Last summer we did a hiking trip into the high Sierras, specifically Mt. Whitney via the mountaineers route. I brought along a Vista Cx and it was mostly useless. It worked fine for time and altitude functions but that was it. It dropped out ALL THE TIME. I was hoping to reference the backtracking feature as we descended some dicey cliff sections. The dropouts created straight lines on my track that ,if followed, would have put us in the abyss.
Overall, I was very disappointed after dropping 3 bills for the unit in anticipation of utilizing it on our hike. These problems occurred above 10,000 feet. I can't imagine where there would be better sat reception, so it performed poorly. It has also frequently dropped out on me while doing beach runs ( more clear skies). I assumed that it dropped out during our hikes due to the steep canyon terrain we were in. But my beach runs are on pancake flat florida beaches and I get the same thing, DROPOUT. A few weeks back while at some western North Carolina mountain trails,I couldn't get ANY reception, even at the trail head. Tree cover baffles it.
In a huge leap of faith, I purchased a Vista HCx yesterday based on glowing reviews about it's superior reception. Garmin's website brags of no reception loss even in deep canyons. I'll put that claim to the test next week as I head back to the Sierras for another round of back country climbing. I'll post a detailed report upon my return, assuming I don't end up (Mt. Russell's east ridge has some SERIOUS exposure) in the abyss. It's going to get tested in the most strenuous terrain imaginable. Everyone who is considering the Vista HCx might want to sit tight until August 13 when I return and post my review.
