0ur opinion:

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Deep foliage, nor canyons phase the rugged eTrex Vista HCx. lts 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.With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex Vista HCx locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear - whether you're in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Vista HCx to help you find your way when you need it the most.The Vista HCx has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you're standing still, and its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.Adding maps is easier than ever with Vista HCx's microSD card slot. Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD cards with MapSource data for your land and sea excursions. Just insert a MapSource card with detailed street maps, and Vista HCx provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet.Like the rest of the eTrex series, Vista HCx is lightweight and compact - the perfect size for all your travels.

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Neither deep foliage nor steep canyons will faze the rugged Garmin eTrex Vista HCx navigator. Equipped with a high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, the unit locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover. The advantage is clear: whether you're traipsing through thick woods or strolling near tall buildings and trees, you can count on the Vista HCx to help you find your way when you need it the most. The Vista HCx also includes a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even when you're standing still, along with a barometric altimeter that tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.

Adding maps to the Vista HCx is easier than ever thanks to the device's microSD card slot, which accepts cards preloaded with MapSource data for your land and sea excursions. Just insert a MapSource card with detailed street maps, and the Vista HCx will provide turn-by-turn directions to your destination. Plus, the card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you needn't worry about it getting wet.

Besides appreciating its small size, users will also be happy with the Vista HCx's unique button layout, with five buttons located on either side of the unit. The benefits of this design are twofold: First, the Vista HCx is a breeze to operate with just one hand, and, second, with the buttons on both sides of the unit, the bulk of the front is dedicated to the 256-color, sunlight-readable TFT display. This makes it easy to distinguish map details regardless of the time of day.

The Vista HCx basemap, meanwhile, contains lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, national and state highways, railroads, and coastlines--in short, a host of helpful details for your outdoor adventures. 0ther details include an lPX7 waterproof housing, 1,000 waypoints with names and graphic symbols, a built-in patch antenna, a USB interface, a hunt/fish calendar, sun and moon information, and a geocaching mode. The Vista HCx, which runs for up to 25 hours on a pair of AA batteries (not included), measures 2.2 by 4.2 by 1.2 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
eTrex Vista HCx, basemap, MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software, USB cable, wrist strap, quick start guide, user's manual.









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Buyer's feedback: - * I like my Garmin eTrex Vista HCx ...
The basic operation is easy. It works well when I'm out with my hiking club. I got it with Mapsource Topo US which shows major trails. I was afraid of getting lost, and it's a snap to backtrack. If you don't buy any map with it, there's a built-in map that just shows major highways. You can set the backlight bright enough so that it's easy to read in full sunlight.

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Buyer's feedback: - No interface for Mac users!
If you are a Mac user and want to be able to upload and use anything from a Garmin product (or any?), you are out of luck.

First, let me clarify that by itself, this is a good unit in the way it functions--I have had no glitches or function errors. The menus and functions are fairly intuitive. It is accurate and offers great visuals. Long battery life, easy buttons and toggles.

If you know nothing about GPS, the owner's manual offers great descriptions of the basics, but fails to describe the more technical terms or how to use some of the more intricate features.

A minor irritation is that the screen light has to be reset to your preferred setting every time you turn it on.

Another irritation is that there seems to be no way to truly turn off the track log so that there is not a big straight line from the end of one track log to the beginning of the next. This would normally not be an irritant, because one would simply edit the tracks as desired with the appropriate software. BUT this brings me to the main problem I have with Garmin:

THERE IS NO VIABLE SOFTWARE FOR MAC USERS. The entire reason I bought this unit was because I want to track my off-pavement routes, then be able to create printable maps. Despite extensive research and assurances from Garmin customer support, THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. Bobcat (Garmin's Mac interface program) is a joke--I have not been able to figure out why on earth anyone would waste their time writing or downloading this program. As far as I can tell, it does nothing. You cannot edit, print, or do anything other than look at your track. The background maps only identify major highways and major cities--completely useless for even the most basic on-pavement navigation.

So I bought National Geographic TOPO! which does not recognize the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx, even with their latest updates. TOPO! is supposed to function with Intel-based Macs (which I have) yet continually pops up warnings, errors, and will not download my tracks, if it runs at all--it usually crashes.

I have sent emails to customer support at Apple and TOPO!, with NO response, let alone a helpful one. Garmin at least replied with a "try to reload Bobcat". Ummmmm...I am not having trouble running Bobcat, I am having trouble with finding anything even remotely USEFUL in it!

The bottom line is: if you are just looking for a handheld unit for exploring, this functions great, but you can buy the same service for much cheaper. IF you want to be able to use more extensive features AND you are a Mac user, don't waste your time and money--there is nothing out there for us right now. I could have kept my 3-yr-old $99 Magellan and had the same results I have had with this purchase.

Garmin, please prove me wrong!

Update 9/23/08. Garmin has now released RoadTrip to replace Bobcat--this program actually works, though you still cannot print from it. It does allow one to much more easily upload tracks, edit them, and even--YES!--even export them! What I have found is that I can save a track file through RoadTrip, then import it as a Geocache GPX into TOPO! and actually print from there. TOPO! still sucks, but we have at least achieved basic mapping ability. Yay! If I could, I would change rating to 4 stars for Garmin. Why 4 instead of 5? Because Mac users are a serious gizmo-geek crowd and don't appreciate being an afterthought. Will leave separate review for TOPO!, but unfortunately, the lowest rating possible is one star.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Great all-purpose GPS ...
I purchased this GPS to use both on my bicycle and in my car. I also own a 60Cs from Garmin.

The Vista HCx is a better GPS in every way. It is smaller, the screen is higher resolution (though physically slightly smaller), the arrangement of buttons is better for one-handed operation, battery life is at least twice as long. The Vista also has a micro-SD slot which is a great feature. The 60Cs has 64MB of memory, enough to load say northern Illinois and part of souther Wisconsin. I put a 2GB micro-SD card in the Vista and was able to load maps of the entire U.S. and Canada. No more switching map sets before long trips!

The high-sensitivity receiver is great, it receives signals and maps my position while sitting on my couch! I used the 60Cs a couple years ago on a bike trip and found it lost reception when the trees extended over the road or trail. I rode the same route this summer with the Vista HCx and reception was perfect.

I have the City Select maps for North America which I loaded on my 60Cs. Garmin allows their maps to be loaded onto two devices so I was able to load and activate the maps for the Vista.

I also purchased the bicycle handlebar mount for this unit and it works great as well (though a bit pricey for what it is).

Currently I have only one complaint about the Vista HCx. The backlight does not automatically stay on when running on external power. You must press the On/Off button briefly to activate the backlight. With the 60Cs if the GPS was running on external power the backlight automatically came on and stayed on. This is a minor complaint but since it could be fixed with a firmware update it would be a nice feature to include.

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Buyer's feedback: - Amazing
I was bought a few months ago, And using in Turkey. i was updated Turkey map. It's very usefull.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Great unit ...
I just received this unit a few days ago. I was planning on comparing it to Magellan Tritton 500 in some field tests, but there's no comparison. Out of the box, the user interface is so much better. The satellite locking so much faster. And believe it or not, no freezes or half finished bits of functionality - which was the case with Tritton. I love it.