Garmin eTrex Legend CX Color Mapping Handheld GPS
By: Garmin
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 On: 2008-06-27
Very good, simple, and compact. A good addition to a 24k topo and compass. Redundancy and durability are important for eastern forest bushwackers.
 On: 2008-06-20
The Garmin eTrex Legend CX, is very good. But the users manual i need in spanish versión and complete. The complete version in spanish has about 73 pages and i can to download a spanish version from internet, but is a incomplete ando short spanish version, because has only 23 pages. I need a complete version in spanish lenguaje because im living and working in a latin american country and is neccesary that some peoples to learn all the propieties and advantajes of the equipment, but they not understand the english.
I wrote at the main house of Garmin, but the attention was very poor.
The equipment is very good, but the attention of the seller is very bad.
 On: 2008-05-25
My review of this is compared to the new Etrex Legend HCX. This is great for starters for hiking,mtn biking, or geocaching. It is pretty accurate but slower at being precise with directions. In other words it has a slower aquisition of satellites. Also signal is spotty under heavy cover. It is now cheaper to buy the new Etrex Legend HCX than this item and the new one is exactly the same except with quicker satellite aquisition and more accuracy. Have fun
On: 2008-01-01
Garmin eTrex Legend CX Color Mapping Handheld GPS
WOW Are we enjoying this product. I already own two Garmin GPS products and this is truly a LEGEND. It is very easy to use and the screen is just right. It pin points our position everytime so it is right up todate no matter where we are. We went to a remote area of Georgia hunting and we were able navigate easily. I truly recommend this product.
On: 2007-12-31
Garmin eTrex Legend CX Color Mapping Handheld GPS
WOW Are we enjoying this product. I already own two Garmin GPS products and this is truly a LEGEND. It is very easy to use and the screen is just right. It pin points our position everytime so it is right up todate no matter where we are. We went to a remote area of Georgia hunting and we were able navigate easily. I truly recommend this product.
On: 2007-12-16
This is my first GPS device. I like it and use it everytime I go anywhere new. I like the ergonomics and ease of use, nothing really complicated, you can basically fire it up and start using it without even reading the directions. Keep in mind you will want more memory and Map software to go with it.
On: 2007-12-15
This is my first GPS device. I like it and use it everytime I go anywhere new. I like the ergonomics and ease of use, nothing really complicated, you can basically fire it up and start using it without even reading the directions. Keep in mind you will want more memory and Map software to go with it.
 On: 2007-10-04
Merchandise recieved in timely manor, Defective unit. Got return authorization from Myron Global. Returned merchandise - have never heard from them again. Made several attempts to contact directly and thru Ama Zon with no results. $200 loss on my part.
On: 2007-08-24
I was very surprised by the quality of this GPS. I bought it for a recent trip to England (had to send it to a friend in the USA and then here by UPS) and used the MetroGuide Europe 8 maps that I found online with a little trick that means them GPS routable. It worked great and got me to all the places (on foot) that I wanted to see. I did however have some qualms about it:
1. The autorouting doesnt distinguish good areas from bad, which can be a problem in London as youre happily following the directions in the late afternoon and suddenly find yourself in an council housing estate area full of hoodies staring at you. Nothing happened, but I felt very uncomfortable.
2. Whenever I told either MapSource or the GPS to find me a pedestrian route between (even nearby) cities it seemed to give up and told me to go on a motorway. Not being completely crazy, I took the bus instead and never noticed any pedestrian ways near motorways outside of cities. This remains a mystery. More so since it gives you the route like it were good instead of saying "sorry, cant do that."
Otherwise though, this is a really good GPS that performs better than I had expected.
On: 2007-07-29
I guess the picture of the unit with streets in the the image
made me suppose that is what you get. Apparently you do not. All you get is the main roads so once you zoom into your neighborhood you get a blank screen. To buy the street maps from Garmin cost $140 just for N. America. Looks like I should have just stuck with my laptop and Google maps. The Garmin web site is poor. I tried updating my software. Although I hit the update software it baulked because there were already files of the same name. Even after clicking "ok" the update box to extract the files never disappeared or changed to say it had correctly updated. I was left wondering if it had.
On: 2007-07-19
The Garmin eTrex Legend CX had been highly recommended to me by
friends in a local prospecting club and the instructor at a map and
navigation course I recently completed. Those recommendations were
proven to be true, true, true when I purchased my own Legend CX and
used it up here in the Colorado Rockies. I wont repeat all the
positives others have written about as I found them to be accurate.
