Garmin eTrex Vista C Color GPS

Average customer rating: 4.0

Excellant in many situations
Lousy tech support
Perfection*****
Using E-Trex Vista C on AT Thru-Hike
Great unit... when it works

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Garmin eTrex Vista C Color GPS

Manufacturer: Garmin
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B0002MQ74E

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Amazon.com Product Description

Garmin's pocket-sized eTrex Vista C handheld GPS unit combines Garmin's popular eTrex Vista with a color screen, automatic routing, and longer battery life, making it one of the smallest, least expensive waterproof products to combine a color TFT display and advanced GPS auto-routing abilities. You won't miss a thing when you take this lightweight, easy-to-use handheld out hiking, biking, boating, or geocaching. <table align=right width=145 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/etrexvisc_2_sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>
The main menu feature icons. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/etrexvisc_3_sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>
Crisp, color display for easy map viewing. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/etrexvisc_4_sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>
Altimeter display provides elevation information. View larger.</td></tr> </table> <table align=left width=160 cellpadding=10> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/etrexvisc_1_sm.jpg" border=0 align=top>
The eTrex Vista C packs loads of GPS features into a compact, handheld device. View larger. </td></tr></table> The unit offers a bright, transflective color TFT display with daylight viewability, 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). And you'll get up to 20 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) using 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 and of 15 meters or less in normal GPS mode. As on all eTrex units, the primary controls are located on the unit's side, so you can operate them with one hand. With the innovative rocker switch on the unit's face, you can input data and scroll through menus or pan the map page. Other key features include an auto-route basemap (featuring general map data, including 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 (waypoint proximity, 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 Vista C also features an electronic compass for accurate bearing information while standing still; a barometric altimeter with local pressure and a 48-hour automatic pressure-trend recorder; and an elevation computer (which provides your current elevation, ascent/descent rate, minimum/maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, average and maximum ascent, and descent rate). The Vista 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 the area from longitude 30 to 180 degrees west and latitude 60 degrees south to 75 degrees north. The basemap 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 5 square miles in the United States 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. This last category 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 other attractions. What's in the Box
eTrex Vista C GPS receiver, basemap (Americas Recreational), MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager CD, PC/USB interface cable, wrist strap, quick reference guide, and owner's manual.

Product Description

Includes: eTrex unit, PC/USB interface cable, MapSource Manager CD, lanyard & quick reference guide The eTrex Vista C Handheld GPS is for people who need GPS and waypoint information wherever you go. Many new exciting features make this portable GPS tool more versatile then ever. The 256-color TFT display produces the brightest and most readable display around. The units are completely waterproof and boast a 36-hour battery life, for maximum usage. All this and more -- adding up to a solid way to survive on the road or in the woods. Trip computer has an odometer, stopped time, moving average, total time, max speed and more 10,000 point automatic track log -- retrace your path in any direction, on up to 20 saved track(with 500 points each) The eTrex Vista C elevation computer tells users current elevation and ascend/descend rate Built-in celestial tables give you the best time to fish and hunt, plus times and positions for the sun & moon Compatible with most MapSource products - BlueChart, City Select, U.S. TOPO 24K and more Battery life up to 36 hours Unit Dimensions(WxHxD) - 2.2 x 4.2 x 1.2 Display Size(WxH) - 1.3 x 1.7 NOTE - Use with MetroGuide USA is not recommended

Customer Reviews:

Excellant in many situations.......2006-12-02

I have had this now for almost one year. Has served me well. I use it for road cycling and also when traveling. I especially like having it when arriving by air in a new city. I preload that city's maps and also apply any local waypoints of interest such as bookstores and coffee shops. I am never lost in a new city. Very helpful when finding places to eat in obscure areas on the fly. Would definitely buy again but would probably buy it's upgrade with memory card that is now available.

Lousy tech support.......2006-04-17

The color version has way more features than the black and white and is worth the extra cost. Though, it still is finicky with satellite reception in places that it should be fine.
It's connecting their software and dealing with Garmin support that is a nightmare. Customer service hold time: 30-35 minues. Response time for email tech requests: a staggering 5-7 working days.

Perfection*****.......2006-03-24

I've used a GPS 72, Legend, Vista and now the Vista C. This is by far the best unit I've used. I love the color screen more than I thought I would and the USB cable transfers data very quickly if you want to load maps or a lot of waypoints.

Using E-Trex Vista C on AT Thru-Hike.......2006-03-21

I am currently carrying the Etrex with me on my 2174.6 mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. As of today, I have completed 270 miles (taking a day off in Hot Springs, NC).

So far the Etrex Vista C has been very reliable, only losing satellite reception for short periods of time, and usually that is when I am indoors, or in a shelter. However, sometimes it seems to lose satellite reception at times when it appears I have a clear view of the sky.

The battery life has been very good, especially now that i have started using the energizer lithium batteries. I use the Etrex with the compass turned off, and almost never use the backlight, as per Garmin's reccommendations for increasing battery life.

My main use of the gps unit is to create a track of where i have hiked - I am not using it to program my routes or future destinations - only to mark the locations of where i have been. Therefore I cannot comment on downloading maps, creating routes, etc.

Issues I would like to see addressed are greater memory capacities (I have to download my tracklog every 2 weeks), a removable flash memory card in this regard would be excellent. Also, I have to carry the usb cable driver installer with me everywhere in order to download my gps data from the unit - if this were plug-n-play similar to most card readers, that would also help.

Great unit... when it works.......2006-03-15

My first VistaC developed a short within two weeks of my getting it. I contacted Garmin and had it replaced with no problem. The refurbished replacement arrived and worked great for about a day. After that, whenever I plugged it into the computer or the car adapter (an official Garmin one) it would freeze. I E-mailed tech support and they sent the cause and workaround for the same issue on a VistaCx, which was not the correct cause and did not solve the problem on the VistaC. When I asked if there were other possible solutions or if not, how to do a hard reset, they only mentioned the mistake from before and the instructions on the reset, which also did not work. Unfortunately E-mail correspondence takes two business days to receive a reply and their phone support business hours are only while I am at work.

I will be pleased if the next replacement they send me resolves my problems permanently, but I would rate their E-mail tech support VERY poorly, and likewise with their telephone hours of operation. When my VistaC is doing what it is supposed to be doing, it is a very good user experience, but I took a star off of my rating due to the reliability issues and the tech support.

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