Buy Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPSGarmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS Product Description:
- High-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver provides peak performance in any environment
- Lightweight, compact and waterproof
- Features a 1.7-inch X 1.3-inch screen with 256-level color TFT
- Built-in basemap with automatic routing capability
- USB connection for high-speed map downloads
Product Description
Neither deep foliage, nor canyons faze the rugged eTrex Vista HCx. Its high-sensitivity receiver holds a GPS signal in the toughest environments. Similar to the Vista Cx, this handheld navigator also has a bright color screen, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, microSD card slot and automatic routing for wherever adventure takes you.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
182 of 188 people found the following review helpful.
Finest Upgrade Available from Garmin
By EgusHdus
I won't waste your time if you are a previous Garmin user. I upgraded from an EMap, bought in 2001, that has served quite well. However, after all that time there are features one desires that scream for an upgrade. Yes, the color screen, the USB capability, far larger (and commercially available) Micro SD Memory, improved maps all contribute to the many reasons to buy. This is the tops, absolutely.However, I saw this was coming out about 6 months ago and I waited. Why? The "H" in "HCx" stands for high-sensitivity. From my EMap experiences, I knew that GPS units were very sensitive to signal. My old EMap literally had to sit on the dashboard of the car on road trips, sitting in the sun, and sometimes still losing satellites. Well, friend, that's all over.My HCx arrived today, and I opened the box, securing two AA batteries, and turned the unit on after about 45 seconds of perusing the Quick Start Guide. Sitting in a concrete building (dormitory, with a steel door, the HCx immediately began acquiring satellites and within mere seconds had found three...inside my little "bunker". Impressed? You couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I set a waypoint for Home - in the room - and then trudged over to work. Entering another concrete building, the signal strength was still fine and I set a waypoint at my desk. I marveled over the `track" I had wandered on the way to work, zooming in to 20 ft. resolution.Friends, this is fantastic technology. The unit is small, comfortable to operate, feels solid, well-actuated controls and is far faster to acquire satellites than my expectations.. Needless to say, it's worth every penny. It fits in my shirt pocket, not a great deal larger than a pack of cigarettes, and it is the best thing I've spent money on since the thrill of buying a VIC-20 PC at K-Mart in 1985. And a lot of technology has been issued (and passed through my hands) since then. I admit it - I'm geek - I carry daily 3 phones, a digital camera and a Space Pen.Buy this unit. Amazon's price is current market price, so don't feel compelled to shop - I did and it was a huge headache to attempt to save $20. Your time is worth far more - don't delay another day. Hands-down, it is the one to buy, and you will be on cutting edge for several more years.You will not be disappointed.
253 of 265 people found the following review helpful.
FANTASTIC
By Dan R. Clement
If you are reading this and the other reviews of the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx then you are doing your homework and wondering if this GPS is as good as all the hype makes it out to be. The short answer is YES! I have an old Garmin 12 Map which has served me well, but was getting a bit long in the tooth. I wanted something a bit smaller, lighter, with color screen and was water tight. The Vista HCx meets all of these needs and so many more. It is small in size, but with a fairly big and bright screen (easily readable in the sun) for its size.Every review I read touted the extra sensitive antenna and how it picked up and locked onto satellites inside of homes or buildings. Well I can honestly tell you that it does all this and does it quick. How this happens it Garmin magic. I was always told you had to have line of sight to pick up satellites, but not in the case of the Vista HCx, it can get them just about anywhere short of being in a bunker.The menu is intuitive and easy to navigate, so much more that my old Garmin 12 map. The long story short, this little GPS is the one for everyone else to beat. If you are seriously considering a GPS purchase for hiking or navigating the back country, do not look elsewhere, this is the one to get!The base maps in the Vista HCx are of course upgradeable through additional accessories purchases from Garmin (at substantial cost), but worth the money. How Garmin managed to pack so much into so little a package is a mystery to me. Do yourself a favor, stop reading the review and just buy one, you will not be disappointed.BTW, I purchased mine through Amazon.com and took advantage of the free shipping. It arrived four days ahead of when it was scheduled to arrive which was a nice surprise. Amazon has a very good price and I have always been happy with my purchases through them. And no I am not getting paid to say these nice things about Amazon, I am just a very satisfied customer.Dan...
124 of 127 people found the following review helpful.
Great upgrade
By Alex Roche Cagigos
I bought it to replace my old Garmin Etrex Vista and I am very happy with it. When comparing it to my older model these are the main differences:Pros:* Really high sensitivity. Now it always works inside the car, and it always works when hiking in the forest. You can just drop it into your pocket or backpack.* Routing capability. Very useful if you have a good map, even if it doesn't give voice commands.* Color screen rather than B/W makes it much more readable even if screen area is slightly smaller* When saving Waypoints, now the date and time info is automatically included.* Battery lasts at least twice* Rapid transfer of maps and tracks through USB rather than serial!* Compatible with the maps and logs that I already have. I transferred all the waypoints and tracks saved in my old Vista to this new model, through Mapsource without problem.* Compatible with my car, motorbike and bicycle mounts that I already have from my Etrex Vista.* I can still use the free maps that I used with my old Vista, from: http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/catalogue.php and fromhttp://www.malsingmaps.com/* Automatic date setup (from the satellites?)* When transferring to the PC, the Active Log is now transferred as a few tracks (I guess one for every time that you have powered up the device) rather than as a long list of tracks* When saving a track, now you can decide exactly up to which point to save back.Cons:* Not compatible with two of my Etrex Vista accessories: Car power adaptor (now the power comes through the USB connector) and Garmin case (now the unit is a little bit wider and shorter)* No Favorite Waypoints menu. Has been replaced by a Recent Finds Menu?* User Interface is sometimes confusing and not easy to find the function that you are looking for.* WAAS setting and backlight level get to off whenever you power off the unit rather than remembering the setting (firmware bug?)* Product Manual is very bad. It tells you how to turn things on and off, not why and when you should turn something on and off.* No Micro SD memory included so you cannot upload any map unless you buy one.* For the next product update, could I ask Garmin to add a Voice Recorder function to be able record a voice note associated to each Waypoint?
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