Garmin eTrex 30, 62s, or Vista HCx?

[WildHog]

Hi everyone,

 

I currently have a Vista HCx that I use for caching, driving, hiking, etc. I'm thinking of upgrading because I like some of the new features like the three axis compass, paperless caching, and wireless capabilities on the eTrex 30 and 62s. I'd appreciate any comments from people who have used the Vista HCx and the other two; how do they match up?

 

Thanks

[JJW]

Wildhog,

If you are happy with the Vista HCx; battery life, form factor, small screen size etc...

 

I would go with a new etrex30.

But

Wait until the firmware bugs get fixed and the price gets discounted more.

 

That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

The new models add paperless caching, BirdsEye aerial imagery and topo support, improved track navigation, profiles, custom maps capabilities and an improved interface, among other things. Whichever one you choose, I personally think that it's worth updating.

[WildHog]

Thanks for the input. Do you know if either the eTrex 30 or 62s can automatically save tracks to the SD card?

 

I like that feature on the Vista HCx because I can keep the tracking on and not worry about the internal track memory filling up. Plus it saves them by date so I can just look at the *.gpx file for a particular day.

 

Thanks

[WildHog]

I'd be surprised if you can fill the memory with tracks as they take up so little space.

 

It's not the filling the memory part it's the 10,000 points part. I like to leave the tracks on when I travel; then when I get home I have a *.gpx file for each day and I don't have remember to save the track log each day.

[Wintertime]

Thanks for the input. Do you know if either the eTrex 30 or 62s can automatically save tracks to the SD card?

I can set my eTrex 20 to automatically save when track memory is full, but I don't know whether there's any control over where it saves it (device or card).

[+ArcherACT]

My 62s can archive the tracks each day. It is supposed to be able to automatically do this to the microSD card, but I haven't found out how to do that yet. Mind you, I've come nowhere near filling the memory up yet.

[+Limburgse Beer]

62s can auto archive tracks on daily basis. Doubt you will run full on memory. I did a month of caching and track logging daily in China without any issue. It will by default save the tracks on the internal memory. There should be space enough if you everything else is on the external memory card.