I have not found any negatives, yet.
My wife loves it and says its easy to use and plot way-points,
and we get a strong fix on satellites even out in the backwoods
under heavy canopies of tall pines. I dont measure battery life
in hours as we take the Legend CX with us on prospecting trips that
last several days and dont have to replace the batteries (we dont
use the CX as an entertainment center so battery life will vary
with how you use the unit). We almost exclusively use way-points
to plot our trips and trails so cannot talk about the colored
maps other than they are clear and much easier to read than the
black and white maps I had on the training GPS unit used during my
map/nav course. Where we go the way-points are more practical than
maps. This is a well-built, easy to operate GPS.
On: 2007-06-28
My buddy found the Vista on sale. We sat side by side while we ordered it. Suprise! A Legend came instead. Not sure what happened. But, I am totally enthralled with the Legend as it used satilites (more accurate) to figure altitude where the Vista used Baro pressure (less accurate I believe).
Delievery was very fast.
On: 2007-05-31
manual assumes you know how to use a GPS...after a little help from our daughter who is a GPS expert we began to figure it out. Also discovered it needed additional software to get it to do what we wanted it to. Software cost over $100 and had to come from Garmin. (City Navigator North America) We now use it almost every time we leave the house, especially when we travel long distances-if you make a wrong turn it will re-route you or route you back to where you made the wrong turn.
On: 2007-05-25
I think this is the best value for a handheld GPS, it is true that Vista CX has an additional barometric altimeter and electronic compass (that allows you determinate North when you are not moving), also is true that Nuvis have greater screen, but Vista CX consumes more batt and costs $50 more, and Nuvis are bigger (although if you want a GPS for using in your car, I recommend any Nuvi or StreetPilot).
Almost all was said in previus reviews: Legend CX had very good screen definition, fit in my had, has memory card slot, battery last a lot, make routes really quick and accurate, had several ways for viewing routing information and you can connect it to PCs.
About maps: Legend CX (and Vista CX) comes with a basic built-in world map, "basic" means map shows all cities in the world, coastlines and greater highways, no more than that.
Probably (almost sure) youll want to have a detailed map of your home location or of the location you go to travel on next vacations. Well, first of all you have to buy a memory card with more capacity (I recommend at least one of 524Mb), consider that detailed data of one State (USA) uses about 50Mb (+/- 10Mb). Then, you have to buy software: Metroguide or City Navigator both managed by Garmins software Mapsource, what is the difference?, well Metroguide costs about half than City Navigator; you can download data from Metroguide to several Garmin GPS, City Navigator comes lock, so you can use it only in ONE GPS; but with City Navigator, GPS can make a route to the destiny, that means GPS calculates fastest route, including directions of where to turn and how. Nevertheless, on Internet are patches like "Metrowizzz", those kind of software permit that Legend makes routes similar to City Navigator. Finally, I have to say that are detaled maps for almost any country, you could visit Garmins website to see where to buy maps for other locations different than USA, Canada or Europe.
On: 2007-05-24
I think this is the best value for a handheld GPS, it is true that Vista CX has an additional barometric altimeter and electronic compass (that allows you determinate North when you are not moving), also is true that Nuvis have greater screen, but Vista CX consumes more batt and costs $50 more, and Nuvis are bigger (although if you want a GPS for using in your car, I recommend any Nuvi or StreetPilot).
Almost all was said in previus reviews: Legend CX had very good screen definition, fit in my had, has memory card slot, battery last a lot, make routes really quick and accurate, had several ways for viewing routing information and you can connect it to PCs.
About maps: Legend CX (and Vista CX) comes with a basic built-in world map, "basic" means map shows all cities in the world, coastlines and greater highways, no more than that.
Probably (almost sure) youll want to have a detailed map of your home location or of the location you go to travel on next vacations. Well, first of all you have to buy a memory card with more capacity (I recommend at least one of 524Mb), consider that detailed data of one State (USA) uses about 50Mb (+/- 10Mb). Then, you have to buy software: Metroguide or City Navigator both managed by Garmins software Mapsource, what is the difference?, well Metroguide costs about half than City Navigator; you can download data from Metroguide to several Garmin GPS, City Navigator comes lock, so you can use it only in ONE GPS; but with City Navigator, GPS can make a route to the destiny, that means GPS calculates fastest route, including directions of where to turn and how. Nevertheless, on Internet are patches like "Metrowizzz", those kind of software permit that Legend makes routes similar to City Navigator. Finally, I have to say that are detaled maps for almost any country, you could visit Garmins website to see where to buy maps for other locations different than USA, Canada or Europe.
