Garmin eTrex Handheld GPS
By: Garmin Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 213
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 On: 2008-08-11
The Garmin eTrex is a no frills GPS that is perfect for new geocachers and hikers who need coordinates but not road maps.
 On: 2008-06-16
For the money this is a great GPS. Easy to use and keeps us from getting lost as we cut trails on our wooded acreage. Works well in heavy trees.
On: 2008-04-18
The eTrex is a FANTASTIC little unit that has served me well for years.
It has great battery life, quality construction, and solid durability.
My last trip was a three weeks backpacking trip in the mountainous New Mexico. I made a list of waypoints using notepad and the internet and input them to my device, while on the train. Of course, I still had a compass and paper topo maps, but this GPS made it a lot easier to find my way back to camp, during my day-hikes!
Four caveats:
FIRST: Keep in mind GPS units are only for SUPPLEMENTAL information. You must still be able to navigate with a compass and paper map if youre going backpacking!
Keep in mind, this unit is IPX7, meaning it is water RESISTANT, not waterproof. Despite what you may read in eBay auctions, Garmin does NOT make one waterPROOF unit. IPX7 means that the unit will sit just below the surface of non-flowing water for 30 minutes. Anything more than that is not guaranteed to be covered by warranty.
Also, DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT. Buy the newer, but nearly identical, eTrex H. The high sensitivity reciever is a HUGE improvement over the old 12 channel gps recievers. High sensitivity recievers acquire satellites much faster and have much better reception. With an "H" unit, you can leave your GPS under a thin lid on the top of your backpack or use the unit under heavy tree cover.
Finally, if you can squeeze just a little more out of your checkbook, I would recommend a COLOR unit. Color units have a longer battery life (TFT screens use less energy than the black and white LCD) and most colored units share the same interface as other colored units... a much simpler interface than their odd-ball black and white counterparts.
 On: 2008-02-17
I bought this unit to take with me deer hunting. It did not track the satellites initially so I returned it. I had the same difficulty with the second unit. The seller couldnt explain why both malfunctioned so I just got my money back. My advice is to take 2 AA batteries with you, open the package, install them and test the unit before you leave the parking lot. I guess there are no satellites over Gray, Georgia.
On: 2008-01-18
We use this GPS when snowmobiling. Makes it easy to get back to your starting point.
 On: 2007-11-15
I have owned my eTrex for several months now. There is a lot to like about it. I personally like using the buttons as opposed to a joystick. Once you figure out where to place your fingers and learn the menu system, you can fly through and find your desired input faster than with a joystick. There is a ton of configurability. I love the look and feel of it in my hand compared to some of the Magellans. But I am here to warn people about a couple big gripes I have with the eTrex.
One gripe I have is the eTrexs inability to pinpoint a waypoint or coordinate. "But my LCD display says Navigation Accurate to 9 feet." Dont believe it, friends. Even if I wait until the display tells me the WAAS fix is accurate to 8 feet or so and then record my position as a waypoint, if I try to navigate back to this point later, I am lucky if it gets me within 20 feet. For hiking this is no problem, but for geocaching it could be disastrous! Once you get to within 20 feet of your known waypoint or coordinate, the compass arrow literally has you walking in circles, never directing you to the exact location, or even within 8 feet!
The other gripe I have with the eTrex is that it introduces noise "spikes" when using the "bread crumb" feature. When I enable the track recorder and go on a long hike, it will draw my "bread crumb" trail as I walk. But sporadically the track will show a "spike" ranging anywhere from 100 feet to over a quarter mile long. For example, if I am walking north in a straight line, suddenly the unit will think it is instantaneously a quarter mile to the West, and draw a track line to that point, and back, instantly, drawing a line to that point and back in the shape of an instant spike. Besides being annoyed by the picture of the spike, the computer also factors the spike into the trip odometer and maximum speed. It adds the round-trip distance of the spike to your trip odometer. This makes the unit worthless for hiking from trail to trail of known distances. So a 1/4 mile spike adds 1/2 mile to your trip distance. In a nine-mile hike, I estimate that the spikes added a little over a mile to my total trip distance. It also completely ruins your maximum speed reading. After my unit instantaneously "spiked" on my hike, it said my maximum trip speed was 102 MPH!
I emailed Garmin and they suggested to do a master reset. Didnt help the spikes, but it did erase all my saved data. I even bought another identical eTrex unit. My first was a 2000-2005 version with V 3.30 software. The new unit displayed 2000-2006 V 3.53. Both software versions "spike." The problem must be well documented, because in Garmins website if you search for "spikes" it directs you to a thread which says that this can happen if the unit does not have a clear view of the sky. Problem is, both the units I tried will spike even with a full, clear view of the sky in all directions. A third eTrex unit I tried had an LCD display which was so grainy/sparkly with very little contrast as to be unusable.
So, if you plan to use this units Track Back feature and/or "bread crumb" recording, or intend to rely on it for accurate distance or maximum speed recordings, or intend to use it for geocaching, you will want to skip the eTrex.
On: 2007-10-26
Bought ours used almost 2 yrs ago. Use mostly for geo-caching and hiking. Also fun to bring on road trips and observe elevation changes, average speed, etc. It doesnt have some of the bells and whistles the more expensive units have, but works fine for what we use it for. I do recommend using rechargable batteries though since it can burn through some AAs pretty quick.
On: 2007-09-24
I used an old model of this unit during a weeklong kayaking trip along the Maine coast, and I recommend it highly for anyone going point-to-point over water. A kayaks a terrible place to navigate from -- no place to set out a chart, water everywhere -- so being able to simply point the boat at a waypoint is a comforting luxury. Put your waypoints in the night before you leave and enjoy the trip. Also, my unit was routinely wet but kept on ticking.
On: 2007-09-20
This little hand held GPS unit is a solid value for the price. User friendly and does the job. No problems.
On: 2007-09-17
If you need a basic GPS receiver, this is it. No complication, no headache. This is very similar to etrext legend, but no stick, no map and no area calculation. But you have a map page where you can view your waypoints and your active track log. Also notice that the box does not contain the PC interface cable. If you need to transfer data to PC, then order it separately, or buy etrex legend (its box contains this cable).
On: 2007-09-10
i-we- find this the best easiestbest priced gps out there.. about idiot proof.. we have hunters that get lost goin to the truck for beer.. not any more.....
On: 2007-08-11
This unit works as they say. I only need it for location coordinates and it works great. I tried setting markers and waypoints to find my way back to a starting point, but the unit seemed to want me to return in a straighter line vs the one I walked. Many other features I have yet to use and may not need as I only need a location point. For the money, I got what I paid for.
On: 2007-07-20
Ive had my eTrex for a little over two years now. It is GREAT! I have used in when sailing (I can find my slip that I left), hiking, kayaking (its waterproof), biking... combined with Waypoint Software, I can download my trip and see my profile of my hike. I even use it when on airplanes (although you shouldnt), it is great to see altitude, speed, and see your map on the software when you get home. We recently went to Kauai (Hawaii) and we mapped the hole island with our travels! More than enought memory storage.
On: 2007-07-19
This is a great little GPS for a new learner. It was easy for me to figure out how to use it and Ive never used one before.
On: 2007-07-10
This is my first GPS unit and I bought it for the price and the reviews. It really is a great buy. Does what its suppose to do. I am a novice hiker. I use this so at the very least if I get lost I will be able to find myself back to my car! Great buy for the price. Just dont forget to mark key waypoints so you could trackback.
On: 2007-06-13
I trek a lot in Nepal and it is very nice to have a record of the latitude, logitude, and altitude of places I have been.
When I separately bought my connection cable for transferring eTrek data to my computer, it did not come with the necessary software, but eTrek sent it to me without charge later (I thiink the normal price is about $25 and I do not know why that was not included with the cable).
On: 2007-06-08
I bought this gps to use for geo-caching. I have been out numerous times and have not been disappointed with the performance of the etrex. It is easy to use and very accurate for finding caches. I recommend this unit for any beginning geo-cachers. You will not be let down!!
On: 2007-06-03
For a simple GPS Receiver, this little thing is a powerhouse. I use it for geocaching, and its never failed me. Granted, under a thick canopy of leaves its a little iffy, but from what I understand, every GPSr is. I really like the fact that it didnt cost me a bundle to get into the game. It also leaves me room to have to use my own senses and sensibilities.
On: 2007-05-17
This is a great basic GPS but it is not color as indicated in the . The one pictured is eTrex Venture CX.
On: 2007-05-15
I really have no major complaints about my Garmin eTrex (lovingly called "the yellow eTrex"). The interface is simple, and the unit is small and light.
Some may wish they had gone a step up to a model with the thumb-stick for easier interface navigation. I was one such person, and I have to admit that the thumb stick is much easier to use than the up/down buttons that youre limited to with the yellow eTrex.
Buyer beware when it comes to USED yellow eTrex models. Many versions of it were sold that were not WAAS enabled. You can ask a seller if the system menu has an option to disable/enable WAAS. If not, youre looking at a slightly less accurate model (but if the price is right for you, it shouldnt matter too much).
On: 2007-05-13
I purchased the Venture Cx and it stopped working. Called customer service and they said to send it back. Sent it out on Monday and had a brand new one delivered on Friday. Also included was a free car charger. That is what I would call customer service! The Venture Cx has been a great GPS!
On: 2007-04-25
Theres nothing really wrong with this product. It is mostly what I expected when I ordered it. But as someone else pointed out, Amazon is advertising the wrong device! The eTrex personal navigator is NOT color, does NOT have maps, and does NOT have a USB connection for your computer. To interface with your computer, you need to order a strange sideways looking cable that connects to a serial port. They have adapters from serial to USB, but the port on the device is not typical. I would suggest buying the device first and then ordering a cable.
This is fine for a startup GPS device, specifically for geocaching. Its very simple. All it does is point you to your waypoint, which is great when Google Earth cant get you close enough. However, if you are expecting any mapping at all, youre looking at the wrong eTrex.
On: 2007-04-21
I received mine yesterday. It works fine. For some reason it took serveral minutes to get a signal the first time though.
**Just a warning if you are an impulse buyer like me.**
The Amazon add has details on the product and it shows a color display. That is the eTrex Venture Cx model. The one here is the basic. I was expecting color. My bad for buying so quickly without reading. duh.
