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Garmin eTrex Vista HCx customer reviews

Global Rating: 4.85 from 20 reviews.

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rating title date name city state/province country
Very Nice unit (5/5) Dec 9, 2008 Klaus P E Miami FL US
  Had the unit for a month and I'm using it as much as possible to see how it works. Everything of this unit works great. But I've been trying to figure out the best altimeter settings as the barometric altimeter is so sensitive that if I'm in the car with the sunroof open (and I have a plastic deflector in front of it) as I increase speed the altimeter will go from 13 feet (correct) to over 60 feet, impossible here in FL without being in a highrise or overpass, but works great while walking.
Has everything you need and more (5/5) Nov 15, 2008 James Down Launceston TAS - Australia
  I have had my Vista HCx now for 6 months and used it extensively in the Tasmanian wilderness and Victorian Alps. I upgraded from an earlier model. This GPS is everything you need. There are so many different functions I am still finding them. The battery life is excellent as is the ability to keep hold of satellites. I purchased the OZGPS maps which make it a perfect package.
High power in a small package (5/5) Feb 4, 2008 Bill Pfefferle Westerville Ohio US
  I upgraded from a VistaC to the Vista HCx. I added a 2gig memory card and was able to load the City Navigator NA V8 detailed street maps of all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico! The higher sensitivity holds the signal even when the GPS is in my coat pocket or inside my house. Garmin has a great product here.
Amazing (5/5) Dec 6, 2007 James L. Eberly Skillman nj US
  I have used this extensively from the snowy mountains of PA to the steamy tropical jungles of Costa Rica. It kept its signal even in deep canyons that were covered in dense wet canopy.

You do need to buy the memory (I bought 2 gig for about 35 bucks) and mapping software which runs about 100 bucks for most of them.

I called the help desk with questions on maps/memory etc and they were very helpful.

I would buy it again in a heartbeat.
Amazed and very happy (5/5) Oct 24, 2007 Jack Fischer Portland Or. US
  This unit has rectified all the areas I wished my basic etrex had. It acquires satellites very quickly and maintained them in all the conditions I have been in. Time and date retained in waypoint information. Fourteen chacters for naming and a large number of icons. Checking on cities in eastern Oregon showed them in a sixty mile radius-some only sign posts or ghost towns. Amazed and very happy With this unit-everytime I thought it lacked a feature I ended up finding it! The only thing I found that needed to be better was the instruction manual!
Great (5/5) Oct 13, 2007 Dave Brotherton Centerville WA US
  I "replaced" an original 12XL and a TomTom that runs on my PDA. I also have Topo US and City Nav 8.
The sensitively of the HCx is just amazing. It acquires 5-6 sats in the basement. I can put it in the glove box and it works just fine. I regularly get 6-8 sats outside with 6-9 ft accuracy. I've tried WAAS several times and get no improvement in accuracy. A couple of times I've forgotten to turn it off and I still have 1/2 battery in the morning.
The ability to use a PC to put in a complex route is important to me and that works well with City Nav. The screen is really too small to be using as a primary auto navigation system but works ok if you're careful. The TomTom has some advantages in car usability with both voice prompts and the arrow which gives you notice of which way the next turn is ahead of time. Routing with the HCx is more accurate than the TomTom. Garmin touts this as their top end unit so I would have thought voice prompts would be available, or at least a jack to plug in a speaker.
I found the interface awkward after the 12XL but I'm getting used to that.
For outdoor/trail use it is a significant improvement over the 12XL in terms in sensitivity and battery life. I'm not crazy about the 100K topo maps but I'll just have to live with that for now. Map accuracy in rural areas is as bad as everyone's. Address's, street names and locations are out of date and not real accurate. I know this is a function of the map database, not the HCx itself but it's a bit frustrating to have a unit capable of +- 5 ft and have the road 50 ft off in position.

