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. Other details include an IPX7 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.

5 Responses to “Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS”

1. particle 1844 says:

   July 20, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Thus far, this product is as advertised. Even with the very basic base map, one is still able to set way points, tracks, check distance, elevation and compass direction accurately. I have yet to get one of the 24k maps, but anticipate doing so in the future. The size is ideal and battery life with sanyo eneloop rechargeable batteries seems impressive.
2. Natalia says:

   July 13, 2010 at 12:00 am

   I just think that the GPS could come with more maps instaled and with a microSD card included.
3. John J. Smiertelny says:

   July 4, 2010 at 12:00 am

   I’ve had my Garmin eTrex for about two months now and by itself it’s good product, but when you couple it with a fully functioning map software, it’s great. It’s small, compact, easy to use, and you can carry it with you anywhere. There’s just couple of things to be aware of. When I purchased the eTrex I assumed the mapping software included in the purchase was sufficient to guide you almost anywhere. I was wrong. You almost have to purchase the mapping software, in order to get up to date information on locations, waypoints, areas of interest etc. That’s an additional $100. But you have to be careful which of the three choices you choose. Down loadable directly to the device, a CD Rom, or a SD card preloaded with the software. I chose the down loadable version which took several hours to download via FIOS connection, only to find it was not compatible with the software that Garmin provide at the time of purchase. The way to go is to get the CD rom so you can manipulate the information on the computer that you would like to see on the hand held. So the software that I have on my computer that Garmin provided is virtually useless without some type of mapping software. I would prefer that Garmin package the software and the device together, but I imagine the price would not make it conducive to the consumer.
4. Ray Vernic says:

   July 4, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Great Price Super Fast Shipping! Thanks A++++++ Best Bang for the Buck! Did ton’s of research Buy this one Very Accurate! I fly PPG and really depend on this unit!
5. David Lisowski says:

   June 25, 2010 at 12:00 am

   I have had this unit for 6+ months and have used it traveling in Italy and France, for biking, for hiking, for skiing and for auto navigation in the USA. I also use it to geo-tag photos that I take while traveling around. The unit comes with very little software i.e. the maps that make this a useful device. The maps get pricy and of course there are strict licensing rules that seem to rule out having the software on your desktop and laptop at the same time.

   I have the Topo US 100K and the City Navigator. City Navigator on this small unit is still very nice, even although there is no sound other than the warning beep that a turn is coming up it works pretty well. For biking it works very well as long as you get the correct handle bar attachment which is not the simple rail mount kit but the larger handlebar mount. Just don’t stare at the GPS unit too much while biking. The unit collects useful statistics but the software does not give you a lot of them neither Mapsource or Basecamp. In the past I have used Delorme software which will give you total climb and decent and other things that you really want to know when planning a trip or reviewing the statistics from a completed trip. The same would go for hiking. Planning a trip with too much vertical climb on either a bike or hike can be a real bummer. The software does not give you this information, just the profile with a marker you can move from a starting point to an ending point. Hence I am looking for third party software or write my own to process an output GPX file.

   For trips to places like Europe where I did NOT want to spend a lot of money for another map product that I would rarely use, I found public domain maps that worked fine at [...]. These maps do not have the navigation functions, they just have an image so you can see where you are. By directly dragging their IMG file onto the SD memory card I was able to install these maps. I was very happy with the results – knowing where I was all the time and where the nearest Paris metro station was at any time! It even knew which fountain I was standing to the palace of Versailles.

   The software provided by Garmin could be integrated with Google earth better. The software will export and kick off Google Earth, but it does not import anything from it. For example since I lacked navigation in Europe I set push pins in Google Earth and then exported and had to convert to gpx and then import them one at a time. This was very useful but it should have been able to read the Google formats and not force me to spend hours marking important landmarks. Having done that I was able to Find-Waypoint-MyHotel and always be able to find it. I love never being actually lost.

   When taking pictures I the Garmin files can be downloaded and used by external software (Copiks) to add GPS coordinates to your photos. Just having the time set on the camera correctly allows the software to compare your tracks and mark the photo.

   Sensitivity is much better than my old Garmin 12XL. The little joy stick to move around menus and select things could use some improvement but this little unit does a lot for me and I am very happy with it. Now if they improve their software products it could be even better.