Also I expected a data cable. Any other product on the planet comes with one if needed. I just bought the cable today. With shipping it was $45. I didnt expect this either. Again. My bad.
Im sure Ill have fun with it.
On: 2007-04-20
I received mine yesterday. It works fine. For some reason it took serveral minutes to get a signal the first time though.
**Just a warning if you are an impulse buyer like me.**
The Amazon add has details on the product and it shows a color display. That is the eTrex Venture Cx model. The one here is the basic. I was expecting color. My bad for buying so quickly without reading. duh.
Also I expected a data cable. Any other product on the planet comes with one if needed. I just bought the cable today. With shipping it was $45. I didnt expect this either. Again. My bad.
Im sure Ill have fun with it.
On: 2007-03-24
Excellent device for the person who doesnt want a myriad of seldom-used bells and whistles.
On: 2007-03-15
I have used this device extensively since I purchased it, and I am quite pleased with the results.. As one who is new to geocaching, I have found the eTrex very easy to use, reliable, and it offers many functions. If you are new to geocaching, this is a perfect product for you.
On: 2007-03-12
I am also very new to geocaching, and I wasnt even sure that I was going to like it, so I couldnt bring myself to spend a bucket full of money on a handheld system. After talking to a few people at the local electronics store, this system was reccommended to me. What I discovered was a lightweight, yet rugged, EXTREMELY user-friendly device. Even my kids (9 and 6) can use it - thats a big plus for me!! We found our first cache in about 15 minutes.
The only feature that I wish it had is the ability to track my coordinates as I move, rather than having to store them as a waypoint.
Overall, I love the unit, and I cant wait to geocache with it again.
On: 2007-03-11
Its a simple device that does what it promises. You have to push the buttons hard to get the pages to change, and it takes some getting used to on how to do the different items, I wouldnt call the interface intuitive.
On: 2007-03-08
Factory re-conditioned with a new product guarante. Great bargin, Great service, and a great deal and believe me I have had several of these things quit in the past although Garmin has always replaced them without my asking. They stand behind what they sell.
On: 2007-03-05
KNOWING WHERE YOU ARE ISNT IMPORTANT!
Knowing where youre going is.
One hand operation.
One button for enter.
Two buttons for scroll.
One button for power/lite.
One button for page-back.
Uses 2 AA batteries.
Has battery-saver mode.
I wish I had this in the Boy Scouts.
I wish I had this in the war.
I wish I had this in the Disneyworld parking lot to find my car.
Can be hung around the neck when used with the 13" sold-seperate companion:
Garmin 013-00052-00 Lanyard, Etrex
Sold-seperate back-up companion:
Digital Compass, Titanium Finish
Sold-seperate back-up companion:
Lensatic Military Marching Compass
On: 2007-02-23
Theres a reason that Garmin is still selling (a lot of) the eTrex after all these years, despite the fact that there are many other, full functioned, well-priced GPS units on the market. Its because for a great price you get a reliable, hardy, well-built piece of equipment. It is easy to use and perfect for the first time GPS user who maybe doesnt want to spend $200-300+ on something they may never end up using. It offers a great introduction to using a GPS and does pretty much what it says - tells you where youve been, where youre at, and where youre going. I owned one for about 5 years before upgrading to the GPSMAP60 CSX, and it served me well through many camping, biking and hiking trips. If you want a basic GPS that will take whatever you can throw at it and dont want to break the bank, I dont think you can go wrong with this product. Have fun!
On: 2007-02-19
The GPS receiver came quickly and well-packaged. I have used in numerous times now and really like the compact size. I am getting used to the control button locations and uses and the unit seems pretty well organized for use. The buttons are somewhat harder to operate (require more finger pressure) than my older Garmin GPS 12, but it is a minor issue when combined with the lower cost and smaller size of the E-trex. It also means you probably wont activate a control button inadvertantly. I like the fact that it uses only 2 AA batteries (means I carry only two spares for emergencies). My older & larger GPS 12 uses 4 AAs meaning I carried 4 more batteries with me (2 more in the unit and 2 more as spares). I bought the e-trex for its compactness and lighter weight. Thus far the e-trex unit seems quick to lock on, accurate and fits just about anywhere (pocket, daypack, etc). It provides all the basic information needed to navigate in and out of the woods and to save your favorite landmarks to return to. I would recommend it as a great starter unit and a good general use unit for someone wanting basic GPS performance in a compact size at a very reasonable price.
On: 2007-02-07
This GPS offers MANY great features, including ability to interface with APRS Ham Radio position broadcasting. ( reason for purchase )
On: 2007-02-02
If you are just getting in to GPS, I would highly recommend this unit. I have tried 5-6 different GPS models over the years, and the Garmin Etrex series is the most impressive. They are simple, rugged, and deadly accurate.
The only reason that it did not get five stars from me, is that it does not come with a PC interface cable (although compatible), which takes it to the next level.
I am not a novice by any means, but this GPS is in my pack, car, or hunting bag every single time that I go out. If it is not my backup, it is my primary unit because of its reliability and simple use.
On: 2007-02-01
I purchased this unit after reading several reviews. Much like the difference in opinion people have when rating hotel rooms (on expedia ect) I went with the overall average opinion. Im a middle of the road kinda person. Not expecting something I dont deserve, but not willing to settle with junk.
This unit met all of my expectations: Its very light. The manual is easy to understand. I felt comfortable with all the features in a couple of days. It gets you from point A to B and back again.
While it is not pinpoint accurate like some have complained, it is very dependable at 5-30. If you have trouble landmarking at that distance, you may want to reconsider heading into nomans land with only a GPS.
I will be using the unit for BWCAW camping trips and mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest. I plan on having a compass and topo map with at all times, but am looking forward to using many of the great features on the eTrex.
Good value. Easy to use.
On: 2007-01-19
Hands off from this piece of junk! I had it less than a day when it, accidentally, fell from the kitchen countertop to the floor. Even though there was no visible damage body, the device went completely dead. It is unacceptable that a device for handheld field operation is that sensitive to handling, especially when it is made to look robust.
On: 2007-01-18
We are new to geocaching, and the etrex was recommended to us. We have never owned a GPS before, so this was all new to us. The unit is easy to use, the screens are easy to see, and the light makes things easy at night. The accuracy is usually within 12 feet. The higher priced models, we are told, have a smaller accuracy, but for the price and fun, this etrex is well within our needs. Awsome.
On: 2007-01-16
The Garmin e-Trex was easy to use and did all that was expected of it for my local hunting adventures. Great value for the money.
On: 2007-01-11
I enjoy this product very much. I wish the shipping of this product was a little quicker. thank you
On: 2007-01-11
Great little gps, if you dont want mapping or other bells and whistles!
On: 2007-01-10
This is a great tracker. Its great with local and it can convert to universal time. I love that its waterproof. The compass is not my favorite. I am glad I bought it and it is popular with fellow science teachers and hikers.
On: 2007-01-05
I bought this unit for my ATV Quad Honda Rancher and this thing is the best. Fits right on to the quad with a mounting unit I picked up at Amazon. It is not like a TOM TOM or a Magellen GPS but it will leave you a trail back to where you started from very easy to operate and you can save your spots so you can go back again. Also tells you the best hunting and fishing times from where you are and tells you when the sun will go down and rise so you know when to turn back before night falls. I bought it so I would not get lost and it has worked out perfect for me. Also tells you alt. speed you are going at and much more. When you turn it on for the first time it takes a little bit to get the sattelights, but after that it turns on fast. Takes batteries so if you go out take a extra set just in case it dies. It remembers where you are. Over all this unit is cost effective and if you get lost you will be happy to have this great unit to get you back. You do not want to land up somewhere for days with no food and cold temps. I am not a survival kind of guy so this is a must to have for me. I hope this reveiw was helpful.
On: 2007-01-04
I have found this Garmin eTrex GPS to be extremely accurate and reliable.
It fits well into the palm of your hand, and rarely loses its signal.
 On: 2006-12-20
Been using it for 6 months already, and everything worked perfectly, just like it had to work, but suddendly the screen started to get transparent... Dont know why, since it didnt felt-down, though it got a little bit wet with the rain when I was hunting (it says it has a Waterproof exterior), but no big deal. Im still able to use it, but I have to make an effort with my eyes... so, planning to get a newer one.
On: 2006-12-15
Got the gps to measure my walk of 6 miles (5 days / week). Ive used it 6 times and have gotten no 2 distances the same. These are as much as half a mile off. I can count steps or watch the time and get more acurate distances. The moving average is not right, nor is the max speed.
On: 2006-12-02
I have not used a GPS unit before, but purchaed this based on reviews. With nothing to compare it to, I can report the following: Although the instructions are straight forward, I found that the buttons are not so easy to navigate. I make many mistakes in programing and have to start over. I also found the this is not very accurate. At 500 feet, the GPS unit will show any direction. I have to get to within 250 feet of a way point to start getting any type of accuracy. If I did not know the direction of the way point at 400-500 feet I literally have to walk in circles and watch the unit point me false directions. Again at 250 feet it is accurate.
I have used this in the UP of Michigan and it takes about 5 minutes to get the satellites up and running. Also, if you want to save the information on your computer you will need to buy the cords, about $20.00, once I purchased these I then found I would have to purchase the software, it was not free at Garmin, so that would be another $20.00. I returned the cords and did not get the software. So if you want to save your information plan on spending another $40.00.
For my first GPS I think it is okay. I think if you are hiking, you would need to do a lot more research and probably spend more money to get something with greater accuracy.
On: 2006-11-04
takes a little time to start operating, very good for the price a little trouble using it inside car
On: 2006-10-05
I am a new geocacher and this device is perfect. Even children can easily understand and operate this device. It is accurate to 10-15 feet of the cache in the city. It is dead on when there is little or no interference (West Virginia). Ive even dropped it a couple of times and it still works like a charm. It is highly recommended in the forums of geocaching sites as well! A great device for the price.