On: 2007-05-15
I use my Etrex Legend CX predominantly for my fieldwork as a consulting biologist - for finding sample points, mapping stands and habitats, doing surveys etc. I was impressed with this little unit. Even in the forest, I usually get accuracy of 15 ft or less, which is pretty amazing. My decision to buy was based on the price and the ability to add memory and download data directly from the card. I also wanted the ability to upload custom maps (from my GIS) into the unit, which works great. Overall, a capable little machine. It is pretty easy to use once you remember where everything is located in the menus.
On: 2007-05-14
I use my Etrex Legend CX predominantly for my fieldwork as a consulting biologist - for finding sample points, mapping stands and habitats, doing surveys etc. I was impressed with this little unit. Even in the forest, I usually get accuracy of 15 ft or less, which is pretty amazing. My decision to buy was based on the price and the ability to add memory and download data directly from the card. I also wanted the ability to upload custom maps (from my GIS) into the unit, which works great. Overall, a capable little machine. It is pretty easy to use once you remember where everything is located in the menus.
On: 2007-04-24
The Garmin Legend Cx arrived quickly, and was well packed. Boy was I disappointed to find out that this unit comes with a manual written in FRENCH. Writting on the box and the outside of the manual are in English, but the inside of the manual is written completely in FRENCH. A call to Garmin got me NO HELP, they told me I can go to their website to download and print out the 100 page manual. Do you think that will go in my cars glove box? So far this is not a good example of 1) Quality Control and 2) Customer support.
I received a nice email from Amazon, but they do not carry replacement manuals. They SHOULD however let you know BEFORE you order, that you will not be receiving an English Manual.
On: 2007-04-18
The product arrived well before its estimated date and in very good condition.
The product had all of the features advertised and was just what I needed.
On: 2007-04-10
At first glance (and its only a glance so far), this unit seems to work as promised. However, since the users manual was only in French, I have not been able to explore the capabilities fully. The English manual is available to download online, and the company will be sending me an English replacement. However, it would have been good if the product description had emphasized that the manual is in French.
On: 2007-02-11
I have had this for about 1 month now. I bought it mostly for geocaching. It is easy to use and has been very accurate. I am very happy with my choice.
On: 2007-02-05
I bought this as a gift for my husband who has already spent hours playing around with it (and not even in the woods yet). It seems to be a very high quality product. The companys customer service is very responsive.
On: 2007-01-19
I use this for geocaching along with my iBook(mac) and it does meet my standards. Works with my iPod also for paperless geocaching.
On: 2007-01-17
I ordered the microchip versions of the charts I need, and this GPS provides me with all the information I need to navigate and fish safely and easily. It also has built in (pretty good) road maps, so we use it on long trips to estimate distances to intersections, state boundaries, motels, etc. I have a number of Garmin GPS products, and this is the best to date.
On: 2007-01-11
I purchased this item as a gift. The purchasing process was great and the recipient is very happy with the product.
On: 2007-01-10
Brought this about a year ago and have been very satisfied with it.
Pros:
* Solid construction.
* Good battery life.
* Very readable screen (I was pleasantly surprised).
* The controls are slightly tedious, but works for a handheld. Even single hand operation is fine.
* I found the cursor controls more suited for left-handed ppl. I am a lefty so I am happy :-). Or maybe I am just used to it now.
* Expandable memory.
* Tracks are quite accurate. This is included in the base software.
Cons
* The satellite reception is spotty under tree cover. But seems better that garmin iQue.
* City software costs extra. I got it a license from my friend for CitySelect NA. (Each software has 2 licenses, for 2 devices).
* The software has some short-comings.
** Like you can find a place near a remote location. E.g. if I am in San Francisco, I cant find a pizza place in San Jose. It will only give me pizza place in I think 50m radius of San fran.
On: 2007-01-09
Brought this about a year ago and have been very satisfied with it.
Pros:
* Solid construction.
* Good battery life.
* Very readable screen (I was pleasantly surprised).
* The controls are slightly tedious, but works for a handheld. Even single hand operation is fine.
