( 93 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 16 2009
The Vista HCx is the 3rd hand-held GPS unit I've owned. I bought it to replace a Garmin 60CS. I just returned from a 12-day wilderness canoeing trip using the HCx where it performed superbly. - Battery life using Eveready lithium AAs (unit uses 2) was frankly amazing at 35+/- hours (a significant improvement over the 60CS). - Mounted unit in the canoe using separately purchased Garmin Rail Mount Adapter(010-10496-01)which worked magnificently. Rail Mount Adaptor attached to aluminum cross-brace of a Souris River Quetico 17 canoe in front of the rear seat and once angle of the Mount was set appropriately made GPS easy to view while paddling. The quick release enabled the GPS unit to be easily installed or removed for portaging the canoe. Quick release (included with the GPS Unit) screws on to the back of the GPS. Easily removed to access battery compartment. - GPS unit was not affected by heavy rain or water from paddle splash, etc. - On lakes, as would be expected, excellent accuracy and rapid satellite lock; but the unit also maintained satellite lock while in my pocket over heavily wooded portages. - Color screen was easy to read - even in bright sunlight (and typically wearing sweat/sunscreen/insect repellant encrusted glasses). While the screen is smaller than the 60CS, it's brighter. - Separately purchased a 2gb micro SD card which was easily installed. Detailed map downloaded(relevant sections from Garmin Topo Canada)without a hitch. I understand that with most recent (May 2009) software upgrade the Vista HCx will acceptand operate with a 4gb micro SD card. - Controls and various menu options as with the other Garmin GPS units I've owned are somewhat complicated. I'm still figuring them out (wasn't till the end of the trip I figured out how to set the display so that the top of the screen was always "north"). The complexity is a slight negative, but for the most part you'll figure it out from playing with the menu or read the owners manual in detail to learn what's important to how you particularly use the unit. - Buttons were difficult to operate while wearing paddling gloves - not a flaw in the unit's design, just a fact.
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( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 5 2009
Having owned, used, and been extremely pleased with the eTrex Vista C for a number of years, I was a bit disturbed by needing to purchase a new upgraded unit to take advantage of maps of New Zealand (live in USA). However, I was totally surprised by features advertised, but irrelevant to my upgrade purchase: the Vista HCx's dramatically improved sensitivity and seemingly resultant improved accuracy. I went heli-skiing in New Zealand with the HCx zipped up in a pocket of my ski jacket to record my tracks. Track accuracy for my skiing as displayed on Google Earth was phenomenal, much better than anything I had seen with my Vista C. Using the old Vista C inside a vehicle, I had to keep the unit on the dash with a view of the sky through the windshield to maintain lock on the satellites and hence my location and track. The Vista HCx maintains track with good accuracy continuously sitting on the lap of a passenger inside a vehicle. This helps tremendously when you need a passenger to help with navigation in a city with which you are not familiar (both the Vista HCx and Vista C can be used for city navigation, but they are optimized operationally for trail use). So, if you have been happy with the Vista C, and it is a few years old, you probably will find an upgrade to the Vista HCx well worth it, especially with the prices you can get through Amazon. Any maps you had for the Vista C will work with the Vista HCx, and you can use all the NT (New Technology) maps now available and supported by Garmin. I have really enjoyed both the better sensitivity and increased storage (2 Gbytes on a micro-SD card - <$10 now) for maps with the HCx. Nothing appears to have changed operationally between the two units, so there is nothing new to learn to use the new HCx. Interestingly however, the software seems to have improved in efficiency. An upgrade that is worth it.
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Posted: Aug 2 2009
This is a great unit for hiking or biking. The tools for driving are a little weak but that's not the main reason for buying this device.
