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Garmin eTrex Venture HC Reviews |
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My first GPS (4/5) | Feb 5, 2008 | Denise Skidmore | Rochester NY US |
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I've always navigated the back trails by map and dead reckoning, but was shamed into buying a GPS when a couple things didn't go my way when leading a group hike. I would have sprung for one of the SD card based units if I had realized I could download unofficial 24K topos for it. The official map offerings are not good for county/state park hiking, so I went for the cheaper Venture HC. Pros: I'm very pleased with the reception, quite clear in my house or anywhere in my car, a few satelites even get through the steel building where I work. The unit is very configurable, letting you change data fields, displays, and "pages". I also quickly voided my warranty by loading some maps from another source, and they display great. The software interface (see my comments below about the physical controls) was very easy to use and self-explanitory. I spent little time refering to the manual after I got the batteries in. Cons: The unit is ambidexterous in the sense that it's just as uncomfortable to use with the right hand as with the left. Both hands are needed for extended use. This is especially true of anyone that does not have big man-hands. I agree with the previous review about the manual being rather sparse, I ended up using wikipedia to find out that some of the available data fields relate to aviation, and that's why I don't recognize them. I have yet to look all of them up. Overall the interface is easy enough to use that I didn't need to read much of the manual. I was just disappointed when trying to look up the function of some obscure features. The trip computer does not handle the accuracy issues while sitting still very well. I've had it display my average moving speed higher than my max speed when sitting still. The fact that it records a speed at all is due to the inaccuracies of GPS, so it understandably thinks I moved when I didn't. My complaint is that the two numbers should be self-consistant. I have not yet seen this error while actually in motion. You may want to pencil down your trip computer numbers before a break and reset after the break. Conclusion: Although I listed more cons than pros, I really am happy with the unit. (I was a software tester for four years, I am in the habit of finding and describing flaws.) It meets all my needs, and my unofficial map source rounds out the features I couldn't find elsewhere. (There are cool official maps available for one of the competitor units, but the unit itself is reputed to crash alot and be no good. The Garmin maps were less complete, but the units and customer service sounded rock solid.) |
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