On: 2006-09-28
I just got mine and Im extremely impressed with it. Its very easy to use (hint - download the instructions from Garmins website and read them while youre waiting for delivery - this one is newer and does more than those instructions say, but it works the same way and you will know how to use it before it gets there). Its accuracy is more than what I expected. I can mark a waypoint and it will guide me to within 10 feet of it, sometimes within 3 feet. This is far more than what I need but nice to have that level of accuracy (in WAAS mode). It doesnt have the features of more expensive units but it has everything I need, and everything you would need to get you unlost in the woods. It doesnt do maps but I didnt want that anyway. You cant beat this unit for the price.
On: 2006-09-19
I bought the Garmin ETREX gps (yellow)and am very happy with it. In fact I went back to Amazon and bought two more, one for the wife and one for our son. It does everything it says it will do and more. Also very pleased with Amazon and the ordering,and handling. I have started to buy all my products through Amazon whan available.
On: 2006-09-14
I bought the eTrex to begin geocaching. With WAAS turned on, its plenty accurate for my needs. It has long battery life. Its easy to use with one hand.
It doesnt have all the bells and whistles of some GPS units, but for those of us who dont want to spend hundreds of dollars, the eTrex is perfect.
On: 2006-09-04
I had an etrex for a year. It was durable, got it at a great price, and was generally happy with it. The only real problems were that the battery case screw jammed sometimes and the coordinate numbers were too small to read easily. It would have been easy for the designers to make them bigger - this is just a flaw. Otherwise it was fine and well in line with other sub $100 units
On: 2006-08-25
This simple device is reliable for fixing positions. And If you know about coordinates, you can set it in, and bingo. You can compensate what it lacks of by using coordinates from a map while you paid unexpensive.
On: 2006-08-20
Compact, light, waterproof and carrying the GARMIN name of excellence, its unbeatable in the catagory. I use it to drive a maping program on my notebook and then for hiking at my destination. Satalite aquisition is really fast even after driving hundreds of miles with the GPS off. Ive seen other
brands that seem to take for ever to find themselves under
this condition. I rated it 4 only because battery consumption
is higher than ideal.
On: 2006-08-18
I certainly wont say I dont know how I lived without this unit, and I can see how this little basic GPS has limitations depending on your lifestyle and expectations. But is EXACTLY what I needed. There is no way I use it up to its full potential, but knew that would be the case. Just wanted something to help me with knowing how many miles I"m covering on my daily hikes, changes in altitude (difficulty of hikes), keeping track of my route and time, etc. Every once in awhile my dog and I bushwack, and with this I can always find my way out of a tangle of underbrush, or back towards home should we lose sight of our obvious landmarks. Where we live is an area where people do geo-cache and Ive thought about doing some of that while Im out there, but havent gotten beyond the thought yet. One day well venture beyond our immediate home area where the landmarks are strange and unknown and then this unit will really prove itself. Oh, and as to the matter of batteries - I use this unit about 90 minutes every other day and the first set of regular alkaline batteries lasted about 6 weeks. The unit kept saying the batteries were okay, but when it took a noticeably longer time to boot up and easily lost signal when under only slight cover, I knew it was time to replace them. So just keep aware about battery strength so you dont find yourself in strange territory without power.
On: 2006-08-13
This is my second gps, and is a very portable one. The batteries dure the double and are the half. Nevertheless, is not as accurate as the previous (a garmin xl12) for instances, in a point where the xl12 has an accuracy of 13 feets, the etrrx is about 20 feets.even so, for sailing is an excellent partner-
On: 2006-07-17
I love this product and would highly recommend it. The eTrex is the most affordable Garmin GPS, but still provides everything I need (it just doenst have the maps that the more expensive ones have - but usually there are no maps when you are hiking anyhow).
I have used the eTrex in Scotland when hill walking. It has picked up satellites 95+% of the time and has been an invaluable tool for helping me find my way back when I get off track. I would highly recommend. Besides being useful as a bread crumb trail and for marking waypoints, it is also fun to see the summary statistics for each walk -- total miles, avg. speed, elevation, etc. etc.
I also used the eTrex in Southern, Illinois, where there is thick tree cover. I picked up satellites about 75% of the time. This was still good enough to get my group back to our car when we got off the beaten path.
Ed
On: 2006-07-08
For my first GPS I selected the Garmin eTrex. Easy to use to mark waypoints and find them later. Have not had to use it in the dark yet. Setting up routes is nice just to know the distance between two points. I recommend this to anyone who needs something lightweight and simple.
by: Anonymous On: 2006-06-01
I got this GPS for my [...] birthday 2 weeks ago. It was awesome for about a day then the words became really light and you could hardly read them. We returned it to target and got another etrex. The words were darker so I was exited but then after an hour of use became light again, I tried new batteries but, that didnt help. Has anybody else had the same problem? Any adivce?
On: 2006-04-25
This is my first GPS unit, purchased soley to enter the sport of Geocaching--see geocaching dot com--and recommended at that website as the cheapest GPS unit that would allow you to participate in this new sport of finding items placed by others by longitude and latitude.
Well, the unit certainly works for that, although you have to either manually set a waypoint location, then modifying its latitude and longitude by manual entry, and I can only apparently find a SERIAL cable to connect it to a PC, and Macs dont have serial ports.
But its been a blast and money well spent, with some unintended uses Ive discovered, such as:
! Easter egg hunts for geeks. This year I placed Easter egg caches around town and my 12 year old went on an Easter Egg hunt by finding them based upon waypoints.
2. You need a first class pedometer? I like walking, and you can set a waypoint as soon as you get out of the car, and leaving the unit own itll tell you your average speed, total distance walked and time, all at once. You can use it to measure walking trails, the trail around the lake you walk three times a week, etc. I mean why pay $25 for a pedometer that you have to set your stride into the machine when you can get THIS for under a $100?
3. Lots of useful information, such as its exactly 30 miles as the crow flies from home to office, but 48 by road.
WARNING: Do NOT let your teenagers have this in the backseat of the car, unless you want to hear, "Dad, you know youre going 82 miles an hour", only to look down and find that you are. This unit is EXTREMELY accurate measuring your speed on the highway.
So, Im just BEGINNING to find out uses. Sure, this unit doesnt have street maps, and its not color, and its got a lousy computer connection with optional serial cable. But for under a $100 it gets you into the world of GPS and Im constantly finding ways to use this little sucker.
So get it!
On: 2006-03-16
as many people here, I decided to became a geocacher and got this device for start - it absolutely satisfy me needs and includes so many language versions that everyone can pick up his native. I do recommend to buy this GPS.
On: 2006-02-26
I bought this item for my 13 yr old son and he has been using it for geo-caching. It is a great unit for the price and a great way to enter the sport of geo-caching. He actually decided to do this instead of saving his money for an X-Box 360...its nice to see him outside instead of in front of the TV.
On: 2006-01-29
I purchased this unit to try "Geocaching." It was recommended on the geocaching.com website as an inexpensive, entry-level unit. It has fulfilled and exceeded my expectations. It has a very short "learning curve." It took me less than 30 min. to initialize the unit, learn how to input a waypoint, and start a "GOTO." ( This is the method used to find a location according to GPS coordinates.) Within an hour of opening the package, I found my first Geocache!! I highly recommend this unit to anyone who wants basic GPS capability without all the frills.
On: 2006-01-15
My husband already had one of these, but says this one is much better and actually does alot more than his older one...FIVE stars in his book!
On: 2005-10-31
Before you lose the patience to read through the rest of the stuff, I would strongly suggest that you get yourself a PC interface cable and download free GPS software from www.easygps.com or pay for one at www.expertgps.com (with additional features)
With so many GPS in the market, it is confusing which one to buy, unless you are clear about what your needs are.
I jotted down a few points as to why would I really need a GPS:
(1) Never to lose my bearings on hikes
(2) Keep track of where I went and share this data to others
(3) Keep track of altitude
(4) Get to know of sunset and sunrise times so that I known when to get back to Camp and when to start the next day
(5) Speed at which I walk and estimate the amount of time I would take to reach my destination
etrex satisfies all of this.
What is that I do not like about the etrex
(1) Altimeters are not accurate (in any GPS), so get a barometric altimeter in addition to a GPS
(2) Something miserably wrong with Sunset and sunrise timings. My GPS shows sunrise time as 18:51 and Sunset ast 06:30 (???) and it is inaccurate even if you transpost it. Etrex loses a * for this
(3) Useless in heavy tree cover (in any GPS)
(4) Battery life could have been better
Despite all that, I am very happy with my etrex, it cost me exactly $100, meets almost all the features that I am looking for.
Many of my friends ask me this question - Are you sure that this GPS works in India ?
Ofcourse, it does, it is a GLOBAL positioning system ! I have used it in US, Canada, Singapore and Korea and works everywhere, even in the forests in western ghats in India.
On: 2005-10-10
I really like them, and this model is slightly improved over previous ones. It has an additional screen that conveniently displays additional information. It is easy to use and accurate. The first one I owned failed due to a software glitch, but Garmin provided me with a patch. I especially like the ability to download waypoints from my topographical program.
Get the carry case so the screen does not get scratched up.
On: 2005-08-31
I found the eTrex very easy to use - no manual necessary, despite the fact that its my first GPS. Its also small, lightweight, and easy to handle. I bought it for openwater kayaking, and I like how little space it requires in my vest pocket. It it NOT completely waterproof, as the Garmin site claims, however. The battery compartment does not seal tightly, so it cannot be submerged even for a few seconds without the risk of getting the batteries wet.
On: 2005-08-30
I have had this model for several years and am now considering upgrading. It does a great job of pointing me in the right direction when Im headed somewhere new. Good for geocaching, although under heavy tree cover it can be far off the mark. To get the most out of it, you really need to hook it up to a computer so you can download/upload data. For the PC, I recommend ExpertGPS.
by: kanda@vincennes.net On: 2005-08-27
Great GPS for the price. Went mountain biking and hiking and it worked great!! The manual was rather complicated, and dont buy the instructional video, its worthless.
On: 2005-08-04
So you just heard about this sport called "geocaching," and you think it would be fun to try it if only the recommended GPS gizmos were not so expensive? Ignore the recommendations and grab an eTrex.
