signal, no matter where I'm at. I have yet to see it lose connection with satellites. This is what impressed me the most about this model.
Also, the vista has a barometric altimeter and electronic compass which are both nice features as well. Without the electronic compass, you must be moving in order for the GPS to display correct compass directions. With the electronic compass, you can stand still or move very slowly and still maintain correct compass heading. This is especially helpful when hiking and geocaching. The altimeter provides more accurate elevation readings if that is of importance to you. GPS elevations, are not very accurate and can be way off depending on your location. With the altimeter, you don't have to worry about this error or try to correct it. I am also a fan of the new usb connection to the computer in place of the old serial connection. I don't have a serial port on my computer, so I never hooked up my old GPS. USB is much more common and allows a faster data transfer rate. I like the idea of the microSD card, as this allows incredible amounts of memory. 2GB cards are quite cheap now and this allows me to load the entire western US topo maps and still have plenty of extra memory! I didn't think the color screen was too important to me, but it really does make a big difference, especially with the maps. It would be very difficult to distinguish map properties without the color screen and it just looks nice.
These are just a few of the features than really impressed me. As I said, I already owned a Garmin Etrex previously, and am very impressed with Garmin units. They are all very durable, waterproof, and to me, user-friendly. The vista HCx is the top of the etrex line, and it shows. Amazon's price when I purchased it was the best I could find, cheaper than the lower models at other stores. If you are considering this model, I very highly recommend it, especially for recreational use. It also has the ability with garmin's metro maps, to provide turn-by-turn directions useful in city navigation. I have not yet used this feature, but still, this unit has just about everything I would want in a GPS. I bought my dad this unit for Christmas (his first GPS) and he is very pleased and has had no complaints. For what you're getting for the price, I give this model five stars!
Customer Review: Daily user of GPS's!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a daily user of GPS's. I'm a truck driver who uses it religiously for navigation. On my days off I geocache, hunt, fish, hike, backpack, etc.
I began many years ago with a Magellan that ate 6 AA batteries every 8 hours or less, and had the satelite reception of a rock... Those were scary days!!! I'd mark my position to start, turn it off to conserve batteries, and hope like mad I could get a signal when I got to where I needed to set a mark. I made sure to have a compass too!!!
Then I upgraded to a Garmin Legend. I was amazed at how advanced it was compared to where I'd been. Then I upgraded to the Venture HC when it came out and Holly Smoke!!! The venture ROCKS!!! I threw the legend in a geocache for someone else to use.
Well folks, I passed the Venture HC to my wife when I upgraded to the Vista HCx as she's a beginner GPSR and it will serve her very well!
I researched ALL the mapping hand-helds and most of the others, and hands down the Vista HCx is by far overall the best possible GPS buy available today. The screen is easy to see, crisp, and very clear. The Use of Garmin products are simple to learn. Battery life is outstanding with the Vista HCx! I could run 2 days with the Venture HC, now I get 3 days (I got the external power cord though, so batteries are just for outside of driving now). I see some say how well it picks up reception, well folks I drive through tunnels with entire mountains on top of me, and OH YA, Venture and Vista doesn't even blink at the challenge! cliff's? tree's? child's play!
Buying maps and microSD cards aren't going to cause anyone to have to re-mortgage the house. Buy one here, and one there (or get a better job), and soon you'll have all you need. Cut the chase and get the preprogrammed microSD cards and you don't have to bother with tansfering the CD versions. Don't overbuy for what you really need, I use mine for work and play. Most people use GPS's for one or two activities and really don't use them but they overbuy maps that never get used.
If your someone who is on limited income, use some enginuity and make yourself a mount for the car. I made one with two suction cups (origionally for hanging pictured), a little bailing wire, a strip on old belt leather, and some velcro I got at walmart in the material section. We've used it for years!!! Works perfectly, and has never dropped a GPS.
Take it from someone who knows and has been through the history of GPS navegation, and has done his research for ya, The Vista HCx is one heck of a buy!!!