Newbie in need of help with GPS purchase

[sam4msu]

I am looking to purchase a handheld unit for use primarily on the trail and for geocaching. I am thinking of the Garmin E-Trex Vista HCx. Is this unit ready to use right out of the box or do I need to purchase a program to use it? Also, what about using it in the car? Will it give me turn by turn directions to an address? Do I need to purchase a streets program to do this? I have read reports that with this "x" model it is rare that I would lose signal even in heavy tree cover, is this the concensus?

Thanks for any help you all can offer to a total GPS newbie!!!

Sam

[Neos2]

I haven't used the Vista HCx myself (I use a 60 CSx) but I've heard only good things about them.

 

If I were going to buy a new unit and wanted to save a bit of $$, I'd probably buy that one.

The way the two units work is nearly identical, the difference is in the body, the size, the screen size, etc.

I've seen claims that the HCx has a 'better' chipset than my 60 CSx, but when we've hunted with people using the Vista, I get to the cache just as fast as them if not faster. How much of that is experience in the hunt vs chipset is an interesting question--but both units work great!

 

You will need to purchase a city map to use the autorouting navigation.

[+Miragee]

I have the Vista HCx and really like it. Unlike the Vista C I had before, it never loses signal. I have City Navigator maps on it for auto-routing and Topo maps for when I am hiking. I got a 1 GB card for it, which is plenty big enough for the caching and traveling I do.

 

For efficiency, you might want to become a Premium Member so you have access to the .gpx files that have more detail in them. Those are downloadable from each cache page and come in Pocket Queries. Other software you might find useful if you become a Premium Member is GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife), and if you have a PDA, you might look into Cachemate for "paperless caching." Garmin's free POI Loader is also very useful.

[+briansnat]

It would be hard to think of a better unit. You can use it right out of the box , but if you want turn by turn driving directions you need City Navigator installed.

[+Marcas_Found]

To make your decision a little easier, I would highly advice getting an REI membership and purchasing a GPSr from them. No, I dont work for them or have any connection. The advantage is that once you decide what you want and purchase it from them, if you don't like it a year (or 2 or 3) from now you can take it back, get a FULL refund and purchase another unit if you wish. It helped us with our decision. We'd like to get Garmin's newest top of the line model but until they work out the bugs, we settled on a 60 CSX, knowing we could turn it back in + the diiference in the new model for the Garmin 400 series.

[+whartonia]

I love my vista hcx. I have City Navigator installed on it. You'll need a micro sd card and a cd of City Navigator. I love it for driving. It doesn't speak to you, but it does have a nice display of each turn or direction you need to take. It gives one beep when a turn is coming up and then a double beep when you're actually ready to make the turn. I often let my 12yo read out the directions to me when we're driving. I don't have a dashboard stand for it yet. I'm sure that would make it easier. Remember that the display is smaller than one designed primarily for car use. Since I'm pretty good with directions and maps I don't rely on it as heavily. I'm very happy with how quickly it recalculates when I venture off it's original suggested route.

[+SassyGingerNinja]

I have a Vista HCx and I get great reception, even under tree cover. It comes preloaded with a basic map system, but I don't use it for car nav. I have a separate car navigation system for that. I really love it. I got mine ONLINE at Wal-Mart just after the holidays and found it to be the best price I could find on the web.

[+whartonia]

I have a Vista HCx and I get great reception, even under tree cover. It comes preloaded with a basic map system, but I don't use it for car nav. I have a separate car navigation system for that. I really love it. I got mine ONLINE at Wal-Mart just after the holidays and found it to be the best price I could find on the web.

 

I got mine through Amazon (free shipping) along with some other things I was ordering. I think it was about $12 more than Wal-Mart.

[sam4msu]

Thanks everyone for the great responses. You have made my decision much easier.