Thank you!!!…

This was my first entry into the GPS market. I asked around at work, and “Garmin” was the name a few folks recommended. I was looking for something that would be great for hiking and off road experience, but I also wanted something that I could use on long car trips to help navigate unfamiliar places.

The Garmin website makes research very easy. I compared feature differences between their different handheld mapping units, and this one seemed to provide all the features I needed without going overboard.

I have purchased the following upgrades:
1. City Navigator NT — worth the investment to make your handheld street worthy.
2. Topographical maps — again, worth the investment for hiking.
3. Suction cup mount — illegal in my state, but largely unenforced. If you install it correctly, it’s better than the friction mount. I’ve heard others complain that it frequently falls off, but I’ve had it for several months and have moved it around to find the right sweet spot, and it has never fallen off once.
4. Friction mount — irritatingly, you have to purchase the dash mount in order to get the swivelling head that makes it work… But just in case… (note the legality issue of the suction cup mount)
5. InvisibleShield screen protector — the screen can easily be scratched, and this non-garmin product is a great way to protect it long term (also available through Amazon, or direct).
6. Sanyo Eneloop Rechargeable batteries — they work well and don’t lose a charge when sitting unused. They’re even ready to use right out the the package with a full charge.

With the added functionality of my upgrades and preloaded features, here are just some of the features that I’ve enjoyed:
1. Geocaching mode — if you haven’t tried it, you must! Works like a charm!
2. High sensitivity receiver — this is nothing short of incredible. The fact that I can get a signal inside a building and under tree cover is amazing. Sometimes my signal bounces around a little (20 to 30ft), but it’s a hundred times better than not having one at all.
3. Tracking — I love to see where I’ve been, and it also makes it easy to navigate back out when you don’t know where you are.
4. Turn-by-turn directions — it doesn’t talk to you, but it does beep at you when there’s an upcoming instruction.
5. Waterproof — Let’s face it, if you use it outside, you’re going to get rained on, or you’ll spill something on it. I’ve used it in a downpour, and it was protected.
6. Point-of-interest search — You can easily find stores, gasoline, lodging, hospitals, exits, truck stops….
7. Compass and Altimeter — you do need to calibrate them frequently, but still worth the money to have them.
8. Waypoint Manager — this is software that comes with the unit that you load on your PC. You can use it to create routes, waypoints, and map packages that you want to load onto your unit. So if you travel frequently to a particular area, you can “store” your own regional specific data on your PC that you can transfer to your GPS when you actually need it. I also use it as a backup for my unit. Bottom line — all electronics eventually fail, so backup, backup, backup.

Little things that annoy me:
1. Turn-by-turn directions aren’t always the best route that I would choose, but they still get you there. (Mapping feature)
2. When recalculating, it seems insistent on getting you back on the route that it originally planned for you. (Mapping feature) I say that you should still always have a paper map as a backup.
3. Backlight setting resets after powering off even though it’s set to “on” in the setup menu. A small annoyance that I’ve gotten used to.

A few weeks ago, I actually had a failure of my unit. Shortly after I backed up all my data to Waypoint Manager, I was loading waypoints directly to my unit from geocaching.com, and my unit turned off. For some reason, whenever it was connected to my computer, it wouldn’t turn on or stay on. Garmin technical support was amazing. Someone picked up within a minute. He was friendly, helpful and patient in working out my problem, and then created an RMA and put a rush on it when I asked for it. I’m one of those pesky customers who calls frequently to ask for status, and again, I got someone on the phone immediately every time, and everyone was helpful, and they overnighted my replacement once my failed unit was received. Since I work in customer service myself, I strongly appreciate good customer service when I get it (which is actually quite rare).

In summary, this is a full feature-rich product, with a few recommended upgrades, and when something goes wrong, Garmin’s customer service makes you glad you bought a Garmin…

After tons of research on multi-purpose GPSs, I went with the Vista hcX and i’m very glad I did.

Upon receiving the hcx, it took maybe 20 minutes or so to get a feel for the thing. The manual is not much help, so with some trial and error I was able to figure out the main commands like using the navigation for cars and “Tracks” for hikes/runs/cycling. What was a little confusing is how to start a new session (i.e – for a run/hike). If you press reset in the Trip Computer menu, it will start from scratch and you can start your tracking fresh (applies for both car navigation and by foot/cycle). Then when you’re finished with a session, be sure to go to the Tracks menu and click Save. Then you can name the log file to whatever (Run/mtn biking/drive to wherever). The files store as dates and clumps all of the tracks for the day together, i.e – april 17 = 4172009.gpx. For saving map data, I use a 2gb microSD sandisk which works great in the device.

