Garmin H (etrex, vista, legend) - same attena/receiver?

[+doingitoldschool]

Do the Garmin Etrex H, Legend Hcx and Vista Hcx all have the same antenna and therefore the same ability to lock on to the satellites? I looked them up on the garmin site and they say "high-sensitivity", but that's pretty vague to me. I am wanting to buy a new gps, and the units ability to find and hold a signal is by far the most important feature for me.

[QuigleyJones]

They are all the same.

[+doingitoldschool]

They are all the same.

Thank you for a quick answer, without ragging on me about searching it for myself (I did try, with no luck)

SO if I don't care about the other features, the Etrex H will give me just as good a signal in the woods as the higher end models, yes?

Edited February 26, 2008 by doingitoldschool

[QuigleyJones]

Yes but if your likely to want to upgrade (have maps) in the future, it would be more economical just to get the Legend Hcx.

[AlunS]

They are all the same.

Maybe, but I've noticed some differences between my Vista HCx and my wife's Venture HC when in bad reception conditions (i.e. tree cover). We both carry our GPS's in the standard etrex carry case attached to the shoulder straps of our rucksacks. I get a perfect track every time and she gets tracks wandering about all over the place.

 

Here's an example from last weekend .. my track is in blue, hers is in red.

 

[+A.T.Hiker]

Just out of curiousity, what mapping program is that map from?

[AlunS]

Just out of curiousity, what mapping program is that map from?

OziExplorer with a scanned in map (Harvey's Wicklow Mountains (Ireland) map from here)

[jmundinger]

Do the Garmin Etrex H, Legend Hcx and Vista Hcx all have the same antenna and therefore the same ability to lock on to the satellites? I looked them up on the garmin site and they say "high-sensitivity", but that's pretty vague to me. I am wanting to buy a new gps, and the units ability to find and hold a signal is by far the most important feature for me.

 

Two additional considerations are that the data cable for the eTrex H is an extra and that it is a serial port rather than a USB connection which, depending on your computer, might mean you will also have to get an adapter. Also, the eTrex H does not have the WAAS enable feature.

[+julianh]

Also, the eTrex H does not have the WAAS enable feature.

Are you sure? Even my old yellow eTrex (before the "H" model) had WAAS, and the Garmin website says it has WAAS:

 

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=870...mp;locale=en_US

 

With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex H locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons.

[jmundinger]

Also, the eTrex H does not have the WAAS enable feature.

Are you sure? Even my old yellow eTrex (before the "H" model) had WAAS, and the Garmin website says it has WAAS:

 

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=870...mp;locale=en_US

 

With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex H locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons.

 

I stand corrected on the new eTrex H. I did not realize that feature had been added - my only eTrex did not have WAAS capability and that feature is not included in the description for the discontinued model.

[QuigleyJones]

The first etrex yellow did not have waas, it was then replaced by one that did.

 

Thats very curious AlunS, Assuming you both had WAAS on/off I suspect its due to the HCx having a newer chip version installed. Both should be 2.70 (If I recall correctly).

Or was your wife waring a tinfoil hat?

Edited February 28, 2008 by QuigleyJones

[AlunS]

Thats very curious AlunS, Assuming you both had WAAS on/off I suspect its due to the HCx having a newer chip version installed. Both should be 2.70 (If I recall correctly).

Or was your wife wearing a tinfoil hat?

We both have WAAS on, and no, neither of us was wearing a tinfoil hat Both units are at the latest revisions, both for firmware and GPS, i.e. 2.60/2.60 for the Vista and 2.70/2.60 for the Venture (for some strange reason they jumped from 2.50 to 2.70 for the Venture, even though the list of changes is identical as far as I can see to the list for the 2.60 Vista update!)

 

Anyway, it's an odd one all right .. on the first part of the walk, walking alongside the lake, it's a random movement, yet later on when we got out of the trees, and on the return (the lower track on the map) the track mimics the shape of the correct one, but is displaced by a certain distance that seems to increase as time goes on.

[+ergomaniac]

Did she have "Lock on Rock" turned on? Check her track against the Garmin mapping and see if it was jumping intermitently to a nearby road. I'm not sure how far it will jump to try and find a road but I do know it can be a fairly significant distance.

Edited February 28, 2008 by ergomaniac

[AlunS]

Did she have "Lock on Rock" turned on? Check her track against the Garmin mapping and see if it was jumping intermitently to a nearby road. I'm not sure how far it will jump to try and find a road but I do know it can be a fairly significant distance.

"Lock on Rock" ??? That's a new one on me I assume you mean "Lock on road"? Anyway, no, she doesn't have this set on, and neither of us have any routable maps installed either except the basemap,and believe me, there are no roads on the basemap in this area for a long, long way.