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Garmin eTrex Handheld GPS
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10 new or used available from $54.99
Average customer review:
Product Description
All the power of a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver in a palm-sized package / Waterproof / Stores up to 500 waypoints All five buttons are placed on the sides, for simple, one-handed operation that doesn't obstruct your view of the display Bright yellow case makes it easy to locate in the boat or backpack And the eTrex is waterproof, so a splash or dunk is not a watery grave for the eTrex The high-performance, GPS receiver runs 18 hours on two AA batteries Even under canopy forest conditons, the eTrex maintains a tight satellite lock Stores up to 500 waypoints with graphic icons Exclusive TracBack feature provides a reverse course home
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #14023 in Consumer Electronics
- Size: eTrex
- Brand: Garmin
- Model: 010-00190-06
- Dimensions: 4.40" h x 1.20" w x 2.00" l, .33 pounds
- Native resolution: 64x128
Features
- Global positioning system (GPS) receiver continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites
- Calculates current and average speed, time of sunrise and sunset, trip distance, and more
- Automatic track log--10 saved tracks let you retrace your path in both directions
- Tough waterproof case; runs for 18 hours on 2 AA batteries
- Compatible with optional Garmin MapSource software for downloading trip and waypoint data (not map compatible)
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
A few years ago, when personal GPSs first became available, every geek from here to Poughkeepsie was enthralled about the possibility of always knowing exactly where on the planet he or she was. While the Garmin eTrex isn't the most feature-rich GPS out there, it will definitely come in handy if you don't want your next camping trip to end up like a scene from The Blair Witch Project.
 The eTrex allows you to pack more detail into your adventure with added color, expandable memory, and automatic routing capabilities. |
Among the eTrex's notable features is its ability to calculate your current and average speed. We used the eTrex to determine the distance from work to home, and to calculate how fast we were walking. This helped us gauge the average time it should take to get to work. This feature should really come in handy on extended hiking, camping, or cycling trips where planning your average speed and tracking the distance traveled is critical.
Sticking with its theme of simplicity, the eTrex has only five buttons, making it easy to use with just one hand (It's specifically designed for the left hand.) Weighing only 5.3 ounces with the batteries installed, the eTrex is also ultralight, making it an easy addition to a daypack. The eTrex is also waterproof, so a little water shouldn't damage the unit.
 Turn-by-turn directions make long trips a snap. |  Check your speed, ETA, and distance. |  Great for calculating distance and directions for camping trips. |  Get predictions for when it's best to hunt and fish. |
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Light
- Waterproof
- Batteries only last about 20 hours
Amazon.com Review
A few years ago, when personal GPSs first became available, every geek from here to Poughkeepsie was enthralled about the possibility of always knowing exactly where on the planet he or she was. While the Garmin eTrex isn't the most feature-rich GPS out there, it will definitely come in handy if you don't want your next camping trip to end up like a scene from The Blair Witch Project.
The eTrex is sort of a dumbed-down, rugged version of the company's more advanced eMap. Designed specifically for hiking, biking, and camping, the eTrex is one of the easiest-to-use GPS units available. It offers the ability to track up to 12 satellites so you never lose contact with one. The eTrex won't work inside--however, we don't anticipate that you'll get lost inside a building very often.
Among the eTrex's notable features is its ability to calculate your current and average speed. We used the eTrex to determine the distance from work to home, and to calculate how fast we were walking. This helped us gauge the average time it should take to get to work. This feature should really come in handy on extended hiking, camping, or cycling trips where planning your average speed and tracking the distance traveled is critical.
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The eTrex can hold up to 500 user-created waypoints. And using Garmin's TracBack feature, it's easy to plot a course with up to 10 waypoints and follow it in both directions. --Julian Strate
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Light
- Waterproof
- Batteries only last about 20 hours
Amazon.com Product Description
The Garmin eTrex GPS is a remarkable GPS in a small, compact package. The eTrext takes the best features of a 12-paralle channel GPS receiver and puts them into a six-ounce, handheld device that is only four inches high and a mere two inches wide. The result is a powerful machine in the palm of your hand.
 Map page. View larger. |
 Mark waypoint. View larger. |
 The Garmin eTrex is a simple, compact GPS device. View larger. |
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.
What's in the Box
eTrex GPS receiver, wrist strap, user's guide, and quick reference guide.
Customer Reviews
You will love your little E-Trex.
I recently bought an E-Trex primarily because of the low cost of the unit. I am very satisfied with my purchase. I am surprised how rugged it feels and it appears to have a little more knock-ability than some other handheld GPS units I have used. I would have preferred a GPS with cross track error capability because I am also a recreational pilot, however the latest software revision (1.07) does show your position relative to the track line between two current waypoints on the map screen and this can be used to correct cross track error.
