crustyloafer

I also have the GPSMap 76S. I have to agree it is fantastic. Yes at the moment it is more sophisticated than I need, but the other features might come in handy soon.

I have used my father's ETrex Vista, which has a patch antenna, in all conditions. Under tree cover though, even fairly sparse branches, it regularly loses the signal. I have since bought the new GPSMap 76S, which has a quadrifilar antenna, and have been extremely impressed with it. I was carving my own way through the forest trying to find a cache and even under dense foliage the unit had a constant fix on at least 4 sats and showed an accuracy of less than 25' at all times. Quadrilfilar antennas are the way to go, expensive but good.

I believe and have been told by other geocachers that the reason for the ETrex's poor reception performance is down to the antenna. The ETrex series only uses a patch antenna. This was chosen for its small size, low cost and ability to pick up a signal whilst the unit is horizontal. The Garmin GPSMap 76S which I use has a quadrilfilar antenna which are more expensive to manufacture, operate best with the unit pointed at the sky and unfortunately larger than the patch antenna in the other cheaper/smaller models. Quadrifilar antennas do, however, have far superior reception particularly in areas with a very weak signal. In conclusion, and no offence meant, you get what you pay for.

I believe and have been told by other geocachers that the reason for the ETrex's poor reception performance is down to the antenna. The ETrex series only uses a patch antenna. This was chosen for its small size, low cost and ability to pick up a signal whilst the unit is horizontal. The Garmin GPSMap 76S which I use has a quadrilfilar antenna which are more expensive to manufacture, operate best with the unit pointed at the sky and unfortunately larger than the patch antenna in the other cheaper/smaller models. Quadrifilar antennas do, however, have far superior reception particularly in areas with a very weak signal. In conclusion, and no offence meant, you get what you pay for.