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The eTrex Legend's 8 MB memory enables you to download points of interest and map data from optional Garmin MapSource CD-ROMs to make your GPS unit more useful. The built-in base map of the Americas displays city and interstate highway information for North, South, and Central America, as well as U.S. highway exits. Address and business listings are displayed with data downloads. It also provides points of interest along lakes, rivers, and coastlines.

The Legend has a front-panel rocker switch that allows for quick and accurate map panning. View maps on a liquid crystal display with a resolution of 288 x 160 pixels. The unit is waterproof to an IPX7 standard, so it can withstand a dunk.

The Legend maintains a tight satellite lock, even in a forest. The unit can store up to 1,000 user waypoints with graphical icons, and it boasts Garmin's own TracBack feature, which reverses your track log and helps you navigate your way back home. The eTrex Legend also uses animated graphics that will help you identify your marked waypoints quickly and easily.

Garmin makes some of the accessories to help you integrate your GPS with your life and your priorities. Keep your GPS at the ready while protecting it from knocks and bumps with the carrying case. If you'll be on the road, you'll want to have access to the most detailed topographical maps of the United States available: The Garmin MapSource CD-ROM (USA TOPO). And don't let the product's many abilities overwhelm you--train yourself in all the eTrex's ins and outs with a handy instructional video.

Compass indicates direction. View larger.

Displays nearby attractions. View larger.

The Legend Cx features a bright color screen, 36 hour battery life, microSD card maps, and more.

You can use the Legend Cx's memory card slot with preprogrammed microSD cards from Garmin (sold separately) that provide topographic maps, city streets, and nautical charts. In fact, the unit is compatible with most Garmin MapSource products, including BlueChart, City Navigator, U.S. Topo 24K, and U.S. Topo and Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots. The unit comes preloaded with an Americas autoroute basemap that provides automatic routing capabilities, including highways, exits, and tide data. You can even get turn-by-turn directions when you're driving, and an integrated trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more.

As on all eTrex units, the primary controls are located on the side of the unit, so you can operate it with one hand. An innovative rocker switch on its face makes inputting data easy, and with it you can scroll through menus or pan the map page. Fast USB connectivity makes loading charts and maps quick and easy, while navigation instructions can be shared with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots using NMEA protocols through the dedicated serial port. Additionally, the case is water resistant to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes).

Another key feature of the Legend Cx is the 10,000-point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions. There's also a large-numbers option for easy viewing, as well as a dual-position display mode. Lastly, the unit includes built-in celestial tables for best times to fish and hunt, plus sun and moon calculations.

If you like the features of the Legend Cx but require an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter, check out the Garmin eTrex Vista Cx.

The eTrex Vista's 24 MB of memory enables you to store more types of data--from topographical maps to roadside points of interest such as campgrounds, restaurants, and hotels--with a single download from Garmin's series of MapSource CD-ROMs (sold separately). These include MetroGuide USA, U.S. Waterways and Lights, and U.S. Topography.

The built-in Americas base map displays cities, interstate highways, and U.S. exit information for North, South, and Central America. Address and business listings are displayed with data downloads. Additionally, it provides marine points of interest for lakes, rivers, and coastlines.

The eTrex Vista has a front-panel rocker switch that allows for quick and accurate map panning. You can view maps on a liquid-crystal display with a resolution of 288 by 160 pixels. The eTrex Vista is waterproof to an IPX7 standard, so it can take an accidental splash or dunk in the water and still continue to perform.

Even while operating in forest conditions, the eTrex Vista will continue to maintain a tight satellite lock. The unit can store up to 500 user waypoints with graphic icons and boasts Garmin's own TracBack feature, which will reverse your track log and help you navigate your way back home. In addition, the eTrex Vista uses animated graphics that help you identify your marked waypoints quickly and easily.

Garmin makes some of the accessories to help you integrate your GPS with your life and your priorities. Keep your GPS at the ready while protecting it from knocks and bumps with the carrying case. If you'll be on the road, you'll want to have access to the most detailed topographical maps of the United States available: the Garmin MapSource USA TOPO CD-ROM. And don't let the product's many abilities overwhelm you--train yourself in all the eTrex's ins and outs with a handy instructional video.

Map page. View larger.

Mark waypoint. View larger.

The Garmin eTrex is a simple, compact GPS device. View larger.

Besides its small size, boaters and outdoorsmen will be happy with the eTrex's unique button layout design. All the buttons are located on either side of the unit. The benefits of this design are two-fold. First, the eTrex 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 of the device is dedicated to the large, LCD display with backlight. The eTrex is so simple it only sports five buttons -- Page, Power, Up, Down, and Enter. Thanks to the its bright yellow case, the eTrex is easy to spot and hard to misplace in a boat, backpack, or trunk. Garmin also designed this tiny GPS to be completely waterproof so it can handle an accidental splash or dunk and continue to perform.