This unit will not find angels on the head of a pin, and it is not the perfect, ideal unit for geocaching. If you are already a GPS/geocaching fan, spring the big bucks for something with more oomph. But if youre a beginner, the eTrex a relatively small investment in a new sport that you may not even enjoy, and it will get your started. Then, when you are ready to upgrade (or quit geocaching), eBay (or the friends you have lured into the sport!) are ready to take it off your hands.
Ive used mine for 16 finds and 1 hide so far, all beginner caches of 1-2 stars of difficulty. Many have been in GPS-unfriendly areas such as wooded areas and near power lines. The eTrex has performed as expected on each of those caches: getting me within the noted range of error (usually 10-30 ft) so my dogs nose and my eyeballs can do the hard work. In a few cases where I thought the eTrex must be off, I later went back and found out I was standing on or next to the well-hidden cache & didnt even notice it!
Battery life seems to be fine; Im still on my first set of batteries, a month after purchase. I am also a fair-weather geocacher, so mine has not had a chance to prove or disprove its water resistance.
The unit will hold 500 waypoints, which is more than enough for a beginning geocacher. Unless you buy the cable to connect it to your computer, you will probably never enter that many waypoints before you are ready to upgrade your equipment, anyway. I have the cable, and I still only have 250 nearby caches marked in my eTrex so far.
A large disadvantage of the eTrex compared to some of the more expensive models is that you cant show streets, etc., on a map screen. You can, however, import waypoints from your GPS (or right from geocaching.com!) into Google Earth and then print out satellite pictures that are better than those expensive GPS units will provide anyway.
On: 2005-08-03
So you just heard about this sport called "geocaching," and you think it would be fun to try it if only the recommended GPS gizmos were not so expensive? Ignore the recommendations and grab an eTrex.
This unit will not find angels on the head of a pin, and it is not the perfect, ideal unit for geocaching. If you are already a GPS/geocaching fan, spring the big bucks for something with more oomph. But if youre a beginner, the eTrex a relatively small investment in a new sport that you may not even enjoy, and it will get your started. Then, when you are ready to upgrade (or quit geocaching), eBay (or the friends you have lured into the sport!) are ready to take it off your hands.
Ive used mine for 16 finds and 1 hide so far, all beginner caches of 1-2 stars of difficulty. Many have been in GPS-unfriendly areas such as wooded areas and near power lines. The eTrex has performed as expected on each of those caches: getting me within the noted range of error (usually 10-30 ft) so my dogs nose and my eyeballs can do the hard work. In a few cases where I thought the eTrex must be off, I later went back and found out I was standing on or next to the well-hidden cache & didnt even notice it!
Battery life seems to be fine; Im still on my first set of batteries, a month after purchase. I am also a fair-weather geocacher, so mine has not had a chance to prove or disprove its water resistance.
The unit will hold 500 waypoints, which is more than enough for a beginning geocacher. Unless you buy the cable to connect it to your computer, you will probably never enter that many waypoints before you are ready to upgrade your equipment, anyway. I have the cable, and I still only have 250 nearby caches marked in my eTrex so far.
A large disadvantage of the eTrex compared to some of the more expensive models is that you cant show streets, etc., on a map screen. You can, however, import waypoints from your GPS (or right from geocaching.com!) into Google Earth and then print out satellite pictures that are better than those expensive GPS units will provide anyway.
On: 2005-07-25
The eTrex is a good GPS device for the beginner user. I have recently got one and found it very easy to learn how to use it. It does everything you would expect a GPS to do, which is basically marking points and getting directions and distances.
After a few months of usage, however, you realize a couple of drawbacks, which are basically:
1. Small memory - after a few hours of usage, especially if you are moving fast, the memory on it will get used up completely. It will not trace a trip if it is more than one day long.
2. Short battery life - it is amazing how much battery the eTrex eats up. If you are just leaving it on, it may last more than a day, but if you are constantly using it, you will need spares.
3. Bad reception - I dont know if other GPSs are better, but if you put this one in your pocket, forget about reception.
As a cheap locating device, this is good. But if you need something for serious usage, I think there must be better devices. Then again, this is the starter model, so I think it achieves what it proposes itself to do.
On: 2005-06-08
Its a great unit for someone who would like play around with GPS. More advanced users will be dissapointed with its lack of features.
The eTrex has the ability to make your own maps right on the screen and thats about all its good for. Each landmark you place on the map can only have 6 characters and must be unique. If you were to purchase the optional data cable you could make these landmarks on the pc and transfer them over. This makes things easier because you dont have to actually travel to each landmark to create it on your map.
It has a tracback feature (so you can retrace your steps) but if you were to go on a trip for more then a few hours the memory quickly becomes full.
If you want a gps to play with for the weekend, this unit might interest you. If you were to use it any longer, you quickly realise how limited it is.
Do yourself a favor and get the model or two up with downloadable maps and more memory.
On: 2005-04-17
I have had this unit for several years and it has performed adequately. Its repeatability is usually about 30 feet. Its easy to use, but doesnt take maps.
But despite Garmins claims, it is NOT WATERPROOF! I took it sailing, where it got splashed. Then I noticed it stopped working and there was water in the screen. When I got home, I tested it by holding it under water in my sink to see where air would bubble out from. This test showed no bubbles(leaks). Confused, I decided it must have sucked the water in through a hole somewhere. So I filled the sink with HOT water. Sure enough, as the air inside warmed up, bubbles began streaming out of a little hole built into the back of the unit. This test also proves that if this GPS is warm (like from being in the sun as you might be when youre using a GPS) and then it gets splashed with cold water (70 degrees here in FL), it will suck that water up through that little hole and destroy the GPS. To clarify, the hole is not a flaw in my unit, it is very intentionally molded in to the case.
I am extremely dissapointed in Garmin, and since they claim the unit is waterproof when it is not, I dont know how Im going find a new one that truely is.
My advice, if your GPS is really going to get wet, is to do the hot-water test and see if it leaks air. If so, return it.
On: 2005-03-28
I purchased a yellow Garmin eTrex GPS about a year ago. My main reason for buying it was because I learned about the sport called geocaching, and, knowing little about these devices at that point, I purchased one on the advice of a couple of friends. I used it heavily for for about 5 months before coming to some conclusions about this devices capabilities.
I will first list the yellow eTrexs good points:
- Its cheap-- one of the cheapest GPS receivers you can find.
- Its easy to find-- you can buy one at Target, or at most any sporting goods store.
- Its durable. You can drop it several times or dunk it in water, and itll still work (dry it out first before you attempt to use it again).
- It has an interface to hook up to your computer to download new firmware and to download geocaching waypoints, if you have the need for this.
- Its easy to use and very intuitive for first timers.
Now, its drawbacks. Realize that I am rating this device from the viewpoint of a geocacher, and were probably the most demanding users of GPS receivers out there:
- It is not an accurate device if youre attempting to get a definitive lock on a waypoint within 50 of your goal. Once in the general search area, the signal will likely bounce around and give you wildly varying readings. For example, if youve entered a waypoint and get within 50 of your search area, expect to find readings bouncing around from 5-50 feet with each step you take. I used this unit in varying terrain, under varying tree/bush cover, under varying weather/cloud conditions, and in varying temperatures, with the same results. I was able to obtain two other samples of this receiver, and those tests came up with the same results, so I surmise that my eTrex wasnt just an errant sample of these receivers. Upgrading the receivers firmware did nothing to help the accuracy.
Granted, my experiences with this receiver probably wont matter that much to most of those who will purchase this unit for tasks such as finding your way around while camping, hunting and hiking. For those uses, this unit will work just fine. However, if youre a geocacher and want a GPS unit that will pinpoint your goal effectively, without bouncing your readings from 5-50 ft. as soon as you walk two steps any direction, you will want a GPS unit that has WAAS capabilities (wide area augmentation system). I now have a GPS receiver that has WAAS, and it provides a much more stable lock when in the area of my intended goal.
In short, I found this unit to be frustrating to use for geocaching. There are other GPS units that will provide more stable signal-lock than the Garmin eTrex for close to the same price.
On: 2005-03-15
I bought this unit not knowing what to expect. Well it has exceded my expectations in every respect. First of all the one I just received has a newer software revision. It has WAAS and is software revision 3.10 which has a new screen which my friends with revision 2.* doesnt have. I looked on there website and they dont offer this revision for download so it must be something that just brand new usits offer. Well anyways...I use this with a program called ExpertGPS which overlays my tracked trails on an Aerial Photomap from Satellites. So cool. I can see excatly where I rode. Mine worked flawlessly in the woods. Now it is winter here and there are no leaves on the trees but I think it will work just as good in the summer. I got the bike mount and mounted the unit to my Yamaha Kodiaks handle bars. Workes great. Battery seems to last a very long time for me. I have used it a few days hours at a time and there still going. I am one very satisfied customer. Oh you need to get the serial cable to hook this to a computer to view your trails and edit your waypoints and many other cool stuff.
On: 2005-02-20
On a boy scout trip on a campout we used this GPS to hide and then find bags full of candy. The easy to use buttons on the ETREX took only minutes to learn and the position of the coordinates was only off by 28 feet on a cloudy, cold day in the woods. The system also only took me about 30 seconds to pick up 4 satilites from inside a building on a cold day.
This is worth every penny
On: 2005-01-09
My philosophy has always been that the fewer bells and whistles you have on a gadget, the fewer problems youll have with it. This holds true for the basic yellow Garmin eTrex. Ive owned this little guy for nearly three years now and love it. Some people like to have preinstalled base maps and thats fine. But as long as you know the coordinates for where youre going - whether its buried treasure or a hotel on the beach - the eTrex will work like a charm. You can find the coordinates of destinations on a number of websites.
The menu and buttons are very easy to negotiate. The battery life of 20+ hours (on two AAs) is good. I get good readings under moderate tree cover, but heavy cover could cause occasional problems. The only features you might want that the basic eTrex doesnt have are the internal compass and altimeter. The compass might help with geocaching, but isnt absolutely necessary with general travel. I keep a good Suunto A-10 compass around my neck anyway. The eTrex will give you direction and altitude, but its calculated from the GPS satellites instead of internal mechanisms.
