Garmin eTrex Legend HCx Personal Navigator

GARMIN eTrex Legend HCx Hand Held Receiver w/ Built in GPS Patch Antenna. MicroSD card slot allows for storage of optional MapSource detail /MicroSd card not included. WAAS enabled, 12 parallel channel GPS receiver. Built in GPS patch antenna. Display: 1.3 in W x 1.7 in H, 256 color, high resolution, transflective TFT /176 x 220 pixels. LED backlit display and keypad. Battery life: up to 32 hours typical use using two AA alkaline batteries. Includes a built in Americas autoroute basemap with automatic routing capabilities including highways, exits and tide data /USA only. 500 user waypoints with name and graphic symbol; 20 reversible routes, 50 points per route. Position formats include Lat/Lon, UTM, Loran TDs, Maidenhead, MGRS, user grid, and more. Audible alarms for anchor drag, arrival, off course and clock. Large numbers option for easy viewing, dual position display mode. Trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed and more. 10,000 point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks /500 points each/ let you retrace your path in both directions. Built in celestial tables for best time to fish and hunt, plus sun and moon calculations. Fully compatible with MapSource products including BlueChart, City Navigator, U.S. TOPO 24K, U.S. TOPO and US Inland lakes. Waterproof, IEC 60529 IPX7, /Submersible 1 meter at 30 minutes.

Neither deep foliage nor steep canyons will faze the rugged Garmin eTrex Legend 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 Legend HCx to help you find your way when you need it the most. Adding maps to the Legend 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 Legend 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 Legend HCx's unique button layout, with five buttons located on either side of the unit. The benefits of this design are twofold: First, the Legend 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 Legend 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. Other details include an IPX7 waterproof housing that withstands inclement weather, a speedy USB interface, 1,000 waypoints with names and graphic symbols, a track log with 20 saved tracks, a hunt/fish calendar, a built-in patch antenna, and a geocaching mode. The Legend 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 Legend HCx, basemap, MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software, USB cable, wrist strap, quick start guide, user's manual.

I have had my eTrex for three months and use it mostly for geocaching. The unit works very well even with lots of foliage overhead. Battery life is reasonable, about 25 hours, and I use the usb cable connected to my laptop when getting ready for an outing and this powers the unit when attached. It does take a while to learn to use the unit. Like most products these days, the user manual leaves a lot to be desired. I needed to call Garmin twice to try to figure out why my unit was doing some strange things only to find out that I had not set the parameters for what I wanted the unit to do. Garmin customer service was exceptional. Now if they just had a better user manual they could eliminate a lot of calls to customer service! I would recommend getting a 12 volt power cord if you are going to use the unit in your vehicle just to save battery life. I ordered the handlebar mount to use on my motorcycle - will not work on my bike - my fault - something to check BEFORE you order! Play with it when you get it and open all the icons so you can program the unit for what you want it to do. I gave it 4 stars because the user manual is marginal. Also, you only get basic maps and not a lot of detail. You need to purchase additional maps like City Navigator to get detailed roads and this also helps the unit get you to where you want to go. The unit itself is probably a five star. I would buy again and would recommend to my friends. By the way - get at least a 2 GB micro card so you have lots of memory. I think Garmin has a down-loadable upgrade so you can use a 4 GB card - seems like overkill to me.

This GPSr is a great device for those wanting to start geocaching as a hobby. The hallmarks of this device are its ease of use and reliability.

I took a lot of time making my decision which Garmin to buy for my hiking and boat ventures. I have owned Garmin GPS's for over 15 years. I talked to friends who purchased GPS's in the last couple of years. I read all the reviews I could find. The Garmin eTrex Legend HCx Personal Navigator meets my needs best. I just spend 8 days in the Colorado Rockies' hiking and rafting the Arkansas River. I came home and back loaded my trip to my computer, this was an important part for me, I like to see where I have been, as well as know where I am. I found it easy to use, easy to setup, each to save my track logs and waypoints. The price was also important. One thing to always remember when you buy any GPS you will need to add other items to make it complete for your personal needs: TOPO Map software, extra MicroSD cards, 12 Volt Car Power Cable and Carrying Case.

My husband and I purchased this for our son to go geocaching. We also purchased the kit to mount it on his bicycle, as he likes to take road trips. He was the last person in his group of geocachers to get a GPS unit and they all love his so much, they always use his. Our friends love it so much, they have decided they are going to replace their Lowrance model with this model. It is very easy to use and very accurate. It gets you within just a few feet of the cache. It seems fairly easy on batteries as well. I highly recommend this.

I've used an eTrex H for years and decided it was time to upgrade to a newer model that would allow for uploading topo maps. I didn't need all the bells and whistles of the eTrex Vista HCx so it finally came down to the eTrex Legend HCx or the GPS 60CSx. The 60CSx was just a little to bulky for my needs and also doesn't allow for easy one handed operation like the eTrex models. So I settled on the eTrex Legend HCx and ordered one from Amazon to get the best price. The GPS arrived from Amazon - so far so good. After reading the instruction manual and uploading some detailed topo maps for the Catskill Mountains I was looking forward to trying it out in the hills. After using it in the hills I can report that the little joystick like button located on the front of the unit is a real PITA. If like me you slip your GPS into your pocket while hiking along before pulling it out every so often you will find that the joystick button gets knocked and has probably saved a waypoint that you didn't expect. In summary the unit works great technically.....just in practice unless you plan to hold it in your hand ALL the time then expect to have some fun if the joystick button gets knocked about while you hike. p.s. Notice to Garmin. Please recess it or allow user to disable the joystick button.