themangums Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Just bought the etrex Vista HCx this weekend and have been playing with it a little. I am disappointed that it doesn't have roads other than highways or interstates in it for my area. Am I going to have to buy software to make this thing show local roads and help with navigation or would I have been better off (and saved some $$) by buying a nuvi? I want to be able to do caching and also use the unit for navigation but I am beginning to think I made a mistake by getting this unit. Quote Link to comment
Motorcycle_Mama Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 (edited) The unit comes with a basemap that only has the major roads. If you want detailed street maps, you need to look into the City Navigator software. The unit is great for caching. If you want navigation as well, the detail maps are required. Edited May 6, 2008 by Motorcycle_Mama Quote Link to comment
+StarDoc Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Just bought the etrex Vista HCx this weekend and have been playing with it a little. I am disappointed that it doesn't have roads other than highways or interstates in it for my area. Am I going to have to buy software to make this thing show local roads and help with navigation or would I have been better off (and saved some $$) by buying a nuvi? I want to be able to do caching and also use the unit for navigation but I am beginning to think I made a mistake by getting this unit. The eTrex series has only ever had a built-in basemap, that shows local highways and major traffic routes (and fairly inaccurately, I might add). To get the detail that you want, you will need to purchase either the Mapsource Topo or City Navigator disks (or the pre-programmed cards, but the disks offer more flexibility). Garmin does this because the eTrex series is made for off road/wilderness use, even though the newer models do autoroute now with the appropriate map loaded. You may also need the USB cable, since I'm not sure what you Vista came with. You can also save some money if you can find the GPSr, cable, and software bundled together. The Nuvi series is primarily for car navigation, and as such has the entire street level map of the US and Canada. Unfortunately, they are not made to tromp through the woods looking for caches, and many of the models do not allow you to enter in your own coordinates for caching. Nuvis tend to be more expensive due to the detailed maps. Each has a specific set of uses, and Garmin markets them that way. Quote Link to comment
+HeyGeocacher Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I just bought the same unit and felt the same way...this trhead gives me hope. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=189762 Quote Link to comment
+fratermus Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Just bought the etrex Vista HCx this weekend and have been playing with it a little. I am disappointed that it doesn't have roads other than highways or interstates in it for my area. Did the package or the Garmin website indicate this model came with maps other than a basemap? Quote Link to comment
themangums Posted May 6, 2008 Author Share Posted May 6, 2008 I just bought the same unit and felt the same way...this trhead gives me hope. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=189762 I saw that info after posting in the forum. I'm going to download tonight at home and give it a try. Might have to put it on extra microSD card that I have but those things are really cheap at pricewatch.com so if I have to get another card it's no big deal. Thanks for your response! Quote Link to comment
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