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| Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS | 
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| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $299.99
Buy New: $221.99
You Save: $78.00 (26%)
New (61) Used (2)
Avg. Customer Rating:  135 reviews
Sales Rank: 221
Platform: Not Machine Specific
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Tracks: 20
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: No
Native Resolution: 176x220
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 2.2 x 1.2 x 4.2
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: eTrex Vista HCx
Model: eTrex Vista HCx
UPC: 753759071134
EAN: 0753759071134
ASIN: B000PDR1LS
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent; I highly recommend this handheld June 21, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is my review of the Garmin eTrex Vista Hcx handheld mapping GPS unit. I purchased this GPS in early June of 2008 and have had it about 3 weeks as of this review. I own two other GPS's: a Microsoft Streets and Trips + GPS from 2005 and a Garmin Nuvi 200 I received as a gift Christmas 2007. MS S&T is a really nice program and it works well with its accompanying GPS receiver. But, it requires that you use it with a computer (the receiver plugs into a USB port). And the Nuvi 200 is a great unit as well, but it's more for finding a route and directions while driving--finding your way to a destination.
I wanted a portable unit mostly to use while walking, hiking, or biking that would track my journey, with a color display, memory expansion capability, and alititude tracking. I did lots of online research, reading reviews and user manuals at Cnet, Amazon, and several GPS-specific sites and eventually narrowed it down to three possibilities, all Garmin: the eTrex Vista Hcx, the GPSMAP 60 CSx, and one of the new Colorado units. In the end, I selected the Vista because: I felt the Colorado was too new and I'd seen negative reviews (and it has features like 3D I didn't think I'd need), and the Vista was proven, reliable, and less expensive than the 60 CSx. Also, it had all the features I wanted and was lighter and has longer advertised battery life than either of the other two units.
In a word, I consider this unit to be: exceptional. It meets or exceeds its advertised functionality and my expectations. Some specific items:
--Accuracy: I had read some reviews that complained about the accuracy of other similar units and I was worried. But I've found this unit to be very accurate, down to within a couple meters. And in my case it seems to make no difference whether the WAAS feature is enabled or disabled.
--Altitude accuracy: not quite as good as I'd like to see, but adequate. In a couple cases while hiking it has actually been off by as much as 1000 feet in altitude, but I attribute this to the vagaries of barometric altitude measurement, not to a defect in the unit itself. In cases where the altitude doesn't seem so accurate, I find that the altitude relative to an entire track still reports where I've gone up and down hills, so I'm satisfied. Also, I have not yet tried manually setting the altitude or barometric pressure at the beginning of a trek, but I'd guess that would improve its overall performance.
--Battery Life: my first set of regular old AA Eveready Alkalines lasted slightly longer than 25 hours, the advertised life. I'd bet that I could stretch this to longer if I paid attention to turning off the backlight when I don't really need it on.
--Size: I was surprised at how small the unit is. For some reason I had in my mind that all units around this size would be a bit bigger; it's about the size of a deck of playing cards, but slightly thicker.
--Display Visibility: no problems at all here. I use the unit frequently in bright sunlight attached to my bike while wearing sunglasses and I can see the display fine from a few feet away.
--Map: the map that comes with the unit by default is entirely inadequate for anything but highway driving, but I knew this when I bought it, and had purchased Topo 2008 as well (which is very nice for both city and on-trail tracking). There are very few trails actually in the mapping software itself, but this isn't the Vista's deficiency itself.
--Sturdiness: biking can sometimes be a bit bumpy. Yay for solid state components; this GPS has worked fine over bumpy roads.
I'd highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a handheld GPS, especially one to be used for walking, hiking, jogging, or bike riding. If you're looking for something to give you directions while driving a car, this unit is not for you--stick to the Nuvi series.
 Freezing problem well known June 19, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I bought this unit as a Christmas 2007 present for my husband. He is trying to use it during his hikes in the Taos mountains. Unit freezes up every 15 minutes or less. Information lost. Updating the software had no effect on the problem. The internet is replete with descriptions of similar problems with this unit and there are no patches for it; unit must be replaced. I am very disappointed.
Map Rip-Off June 9, 2008
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
The maps that this comes with are useless. The maps you have to buy for it are very expensive (can easily cost more then the unit itself). When you buy the maps, you don't really own them. They can only be used in that one GPS. If you buy a new GPS, you have to buy the same maps again (not cheep) for each unit.
I bought a second one of this model Garmin GPS unit and was expecting to use my basic road maps ($125) on both. I had to pay ($99) to get a code to put them on the second unit.
Good Upgrade to eTrex Line June 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm a longtime Garmin eTrex user. I think this is our fourth or fifth unit and each upgrade has been well worthwhile. I grappled with this one as a part of me wanted to go up to the GPS Map line. Our primary use is Geocaching and other outdoor activities. In the end, I opted to stay with the eTrex Vista even if the only real changes were the expanded memory and higher sensitivity.
The unit is great and does all it is supposed to. I have just two comments:
First, it caught me off guard that the ONLY way to store maps is in the micro SD card. I headed off to Africa on a trip without going through the unit first. Fortunately, I was able to steal the micro SD card from my wife's stateside cell phone to use to store the maps.
Secondly, the control panel on the unit continually locked up. This was a strange problem I've never encountered before and I'll be calling Garmin on it. We would be driving down the road tracking our route, and the keyboard would completely lock allowing no inputs. It required a LONGGGGG hold down of the on/off switch or pulling a battery to reset.
Otherwise, it's a good step up from the earlier Vistas.
Great for Geocaching June 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I previously used a Garmin Etrex Legend for geocaching. If I was in dense trees, it would lose satellite reception or else the accuracy would be horrible. I recently tested both, side by side. The old Legend lost satellite reception but the new Hcx maintained position throughout the search.
I still haven't mastered the electronic compass yet so I just turn it off.
If you are looking for a reliable GPS for off road use, this is certainly a good choice.
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