* I found the cursor controls more suited for left-handed ppl. I am a lefty so I am happy :-). Or maybe I am just used to it now.
* Expandable memory.
* Tracks are quite accurate. This is included in the base software.
Cons
* The satellite reception is spotty under tree cover. But seems better that garmin iQue.
* City software costs extra. I got it a license from my friend for CitySelect NA. (Each software has 2 licenses, for 2 devices).
* The software has some short-comings.
** Like you can find a place near a remote location. E.g. if I am in San Francisco, I cant find a pizza place in San Jose. It will only give me pizza place in I think 50m radius of San fran.
On: 2007-01-09
Im quiet happy with that handheld even if the receiver could be better, I guess.
But you have a lot of optionals with that tool, I dont think yhat it is worth to buy the Vista CX, you only have an barometric altimeter (you have a digital one in the Legend) and a compass plus.
On: 2007-01-05
This is a handy device with much longer battery life compared to earlier GPS devices I have used. There is a bit of a learning curve but it functions much like earler Garmin units once you have sorted through the various buttons. It is loaded with options! I havent used this in the wild but it seems to be very sturdy and should hold up well. The display is easy to see in general and can be adjusted for different lighting conditions. I think it is a good deal for the price and would recommend it!
On: 2007-01-04
It is amazing all the things you can do with the Etrex Legeng Cx. The color screen improves your experiencie
On: 2007-01-02
I bought this item before setting off on a two week, solo hike in late autumn through Englands Pennine Way - 268 miles over some pretty rugged and desolate country - the high moors of Derbyshire and Yorkshire.
Within one hour of starting out on Day 1 I was in trouble, the victim of notoriously changing weather conditions. Just as I reached the plateau of the 2000 foot Kinder Low, 40 knot winds, driving sheets of rain, and heavy mist cut my visibility to less than thirty feet. Map and compass were useless. Fortunately, I had brought the Garmin along, with the base map for the UK, and had preloaded coordinates for various waypoints into it before starting out. I am convinced that without the Garmin I would have been lost for hours, and given the weather and isolation, in serious trouble.
The Garmin performed well whenever I used it on the trail, in some pretty wet and severe conditions. Batteries lasted over 24 hours if the unit was turned on continuously, and for days if used intermittently.
Drawbacks - will not work if you are standing under trees, and often will not work in cities. Forget about using it in an auto - impossible unless it is a convertible. City navigation is set up for drivers (even though you cannot use it in a car) which means if you are walking through a city you cannot utilize shortcuts and pedestrian passageways when using the follow roads mode. If you try to use the bearing mode, frequent loss of signal due to tall buildings are an aggravating complication. And the small screen size prevents you from getting a wide area view without minimizing detais and readability - a no win situation, since you cant tell which way to deviate from the bearing in some situations, leading to backtracking and more aggravation.
Also, in addition to the price, you have to buy a base map, about $300, for each geographical area.
I took this unit around the world with me. Worked well in the North Atlantic, often pinpointing location within feet of where our 17,000 ton freighters computer navigation system said we were. UK coverage excellent, even in remote areas. Useless in Shanghai and Nanjing, China - never picked up a single satellite. Spotty coverage in Australias Outback. Seems to work well in the USA but I dont have the basemap to go along with it.
Waypoints can be added manually on the unit, or via a USB hookup to your PC. You might have to pay for the waypoint info, though.
Phone support was excellent. I called on the toll number and wait was minimal. The person who helped me was extremely competent, polite, quick, and very knowledgeable - a real plus when I needed to get this unit up and running - it was ready to go within hours of coming out of the box.
On: 2006-12-29
After reading countles reviews, I found the Legend Cx was the best entry level low cost solution. I am able to use every function on the device flawlessly after about 20 hours of reading the manual and testing it out. Do not expect to pick it up and simply navigate where you want to go.
eTrex= 1st basic model
eTrex C= color
eTrex Cx= Color + eXpandable memory
You will need to buy additional items that require expandable memory. The basemap is pointless and the Garmin mapsource is not accurate. I purchased City Navigator V8,$110, trust me, for any onroad use, it is not optional. Expandable memory to store the entire united states, $20, much needed for additional maps. External power cord for your car,$20, saves batteries, as you need the backlight on in the car. Garmin windshield mount, $25, works better than expected and is much better than holding it in your hand.