This unit is a good choice if you dont want to spend a bunch of cash and just need to gadget for camping, hiking, or geocaching. Before flying out to Arizona a couple of years ago for vacation, I pre-entered coordinates for hotels, national parks, and historical sites. I placed it on the dashboard of the rental car and it got me where I needed to be just fine. No need for fancy pants base maps.
On: 2004-10-17
This unit is outstanding for runners, less so for cyclists. I have my standard running loop programmed in as a "track"; I just cycled it one day and saved it in the memory. Now, if I carry it while I run, it tells me how far Ive gone, how much further I have to go, and how fast Im going. Its easy to carry in your hand, too.
For cycling, it is an excellent tool for going new places. I simply go to the internet, find the lat & long of the intersections where Ill be turning, enter them into the etrex as "waypoints" and program in a "route" that connects them. Then, the unit gives me the distance to the next turn and displays a big arrow when its time to make the turn. Its a lot easier to use than carrying a map with you. The distance-traveled and speed features are not as useful; its easier and more accurate to have a cyclocomputer measure that.
The big downfall for any kind of navigation is that you need to enter the lat & long of the intersections using the kludgy interface. It would be a lot easier to hook it up to a PC-based map, yes. If you have made the trip once, however, it will retrace your steps for you, which is a nice feature.
Signal strength is adequate. It works best if you stand still from the time you turn it on until the time it finds the satellites. Battery life is decent; I put it on "battery save" mode, which I imagine tracks the satellites less frequently, but gives me decent directions none the less. There is a backlight.
All in all, Garmin eTrex GPS with Waterproof Exterior (Yellow) is cheaper than one of those watches that use GPS satellites to measure your speed, and a lot more functional. If you need to do a lot of navigation on known roads, this is not the unit for you. For running, however, it is a great tool; thats why I give it 4 stars.
On: 2004-10-09
I wanted something small and easy to use. Basically just keep track of my route while hiking in the woods so I could find my way back to the truck.
This unit is slow, unreliable and has poor battery life.
Its a neat toy if you are walking around in your yard.
Save your money and buy a better model if you are really going to have to rely on it to find your way out of the woods.
Oh, BTW, even the slightest canopy or cloud cover and youll lose your signal.
On: 2004-07-14
I own 3 GPS receivers and I will say Garmin did an excellent job. The receiver is much more sensitive to satellite signals than my other GPSs. Just dont expect too much from this small unit with tiny screen and very slow CPU for screen refresh. It will drive you nuts to use it for street navigation. It is suitable for back trailing in the mountains. For street navigate, I strongly suggest that you hook this unit up with a laptop but make sure that GPS is set to NMEA and the software GPS setting is also correct. Conclusion, dont street navigate with this unit alone and dont buy a no brand GPS under $90 because you will not be happy with the reception. Eddy
by: Anonymous On: 2004-07-03
This is a wonderful little unit, compact, light and very easy to use. I have worked with some other GPS units and this one is so simple for the minor simple functions! The unit has the ability to give you time for the time zone you are in, sunrise, sunset and many other functions. I have found this unit to work mainly outside, inside it seems to have troubles picking up the satellites, however if you are using this it is logical to be outdoors. I look forward to getting out on the trails now both hiking and biking, as I can map the trail I take. For someone that wants a simple unit, this is the way to go, as you cant beat the cost. For those that want all the big bells and whistles, keep looking. This unit gives a map of the trail but it is not going to give you every detail of area around you like some of the higher costing units.
On: 2004-06-11
I am VERY pleased with this little unit! As I have stated, it gives you lots of bang for the buck. Im just a casual walker, and the WAAS-less navigation is plenty accurate for me. In fact, the accuracy is frequently within 20-25 feet of a waypoint even without WAAS. Heck, if Im within 25 feet of something and cant see it, I deserve to be lost! I use it to record the distance I have walked as well as the track, which is all I really need. Its nice to have the Lat and Long, also, just for that "Star Trek" flavor!The unit is great for driving as long as I keep the unit laying at the front of the dash where it can maintain a lock on satellites. I dont actually navigate by it, I just use it to have a bearing on where Im going and record trip mileage. No, I dont play with it while Im driving!! An external antenna jack might be nice, but I wouldnt see the lack of one as an adverse characteristic. Since the unit is designed and marketed as a low-cost, basic, introductory unit, one wouldnt expect to need an external antenna hookup. I would like to see capability for on-board charging of rechargeable batteries, since you get maybe one full dawn to dusk day of use before the batteries start getting low. The only problem I have noticed, and this seems to be common to most all GPS units, is difficulty maintaining a lock under heavy tree cover. Again, however, this is not entirely unexpected and I dont consider it a detriment (at least for my applications). Signal strength from the satellites doesnt exceed "X" watts and GPS antenna sensitivity has to be limited at some point. Under the right circumstances, ANY unit will lose a signal. I definitely give this unit two thumbs up! If a person expects more out of it than it can deliver, they may actually need one of the more sophisticated units. But for the casual walker and gadget geek (I am both) this is the deal of the century!
On: 2004-06-03
I was looking at the pedometers. I found this, and am extremely happy with it. Pedometers are limited in accuracy and function. This little guy is amazing. It has an odometer function, the accuracy of which is based on the signal strength the unit receives. I can usually get wonderful strength, and the unit is accurate to within 20 ft. Not only does it measure horizontal distance, it tells me the elevation of the hills I am climbing. Ive since found out that in my 2 mile hike, Im climbing and over 70 ft! It has a trip timer, so I know how long Ive been traveling. I continue to find uses for it. No buyer remorse here!!
On: 2004-05-14
Ive used a few GPS units over the years and have had my little yellow ETrex for a couple years now. Its been a great companion.You dont get many of the features of the higher priced units - no map overlays - compass only works while you are moving - accuracy +- 15 feet or so - unable to pan. What you do get though is impressive. Battery life is awesome, I go on weekend camping trips and usually run Saturday and Sunday without changing batteries (NI-MH rechargeables). Im hooked on geocaching and preloading in geocaching waypoints means you are always a couple miles away from an interesting spot you never knew was there. Use it when visiting new places and always know how to backtrack the way you came. Play with the trip odometer, estimated arrival times, and my favorite; meet up with your camping buddies giving them nothing but Lat/Long coords and no directions. Ive read a few complaints about getting a signal and I dont get it. Mine gets a lock within a minute or so and only loses it if Im in REAL tight canyons or dense forest, but quickly reacquires with the next patch of open space. Anyway, if you want to get a quality starter GPS unit without blowing the budget, especially if you have kids, try geocaching (search the web) and get one of these. One thing, get yourself some rechargeable batteries, once hooked you wont want to turn it off. I just wanted to share while I came back to Amazon to upgrade to a ETrex legend (Im hooked and want a map and panning) and thought Id add my 2c in to someone getting their feet wet.
On: 2004-05-13
I originally purchased the Geko unit from the local Shack. This was my first experience with GPS and I was pretty well hooked. I was out of town at Best Buy a few weeks later and picked up the yellow Etrex for the same price. They talked me into the warranty for the extra 10 bucks. I bought it for search and rescue training, and for an upcoming trip to Central America where we will likely find ourselves hiking thru mountainous terrain. I have been testing the unit for about 3 mos now. Great unit. Get one, and get yourself some good rechargeables and you are in like Flynn. Spot on accurate, and the ability to know where you are, anywhere on the planet, at any time, and in any weather for a fixed investment of $100.00 -- Impossible to go wrong here.
On: 2004-04-29
I tried to get this to work, but from day one it could never get a consistent satellite reading even in completely open space. I sent it back and tried it agian, still doesnt work.
I was told if you have it in your pocket it wont work. I tried just holding it in my hand, still doesnt work. The technology is not there, I cant think of why anyone would want this if the material in a pocket stops a signal?
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-28
Ive had this gps for over a year now, use it for biking trips. Keeps track of speed, distance, and saves on the unit all tracks. Ive also am using now for 4x4 driving. I recently went with my daughter to her campsite & mark it on the gps. Later I went to see her and only had her camp mark as a waypoint. The gps lead me right to her campsite with no problem. I am an experience user of gps-ing, use it on boating & hunting locations. But I especially like that it has a longer battery life compared to others. With good alkaline batteries it almost last all day.
On: 2004-03-26
So my buddies hooked me on geocaching...but I dont really have any other use for a GPS than this wonderful pasttime, so I couldnt see spending $200-$400 for the same types of units. This was the cheapest one I could find so I bought it. I have never been happier with a "tech" purchase. Not only is it perfect for geocaching, but the thing is incredibly durable & reliable.In my haste to get to a newly posted nearby cache, I left my relatively new eTrex on the hood of my truck. Two minutes later, to my horror, I saw it bouncing off the asphalt at 35mph in my rearview mirror. It suffered nothing but a few dings on the yellow casing. My reverence for Garmin was born, seeing as my wife would never have allowed me to buy another GPS after that bonehead move. As for performance, if you dont need a road map overlay, theres no reason you shouldnt get this unit. Its accurate, and easy to use, even with one hand. Thanks to Garmin for this wonderful, DURABLE product. Its even waterproof, though I havent accidentally dropped it in a lake yet.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-01
I found this GPS an easy to use product and generally quite happy with it. One thing i would like to comment on tho is the fact if you save a track to the memory then recall it then copy it to a pc software you will find the track differs at times to the actual course..THis maybe caused by the Track function trying to save space.
On: 2004-02-15
I am a heart patient, and I need to keep track of my walking excercise program. I bought this eTrex about 5 months ago because it has a trip odometer, time elapsed, and average speed functions which give me all of the information I need. It will lock onto a signal inside my RV, albeit with diminished accuracy. When you go out for the walk, though, it tracks with an accuracy of about 15 to 20 feet. Battery life has been good. It is very easy to use, and it is perfect for my needs. I would highly recommend it for anyone who needs to monitor their walking (or perhaps bicycling) program. Your doctor will be impressed with the records you can give him/her.
