The 'X' in HCx.....

[+EvilTwin1974]

OK definitely looking for a new GPSr, my old one being very old, and while its great for nav purposes, its not so good for locating a location (it can only take 3dp on a long or lat co-ordinate, as opposed to the 4dp that get used in the co-ordinates on the website).

 

So bearing in mind I'm off to foreign parts tomorrow, and Amazon.co.uk will ship to me, and refund all tax, I've decided to take the plunge and get a nice spangly new Garmin GPSr. It will be an HCx model.

 

I know 'H' means high sensitivity antenna, 'C' is colour screen, and 'x' is for expandable memory, via a micro SD card, but i have a couple of questions about this....

 

Firstly, how big an SD will the HCx models use. I appreciate that SD cards run out to 2Gb, but SDHC's are running to 16Gb, and 32Gb cards are moving on to the market now. So how big can I go?

 

Secondly how big is the Mapsource / Topo map for all of the UK?

 

Finally I don't need an altimeter (I don't see the point, if the contour lines on the map give you an idea of your height), and I carry a compass with me when out and about as a backup. So when you take these features out of the equation, do the differences between the Vista HCx and Legend HCx justify spending the extra to buy a Vista HCx?

 

I know its only £20 difference, but £20 is still a reasonable saving if I don't need those features, and can get by without, or is there more to it than that?

[+IVxIV]

I've been using a Vista Cx for a couple years and LOVE it! And recently I bought a Vista HCx for my girlfriend, they're awesome GPSr's. To answer some of your questions..

 

I put a 2Gb card into her HCx and was able to load ALL of Canada into it(!) this is a huge country and it fit into 2Gb with room to spare, so I couldn't imagine any reason why someone would need 16 or 32 Gb, unless your an international traveller and want to stick the whole planet into it

 

I don't use the altimeter much either, but I DO use the builtin compass all the time so, IMO the extra $ for a Vista over a Legend is well worth it. You should still carry a mechanical compass with you for backup (I do) but the convenience of the builtin compass is sweet! Why hold the GPSr in one hand & a compass in another when the GPSr can do both?

 

Good luck with your research

[+Miragee]

I have the Vista HCx and use the compass occasionally. For the difference in price, getting the Vista HCx over the Legend HCx was justifiable. I have a 1 GB card and for the caching and traveling I do, that is large enough. But, for the price difference, you may as well get the largest card the unit can handle.

[lewis82]

You can use SD's up to 2 GB.

 

Even Colorados only accept SDHC's up to 4 GB...

 

(And anyways, unless you want topo over the whole world...)

[+coggins]

Firstly, how big an SD will the HCx models use. I appreciate that SD cards run out to 2Gb, but SDHC's are running to 16Gb, and 32Gb cards are moving on to the market now. So how big can I go?

2GB MicroSD

Secondly how big is the Mapsource / Topo map for all of the UK?

Unsure.

Finally I don't need an altimeter (I don't see the point, if the contour lines on the map give you an idea of your height), and I carry a compass with me when out and about as a backup. So when you take these features out of the equation, do the differences between the Vista HCx and Legend HCx justify spending the extra to buy a Vista HCx?

 

I know its only £20 difference, but £20 is still a reasonable saving if I don't need those features, and can get by without, or is there more to it than that?

Well, the pointer on the gps will point to the cache when you are stopped. You can find a cache without that in any case, I have.

[dogwalkers2]

Secondly how big is the Mapsource / Topo map for all of the UK?

See this for segment sizes: http://www.gpscentral.ca/accessories/topo%20gb.xls

 

In short, 752 segments totalling 1664.7MB with routing, 1598.4 MB without.

[+Barrettg]

OK definitely looking for a new GPSr, my old one being very old, and while its great for nav purposes, its not so good for locating a location (it can only take 3dp on a long or lat co-ordinate, as opposed to the 4dp that get used in the co-ordinates on the website).

 

So bearing in mind I'm off to foreign parts tomorrow, and Amazon.co.uk will ship to me, and refund all tax, I've decided to take the plunge and get a nice spangly new Garmin GPSr. It will be an HCx model.

 

I know 'H' means high sensitivity antenna, 'C' is colour screen, and 'x' is for expandable memory, via a micro SD card, but i have a couple of questions about this....

 

Firstly, how big an SD will the HCx models use. I appreciate that SD cards run out to 2Gb, but SDHC's are running to 16Gb, and 32Gb cards are moving on to the market now. So how big can I go?

 

Secondly how big is the Mapsource / Topo map for all of the UK?

 

Finally I don't need an altimeter (I don't see the point, if the contour lines on the map give you an idea of your height), and I carry a compass with me when out and about as a backup. So when you take these features out of the equation, do the differences between the Vista HCx and Legend HCx justify spending the extra to buy a Vista HCx?

 

I know its only £20 difference, but £20 is still a reasonable saving if I don't need those features, and can get by without, or is there more to it than that?

 

Evil, I currently use the Vista HCx and I can tell you that if you purchase that model you will not be disappointed. You will fall in love with the electronic compass. As with all experienced hikers, I too carry a mechanical/analogue compass in my backpack. When all else fails, nothing like the basics.

 

That being said, be sure to check out the Vista HCx. Regarding SD cards. 2 Gb's is the max currently. I have one half of the U.S. on my card and it takes up 990 megabytes.

 

Hope this helps.

 

G