Great GPS, with excellent reception. I am younger and do not find the small screen a problem whatsoever. Look at the GPS in the store to see the actual size, and make sure you can read the screen. I am very happy with the Legend Cx, but be prepared to spend $200 more on accessories wich allow you to actually use the device.
On: 2006-12-29
This is the third handheld Ive owned, and overall the best. I bought this primarily as a backup to my StreetPilot, which weve been passing from car-to-car and I sometimes find myself without--so the Legend Cx is constantly in my coat pocket, ready to go when needed. The ability to use the same set of maps that came with the StreetPilot (Garmin allows installs on two devices) drove my decision to buy this specific unit.
For street navigation, the Legend doesnt offer a lot of the bells and whistles of a full-featured auto GPS (such as voice, detours and inserting via points) and doesnt have the pure computing power to quickly look up things or re-calculate when you go off-route, but the basic navigation and audible turn alerts are spot-on in synch with the StreetPilot when I run them side-by-side. The maps have the same appearance, albeit on a much smaller screen. Plus, you have the same POI database at your fingertips. I have the entire northeast US covered with about 200mb of memory.
Some of the best things about this unit:
*Outstanding battery life, seems to run forever on 2-AAs, even using the backlight often. And it uses the backlight efficiently when youre operating on battery power, darkening the display until it prompts you to make a turn.
*Color display very visible in bright sunlight.
*USB connectivity--very quick to load maps and transfer data between handheld and PC.
*Rubberized shell--not only tough, but holds itself in place nicely when wedged between the dashboard and windshield without an additional accessory mount.
And the not so great:
*Consistently longer satellite acquisition time at start-up, even with no obstructions, than any hand-held Ive owned.
*Doesnt always recognize the "enter" command when you push in the joystick.
*Automatic switchover to "night display" (light lettering on black background) at sunset makes it difficult to read display for the 20 minutes or so that theres still some natural light left.
*Gets sluggish as you fill up the memory--youll hit a key twice thinking it didnt recognize your request the first time, then it will react and enact the entered command twice, putting you somewhere in the menu chain you didnt want to be.
*For offroad applications, my marked waypoints tend to be drift further away on future visits when compared to other units Ive owned, often as much as 25 feet. Ive never experienced a deviation of more than 12 feet with any of the other handhelds Ive owned. I planned on using this for geocaching, and may have to rely on my old unit for consistency.
Incidentally, the unit works just fine with a cheap (<$10) no-name car power adapter.
On: 2006-12-16
Dont buy part 010-10085-00 for the etrex Legend Cx, does not fit, the other one might, not sure. Amzazon will take it back and even cover shipping as they should not have recommended it.
Very happy with GPS unit and just loading metroguide maps into it. 64MB is good but you will need larger memory if you want to cover a region and all of its points of interest and city streets.
On: 2006-12-16
Do NOT trust the accessories that Amazon offers after putting your GPS in your cart. I chose my GPS and several accessories from the ones that Amazon recommended with out looking into it fully. I guess I assumed that Amazon would offer accessories that fit the product I just put in my cart, but they were the wrong ones. Luckily I know alot of people who own GPSs and they became perfect Christmas gifts.
I am also having trouble figuring everything out on my Legend but I think that is due to my stubborn inability to pick up and follow the manual. Its pretty nice besides that stuff. I wish it came with better maps installed but what ever.
On: 2006-11-11
My first GPS was Garmins iQue (Palm PDA + GPS) and it was a disappointment mainly because of its VERY limited battery life. This little gizmo is just great.
It is responsive - meaning that it powers up quickly and locks to sattelites in a decent time. It is quite sensitive - when hiking I can have it in my light jackets pocket with open flap and it stays locked. Its processor is fast enough - so when you pan around the map, the screen refreshes pretty quickly. (Note - This is with "normal" setting for detail. If you enable all the detail then it starts to slow down. Also, it slowed down for me when I loaded up the memory to more than 300MB). The display is very good too.
Most important: 1. the buttons and the menus are reasonably intuitive. I could imagine them a little more easier to use, but they are quite good as they are.
2. the battery life is great! Two AA batteries have been enough for me to go on a week-long business trip, use it here and there to find directions, etc., and come back home with plenty of juice left over. I have not run it continuously on a back country hike to know if the advertised 30 hour battery life is really correct. But lets put it this way - I never worry about turning the unit off quickly to conserve batteries - Im just careful to not leave it on unnecessarily. Just keep a pair of spare batteries with you and youd be fine.
