Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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362 of 363 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent on its own, amazing with additional Garmin maps, 22 Mar 2008
There are a few reviews of this unit knocking around, though none answered the questions I had when I was looking to buy. So having bought & used now, I thought I'd try and give the sort of review which would have helped me.
Firstly, the unit itself. Build quality is excellent - tough, weather-proof and durable. The unit is fairly small (about the size of a compact digital camera), though the colour screen is a good size and is easily readable. The high-sensitivity nature if this particular model means that it picks up satellites within 20 seconds of a cold-start, even in areas of cover (under trees etc). The accuracy is within about 10 feet. Menus are easy to use - anyone who is able to figure out how their mobile phone menus work will be able to figure this out without looking at the instructions. Battery life is very good - takes a couple of AA batteries which last for ages (still on my first set!). Also means you don't have to mess around with chargers etc - just chuck a couple of spares in your pocket if you're worried!
Secondly, using the unit. There are a number of comments about the basemap in other reviews. It is basic - mainly just motorways, A-roads, large water masses and towns. This is not like your car sat-nav - though it's not supposed to be. I'll be using the the unit when I cycle from Leeds to Liverpool along the canal. The canal isn't on the basemap, but it will give me an idea of where I am in relation to the towns I will pass through or near. For walking/hiking, the unit is easily used with an OS map - the unit will give you your co-ordinates which you can then find on your paper map - simple. The units also has a number of other nifty features - it will track your progress automatically - and at the end of a trek (or during), will tell you how long you've been walking (& how long you spent standing still!), how far, average speed, top speed, etc and will show you on the unit your 'path' of where you've been.
Some walking websites also have downloadable GPS co-ordinates for their recommended walks - you can transfer these onto the unit so it will give you a route which you can follow as you go - helpful if the walk description isn't that good!
The unit however, becomes a whole different thing when you use it with the Garmin Mapsource Topo maps, which can be bought separately (and which I have bought and used). Much is made of the cost of these maps (about £100 for entire UK), but they're still cheaper than buying all the paper OS maps. The maps give you so much more detail on the unit screen (which you can zoom in-zoom out as you wish)- streets in urban areas, but paths, minor roads, railways, rivers, contour lines, etc in the 'wilds' - basically all you need to know exactly where you are/where you're going without an OS map. The Mapsource software also lets you plot walking routes on your PC which you can then transfer, with the maps, onto your unit.
There are comments in other reviews saying that this unit, because it doesn't have a memory card, is unable to be used with the Mapsource maps. Rubbish. The internal memory size does limit the size of maps which you can transfer across, but to give you an example, the internal memory has enough space to hold detailed Topo maps to cover about four fifths of the Lake District National Park - quite some area. Maybe not good enough for anyone walking along distance (Pennine Way, etc), but certainly more than enough for the day-walker.
I hope this helps. In short, excellent item when used with paper OS maps, and a wonderful, amazing unit if you splash out and use with the Garmin Mapsource Topo software.
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132 of 133 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ETrex Veture HC, 26 Dec 2007
For several weeks I have been considering purchasing a satnav specifically for walking. I had been unable to find one in any store and so been unable to see exactly what I was buying. In desperation I settled for the Garmin Venture HC.
Using a map and compass is fine, and can never be totally replaced, but several times recently I have managed to get comprehensively lost. In theory with a couple of landmarks, a map and a compass it should be easy to work out where you are, in practice it is not so easy, landmarks can be hard to comeby or even not available (visible) at all.
The ability of the eTrex Veture HC to give a grid reference to 5 digit accuracy vertical and horizontal with WAAS correction (whatever that is) means that your map position can be fixed to within 10ft. That is quite enough to locate your position on any 1:25000 OS map.
The ability to track your exact location and to back track if necessary is more than useful. The built in odometer, compass and clock means that you can keep track of distance travelled and time spent with absolute accuracy.
As yet I have not invested in the detailed maps, but as OS maps are costing £7.99 a time (my current collection therefore valued at about £200) and are easily damaged by repeated folding and refolding I am coming to the conclusion that at £150 the full set of 1:25000 maps may well represent a good investment, and the waterproof versions cost almost twice as much.
Having done a couple of walks using the eTrex, firstly locally where I know exactly where I am, and then a walk round Macclesfield forest and up Shutlingsloe I have been very satisfied with my purchase.
Realising that the HCx model can take an external memory card and how much memory maps take I suspect that the additional cost of that model would easily be jusified. The HC has only 24Mb available. However the facilities it offers I think are well worth the cost and that is why a rate it at 4 Stars.
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63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garmin eTrex Venture HC, 11 Feb 2008
I needed a solid, accurate and inexpensive GPS for geocaching so, after some pretty comprehensive research I eventually decided on the Garmin eTrex Venture HC. Nothing at this price can compete for the number of features and easy of use, especially as many more expensive units don't have a colour screen or are as accurate. All readings to date have been within 10 feet or less plus I've never lost a signal yet, even indoors!
I was a complete beginner when it arrived but within minutes I was quite comfortable with the features and system navigation. My only (minor) gripe here is that the manual and quick setup guides aren't as clear as they could be. Don't be put off, just start using the device and you'll soon work it all out.
It's small size is very handy - about the same size a compact digital camera - and build quality is very robust. The supplied software is easy to use making uploading routes and waypoints simple. PC only though, so I have to use my wife's laptop instead of my Mac PowerBook or just manually input any information I might need.
All-in-all extremely impressed and I would recommend this unit to anyone.
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