Locked away behind the waterproof protection, you will find the proven performance of a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver that will run for up to 22 hours on just two AA batteries. The antenna is also internal and the external power and data connector are protected as well. In addition to determining your location, the eTrex creates, names, and saves a location as an electronic waypoint in its memory -- up to 500 individual waypoints. This allows you to navigate back to this point any time you want, from any location or, with Garmin's TracBack feature, you can reverse your track log and navigate your way back home. And once you start moving, the GPS provides other data, like speed, direction of movement, time and distance to destination, and more.

In addition to these basic features, the eTrex provides one more critical benefit; peace of mind, because with GPS you know where you are, where you've been, and where you are going. And since you always know your way back home, you can concentrate on enjoy yourself outdoors, on the water, or wherever your travels may take you.

The main menu feature icons. View larger.

Crisp, color display for easy map viewing. View larger.

Altimeter display provides elevation information. View larger.

The Vista Cx features a bright color display, electronic compass and a barometric altimeter and much more.

You can use the Vista Cx's memory card slot with preprogrammed microSD cards from Garmin (sold separately) that provide topographic maps, city streets, and nautical charts. In fact, the unit is compatible with most Garmin MapSource products including BlueChart, City Navigator, U.S. Topo 24K, and U.S. Topo and Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots. The unit comes preloaded with an Americas autoroute basemap that provides automatic routing capabilities including highways, exits and tide data. You can even get turn-by-turn directions when you're driving and an integrated trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed and more.

The Vista Cx's barometric altimeter system features automatic pressure trend recording while providing current elevation, ascent/descent rate, minimum/maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, and average and maximum ascent and descent rate. Meanwhile, the unit's electronic compass allows you to get accurate headings while standing still.

Like on all eTrex units, the primary controls are located on the side of the unit, so you can operate it with one hand. An innovative rocker switch on its face makes inputting data easy, and with it you can scroll through menus or pan the map page. Fast USB connectivity makes loading charts and maps quick and easy, while navigation instructions can be shared with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots using NMEA protocols through the dedicated serial port. Additionally, the case is water-resistant to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes).

Another key feature of the Vista Cx is the 10,000 point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions. Meanwhile, there's a large numbers option for easy viewing, as well as a dual position display mode. Lastly, the unit includes built-in celestial tables for best time to fish and hunt, plus sun and moon calculations.

If you like the features of the Vista Cx, but don't need an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter, check out the Garmin eTrex Legend Cx

What's in the Box
Vista Cx unit, 64 MB microSD card, USB interface cable, bike mount clip, MapSource Trip and Waypoint Manager CD, lanyard, owner's manual, and quick-start guide

All buttons are located on the sides of the unit, allowing for simple one-handed operation that won't obstruct your view of the display. The eTrex features only five operator buttons, making for a user-friendly design. The Garmin eTrex is completely waterproof, so it can take an accidental splash or dunk in the water and still continue to perform.

Map page. View larger.

Mark waypoint. View larger.

The Garmin eTrex Summit is a simple, compact GPS device. View larger.

Besides appreciating its small size, boaters and outdoorsmen will also be happy with the eTrex's unique button layout design. All the buttons are located on either side of the unit. The benefits of this design are two-fold. First, the eTrex 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 of the device is dedicated to the large LCD display with backlight. The eTrex is so simple, it only sports five buttons--Page, Power, Up, Down, and Enter. Garmin also designed this tiny GPS to be completely waterproof so it can handle an accidental splash or dunk and continue to perform.

Behind the waterproof protection, you'll find the proven performance of a 12-parallel-channel GPS receiver, which will run for up to 16 hours on just two AA batteries. The antenna is internal, and the external power and data connector are protected as well. In addition to determining your location, the eTrex creates, names, and saves a location as an electronic waypoint in its memory--with room for up to 500 individual waypoints. This allows you to navigate back to a point any time you want, from any location--or, with Garmin's TracBack feature, you can reverse your track log and navigate your way back home. And once you start moving, the GPS provides other data, like speed, direction of movement, time and distance to destination, and more.

In addition to these basic features, the eTrex provides one more critical benefit: peace of mind. With GPS, you know where you are, where you've been, and where you are going. And since you always know your way back home, you can concentrate on enjoying yourself outdoors, on the water, or wherever your travels may take you.

