Garmin eTrex

The eTrex is a series of handheld GPS units manufactured by Garmin Corporation since 2000.

The eTrex
The eTrex is Garmins entry-level GPS. The series began in 2000 with just the basic eTrex. Garmin then added the eTrex summit in 2001, and then the eTrex Camo, Legend, Venture, and Vista in 2002, and finished off the series from 2005 on with the eTrex H, and color screened eTrex's: the Legend C, Vista C, Summit HC, Venture HC, Legend HCx, Vista HCx, Legend Cx, Venture Cx and Vista Cx, for a total of 16 different models to choose from. These models and their functions and capabilities are described below.

eTrex Model Description
(All models are waterproof, WAAS enabled, equipped with at least a compass, a trip computer with selectable data fields, a page to show satellite reception status, a track log to show travel history and a main menu that shows time, date and battery life, as well as access menus such as the settings menu. The information below shows MSRP, battery life, amount of waypoints that can be stored, and any extra features.)

eTrex-(Discontinued)$106.24, B&W display, 22 hour battery life, 500 waypoints.

eTrex H-$99.99, B&W display, 17 hour battery life, 500 waypoints and high sensitivity antenna for improved satellite reception.

Camo-(Discontinued)$116.86 B&W display, Same as eTrex except for a camouflage case.

Venture-(Discontinued)$149.32 High resolution B&W display for better graphics, 18 hours, 500 waypoints, city point database shows city names. 1 MB of memory for loading extra points of interest from Garmins Trip & Waypoint Manager via RS-232 connection to a computer.

Summit-(Discontinued)$169.99 B&W display, between 13 and 22 hours, 500 waypoints, electronic compass can determine your heading even while you are standing still, and barometric altimeter can determine land altitude for miles ahead and determine changes in barometric pressure (weather).

Legend-$160.70, high resolution B&W display, 18 hours, 1000 waypoints, Marine Point Basemap shows coastlines, highways and interstates, state/provincial and national boundaries, and marine Navaid's. 8 MB of memory for adding street-level map data from Garmins Mapsource MetroGuide CD's.

Vista-$214.27, high resolution B&W display, 12 hours, 1000 waypoints, basemap, electronic compass, barometric altimeter, 24 MB of memory for MetroGuide data.

Legend C-(Discontinued) 256 Color display, 30 hours, 500 waypoints, basemap, 24 MB of memory. Geocaching ready allows you to hook the unit up to a computer and download the coordinates of geocaches from the internet. USB capable allows faster downloading of map data then the standard RS-232 connection. Automatic routing gives you turn-by-turn directions on the screen (Non-Audible) when City Navigator or City Select maps are installed.

Vista C-(Discontinued) 256 Color display, 20 hours, 500 waypoints, basemap, 24 MB of memory, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, geocaching ready, automatic routing.

Summit HC-$229.99, 14 hours and high sensitivity antenna. Otherwise same as Vista C.

Venture HC-Garmin's least expensive color GPS at $169.99, 14 hours, high sensitivity antenna. Otherwise same as Legend C.

Legend HCx-$249.99, 25 hours, 1000 waypoints, 256 color screen, high sensitivity antenna, geocacheing ready, automatic routing and basemap.

Vista HCx -$299.99 same as Legend HCx, plus barometric altimeter and electronic compass

Known Problems
The eTrex, eTrex H, Camo, Summit, Venture, Legend and Vista are known to have a problem with the display. Under normal use, the unit will "crash", and the display will go blank except for a single line. The only remedy is to remove the batteries and reinstall them, and the unit will function normally again, but only for a period of time. This problem occurs more often, and eventually the unit becomes unusable. This is due to a connector inside the unit which is poorly connected during manufacturing.

Besides the display problem, the Thumb-stick in the Venture, Legend and Vista is prone to eventually stop working. For example, the cursor/choice may no longer go left when the Thumb-stick is pressed left.

These problems are fixed with the color-screen eTrex units.

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