There are no maps preloaded in the hCX. You have the option of buying Topo US 2008 and City Navigator North America, this can get REALLY expensive. City Navigator in my opinion is better for general usage unless you’re on the trails most of the time, where TOPO 2008 might be better.

What the manual doesn’t tell you is how to switch back and forth between these different map sets(CityNav and Topo). The problem is that the HCX can only use ONE map set (.IMG file) at a time. There’s a free program called MAPupload(google it) that allows you to merge .IMG files (what the HCX stores your map sets as) and this is VERY helpful, as you can use the same microSD card for two or more mapsets. Problem solved! This program is necessary unless you want to buy another microSD card to split them up. It takes quite a while for the transfer (using MAPupload), but worth the wait.

What I also really like about this device is it’s ability to use the GPS data as GPX files. Most sites(like Motionbased, Mapmyfitness) can use these GPX files to map it out nicely on their site. Although Mapsource, the included software, can be a bit tempermental at times. Instead of doing the “Receive from device” command which the hcx often came up undetected, I ended up simply opening the GPX file straight from the microSD card (File->Open in Mapsource) and there it was with all the average speeds, elevation, maps, etc! From here you can save the file as an individual GPX (since the hcx automatically clumps them all together by day) which you can upload to most GPS websites.

For auto navigation I love that with CityNav, it’s basically the same as most auto only GPSes. It beeps at you and the backlight goes on before you make a turn, which is nice. It also recalculates if you go off route. Although you might consider getting the mount unless you want a neck ache from looking down at the the thing while driving.

Lastly for batteries, these things work great with Lithium AA batteries (i.e-energizer). The hCX has a setting for what type of battery you’re using under Settings->System. It’s important to have the correct battery type selected or it will show as low battery life, which confused me at first as I thought it was the battery. I bought some Rayovac NiMH Hybrid rechargeables and they’ve worked great so far.

I hope my hours of trial and error could help someone figure out some less than obvious things, or at least discover that this is an extremely handy device to use as an all around GPS tracker.

UPDATE: Well after 6 months of use of the hcx, i’m happy to say it’s still running strong and like new. A few weeks ago, the hCX actually saved us in a 4 wheel drive trip in the woods! Long story short, We went 4 wheeling 30 miles deep into dirt roads, and the GPS safely guided us back to the main highway. At times, the hCX would want us to go left at roads that didn’t exist (probably the fault of the North America map), but we followed the general direction of the road on the gps toward the highway and it guided us safely back! I also bought this cheap gps mount on ebay for less than 10 bucks from a seller named northstar_gps, and it works great!

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.

This is my review of the Garmin eTrex Vista Hcx handheld mapping GPS unit. I purchased this GPS in early June of 2008 and have had it about 3 weeks as of this review. I own two other GPS’s: a Microsoft Streets and Trips + GPS from 2005 and a Garmin Nuvi 200 I received as a gift Christmas 2007. MS S&T is a really nice program and it works well with its accompanying GPS receiver. But, it requires that you use it with a computer (the receiver plugs into a USB port). And the Nuvi 200 is a great unit as well, but it’s more for finding a route and directions while driving–finding your way to a destination.

I wanted a portable unit mostly to use while walking, hiking, or biking that would track my journey, with a color display, memory expansion capability, and alititude tracking. I did lots of online research, reading reviews and user manuals at Cnet, Amazon, and several GPS-specific sites and eventually narrowed it down to three possibilities, all Garmin: the eTrex Vista Hcx, the GPSMAP 60 CSx, and one of the new Colorado units. In the end, I selected the Vista because: I felt the Colorado was too new and I’d seen negative reviews (and it has features like 3D I didn’t think I’d need), and the Vista was proven, reliable, and less expensive than the 60 CSx. Also, it had all the features I wanted and was lighter and has longer advertised battery life than either of the other two units.

In a word, I consider this unit to be: exceptional. It meets or exceeds its advertised functionality and my expectations. Some specific items:

–Accuracy: I had read some reviews that complained about the accuracy of other similar units and I was worried. But I’ve found this unit to be very accurate, down to within a couple meters. And in my case it seems to make no difference whether the WAAS feature is enabled or disabled.

–Altitude accuracy: not quite as good as I’d like to see, but adequate. In a couple cases while hiking it has actually been off by as much as 1000 feet in altitude, but I attribute this to the vagaries of barometric altitude measurement, not to a defect in the unit itself. In cases where the altitude doesn’t seem so accurate, I find that the altitude relative to an entire track still reports where I’ve gone up and down hills, so I’m satisfied. Also, I have not yet tried manually setting the altitude or barometric pressure at the beginning of a trek, but I’d guess that would improve its overall performance.

–Battery Life: my first set of regular old AA Eveready Alkalines lasted slightly longer than 25 hours, the advertised life. I’d bet that I could stretch this to longer if I paid attention to turning off the backlight when I don’t really need it on.

