ETrex Vista CX - NC Angler Fishing Product Reviews

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Garmin ETrex Vista CX

Reviews	Views	Date of last review
2	1473	12/30/2007

Recommended By	Average Price	Average Rating
100% of reviewers	$260.00	9.0

Description:

Pack more detail into your adventure with the eTrex Vista Cx. This popular handheld navigator has a bright color screen, barometric altimeter, electronic compass and microSD™ card for expandable memory, and it can route you on roads or off, for wherever your travels take you.
Expand Your Memory

Storing data is easier than ever with Vista Cx's included 64 megabyte (MB) microSD card. Just connect to your computer and load optional MapSource® software to view detailed maps of your surroundings. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet. You can also use optional preloaded microSD cards with MapSource data for your land and sea excursions. Just insert a MapSource card with detailed street maps, and Vista Cx provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination.
Take It Anywhere

The Vista Cx 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. Like the rest of the eTrex series, the rugged Vista Cx is WAAS-compatible and waterproof, so it can withstand the elements or an accidental dunk in water.

Other Vista Cx features:

* 256-color, sunlight-readable display makes it easy to distinguish map details — plus, it looks fantastic
* Supports English, Spanish, Portuguese and French languages
* Extra-long battery life brings you more hours of outdoor enjoyment
* Fast USB computer connection so you can transfer waypoints and other data to your computer

eTrex Vista Cx: This little color navigator goes a long way

Keywords:

GPS Vista garmin


	lefty Captains Club Member NC Kayak Angler		Posts: 2,813 Registered: November 2005 Location: Cary see this user's products

Author

lefty

Captains Club Member
NC Kayak Angler

Registered: November 2005
Location: Cary
Posts: 2813

Review Date: 12/30/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: $220.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Good detail, long battery life, easy to read, easy to carry
Cons:

I've been nothing but pleased with everything I've asked from my Vista CX. It's submersible (IPX-7), which is a big plus for a yak-fisher.

The color display was not on my list of features worth paying extra for, but it turns out that the color displays draw less current than the monochrome, so the battery life is much better -- some say in the 22+ hour range.

Two pairs of batteries (2600 mAH NiMH's) got me from Raleigh to Destin Florida and back, with three days of visitin' family and local driving while I was there. I'm so impressed with the battery life that I did not buy the cigarette-lighter power cord.

The display is on the small side for use in the car -- if that's all you're looking for, go with one of the on-dash models. But one feature I prefer in the Vista over my dad's 340c is that the Vista can preview its calculated route, turn-by-turn. All I've been able to do on Dad's 340c is to zoom out and look at the route line, which does not always tell me the detail I want.

I've got the RAM suction-cup mount for my car, and I put a RAM-238-B (I think) ball on my kayak so I can use the same mount in the kayak. I bought the City Navigator road maps and the Fishing Hot Spots inland lake maps -- which was discontinued at the time, not sure if it's been replaced in the lineup yet...

One thing that confused me initially -- the device can store a variety of overlapping maps, but only displays one at a time. What this means is that if you've got the inland-lakes map and the detailed highway map loaded, the highway map will take precedence, and show you the road to the boat ramp. You won't see the lake-bottom detail until you go into "Setup Maps" and turn off the checkbox for the highway map, thereby allowing the lake map to be the highest priority map. It's not a problem now, but it did confuse me at first.

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Softouch
New Angler

Registered: December 2007
Location: Roanoke
Posts: 2

Review Date: 12/30/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: $300.00 | Rating: 8

Pros:	size, water poof, accurate, good reception
Cons:	small screen, toggle would be better on right than left

This is a great GPS which I have found highly accurate from sea level to over 11,000 feet. The available protecting cover is good and has a small d ring through which a piece of cord loop can make a safety attach point via carabiniere to my pack strap. belt, or boat. The screen cover makes the distance reading in map view difficult to read though. It will take some customizing the displays to make them the most use and I have found keeping only three main displays (compass and data, map, and course screens) toggling better than keeping all the possible choices up. Remember short distances are yards not feet. I've noticed photos of it being used by US military ground forces.

Topo software is not quite intuitive with the need to select map quads with the irregular shaped select tool. If you are a hiker in Virginia and West Virginia www.hikingupward.com is an free, completely compatible, feature rich download of area hikes which I have enjoyed.

So much fun it may distract you though.