On: 2004-01-29
Got this GPS in 2000 as a fancy toy. Reception can be irritating, but it seems to do better than most -- its locked on 5 birds / 20 feet in my living room. Battery life is great (I used NiMH rechargables), the screen is great, interface is intuitive, etc.Ive decided to give one to my dad for his birthday. I definitely recommend the PC cable w/ 12V adapter (part #010-10268-00; double-check Amazons recommendation), as there is a lot of free and not-so-free mapping and waypoint management software (TopoGrafix, for starters). It holds 500 waypoints and ~ 1500 trackpoints (10 tracks). In 3 years of long (~ 60 mi) rides, long car trips, etc Ive not had a problem with the memory limits. The price is right, the unit works great, and its plenty of GPS for my knocking around. And, for the record, I can get readings in commercial aircraft -- just hold it up to the window and give it time to acquire.
On: 2004-01-09
Our ETREX has been great, we walk all over Scotland, however we encounter a problem when we enter any wooded area, the ETREX cuts out, until we find an open space. Otherwise this piece of technology, has saved us many times, as we have a tendency to go off the beaten tracks, and since we walk mainly in the winter it is important that we are able to find our way back. Garmin this was one good xmas present that was bought, but please try and find a way for connecting with the satellites in the woods.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-01
We bought this for geocaching, looking for something inexpensive and reliable. So far weve been thrilled. Inputting information is rather like using a cell phone, which is not a problem for our use. The unit itself is lightweight and comes with a long strap, which you can hang around your neck as you push foliage out of the way. We have found accuracy to be extremely high, and it has always gotten us within ten feet of the cache. Battery life has been excellent. I am sure that for more complicated or remote adventures there are better units, but for our simple needs, this has been perfect.
On: 2003-11-20
This is a good basic unit. It gives you a wealth of data, in fact more data than I could ever use like time of sunrise and sunset. My one criticism is that I have to take about an hour to retrain myself on how to use it between trips. There is nothing intuitive about it. Another thing I noticed about it is that if you are taking a curvey path to your destination and say your destination is 3.5 miles up the path, this will not provide you with the correct distance. I think it must measure more or less as the crow flies.
On: 2003-11-08
I run a lodge in northern ontario,and to get to work i travel by boat.Each day we travel 10 miles in and 10 miles back.Often this trip is made at 2 or 3 in the morning.Fog,rain,or snow the e trex always gets us home.On the lake we travel there are many bays and islands,and in the worst conditions,when you can not even see through the windshield we depend on the e trex to guide us back to safety.The backlight is great in the dark.The track back feature is by far the easiest to use.
On: 2003-10-23
I bought this as a "starter" based upon some reviews I had read. It is accurate to 12-15 feet and is a great little device for geocaching (the main purpose I bought it). However, for the price you get the Chevrolet. If you want to have maps at your fingertips with the unit you must buy a bigger more powerful device (meaning more memory to load software/maps into). I found myself investing another $200 in "stuff" (case, cables, and Garmins Mapsource Topomaps). Once loaded onto my laptop, powered up by a new "inverter" (an additional $50)in the car, and hooked up to the laptop (the Garmin) I was "loaded for bear". I knew exactly where I was, could navigate cross-country, could chart waypoints, plot routes, and establish plans to find the first caches. Quirky software made uploads and downloads (to and from the device)a bit problematic but Im not sure its the device or the Mapquest software. It will run out of storage space for logging routes if you leave it on for over about four hours. Batteries are a challenge but I used the cable that has the cigarette lighter adapter along with the serial port hook up for the laptop - thus it didnt eat batteries quite as much. Over a four-day excursion to Big Bend I changed batteries once as a result. Like I said, its a Chevrolet and Cadillacs are better - and more expensive. As with any other device - it works with Garmin software best - so decide and explore software compatibility if youre planning on buying Streetfinder maps as well as Topo maps. All in all, I got a great prize (thank you Amazon.com!), a solid piece of hardware, and had one hell of a great time geocaching. If you dont know what that is, go to "geocaching.com" and learn! Youll get hooked.
On: 2003-10-13
I bought one of these instruments in 2001. Used it twice when I was in Lithuania, and once when I was in the Andes in South America. It quit working. I returned it to the company, and they made good on it, although it was beyoud the warrenty period. Good customer service
by: Anonymous On: 2003-09-17
This unit is a great example of being penny wise and pound foolish. Sorry I spent the [money]. It takes forever for it to acquire satellite signals, and then when it does, it loses the signal if you dont hold it horizontally; drop it around your neck and it loses the signal. Basically, a waste of money.
On: 2003-08-31
I work as a structural geologist, a job that requires spending long periods of time hiking around the deserts of Nevada. For obvious reasons I was keen to get a GPS reciever that was small, reliable, and not too expensive (one never knows when one might accidently set it down and walk off - "GPS find thyself!"). The Garmin eTrex proved ideally suited to my specifications and proved to be perfectly equipped for my purposes. I ordered it from Amazon and set off for Nevada a day later.
Well, believe me the Garmin eTrex got an exceedingly intense work out over the next two months, and it fulfilled its duties magnificently. First of all, and most importantly, it is as accurate as it claims. Most of the time it was able to give me 12m accuracy, even in valleys and on hillsides with a restricted view of the sky. It finds the satellites quickly and updates its position regularly. Storing a location is also very simple.
The eTrex also has one of the longest battery lives on the market, another major reason in my decision to purchase, and because it is only powered by two AA batteries, the maintenance costs are minimal.
Thirdly, all the settings are user determined, allowing you to work to various bases and differing units to your hearts content.
Lastly, the fact that it is inexpensive means that psychologically one can take more risks with it. Drop it, bang it around - the eTrex is robust enough to withstand a good deal of abuse, and it held up well under the searing Nevada heat. In the end I only managed to lose it twice, thanks to the handy little wrist strap it comes with, which I was able to tie onto my belt. Each time I was able to retrack my steps (using my notebook for guidance) and find the reciever again. Therein lies the problem with GPS machines in general - its great when you have it, but you must still learn the basic skills in case you lose it, the battery runs out or you end up in a steep valley with no signal.
To conclude I highly recommend the Garmin eTrex to users of all abilities looking for a quick cheap and reliable GPS fix.
On: 2003-08-09
After several years use of the eTrex, I upgraded to a more richly-featured unit by another manufacturer (probably because it was available as a Gold Box offer). But I havent been able to stop using the good old eTrex! The people who designed it really had their eyes on the ball. To contrast it with the other unit, it can be operated entirely with one hand - a major advantage in practical use; smaller package; it sits flat on any level surface and wont slip if that surface becomes slightly inclined; and it has a sparse visual display - no maps, just waypoints that the user has entered. Now this last element is not desirable in an auto navigation system, but for the display size offered in a hand-held unit it is just what I want - no clutter. The uses of a small-package GPS system expand with experience. Yesterday I decided to row a boat between points in Puget Sound separated by two miles of open water. My destination was always at my back, and the currents were variable in direction and speed (speeds being comparable at times to my rowing speed). Put good old eTrex on the bench in front of me, and I always had an arrow pointing me exactly on course. Went to London once and found the Underground was not operating due to a strike. Thus it was hard even to get a cab. Decided to walk back a mile to hotel after theater one night through streets laid out in God only knows what pattern - with eTrex, no problem. Left car in large parking lot, came back later with no idea where it was - no problem, just backtrack with eTrex. Same story following poorly marked trails in woods - get to destination, a bit tired, head back and find confusing trail branches that were not noticed on way out - eTrex marked path prevents wrong decisions. Keep cab drivers honest in strange cities. My first acquaintance with the GPS as a user was with eTrex, and I keep returning to it. It does not have the sensitivity of more expensive units - it will take longer to lock on position if one has moved hundreds of miles since last use, and sometimes will fail to acquire signal under dense forest canopy or streets surrounded by tall buildings. But in my experience these disadvantages are clearly outweighed by its low cost, compact package, and outstanding design. For the dollar, the most fun, rewarding, and useful gadget I have bought in many years - and I have purchased quite a few.
On: 2003-07-14
good unit to go geocashen. works well even in deep wooded areas. easy to input waypoints. Not as fancy as some...GPS units, but still can find anything if you have the coordinates to it.
On: 2003-06-17
I bought my Garmin eTrex because I was interested in Geocaching but I didnt have a lot of spare cash to invest in the activity. I was a little concerned about purchasing what is essentially the "bottom of the line" device but once my eTrex arrived and I put it to use I was not disappointed. My family and I go Geocaching almost every weekend now. I have found this device to be extremly easy to use once you get used to it. Is features have been more than enough when it comes to geocaching. I would recommend this device to anyone looking for a GPS device for Geocaching.
On: 2003-06-15
For hikers and fishers and hot air baloonists, this little unit may do the job at a reasonable price. For runners who are interested in recording time and distance in unfamiliar territory, this little unit yanks my big unit. Itll give you a running total time and distance and, for those who cant do division, an average speed. It will not save split times at waypoints nor measure the distance between waypoints on a saved "track." (It only measures straight-line distances betweeen waypoints.) I imagine that the Timex Ironman GPS watch system is a much better choice--but Ill never know because my bugets already broken.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-06-12
Execellent easy to use device with lots of options. Also the units graffics are fun and cute. It takes AA batteries so it isnt difficult to power. It also has a car adapter that you can purchase, but I dont recomend using it in a car since it doesnt have map software built in. It seems more for exploring by foot or watercraft.The product seems well made, and easy to find if you drop it. It also is supposidly waterproof. The manual is an easy read, and there is a pamphlet that comes with it that allows you to jump right in without knowing too much. I picked this item up because it was recommened on the gecaching website as being a good value.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-06-06
I bought this item just to see the buzz about GPS. I also bought an electronic auto compass the same time. By far, this little eTrex proved more accurate and useful. I dont bother to use the auto compass anymore. Although this is the basic eTrex model, it has many features Im still learning about even owning it over a year. I use it to mark places and routes of favorite places. I also use it to enter coordinates of new places Im driving ... the accuracy is amazing and I rarely get lost anymore. It measures speed, distance, time, elevation, sunrise, sunset, and much more. Very simple to use and many possible uses. I like this so much that Im upgrading to the eTrex Legend.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-05-21
My wife gave me an eTrex for my birthday, because we like to hike in the woods. When were in a clearing, it works well, but when were under any sort of leaf cover it doesnt acquire satellites very well at all. This also means that your tracks come out mutilated -- there are holes in them wherever the trees are. This happens while I hold the unit horizontally, vertically, or in any other position. I tried a lot of positions, and it still doesnt see the satellites when its under a tree. If you can live with this limitation, the eTrex is fine. Otherwise, Id recommend going up to a unit with a helical antenna.