–Size: I was surprised at how small the unit is. For some reason I had in my mind that all units around this size would be a bit bigger; it’s about the size of a deck of playing cards, but slightly thicker.

–Display Visibility: no problems at all here. I use the unit frequently in bright sunlight attached to my bike while wearing sunglasses and I can see the display fine from a few feet away.

–Map: the map that comes with the unit by default is entirely inadequate for anything but highway driving, but I knew this when I bought it, and had purchased Topo 2008 as well (which is very nice for both city and on-trail tracking). There are very few trails actually in the mapping software itself, but this isn’t the Vista’s deficiency itself.

–Sturdiness: biking can sometimes be a bit bumpy. Yay for solid state components; this GPS has worked fine over bumpy roads.

I’d highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a handheld GPS, especially one to be used for walking, hiking, jogging, or bike riding. If you’re looking for something to give you directions while driving a car, this unit is not for you–stick to the Nuvi series.

This was my first entry into the GPS market. I asked around at work, and “Garmin” was the name a few folks recommended. I was looking for something that would be great for hiking and off road experience, but I also wanted something that I could use on long car trips to help navigate unfamiliar places.

The Garmin website makes research very easy. I compared feature differences between their different handheld mapping units, and this one seemed to provide all the features I needed without going overboard.

I have purchased the following upgrades:

1. City Navigator NT — worth the investment to make your handheld street worthy.

2. Topographical maps — again, worth the investment for hiking.

3. Suction cup mount — illegal in my state, but largely unenforced. If you install it correctly, it’s better than the friction mount. I’ve heard others complain that it frequently falls off, but I’ve had it for several months and have moved it around to find the right sweet spot, and it has never fallen off once.

4. Friction mount — irritatingly, you have to purchase the dash mount in order to get the swivelling head that makes it work… But just in case… (note the legality issue of the suction cup mount)

5. InvisibleShield screen protector — the screen can easily be scratched, and this non-garmin product is a great way to protect it long term (also available through Amazon, or direct).

6. Sanyo Eneloop Rechargeable batteries — they work well and don’t lose a charge when sitting unused. They’re even ready to use right out the the package with a full charge.

With the added functionality of my upgrades and preloaded features, here are just some of the features that I’ve enjoyed:

1. Geocaching mode — if you haven’t tried it, you must! Works like a charm!

2. High sensitivity receiver — this is nothing short of incredible. The fact that I can get a signal inside a building and under tree cover is amazing. Sometimes my signal bounces around a little (20 to 30ft), but it’s a hundred times better than not having one at all.

3. Tracking — I love to see where I’ve been, and it also makes it easy to navigate back out when you don’t know where you are.

4. Turn-by-turn directions — it doesn’t talk to you, but it does beep at you when there’s an upcoming instruction.

5. Waterproof — Let’s face it, if you use it outside, you’re going to get rained on, or you’ll spill something on it. I’ve used it in a downpour, and it was protected.

6. Point-of-interest search — You can easily find stores, gasoline, lodging, hospitals, exits, truck stops….

7. Compass and Altimeter — you do need to calibrate them frequently, but still worth the money to have them.

8. Waypoint Manager — this is software that comes with the unit that you load on your PC. You can use it to create routes, waypoints, and map packages that you want to load onto your unit. So if you travel frequently to a particular area, you can “store” your own regional specific data on your PC that you can transfer to your GPS when you actually need it. I also use it as a backup for my unit. Bottom line — all electronics eventually fail, so backup, backup, backup.

Little things that annoy me:

1. Turn-by-turn directions aren’t always the best route that I would choose, but they still get you there. (Mapping feature)

2. When recalculating, it seems insistent on getting you back on the route that it originally planned for you. (Mapping feature) I say that you should still always have a paper map as a backup.

3. Backlight setting resets after powering off even though it’s set to “on” in the setup menu. A small annoyance that I’ve gotten used to.

A few weeks ago, I actually had a failure of my unit. Shortly after I backed up all my data to Waypoint Manager, I was loading waypoints directly to my unit from geocaching.com, and my unit turned off. For some reason, whenever it was connected to my computer, it wouldn’t turn on or stay on. Garmin technical support was amazing. Someone picked up within a minute. He was friendly, helpful and patient in working out my problem, and then created an RMA and put a rush on it when I asked for it. I’m one of those pesky customers who calls frequently to ask for status, and again, I got someone on the phone immediately every time, and everyone was helpful, and they overnighted my replacement once my failed unit was received. Since I work in customer service myself, I strongly appreciate good customer service when I get it (which is actually quite rare).

In summary, this is a full feature-rich product, with a few recommended upgrades, and when something goes wrong, Garmin’s customer service makes you glad you bought a Garmin…