wookie-athos

The limit of 2025 map segments will come into play, so you may find that this becomes the limit prior to needing all 2GB of a microSD. I almost went out and bought a 2GB card when my Legend HCx was shipping, but decided to see how my existing 1GB card (out of my phone) went. The maps I've got loaded will be different from yours (I'm not in North America) but with almost 1800 map segments I'm using less than 400 MB! The rest of the space is available to track archiving (in GPX format) which takes up hardly any space at all. Presumably with lots of routing maps the average segment size will be larger, but even then 2GB may be overkill. If you're going out to buy a card you may as well be safe and get a 2GB one (especially given today's prices) but if you've got an existing card you might want to give it a go. I recommend a 12V adaptor and the suction mount. I have a handlebar mount on my bike also, but I don't do a lot of off-roading so haven't seen any problem there. FWIW I used to use these mounts with my old Legend. I tried using a belt clip swivel (on a neoprene case) with my Legend, but it didn't work too well for me. With my HCx I can stuff it in a pocket and it will stay connected to the satellites anyway. So I don't bother with a fancy clip/lanyard/etc for the HCx.

I've been using MacGPS Pro for a long time with a Legend (the B&W version, via a USB/serial adaptor) and have just upgraded the GPSr to a Legend HCx. It's still great software! The HCx talks to MacCaching with no problems, and I expect the Cx should also. And if you put it into Mass Storage mode the microSD card appears on the Mac as another volume. If you need to update the firmware in the Cx you'll have to find a PC (or use Parallels/VMware on an Intel Mac). Same for loading maps via Mapsource, although you can take the microSD card to the PC and load the maps directly onto it and then insert it into the GPSr). For most "normal" things the Mac copes fine.

For years I've used an eTrex Legend in all situations. The Garmin suction-cup mount holds it to the windscreen where I can look at it and the road at the same time, and a data/power cable feeds it power while in the car (with the serial cable hooked up to a USB adaptor in the center console for downloads). I can easily unplug it and put it in a pocket when I leave the vehicle, and I have a mount for it on the handlebars of my bike. I only really need one GPSr... It doesn't have auto-routing or speak to me in the car, so my use of the GPSr may be different from yours. But it works well for me. OK, so I've broken down and am now waiting on delivery of a Legend HCX (higher sensitivity, longer battery life, and faster downloads were the selling points for me: microSD maps, auto-routing, etc were "freebies"). I plan to retire the old Legend when it gets here.

It's not unusual for car speedos to be off, and I definitely trust my Legend's speed indicator more than the car. There can be "blips" in the GPSr speed (especially as you go around corners and amongst tall buildings/canyons) but they average out well. Even when your GPSr is reporting an accuracy in the range of 10m, the reported position doesn't jump around quickly. Over the timeframe that the position varies by, the speed calculations should be accurate. For years I've set the car's cruise control using the GPSr as a guide, and it's been confirmed as accurate through radar traps (friendly folk driving the radar wanted to know the answer too!). Now when I see a police car I don't jab at the brake pedal: I just cruise through at the speed I've set (although I do glance at the GPSr again to make sure the cruise control hasn't drifted). It's important to note that the amount by which the GPSr and speedo are off usually changes at different speeds (I've seen the speedo be off by 10% around 60 km/h, but be almost dead-on by the time you get to 120 km/h - and I've seen them the other way around also!).

Have you bothered to check out the manufacturer (Garmin)'s website? If you drill down the to comparison page you'll see that the Vista has the compass & altimeter, but apart from that they're the same. Cheers.

So much to do, so little time... I looked around this forum in 2004 last time I was shopping for a GPS and picked up lots of good information. But in general my GPS stuff "Just Works" and I had forgotten about it until a conversation elsewhere pointed me over here and my browser said it knew the username/password!

I've been using MacGPS Pro for years. It supports many GPS models, and I've used it for a long time with serial-port Garmins via generic USB/serial cables. Up/downloading waypoints and tracklogs is what I usually use it for, but it does a lot more besides.