On: 2003-05-13
The eTrex is AWESOME!!! I just got out of the Army, and have used the eTrex for the last 3 years. I used to condemn GPSs because soldiers werenýt learning necessary map/compass skills, and the Armyýs AN/PSN-11 was so UN-user friendly, it basically takes a doctorate in rocket science to operate effectively! I am an expert navigator with a map & compass and very competent with the AN/PSN-11, but neither is as effective or as easy as the eTrexýmy wife even used my GPS and loved it. I bought it before going to the Mojave desert (NTC) to train. I found it to be 100 times easier to use than the Armyýs bulky GPS and even more accurate! The AN/PSN-11 costs [a lot], is too big for your pocket, difficult to use, and requires a huge battery you canýt buy off the shelfýthe eTrex..., fits in your pocket, a child could operate it, and only takes 2 AA batteries. I have used it to navigate the desert, I have used it to navigate in urban areas, and even used it to set up land navigation courses to train soldiers on both map/compass skills as well as using GPS receivers. I may have gotten out of the Army, but my eTrex is still servingýmy soldiers begged me to let them take it to Iraq. I am now purchasing a Garmin Legend, and when my ýJoesý bring my eTrex back, Iýll have one for each car!!! THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR SOLDIERSýI just wish the Army would draft it and retire the AN/PSN-11!!!!
On: 2003-04-10
This was my first GPSr and have owned this unit for more than 1 year. For a beginner or the person that needs a no frills, basic GPSr, this is the WAY TO GO! This unit is GREAT for basic functions such as, getting your coordinates, bearings, hiking, recording favorite spots (hunting/fishing), and the great little past time known as geocaching. If you want maps, you need to look elsewhere (such as Legend or Vista), as this GPSr has none. I have used it to find my way on vacations, but without maps embedded in the unit, it makes it more of an adventure finding the way, so dont put away the paper maps. Like I said, GREAT for basic functions & beginners that dont want to be overwhelmed by other GPSrs, but if you need more, look to a higher end model!
On: 2003-04-07
This unit is great for what it is supposed to be. Its not the worlds most accurate, down-to-the inch GPS, for that buy a differential unit. On flat terrain, it WILL tell you where you are down to 15 feet. It can be less accurate in the mountains, but that is to be expected by ANY non-differential GPS. A smaller view of the sky means fewer satellites will be in view, which means less accuracy. It still works pretty well, however.Its also rugged. Ive dropped it, smacked it on rocks, and taken it whitewater rafting. No problems. The only drawback to this unit is that it does not display maps, only your course or tracks. This is the base model, for maps, buy one of the more expensive Garmins. The computer interface works great, and is very useful.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-29
Ive owned an eTrex now for nearly a year, and use it often. Ive used it flying, motorcycling, biking and jogging. Even after repetitive use, Im finding new functions, like the ability to project a waypoint (bearing and distance) from any waypoint in the database. Garmin got it right with this one. After minimal use, it becomes extremely user friendly to operate. Indoors, you can program new data or review existing data without GPS satellite reception. The various pages can be edited to display whats important to you by selecting from a list of available data fields. Simple to operate, inexpensive to own, and packed with useful options (sun and moon data etc.) I highly recommend it and will use mine for years to come.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-27
I bought this GPS unit to avoid getting lost travelling in the mountains in winter. After several hikes and one accident, two things stand out.First, the accident. When hiking, I kept the GPS in an inside pocket in my outer garment to keep the batteries warm. After one hike, I forgot to remove it from the pocket before putting the garment through the wash. I didnt discover this until after the GPS had spent an hour in the dryer. It didnt seem possible that it could work after going through the wash, yet it did, and there was no sign of moisture in the battery compartment. Machine wash cold, tumble dry low -- thats pretty impressive for an electronic device. Second, the hikes. Every so often when hiking, I would stop and record my position. The idea was to keep a trail of "bread crumbs" to follow in the event of becoming lost. The GPS reports the current time, which is accurate to the second. This is really nice. Its altitude readings, on the other hand seemed rather inaccurate. This might have been expected because, in the mountains, being off by a few hundred feet horizontally can result in being off by a few hundred feet vertically. The GPSs distance readings didnt seem very important because, in the mountains, you dont generally travel in a straight line. Then I had two experiences that made me question the devices usefulness. Once, before the GPS was laundered, I hiked a few miles along a path through mountain valleys. After a few hours, I recorded my final position and turned back. At home, I plotted my final position on a Trails Illustrated map and found it to be a quarter of a mile from the path I had followed, halfway up a mountainside that I hadnt attempted to climb. Then, after the GPS was laundered, I found myself returning to my car which was parked on a road which ran along the bottom of a valley. I was descending into the valley and was almost at the bottom. It seemed the GPS should be able to say whether the car was to the right or to the left. Measuring from the marker that I had recorded when I left the car, the GPS first said that the car was .95 miles away, then slowly drifted down to .69 miles away where it stabilized. Both numbers seemed ridiculously high, so I dismissed these results and headed forward on gut instinct. The car turned out to be just a few hundred feet straight ahead. So the GPS was off by a half mile or so. My conclusion is that this unit is a wonderfully waterproof, extremely accurate timepiece. As a GPS, its usefulness is questionable.
On: 2003-03-11
As soon as you start using this wonderful little gizmo, you are going to want to be able to download Mapsource maps into the system for greater detail than the basemap that comes with it. So just go ahead and spring for the eTrex Legend right off the bat. I have found that when buying things like electronics, binoculars, etc. its better to spend the maximum first. The reason I say this is that in the end you will spend less money. The Legend has 8MB of memory and it can take quite a lot of extra maps into its memory. So why not do that first? Otherwise, these little GPS units are the most wonderful things to own. They are incredibly helpful. I took my Legend to Florida with me and it saved me at least half-a-dozen times from making wrong turns that would have put me miles from my goal. When you go to an unfamiliar area, all "sense of direction" generally goes out the window. But if you have one of these...no problem.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-02
The only problem with this GPS is that waypoint names are limited to six characters
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-02
Ive used one on a daily bicycle commute for over two years,
letting it draw a map of the city with the track it lays, and
marking intersections. Its terrific entertainment.NiMH rechargeable batteries are almost a necessity; they last
about 10 hours (vs. 17 for alkaline, but you cant reuse those).
I like the Maha MH-C401FS charger. It helps if you use NiMH
batteries for other things too, to justify the cost. The thing that broke eventually first was the PAGE button, which
fell off, being the button most used. You can still use it
by poking inside, but its no longer waterproof. I gather
the rubber wore out and the rubber is what supported the button.
This happened after 2.5 years of 7 day a week use, so probably
about 20,000 button pushes on that button.
On: 2003-02-12
Pros:
Long battery life, price, size, strong antenna lock. Easy one-handed use.Cons:
Uses EL backlighting. Green LEDs would have been better because of their longer life. The eTrex can hold a tight satellite lock even in the most difficult conditions. It works in my house that has a tile roof and when it is sitting on the front seat of my car. It can gain a lock within seconds of being turned on, as long as it has not been moved more than a mile or so since it last had a lock. It is very easy and intuitive to use. It has only five buttons that the user operates to access all of the units functions. The buttons are positioned along the side of the unit so that the users hands do not block the screen when pressing them. The battery life has been very good. Two AA NiMH batteries generally last about 18 hours of general use. When I use Duracell alkaline batteries I typically get about 24 hours of battery life. I wish that Garmin would have used multiple green LEDs instead of the EL lighting. EL lighting has a relatively short lifespan before it starts to dim, as opposed to green LEDs, which can last indefinitely. It would also be cool if those LEDs would fade in and out, like the kind on a Nokia 3360 wireless phone.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-02-09
This device is the perfect addition to anyone who loves the outdoors. I use my Garmin e-trex for hiking and Geocaching. I am also planning to use it for a speedometer on my dirtbike, with all the features on the e-trex to measure distances and average speeds it should work great. The e-trex is also great for maintaining satallite signals in nearly all types of terrain. I use Energizer E2 Lithium batteries which have lasted more than 20 hours in the e-trex, lithium batteries seem to last the longest. Overall I am very satisfied with the Garmin E-Trex, it seems to be very reliable.
On: 2003-01-31
For the price this is a great little GPS. If you do serious backpacking I would get a GPS with an external antenna and one that has built in maps. But I have this GPS and it is a great one for beginners. I took mine on a cruise and had fun marking waypoints at sea and I could find the speed of the ship with my GPS. I did get some good natured grief from the ships navigator. As far as batteries go I use rechargable batteries in mine so I dont worry about how many batteries I am burning up. I get about one good days usage off a pair of batteries. I have a nice compact charger that I take with me when I travel. I recharge my batteries overnight. Were I to take a trip in the woods I would take several pairs of batteries. (To last a couple days with no recharge option)
On: 2003-01-18
The Etrex is an excellent GPS for the money, it is easy to use and works very well. If the one you puchase does not have the latest software go on line with Garmin and download the 2.14 software package for "Etrex" while your there download or print out the new instruction book, It is extensive and you will soon be an expert navigator and amaze your friends. The model 12 is also good with some desireable features the Etrex does not have. You will need the latest software for it too. Happy Navigating! Steve.
On: 2003-01-06
a great price it is an ok GPS but i need more Designed specifically for hiking, biking, and camping any way a Gift options is a WoW
i think some time that i m 007 when Garmin eTrex GPS receiver continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites
but now im 004
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-05
This is great for those of us who set out on a trail and want to keep track of how far weve gone, how fast, how long, etc. Ive also used it to measure out walking and jogging routes in the neighborhood. It is very compact too, so its easy to take on trips.
On: 2003-01-03
My wife bought me the E-Trex specifically for geocaching. So far, its been the right choice. There have been a few geo-caches that were under trees that gave me some trouble because the unit doesnt work well under tree cover. But finding the cache in that last 10 to 20 feet is part of the joy of geocaching.Its worked great in the desert, in the mountains, and in the car. Add in the optional PC Cable and you can download software upgrades and new waypoints from your computer. (If youre downloading geo-cache sites from a web page this is a HUGE time saver). Its a basic no-frills unit that does its job well. If you dont need built in road maps then this is a great unit.