Compass indicates direction. View larger.

An easy-to-read color map. View larger.

Displays nearby attractions. View larger.

The eTrex Legend C packs advanced GPS navigation into a compact, waterproof device.

The unit offers a bright, transflective color TFT display for easy daylight viewing, automatic route generation, off-route recalculation, turn-by-turn directions with alert tones, and icon-driven menus for finding points of interest (when combined with Garmin's optional MapSource CDs). You'll get up to 36 hours of use on two AA batteries. The unit offers 24 MB of internal memory and its mini-USB port lets you download map data rapidly from Garmin's library of MapSource CDs (not included) with your PC.

You'll enjoy outstanding accuracy of less than three meters (10 feet) when the device is enabled to receive enhanced GPS signals from the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in the United States. Like on all eTrex units, the primary controls are located on the side of the unit, so you can operate it with one hand. An innovative rocker switch on its face makes inputting data easy, and with it you can scroll through menus or pan the map page.

Other key features of the eTrex Legend C include an auto-route basemap (featuring general map data like highways, major roads, rivers, lakes, and borders); a waterproof design (to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards--submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes); 500 waypoints/routes/tracks (with graphic identification); 50 reversible routes; 20 saved tracks; 10,000 trackpoints; TracBack technology); alarms (proximity waypoint, anchor drag, and off-course, as well as a built-in alarm clock); a GPS patch antenna; selectable audio tones and color schemes; a stopwatch; a hunting/fishing calendar; sun/moon calculations; and a trip computer.

The Legend C includes a built-in, permanent basemap, Americas Recreational, which cannot be altered. The Americas Recreational Routable Basemap v2 includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America, and covers an area from longitude 30 to 180 degrees west and latitude from 60 degrees south to 75 degrees north. It includes a high-level, worldwide map featuring borders and major cities.

Standard map coverage includes oceans, rivers, lakes greater than 30 square miles, lakes greater than five square miles in the U.S. and southern Canada, lakes greater than 10 square miles in central and northern Canada, principal cities, some smaller cities and towns, major interstates, principal highways, political boundaries (state and international borders), major airports, and a database of Interstate exits for the Federal Interstate highway system. This last includes many establishments within about 0.25 mile of exits, including restaurants; diesel and gas stations; hotels, motels, and inns; overnight RV parking; dumps; campgrounds; truck stops; medical facilities; shopping and outlet malls; ATMs; and many more such attractions.

Roughly the size and shape of a cell phone, the Venture has six buttons that are easily accessible by thumb and forefinger. The Power, Page, Zoom In, Zoom Out, and Find buttons are along the side, with the big-daddy navigation button (a directional click-button akin to a thumb-operated joystick) on the front above the screen. The side buttons are stiff enough that it's nearly impossible to accidentally push one. However, we found the navigation button to be a bit too stiff, which caused us several errors in entering waypoints.

Text was very easy to read--highlights are discernible and menu bars and clickable objects are well-defined. The unit also has an excellent backlight, which illuminates the whole screen with a white light, giving excellent contrast and viewing capability at night.

The Venture's interface is split into five different pages, each providing different functions. The main menu page gives you access to your saved routes and tracks, as well as setup for using WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation Service) reception, unit measurement, time, and display. These are all quickly rotated through with the click of the Page button on the right-hand side of the unit.

The map page displays the basemap included with the Venture, and for outdoor excursions it provides all the basics you'll need. It automatically tracks your movements and you can save individual tracks for later viewing. The map is zoomable from 500 miles to 20 feet depending on your preferences. You can place waypoints and places of interest on the map and name and change the icons of each to create your own personalized maps. If you decide you want to go somewhere, press the Find button and you'll get quick access to waypoints, your favorites list, and nearby cities.

The Venture features 1 MB of memory for downloading points-of-interest data--including lodging, business services, banks, and more--from optional CD-ROMs via the included PC cable. Unfortunately, for more detailed mapping you'll need to look to the Garmin eTrex Legend or Vista, both of which have larger memory capacities and the ability to download detailed maps.

Reception was, of course, best outside on a clear day, but the Venture retained most of its functionality under limited cover like small buildings or thick trees.

All in all, the Garmin eTrex Venture is a nifty little GPS tool and is ready to roll for your outdoor adventure. However, if you're looking to use more detailed map data with your GPS, the Garmin eTrex Vista or Legend would be a better choice. --Matt Deffer

Pros:

• Intuitive interface
• Clear, easy-to-read display
• Create waypoints at key locations for easy navigation
• Included PC cable for downloading firmware upgrades and maps

• 1 MB memory only accepts points-of-interest data