Garmin Etrex Vista C -- Handheld GPS Receiver

[G_man]

Has anyone had any experience with this particular receiver? This is the unit I'm leaning towards and I'd appreciate any comments you would provide.

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Life is too short to not go fishing today!

[JWB475]

What do you intend to use it for most of the time?

Fishing, Hunting, Hiking???

If the answer is yes to all three you have selected a good all around unit.

If you plan to use it fishing, it will work equally well - but you will not be able to download lake maps and see the depth contours on it. You can get software for a computer and identify waypoints off of lake maps, and upload those though...

Just about any WAAS handheld unit will perform well. I have used Magellan units in the past and those have worked well for me.

I would purchase the one with the largest screen and the best battery life in my price range. Color units are also very nice and make things easier to see.

The only bad thing I have heard about the Etrex series is that the rate at which the screen refreshes is slow - but it is only an issue if you are traveling at high speeds, for example if you are using it to navigate with your car....

[This message has been edited by JWB475 (edited 09-01-2004).]

[G_man]

I do plan on using the unit for fishing, hunting, hiking and traveling in the truck. I mounted the last unit on my dash and had the 12-volt adapter to power it.

I do want to use the unit with the lake maps you can purchase off of the site, but I'm still trying to figure all of that out. I don't specifically like the idea of not being able to see the lake map (ie: the current location and the contours underneath/ahead of me). Picking out waypoints and uploading them to the GPS and creating a route isn't the same as having your current location shown over the contoured lake bottom.

Anyone care to shed additional information along the current path under discussion?

[JWB475]

I am not aware of a handheld GPS that will show depth contours.

I used to use a Magellan GPS 315, which was an old non-WAAS handheld. I used this unit fishing, ice fishing, hiking, etc., it worked great. However it died on me this summer.

Since I mainly used it for fishing, I upgraded to a Lowrance GlobalMap 4800. This is a stand alone unit, it accepts MMC cards, so I can upload lake maps to it.

Aside from the lake map feature, the biggest advantage I have noticed so far is the larger screen size. I run a tiller with a pretty wide beam, so when I am running from spot to spot I am at least 3 feet away from the unit. I never would have been able to see where I am going with my old handheld.

One thing to consider, what lakes do you fish?

If it isn't a lake which was a map created with GPS technology, the use of the depth contours won't be all that valuable.

The GPS lake maps with the 1 foot contours are amazing, but there are only a hand full of those out there. Aside from Leech, I have never fished any of them.

Good luck with your decision,

John Bestman

[JWB475]

I forgot to add, for another opinion look up the units you are interested in on amazon.com

There are usually plenty of reviews and opinions on that site...

[dockehr]

G_man,I have quite a number of Garmin and Lowrance GPS/sonar units but my comments will be directed at two handhelds: Garmin GPSMAP76CS and Lowrance i-FinderH2O.

The Garmin unit will NOT take any sort of MMC/SD map card and thus all mapping information must come via a USB cable from your computer. The MapSource TOPO USA CD-ROM disk for the Garmin unit would fullfill your hunting needs. I have used this disk with my old Garmin GPSMAP76 and it is very good. Lakemaster puts out a CD-ROM that you can use to load certain lake contour maps to the GarminGPSMAP76CS. The Lowrance i-FinderH2O (and the just released i-FinderHUNT) take pre-programmed MMC/SD cards or MMC/SD cards that you can load with your own data taken from their MapCreate CD-ROMS. The pre-programmed MMC/SD cards are put out by Lowrance as well as Navionics and the lake contour maps available are constantly being added to. Lowrance will be coming out with a new CD-ROM disk(s) that will feature topographical maps for the USA. You will be able to download only that information you need to an MMC card (via the USB cable from your computer) and put that MMC card in the i-FinderH2O or i-finderHUNT.

Both the GarminGPSMAP76CS or i-FinderH2O handheld units have excellent backlights. The Garmin unit is a color unit while the Lowrance unit is B&W. In the past I would give the nod to the Garmin units because of their topo map features and their better Canadian lakes' outlines, but the new Lowrance units' ability to take a variety of pre-programmed or self-programmed MMC/SD cards would give you more versatility whether it's topo features or lake contours. Hope this helps. Dr. Roland E. Kehr, Jr.

[G_man]

Do any of the units provide more reliable, or faster, or just plain overall better reception? The Garmin Vista does not have an external antenna ... which is why I ask the question.

[G_man]

By external antenna, I don't mean a plug-in for an antenna. I mean the antenna is built in the units housing rather than being on the outside. I would think this may lower its effectiveness but also protect it better.

[ILoveHonks]

GMan,

Lake Trax and Lake Trax Pro available at local Scheels stores do provide uploadable contour maps for the eTrax Vista. It provides uploadable maps for any of the Garmin and Magellan GPS units that support maps. The focus on Lake Trax is on ND and 15 lakes in NW Minnesota.