On: 2003-01-02
I own one of these, and I was really looking forward to it as an upgrade of my old GPS38. What a big mistake![My background: Im a mountain climber, experienced land navigator, and use my GPS off-trail all the time. My normal use for the GPS is to confirm my location and figure out the bearings to other mountains so I can be sure which summit is which when viewing them from new locations. But I have actually used the GPS for real navigation when caught out on a glacier in dense fog.] The problem isnt the unit itself, really. The antenna works fine and easily picks up a solid signal, even from inside my house (top floor, not bottom floor). But the operating system is TERRIBLE. The GPS38 was much more usable. For example, this unit does not even feature a simple "you are here" page. You have to actually mark a waypoint and then get it to display the location of that waypoint. For only about $... more you can get the Garmin eTrex Venture, which is much more useful. Frankly, I cant wait to break my eTrex so I can justify upgrading it. This is the bottom end of GPS units, and it shows.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-26
This little gadget is a wonder! I had been toying with the idea of a GPS for a while, but when I saw the price for this, I asked for it for Christmas. It is very accurate and easy to use, has everything you need to get from point A to point B.
A+
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-21
This GPS has five buttons compared with others I have used which is easy to get lost in. If you want to track your location without earning a degree in manual reading, get this. I cant express how easy it is to use. On the other hand, its simple design is limiting. Other GPSs let you do much more than this one, so unless you want to do simple land navigation, youre probably better off spending a little more on a more complex GPS. Along with other reviews, a passenger in the car should use it as you will probably end up in a car wreck if you operate it while driving. I have personally used my eTrex on three continents and over 15 countries and it has never failed to track satelites (in the open). In short, great price, great performance.
On: 2002-11-05
I started GeoCaching with a borrowed Garmin 12XL, and found I liked both GeoCaching, and Garmins GPSs!So when I wanted my own GPSr, Garmin was the obvious chioce. I didnt need or want anything [too costly], and the Garmin "yellow" eTrex has given me all Ive wanted: its small, its accurate... heck, it does what it says on the packet (hmmmm, what DOES it actually say on the packet?)! Oh, and its very waterproof. As far as batteries go: keep a set of alkalines with you for emergency use, but invest in some high-capacity NiMH batteries & a charger for normal use.
On: 2002-10-28
This unit has done all it is supposed to do for me and I use it almost everyday for at least 8 hours a day. I use it with a laptop and mapping software for traveling with a laptop. Id hate to imagine doing what I have to do without it. It can get you out of some very rural areas fast. As far as hiking or something in that area I couldnt make any comments because that is not what I use it for. Also, I bought the Garmin PC Interface Cable with Cigarette Adapter for eTrex & eMap (Part No. 010-10268-00) with this unit. I didnt have quite the same service out of it, but like I say I run this in what some would say heavy duty or commercial application. It was not a major problem for someone with some handyman background. The cigarette plug in melted and blew a fuse, so I had to install another lighter plug in on the end of the power wire, but its been working great since then. The only bad thing about the GPS unit, if you dont have the power adapter, is that the batteries only last about 6 to 8 hours, but it only takes 2 AA batteries, so at least its inexpensive. Anyway for the money, you cant beat this GPS unit for my use.
On: 2002-09-16
My eTrek is primarily used as a navigational aid when Im bicycling the poorly signposted roads of Northern Ireland. The signposts are there, of course, hidden behind a corner as you pass them by, or as an indication to a town fifteen miles further on from the town youd expect to be signposted in the first place. All this turns a long day in the saddle, into a very long day in the saddle. But with the eTrek loaded with waypoints, I simply have to follow the guiding - Go To - pointer, and save myself a lot of hassle. The eTrek hasnt saved my life, as yet, but ones imagination can fill in the blanks. Just remember to carry extra batteries and make sure that your mobile phone is charged :-)
On: 2002-09-05
Five buttons, easy to navigate menus. User friendly--you could almost guess what button you need to press next. Great features. Not as accurate as a $1000 ship model, of course, but itll get you out of the woods. I simply dont believe you can do better in this price range.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-08-19
Nothing fancy about this unit -- other than the remarkably easy to use interface. No, it doesnt come with built-in topo maps of the planet, nor does it offer a soothing voice telling you when to "turn left" or "turn right" when youre driving. But if you want to get started with GPS, this is a great unit... The "Quick Start" guide actually DOES get you started right away. But you almost dont need it, because the manual is also easy to navigate with clear pictures and simple descriptions. A great first step into the world of GPS! (Note that this review refers only to the least-expensive entry-level Etrex.)
On: 2002-08-18
Contrary to what one person said, it is easy to enter a waypoint, you simply hold the enter button down for about 2 seconds and your waypoint is entered. You of course have the option of giving it a name at that point or just assigning it a number. NO big deal, its easy.
The main thing I dont like is the battery life. The manual says 22 hrs. in battery saver mode without using the backlight, this may be true but I run it in normal mode and I get maybe 10 hours from four fresh batts. But this is a great item. It looks cool too, I know thats not important to many people but I bring it to social functions and everyone is like hey, whats that cool thing or something like that. Its a great deal, rugged, waterproof to 3 meters. Yes Ive had mine under water before and it is still working.
On: 2002-07-20
This is my first gps receiver and I bought it solely for use on geocaching hunts. Yesterday I received my eTrex and was able to go geocaching for the first time the very same day. It comes with an instruction booklet and also a quick start guide. I read the quick start guide first and then skimmed the bigger instructional booklet in order to get started. It didnt take long to figure it out and we were geocaching in no time. The eTrex is one of those devices that you will buy for one thing and then discover you can use it for others. For example, I like to walk but I never know how long my walks are. Now I can just take the eTrex with me and it will not only tell me how far Ive walked but also how fast I walk. The eTrex is very small and light weight. My only complaint is that it didnt come with a case. However, for the price, who can complain?
On: 2002-06-28
Great Basic Unit. Sturdy Design. Easy to use. Works well. Highly reccomended. (Note: Lacks many features of the more expensive units). Great Buy!
by: Anonymous On: 2002-06-18
Works great, easy to use. Biking bracket is a bit spendy for what it is but does its job. Would like to be able to zoom in on a specific area for reviewing after a trip.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-06-18
I use this bad boy for biking and I love it. The bike bracket is a little spendy for what it is. Never had a reception problem.
On: 2002-05-22
I use my GArmin eTrex with a laptop and Microsofts Streets and Trips and it works a treat. Makes my driving so much less stressfull having my exact location being plotted along.I dont seem to have any trouble acquiring a signal and the startup time after the initial first time is quite reasonable
On: 2002-04-25
This is one easy to use unit, and extremely accurate for the price. You can read the owners manual and be operating this unit in about 1 hour or less. Forget about the other more expensive units that can cost upwards of [price] or more. This baby has more features than your average person will ever need and cost you about [price]. And anybody can use this unit without worrying about getting lost in the woods or over all the the fancy features on more expensive units which you probably arent going to use anyway. The accuracy on mine is usually within 25 feet or less. I,ve been using mine for turkey hunting here in Missouri, and it has worked every time even in wooded area. I have even marked my house before and drove 30 miles to turkey hunt and turned it on to return home. It was within 25 feet of where I had marked the spot. What more could you asked for the price. AAA+++
by: Anonymous On: 2002-04-19
This little thing is great...the only problem is that it can hardly ever reach the satellites even when not under trees. It takes so long to acquire them that its not even worth taking it with you. And then i put it back in the glove box. What is the point of a hiking helper that cant figure out where you are.
On: 2002-04-19
I bought it for geocaching. It seemed to be a popular one and ... it didnt break me. I dont find anything undesireable about it. You cant download maps, but for geocaching you dont need to. Ive found every cache Ive ever searched for with no problem. If you buy the pc cable, it will make the downloading of coordinates simple, but manually entering them is not all that hard. ...
On: 2002-04-16
I bought this for myself because I Sea Kayak (one of the best sports!). I am 13 years old and found this GPS to be the best over any. Brunton, Bruntun? Any who, my dad has a Brunton, I dont like it. It has a lot of great features, but it is hard to use. The eTrex on the other hand, provides an easy to use system so that anyone at any age could use it and get a great performance out of it. I also chose this eTrex item because it is water proof, being a kayaker that is what I needed. The only bad thing that I found was the battery life. Otherwise, it is lightweight, easy to use, and just all around nice!
On: 2002-04-05
I use my etrex for mountain biking in Mexico, and I found it to be a great deal for its low price. You can read about all the pros at garmins web page, but Im going to tell the cons I found:
-There are only a few simbols for marking a waypoint, there isnt one for summit, road, road intersection, etc, wich I think are esential and are avaliable in more expensive models.
-You have only 6 characters for naming a waypoint.
-You cant pan trough the trak map, the only option is for changing the scale, so it makes it very diffcult to see the portion of the map you want. Plus, the names of the waypoints overlap each other and the line path is too wide, so it can get very confuse.Over all, I thik this is a superv product for its low price and I would definitely recommend it.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-04-02
Just like two out of every five "guys" on the planet, owning a GPS (really cool compass) was a must..."I cant live with-out one". I picked up the "e-trex" vanilla flavored, hiking, biking and trail version. My intent was to use it in my truck, a little added nav equipment for map reading (make long trips less boring). The basic e-trex lacks the memory for *real travel* logistics (car excursions). A three-hour trip ate 98% of its memory and 70+% of battery life. I must add however, my expectations were minimal, given its price. It calculates your speed better then your speedometer, frightening!!! Make no mistake, you are being tracked!!! As far as bearing, speed, travel time, the basics, this little toy is a treat. It saved [me] when I became lost in the middle of Farmington, CA. not long ago. The sun was down, the ground flat and I... backwards. I remembered the e-trex after about two hours of endless rights and lefts (almost ended up in Yosemite!!!), fired that bad-boy up and was on Highway 99 in 20 minutes, headed home. Paid for itself that night. I highly recommend the basic e-trex as a very basic navigational aide. It does everything its designed to and does it well. Its also a great "starter" for learning about |