So, if you want a portable mapping GPS that will be there when you need it, buy this one and be done with it.
PS: I got conflicting information on the following so Im clarifying it here - if you already own the MapSource map software, you can install it on a maximum of two devices.
On: 2006-11-07
This is my 1st GPS & Ive found it relatively easy to learn to use. All controls are laid out comfortably. The color screen is easily visibile day & night. Navigating from waypoint to waypoint or designated addresses takes only seconds to recall ones already established. Easy to enter new ones either with the handheld or (desktop) computer. Detailed maps covering 2 destinations 1,000 miles apart calculates in about 1 minute. When I deviate from the route generated by the GPS, it quickly recalculates my route. Very accurate directions. As with any handheld GPS, the base map included with it is inadequate -- must be augmented by advanced maps. Excellent product for the price. If youre looking for a handheld GPS to use on the road, I recommend giving this one serious consideration.
On: 2006-11-03
This is my first GPS so wasent really sure what to expect. But after playing around with the legend cx, i was pretty impressed with all the stuff it can do. Its pretty accurate and easy to operate. Some downsides to it is it loses signals sometimes when in my pocket but thats not really a problem and the map on is is not that good. You need to go buy the maps from garmin if you want more detail. Im going to get the US topo and City navigator, later i might get the marine map also. But you can go geocaching with it right out of the box, i havent gotten any extra maps yet and i have found 2 caches already. Im really happy with it.
On: 2006-10-26
I have the previous version of this product with a fixed 24 MB of memory. I am very happy with it except for the storage. I think this is the same item only with an expandable memory. It is small, so you can use it on the street. Easily fist into your pocket. Mark your car when you park in a city that you are not familiar with and you dont have to worry about it again. Do your shopping and come back with the GPS. However, the screen is a little small to use in the car. It is usable, but I would still prefer a larger screen for the car. But all in all, I guess this is the right size both for hiking and driving.
The memory was on the small side with the previous version. I could only fit San Diego area with a little of Orange County into it. I believe the new version will allow a much larger area map.
I definately recommend the item to all who love traveling.
On: 2006-08-23
Finally, the perfect handheld GPS. The addition of microSD cards to the eTrex line has made the ultra portable unit the perfect companion to carry with you on all your adventures - land, sea, or trail. Although the unit comes with a 64mb card, I purchased two 1gb cards. When you own a Garmin Mapsource product, you are allowed to use it on up to two units. I already own Recreational Lakes and Fishing Hotspots, as well as CitySelect which came with my Garmin GPS V Deluxe which I still use all the time locally in my Jeep and on one boat because of the mounting ability and NMEA output. The GPS V, however, is limited to 19mb and is now utilized in the regions I most frequent. Unlocking CitySelect for the eTrex Legend Cx was simple at the Garmin website. I would recommend first updating the software in the unit to the latest version, which is now just a few keystrokes with Garmins Webupdater software downloaded from their site to handle the large capacity cards. On one card, I have Recreational Lakes East and CitySelect for the entire Northeast and MidAtlantic regions. On the other card I have the remainder of the US and Canada. The cards are smaller than the fingernail of your little finger. The eTrex Legend allows you to enable all or whichever Mapsource products you want. When not using it on the road, I disable the CitySelect to take full advantage of the Recreational Lakes software. If you do not own a mapsource product already, then purchase CityNavigator which I believe Garmin has updated the most for the points of interest and new roadways.
For my needs, the Legend series is ideal. If you climb mountains, ski in the wilderness, or are involved in search and rescue then the Vista series would be better because of the more accurate altimeter and compass.
I really like how easy the screen can be read in bright sunlight. The battery life has exceded my expectations, but always carry some spares and you should purchase a 12V adapter for use when a socket is available, especially if you want to turn up the screen brightness.
If all you want is a car navigator, then this is not the ideal unit. It is pretty much a handheld, although after some fiddling around I found the best way to mount it in a vehicle is with velcro. There is an available windshield bracket. The 60Cx and 76Cx may have better acquisition in canyons or under canopy in rainforests, but the smaller size of the eTrex series will allow you to carry it with you virtually everywhere.
The more I use it, the more I love it. Hope this was helpful.
by: Anonymous On: 2006-08-17
I found this to be the perfect balance between portability and car usage. Its bright enough and colorful in the car, yet small enough to carry around with you on a hiking trail. It takes a while to get a signal when its starting cold, however, after that, say, if you turn it off to run into a gas station and then come right back out, it pops right up. Looses signal when amongst tall skyscrapers and under heavy duty forested trees, but I still gave it a 5 star review because that is to be expected.