I imagined the lack of buttons would have proved to be frustrating however this is not the case as the menus are logical and concise. Alphanumeric entry is via drop down menus, which let you quickly select numbers and letters for waypoint entry. Up to 500 waypoint entries are available and names are limited to combinations of up to six letters/numbers and there are many icons to choose from. You can quickly mark your present position as a waypoint by holding down one of the buttons for a second. It has all the usual nav formats and measurements can be displayed in Nautical (knots included), Statute (yards not included) and Metric.
I have used it bushwalking through fairly dense scrub and tree canopy and it did tend to track satellites well. There were a few short occasions where it lost signal in particularly dense cover (to be expected with a relatively small internal antenna) however it recovered within about ten seconds in lighter cover. I would not recommend relying on the GPS compass feature in dense cover because it did have trouble maintaining heading information updates in low satellite coverage areas. I am not disappointed with its performance in dense bush, and as anyone familiar with units with small antennas will know, it is just something you live with. I was using a magnetic compass in particularly dense areas where I experienced poor coverage and it is good navigation practice to use a magnetic compass and map in conjunction with your GPS anyway. In light and open cover I routinely get 8 metre accuracy and sometimes as good as 5 metre accuracy. If I turn it on outside near my last fix it usually gets a lock in about 10 seconds.
It maintains accuracy on the passenger seat of the car and is even better up on the dash. It gives a good presentation of speed, heading, time and distance to go on one big clear screen and the backlighting is very good. It has a nice rubbery casing and this makes it ideal to wedge it in an upright position between the dash mat and the windscreen while I am driving along.
I decided the genuine Garmin data upload cable was too expensive and made my own lead from a cannibalised mobile phone charger. Uploading the latest free Garmin software revision (mine was shipped with v1.05) was a snap and I was very impressed with how easy it was to update. The new software has some nifty features worth getting. I have used some shareware utilities such as "GARtrip" and "GPSutility" to upload waypoints from scanned paper maps and street directories, and you can edit, upload and download waypoint info and track info. It is obviously faster to modify waypoint info from your computer keyboard and then upload the new waypoints in seconds. It has a non-volatile memory so flat batteries don't present any risk of losing your stored data.
Any disappointments? Only a couple of minor ones. It is very hard to tell if the backlight is on in sunlight, and because it toggles on and off by momentarily pressing the power button, you can accidentally bump it on and be wasting batteries. You can't scroll the map around; you can only zoom in and out. This makes it difficult to review your recorded trail in any detail, and you need to zoom out and lose definition to see much of your trail. It gets cluttered with waypoint info when you zoom out trying to see your whole trail although you can turn the waypoint display off.
In summary, it is a compact gem of a GPS with a big screen and for the price I believe it represents excellent value. Make yourself a data lead or buy one from Garmin because the shareware computer-based utilities are cool. Two thumbs up.
Limited usefulness
Very handy size: about as small as my Nokia cell phone, and a little shorter. Great for shirt pocket use. I'll toss it in my daypack when deer hunting.
Display is correspondingly small too: 1 1/4 by 2 1/4 inches.
But if all you want to know is your current location, your current heading, and the route back to your tent, it'll do the job.
Antenna is weak: even a light tree canopy or shirt pocket material gives it fits. No provision for external antenna.
The barometer/altimeter function is nice.
The complaint about the buttons being on the sides instead of the front/top is inane. It's designed for one-handed operation. There are only 5 buttons after all, and all of them are very conveniently reached.
Ditto the complaint about battery life. 2 AA batteries give 20 hours or so, 15 if you use the backlight a lot. So carry a couple of spares, put it in battery save mode, turn it off when not using for extended periods, etc. It's a FIVE OUNCE GPS... get a life.
If you're navigating your way to the Dry Tortugas or trying to find that new customer in a strange town, you'll want something more sophisticated.
But if you're a hunter, a hiker/climber, a bicycler, or just want a small, fun, inexpensive unit you can carry in your pants or shirt pocket, this is a very nice unit.
Wildland Firefighter likes eTrex
For the price and its size, it's a 5 star product. Compared to many larger/pricer units it can be only a 3 star. This is a very competetive marketplace and with the removal of the military Selective Availablity coding on May 1st, you've got to take the big leap and buy one. The eTrex shows accuracy of 11-20 feet commonly. In reasonably dense conifer forests around 60 feet. Put yourself in the bottom of a canyon in that forest and you'll have to spend say 5 minutes positioning your GPS to get 100 foot accuracy. That will not work for surveyors, but you'll get back to where you started just fine. Again, the main reason for this success is the military making the accuracy available to all of us. By the way THANKS. This unit is a very reasonable entry GPS Some Problems with the eTrex: 1) Doesn't have a simple map in it and you can't download quality Topo maps onto it. 2) Smaller size means smaller antennae and its reception in timbered canyons is weak. 3) No external antennae hook-up for when in your car. 4) Does not have a built in compass capabilty for when using a bearing, like the very similar Garmin "Summit" model that will be released shortly.(The summit will cost about twice as much). You really need to use a quality compass with it. But, as you should know, GPS will not repace map and compass, just enhance it greatly. However, for your money, this a geat little unit.
