+sli23sli Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I checked the specs out on both the Etrex Legend HCX and the Etrex Vista HCX on the Garmin site and they appear to be identical. Do they have the same chipsets or are there other differences? The Legend is less expensive. Sli23sli Quote Link to comment
+Happy Humphrey Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 The main difference is that the Legend doesn't have the electronic compass feature. But the batteries last much longer. You don't need the electronic compass for caching BTW - you can just follow the arrow, and as the HCx chipset rarely loses satellite lock you'll probably get straight to the cache site before having to slow down. Quote Link to comment
+pigpen4x4 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Since I often stop to look around, I sure do like having the "electronic compass". Everytime I have turned it off, I feel like I'm chasing my tail for the first few seconds. I guess it's what you get used to. PP Quote Link to comment
+coggins Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I checked the specs out on both the Etrex Legend HCX and the Etrex Vista HCX on the Garmin site and they appear to be identical. Do they have the same chipsets or are there other differences? The Legend is less expensive. Sli23sli The Legend HCx lacks both Electronic compass and Barometric altimeter, that's why it cost less. Other than that, they are the same. Compare link. Quote Link to comment
highrolla7 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I checked the specs out on both the Etrex Legend HCX and the Etrex Vista HCX on the Garmin site and they appear to be identical. Do they have the same chipsets or are there other differences? The Legend is less expensive. Sli23sli The Legend HCx lacks both Electronic compass and Barometric altimeter, that's why it cost less. Other than that, they are the same. Compare link. The vista hcx altimeter and electronic compass work great! Very simple to use and when I had the choice of legend vs vista and the GPS thing was new to me, I just wanted something that did it all- that way I can decide if I would need it or not, rather than buying something and wishing I had it. which ever one you get, you wont be sorry. If you really want to see the difference, read the manual for these units. They go in great depth on different options etc. Quote Link to comment
+coggins Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 If you really want to see the difference, read the manual for these units. They go in great depth on different options etc. Better yet, check out the Cx manual as it has even more info than the HCx manual. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I find the Electronic compasses to be near useless and finicky. Not worth the extra money. The "movement" compass on the Legend works just fine. Quote Link to comment
highrolla7 Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I find the Electronic compasses to be near useless and finicky. Not worth the extra money. The "movement" compass on the Legend works just fine. mine works great! I dont even take a magnetic compass with me anymore. have you calibrated it yet? Quote Link to comment
+julianh Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I find the Electronic compasses to be near useless and finicky. Not worth the extra money. The "movement" compass on the Legend works just fine. I have a Summit HC, which has the compass and barometric altimeter like the Vista HCx, but lacks the expandable memory and auto-routing. The compass works great, even when standing still - you just have to remember to re-calibrate whenever you change batteries, and hold the unit level. (Garmin's compasses won't work properly with the unit held in any position except horizontal, screen facing up. People complain about this, and how a 3-axis unit would be better - but guess what - that's exactly how you have to hold a conventional compass too!) The GPS pointer only works when moving, and can be pretty erratic at very low speed. I use my GPSr under some pretty dense tree cover, and it can be very difficult or even impossible to move quickly enough to get the GPS pointer to work. The built-in compass has never failed me yet. You can also use "Sight'n'Go" to visually sight a course to a feature, and then the GPSr will keep you on track even when you lose sight of your destination - very handy when navigating in rough country, and you don't have good maps to be able to mark a destination waypoint. (Not everyone needs this, I know, but I found it really handy when doing some remote site exploration in Kalimantan, where we could not get any good quality maps in paper form, let along Garmin topo maps we could load onto my GPSr!) I don't think there is an equivalent way of doing this conveniently on units without a compass. The barometric altimeter also works really well, as long as you calibrate manually at the start of each day's recording, and have auto-calibrate set "on" - MUCH more accurate and reliable than GPS elevation, especially when in an area with less than optimal GPS reception (such as in canyons, or under very dense tree cover, etc). If you really don't need either a compass which works when standing still (or moving very slowly), or an accurate altimeter, then you don't need the sensor models. If either or both would be useful (or interesting) then consider buying a unit with sensors. Quote Link to comment
+Sundedo Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 The Legend HCx is on sale at Costco now Might be a good time to pick one up and give it a try (I know I am!!!) Quote Link to comment
+MacFlash Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 (edited) The Legend HCx is on sale at Costco now Might be a good time to pick one up and give it a try (I know I am!!!) BE CAREFUL! Costco is selling the Legend Cx- not the HCx. No high sensitivity receiver. There is a big difference! Edited June 24, 2008 by MacFlash Quote Link to comment
+Sundedo Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 The Legend HCx is on sale at Costco now Might be a good time to pick one up and give it a try (I know I am!!!) BE CAREFUL! Costco is selling the Legend Cx- not the HCx. No high sensitivity receiver. There is a big difference! You are correct!!! I think I need to get my glasses checked... Quote Link to comment
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