Warning: buy rechargeable batteries or the AC adapter, because on MAX brightness you will suck the batteries down very fast! I have it plugged into the car when Im using it in the car. Neat device!!!
Also, you wont be able to do much of anything unless you buy a map package for it.
On: 2006-07-24
I had the original legend and was not happy with the display. I was hoping to have the same unit with color and a few more options. The new unit will not share the power cord and you do not get half of the bike mount. I am also not happy that the speed no longer displays on the map page.
Okay now lets talk about the stuff that is better. Much quicker to aquire locations and hold them. The display will stay lit whenever the power cord is plugged in. The pointer on the map page lets you wander the map and see where you want to go easily. Much faster loads of routes and way points. The 64 meg chip looks pretty worthless when I bought a 512 and fit the Eastern U.S. on it. Garmin wont tell you that your old metro map will work fine either. It will not auto-route with the old map, but it will let you hold onto your 130 dollars a little longer. The usb cord was included and works fine. Overall a nice step up in the hand held group. I use mine in the car and motorcycle and find it hard to get lost any more.
On: 2006-07-23
I had the original legend and was not happy with the display. I was hoping to have the same unit with color and a few more options. The new unit will not share the power cord and you do not get half of the bike mount. I am also not happy that the speed no longer displays on the map page.
Okay now lets talk about the stuff that is better. Much quicker to aquire locations and hold them. The display will stay lit whenever the power cord is plugged in. The pointer on the map page lets you wander the map and see where you want to go easily. Much faster loads of routes and way points. The 64 meg chip looks pretty worthless when I bought a 512 and fit the Eastern U.S. on it. Garmin wont tell you that your old metro map will work fine either. It will not auto-route with the old map, but it will let you hold onto your 130 dollars a little longer. The usb cord was included and works fine. Overall a nice step up in the hand held group. I use mine in the car and motorcycle and find it hard to get lost any more.
On: 2006-07-11
You will need to purchase additional maps. The base map is worthless. Also, it does not come with the bike clip that is specifically mentioned in amazons ad, and they will not send you a replacement bike clip. Good luck
On: 2006-07-07
I got this unit for my birthday, and Ive been enjoying it a bunch. Without garmin maps it isnt so fun, but with the metro maps it is really a blast. I like the built in compass feature for geocaching.
On: 2006-06-07
This device is nearly useless without buying the garmin maps which are considerably more than the initital device. Garmins web site leaves out quite a bit of info and guidance on what products can work together. Im very tech savy and get nearly all gadgets going without issue; this is a big time exception. Also, when you call the 800 numbers on the site, they are disconnected or busy. The local number got me through but then on hold for nearly an hour.
Be cautious and research the device carefully. I suspect many of the glowing reviews are placed by Garmin marketing folks.
I gave this one star and that is really a bit high.
Good luck, wish I had somthing nice to say!
On: 2006-05-31
I have no previous GPS experience, but have done some reading prior to purchasing the unit. I was originally going to purchase the Legend (non-color) unit, but the in-store demo of the two units won me over to color, even at the higher price.
I bought the unit with the top map (Wilderness package?) and in addition, added in the city streets package from Amazon after determining that, as reviewed by others, the built-in maps were really not adequate for travelling in new areas (and if you already know the area, why use the map?).
Ive used the unit for some long-distance drives, both in cities I knew well ( Colorado / Oklahoma ) and in cities I was visiting ( Washington DC, Seattle ). The unit -- when it could get signal -- was generally more than accurate enough for me to get from point A to point B, and the city software POI were good enough to find a local Starbucks or gas station when I needed one.
A couple of words of warning: most notably, it doesnt seem to track very well in downtown urban areas ( Seattle ), and I ended up just turning it off after getting into the downtown arena with the many skyscrapers. Similarly, the DC tourist experience was a mixed bag, with heavy tree or building cover causing the unit to lose signal from time to time.
However, outside of dense urban areas, I wouldnt hesitate to follow its generally good (not great, but definitely useable) directions and destinations. It did take me a while to understand the basics, but at this point the unit is fairly easy to operate... and a lot of fun.
