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71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super Product - eTrex Vista, 5 Oct 2003
I’ve owned a Vista for over a year and highly recommend it.Here are some of it’s useful features: A very easy to use user interface, despite the its many capabilities. Map Screen
The European Vista comes with a built in ‘atlantic’ basemap which contains a map of all of Europe. All major and most minor roads and towns are listed E.g. Blarney. The vista ‘understands’ the many different map datums that different countries use, E.G. in Ireland the vista can be set to the Irish grid, as used by the Discovery map series. More detailed street-level maps can be uploaded to the device’s 24MB memory from the optional Garmin Mapsource CDs. Altimeter Screen
The Vista can determine height from either the GPS satellites or it’s highly accurate built in barometer. Using the barometer mode the device will display a height difference if it’s moved from the floor to the ceiling! Plots height over time or distance and ditto for barometric pressure. Trip Computer Screen
Displays 8 items e.g. distance travelled, max/min speed, average speed etc. However, like many of the other Vista screens, you can configure this screen to display many other items instead. Compass Screen
A built in magnetic compass can be enabled. Useful if you’re not moving and want to take bearings from distant objects. Routes and Tracks Screen
You can manually create routes on the Vista or automatically using the optional Mapsource CD. The Vista records tracks and it can traceback any track if you want to find your way back home. Tracks can be saved on the device and up/downloaded from a PC. Accuracy
The device normally reports accuracies of 4 meters in good conditions. If WAAS is enabled I’ve seen the device report its accuracy as good as 2 meters. Upgradeable
The device’s firmware can be upgraded using the internet, a PC and data cable. Garmin have released several upgrades since I purchase my vista over a year ago. Connectivity
Using the data cable the device can be connected to a PC/Laptop. It outputs NMEA (amongst other formats) text so most Mapping software can accept positions/height data from the Vista (including Autoroute and Garmins Mapsource)
Mounts
Using optional mounts the vista can be used on a bicycle or in a car. The screen size makes reading the maps difficult while driving. Battery Life
With the compass and WAAS disabled the vista will run for approx 10hrs using 1800Mah NIMH rechargeable batteries. There’s ‘battery saver’ mode which extends this time further. Accessories
These include a calculator, calendar (where you can make notes on specific days), area calculator, Hunt and Fish, state of the Sun and Moon anywhere/time in the world and even Jumpmaster for skydiving (I HAVENT tried this feature!!) The only problem I’ve encountered is the glue in the rubber grip that goes around the unit has started to melt, possible from hot weather. But this doesn’t prevent the unit from being used and the grip has remained in place.
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