etrex legend

[parrottheaddivers]

i've recently started caching and have quickly become addicted. currently i have Nuvi and while it isn't necessarily the best unit to use when cacheing, it does seem to get the job done.

 

what i'm looking for is some advice from users of the etrex legend about its accuracy and its ability to hold a sat lock when surrounded by trees....i know that it lacks the high sensitivity chip of the etrex H. i'd primarily be using this to just help zero in on a cache when i'm getting close.

 

thanks for the help!

[+fastforty]

We found close to 300 caches with a Blue Etrex. It's accuracy will drop (even bounce around) in heavy tree cover but, it always got us to the cache. The display can be a little taxing on the eyes but once again, we could always find a way to hold it so we could read the screen. It's a good unit but you'd be 100 times happier with a high sensitivity chip & 1000 times happier with a color display.

[GREG2305]

Got the Etrex Legend Cx and couldn't be happier with it.

[+JohnTee]

I found my first 250, or so, caches with a blue eTrex Legend. Sure, it'll do it. It may completely lose signal in heavy tree cover, or in less dense tree cover, will sometimes bounce around 30-60' in different directions. An eTrex Legend H is only a little bit more than an eTrex Legend and I think you'd be a lot happier. You'll save a few bucks with the Legend, but you'll want to upgrade.

 

After wanting to upgrade for the last year and a half, just got the Vista HCx. No regrets. Found it on sale for $219.

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

[+3 Hawks]

I found my first 1,500 caches with a standard blue eTrex Legend. Under most environments and conditions, the Legend maintained acceptable reception. In very heavy tree cover, I'd lose reception from time to time and/or experience up to 120 foot accuracy issues. If you put the unit in your coat pocket, you will lose reception. If you bend over the unit, you will lose reception. Reacquiring in heavy cover can be an adventure and I often resorted to the hold the unit over your head and pray method. With WAAS enabled, you will generally hold a good lock and the unit will get you withing 10-15 feet of your target.

 

The Legend HCx or the Vista HCx give you far more functionality, expanded memory, color displays, and excellent signal locks and my Vista HCx has far better battery performance. I walk around with my Vista HCx under my heavy winter coat and I've never lost reception.

[+P(3)]

If you can find a ETrex Legend for a cheap price I'd say go for it. I used one for a couple of years and it always worked well for geocaching. This year I decided to spoil myself and upgrade to a 60CXs because the people around here hide unknown caches, and the closer my GPSr can get me to the cache the better. You might want to consider the price difference of a new Legend and a HCx. Either way, the legend will work better than the Nuvi. I have a Nuvi 350 and I can't see how you guys find a cache with those things.

[barnabasbenn]

So if I use WAAS I will get a better signal when in tree cover with my blue etrex

[+gotons]

I also have a blue etrex legend, but i'm a little worried how it will react when trees start to get their leaves back. From time to time, it spazzes out in the woods with no leaves on the trees. I'm assuming it will get substantially worse when the leaves pop out? With the hcx, in a clearing, what is the average precision that you get?

[+3 Hawks]

So if I use WAAS I will get a better signal when in tree cover with my blue etrex

 

Yes! I only had problems when the canopy was VERY heavy.

[+3 Hawks]

I also have a blue etrex legend, but i'm a little worried how it will react when trees start to get their leaves back. From time to time, it spazzes out in the woods with no leaves on the trees. I'm assuming it will get substantially worse when the leaves pop out? With the hcx, in a clearing, what is the average precision that you get?

 

I assume you mean accuracy since precision is the ability to produce the same result even it that result is not accurate. My blue eTrex still gets out in the field from time to time and it still gets me to the cache most of the time. You have to remember that even the most accurate and precise GPSr will only take you to a specific point. The person hiding the cache may have had poor reception when marking the posted coords. Their accuracy may have been off by 50 feet. Now if your blue eTrex is showing 20 feet of accuracy, then you have a under tree cover. I usually had about 20 foot accuracy in the summer and that is usually acceptable. 12-20 feet of accuracy is about the best you can hope for in the summer time. From time to time, I'd even obtain an exceptional lock with 10 feet of accuracy. Once again, that often works against you because you never know how accurate the coords are in the first place. The blue eTrex Legend works best when you are moving at or above 3MPH. Once you slow down, it will start jumping around. When you stop moving, the arrow is of no use. The eTrex also has lag issues when in heavy tree cover and you will often overshoot your intended target.

 

My HCx will usually hold a better lock that the basic Legend under all conditions. When in the clear, my Legend HCx will show about 10 feet of accuracy. I tend to get worse reception after 6pm because the sats tend to track lower to the horizon in relation to my location.

 

In any event, I rarely use my GPSr to get me the last 50 feet in the first place. One of the biggest problems with new cachers is that they rely too much on their GPSr and end up caching with tunnel vision. We've all done it and it takes a while to break the habit. Rarely, will you find a cache where your GPSr zeros out. I usually, pick a target on my approach and use that as a starting point.

[+gotons]

Yes, I meant accuracy with my post...it's a little late here.

 

If I could get 12-16 in wooded areas (not even heavily wooded), I'd be satisfied. If I go out into a woodsy area, I might get an accuracy somewhere between 30ft-80ft. If the accuracy is that ambiguous in woodsy area sans leaves, i'm afraid of what it will do come Spring. Thanks for the insight.

[+TrailGators]

i've recently started caching and have quickly become addicted. currently i have Nuvi and while it isn't necessarily the best unit to use when cacheing, it does seem to get the job done.

 

what i'm looking for is some advice from users of the etrex legend about its accuracy and its ability to hold a sat lock when surrounded by trees....i know that it lacks the high sensitivity chip of the etrex H. i'd primarily be using this to just help zero in on a cache when i'm getting close.

 

thanks for the help!

 

People have been using non-sensitive GPSs for a lot longer than the new ones. There are tricks to using them sometimes but they work fine.

[+JohnTee]

So if I use WAAS I will get a better signal when in tree cover with my blue etrex

 

Check out this link . . . Garmin: What is WAAS?

 

Using WAAS will improve your accuracy . . . if you have a clear view of the satellites close to the horizon that send out the corrected signal. So, if you're in relatively flat terrain, it will improve your accuracy. If you're in hilly terrain and just seeing the satellites overhead, WAAS will not help and may even hinder you. I don't have any links to support this . . . however, I was recently caching with my eTrex Legend, WAAS turned on, in a hilly/ravine area. It would lead me 70' in one direction, then then 100' in another, searching for GZ (Ground Zero). I spent half an hour searching until I finally turned WAAS off and went almost straight to the cache.

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

[+Radnord]

My yellow e-trex has been a solid performer but not without some issues. Signal will drop out in moderate to heavy tree cover, and it often doesn't know which way is north. But it always guides me to the cache. My wife has a blue e-trex, and it seems to be even a bit more prone to these issues than mine. We like using them together as between the two of us, one is always right. It is an excellent value for the money though; especially considering over $600 for the new Colorado. I like geocaching, but I don't know if I like it that much.