[Which GPS should i get?]

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Originally posted by Searching_ut:

I've got to interject my two cents worth regarding the so called weak reception of the eTrex series. It just isn't so. In fact, of the 3 different types of receivers I currently own, I'd have to say the eTrex is in fact the most sensitive in most conditions when properly oriented. (GIII+, 2 sportrak maps one with ver 3.03 software one with 3.02, basic eTrex, and Legend)

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I wish that my etrex behaved differently. I own an Etrex Venture and a much less expensive very basic Magellan model, and the Magellan outperforms the Garmin in terms of reception. The Venture is more feature rich than this basic Magellan unit, but of what use are the features of the better unit if its reception sucks?

 

It may be that there are some Etrex's out there which do not perform as poorly as mine, and if this is so then there seems to be a significant quality control issue at Garmin in that units which perform so very differently are both qualified to leave the factory.

[Etrex Vista]

I own both an eTrex Venture and a lower cost Magellan. The eTrex seems to always lose reception at the mere suggestion of trees (sometimes the sky can be 60% clear and I still lose signal), while the Magellan has not lost signal in recent memory (I can use the Magellan indoors and on airplanes).

 

I'm aware of a number of people out there who defend the reception of their eTrex's, and it makes me wonder if Garmin has some quality control issues where some units perform well and others perform poorly.

[Magellan or Garmin]

I own both a Magellan and Garmin Unit. I had the Magellan 310 first, and eventually I wanted a unit with more features and I upgraded to an eTrex Venture. The eTrex has better features than this low end Magellan, but the Magellan significantly outperforms it in terms of signal reception. I can use the Magellan as a passenger on an airplane, while the Venture has lost signal when 60% of the sky was clear on a clear day in flat terrain. As I read these forums, I see repeatedly where the Garmin units receive complaints regarding performance, and I wish I noticed this recurring them before I purchased the Venture.

[Erratic Directional Needle]

I have an eTrex Venture (no compass built in) and this units exhibits the same erratic pointer behavior. It typically happens at walking speeds, and typically when my view of the sky is not "perfectly" clear. Let me stress the "perfectly" clear part, since I also carry a lower priced Magellan 310. I bought the Garmin eTrex as an upgrade, but I find the the Garmin loses signal far more frequently than the Magellan unit does. This is a very annoying problem, and one that will force me to move away from this product line in the future. I like the features, I'm okay with the interface, but the performance is way below what I had hoped for.

[your opinion on garmin etrex legend?]

I own both a Magellan 310 and a Garmin eTrex Venture. I find that the Venture is more feature rich and provides much better information as long as it can find a signal, but it loses signal much much more frequently than the lower cost Magellan unit. I had the Magellan unit first and I had purchased the Garmin as an upgrade, but this unit is not performing nearly as well as I had hoped.