On: 2006-05-24
Like with anything I do, I did a lot of research before I bought this GPS. At times I confused myself ... so many options and models. But in the end I realized that I was looking for a GPS that could do it ALL. I wanted a color unit that I could use for hiking, geocaching and car navigation. Having recently moved from the country to the "city" I was constantly getting lost, so city navigation was something I really needed. I hesitated a bit on this unit because of the "screen size". Trust me when I say... dont worry... this unit is SO accurate with the City Navigator software it offsets the "slightly smaller" screen size from other GPS units. I purchased a vent mount for the GPS and I can see the streets and my location just fine. For a time I looked at the 76cx but realized that unit was physically too big for my preferences. Again, I wanted something smaller to carry with me geocaching. In the end I went with the Legend CX for several reasons, the color screen, small size (great for hiking) expandable memory card for maps and compatibility with City Navigator v7 (Which I highly recommend)
I received my GPS 4 days ago and I love it! On my way back from a recent geocaching event I got lost in Southern, NH. I turned on the GPS and it located my position within 1 minute. Thankfully I had made a "Home" waypoint. I instructed the unit to route me home, it worked perfectly. I went though back streets I had never seen before ... I thought I was lost, but no! This unit got me right home. The unit beeps once when a required turn is approaching and beeps 2x when you are less than 50 feet from the required turn. I purchased a 1gb MicroSD card and I can get almost all of the US (HIGH DETAIL) loaded. EXCELLENT. The reason I gave this unit 4 stars rather than 5 is because it does not have the new sensitivity chip. While geocaching I did loose the sat. connection under dense trees, but I think that would have been the case with any GPS. I paid $245 for the GPS, $35 for the 1gb card, $9.95 for the vent-mount and $100 for the City Navigator. So all together I have under $400 invested. Eventually (maybe) I will buy a street pilot for my car to get the bigger screen, but right now I cant see the need. The vent-mount works perfectly to place the GPS where I can see it. Great unit, cant wait to get the TOPO maps for geocaching. You can do a lot of looking but in the end this unit had the best size, color, expandability and mapping features for the money.
 On: 2006-05-04
This unit is useless without buying Garmin maps. This is true for many of their products.
So if you add the price of City Navigation CD and Topo CD, you have over $500 bucks invested.
Instead of giving you maps, they give you games. The map interface is not particularly intuitive. And within 10 minutes I found a glich in the "find exit" part of the program.
The way this product ships - you could do as well with a compass, paper and natural markers.
On: 2006-05-02
I think I have owned two GPS units in the past...but, needed a new one to help navigate the backcountry while snowmachining here in Alaska. After purchasing the Topo map series, learning how to save the maps to my unit via the flash card, I am so in love with this unit. Once you install the Topo map software, you will need to update from Garmin and then you can export your routes in a variety of forms; i.e. pdf for email sharing, file extension .gpx for other users and to layer over Google Earth. Great unit and package!
On: 2006-04-14
Ive been using the Legend CX for about a week, and am very happy with it. I bought it as an upgrade to the original eTrex Legend, which Ive had for a couple of years, because it has a colour screen and expandable memory (and a USB connection instead of the slow serial one). Although it doesnt have the new SiRF chip, as originally advertised on Amazon by mistake, the receiver is much more sensitive (and faster) than on my original Legend: I was able to get a signal lock inside adobe houses and canyons on a recent trip to New Mexico.
On: 2006-03-23
I just want to point out that Legend Cx dont use the SiRF chip as it says under product description.
On: 2006-03-11
this is my first GPS, and let me say its GREAT! easy to read screen, and it comes with a cool transflash card, mine was a 64mb not 32 from newegg, spend the couple more bucks and get this one! the turn by turn works on the basemaps, but i would like to get the city ones, the real con is the basemaps SUCK, they dont show my development that i have lived in for 20 years, but it shows all the major roads, keep this in mind!
On: 2006-03-08
I bought this along w/ a 256 MB microSD card. Using MapSource US Topo, you can fit nearly half of the western US maps into the unit.
The screen is bright and easy to read while on foot, but it is fairly small for in car use.
Also, if you have the "Topo Streets & 3-D Views" supplement to the popular National Geographic Topo! line, you can transfer waypoints and routes between the GPS and the Topo! program. Just call it a "Legend C" and adjust the number of routes and waypoints / route. Im sure Topo! will have a patch someday which has the Legend Cx in it by name.
It is very sturdy and being able to power it through the USB connection is very nice for at home and in the car use.
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