Having said all of that it's a great unit and I highly recommend it for hand held use.
It's That Much Better (5/5) Sep 30, 2007 Loren Lincoln NE US
  I already owned the Vista Cx and bought the HCx for a trip to Germany. The difference is amazing. Hooks up quickly. Works in my house, even in the basement. No problems with tree cover or heavy overcast. The Cx was good, this one is remarkably better. I'm impressed!
Easy to Use (5/5) Sep 25, 2007 Daniel C. IQ
  I'm currently in IRAQ, and the ease of use for the vista is great. It acquires quickly, usually within 30 seconds, and stays extremely accurate. I enjoy all of the functions and some of the specialty information. Plotting and course setup take little time at all once you get used to it. Technology wins again. "THANKS GARMIN!" (insert cheesy smile and two thumbs up here)
Saved my bacon (5/5) Sep 21, 2007 Marty Heyman Orinda California US
  So, the locals drew me a map on how to get out of the financial district in Boston. I ended up going through a pedestrian-only mall/street totally turned around. Jackson Pollock drew the street map down there!? The Vista HCx locked in and routed me, turn by turn, through the most confusing part of town! I've been using it for measuring speed over my walking route, for biking, and for in-car navigation! Good battery life too. Great Unit!
Best thing since sliced bread. (5/5) Aug 12, 2007 Richard Waters Okanogan WA US
  I got this unit to replace my old GPS 12XL. The MTX high sensitivity reveiver is simply amazing. Even in my house it locks on and gives a reading within 15 seconds. The display is bright and crisp and easy to read in various light conditions. I was a little leary about not having the external antenna capability, believe me - you wouldn't need one even if it was an option. I have gone well over the stated 25 hour battery life with energizer lithiums.
WORTH THE WAIT (5/5) Aug 11, 2007 Ronald E. Sawyer Lewis Kansas US
  I have been looking at GPS units for awhile, checking on improvments and prices. Very glad I waited sometime and bought the Garmin etrex vista HCx. This is the very first gps unit for me and I love it, simple to learn and to use, love all the functions with it, great color sceen.
Amazing Sensitivity; Great color (5/5) Aug 2, 2007 Frank Der Cocoa FL US
  I've had an eTrex Legend for years and decided to try the HCx for its high sensitivity receiver and color screen because the B&W screen's routing lines were hard to distinguish from the other lines and the unit would constantly lose satellites while hiking under even a medium canopy of foliage. This unit's sensitivity delivers what it promises. The contrasting colors in routing and map views make the route really stand out. A couple of downsides: 1. Auto-routing capability will not work with the old Mapsource Metroguide from previous eTrex Legend. Although maps can be loaded, waypoints are not auto-routable. Get the City Navigator NT to use this model's autorouting. 2. You can't turn autorouting off - this feature will override any manual routing you download using your PC. You'd think if someone uses the PC to manually create the route they want, that Garmin would allow you to turn the autorouting feature off. A workaround would be to place waypoints at key turns to force the autorouting to take the route you want.
Worth the upgrade from the Cx to HCx (5/5) Aug 1, 2007 Michael Burbank CA US
  The Vista HCx is a nice improvement from the Vista Cx. I've put my Vista Cx to the limits for well over a year of hiking and exploring and using the track logging within Google Earth and for geocoding photos. My only complaint being GPS receiver coverage under some trees and in canyons. The HCx addresses that issue and is well worth the upgrade for the improved receiver.
New state-of-the-art technology (5/5) Jul 31, 2007 Phil Arnold Broken Arrow Ok US
  Wow! I can hardly believe this neat little unit. I have been using a GPS III that I purchased in the 90's. (That dates me, huh?) It is unbelieveable how much new state-of-the-art technology this little Vista HCx possesses The ease of use and intuitiveness of it is remarkable. I'm not a GPS garui by any means but this thing is so easy to use that on my first backroads trip with it today, using it with 'City Navigator', I was able to do just about everything I tried. Good things come to those who wait and I'm glad I waited for the 'H' version of this little jewel. Fantisimo!!!
Great Unit (5/5) Jul 30, 2007 Bob Azle TX US
  Looks like I got lucky - the new "H" high sensitivity units came out just in time for me to order my first GPS. The sensitivity is really as advertised. I'm getting 6-7 satellites as I sit inside my office at home right now. For indoor use, you really need the backlight but outside it seems to do fine without it. I haven't looked at the manual yet but most of the functions seem fairly intuitive. Overall it seems like a rugged unit although I wonder how the joystick would survive a drop.
Simply amazing! (5/5) Jul 27, 2007 Rick Agawam MA US
  The new SiRF chip is unbelievable. 6 sat. lock instantly indoors. 9ft of accuracy outside with WAAS turned off. A 1GB card is more than enough but a 2GB would probably do a majority of the US with both topo and North America NT. I can't say enough good about this little GPS. Time to sell off the Legend C.
Garmin GPS's Keep Getting Better (5/5) Jul 27, 2007 Michael Lajoie Merrimack NH US
  I've been using Garmin products for many years, starting with one of the first eTrex Legends. I am very impressed at the quality of their products and the ease of use. They constantly drive themselves to add more useful features with each new product. The eTrex Vista HCx is just as easy to use as my other units and it seems smaller and lighter than my Legend and the Vista has more features as well. Yet another great unit from GARMIN!
Replacing Garmin Emap (5/5) Jul 26, 2007 Jonathan Gorges La Quinta CA US
  Wow! I can not believe how much smaller this is...and faster the processor is really fast...I could never get signal inside my office building but with the HCx I get 4 sat's. I'm really impressed and the price i got it from GPS now is great...Amazon wanted 299 before tax and shipping. GPSNOW also shipped it same day. i have in my hands 2 days after i ordered it.
Great Hardware, poor software (4/5) Aug 3, 2007 Guy Clark Wichita Kansas US
  Up grading from a Garmin Venture. The Vista HCx has a much more sensitive receiver, with improved accuracy. Make sure you turn WAAS on if in the USA. Love all the features! Color, Compass, Altimeter, microSD, USB on and on.

I have a longer review elsewhere on the web. i plan to use this all over KS this GUY loves his gps. it is without COMpair.

Poorly designed software and poor paper documentation prevent me from giving 5 stars. The data is OK, just hard to install.
Good Unit (3/5) Jul 31, 2007 Klint Konyha Cooperstown Pa US
  Comparing this to a Rhino. Much easier to use and much better reception than the Rhino.
Color screen is worth the extra money. H receiver also worth the extra money- satellites are acquired faster and no loss of signal even in the car on the console not on the dash.

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