+n2AZ Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 I recently purchased a Garmin eTrex30x to replace my Magellan 210 which I could no longer send any files to. I find the Garmin screen impossible to see in even the brightest sunlight and, when I contacted Garmin, they told me to keep the back light on all the time which leaves me maybe 3 hours of battery life. With my old gps, I was able to see the screen unless I was in the car in a dark garage! Either this device is malfunctioning or it has a very bizarre and ridiculous screen design. I thought the compass on this unit would be nice but I cant' see the screen to use it! My $22 plastic compass is better for navigating What other handheld can I look at that has a readable screen for geocaching??? Quote Link to comment
+Mineral2 Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 I think you're doing something wrong. Garmin screens on the latest devices are very bright and readable, even in the shade, but especially in direct sunlight because there is a reflective layer behind the pixels that shines the light back. It works best when the light source is behind you and shining directly onto the screen. By the way, your image isn't a fair comparison as both your phone and the nuvi are obligately backlit screens, and your eTrex 30x doesn't appear to have its backlight turned on, and this is taken indoors. 1 Quote Link to comment
+noncentric Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 As MIneral2 mentioned, it looks like your backlight is off in the photo. I have my backlight set to 1/2 (on the horizontal scale) and it is as bright as the screen on my Samsung Galaxy S7 (at 75% brightness). The only time I'd need the backlight to stay on is if I was using the eTrex while driving, but then I just use my phone that can give me driving directions. I have my backlight timer set to 30 seconds and have found that sufficient. It's easy enough to just tap the joystick to get the light to come on while heading to a cache. Setup -> Display -> Backlight Timeout I've never had my backlight set to "Stays on", so not sure if 3 hours of battery life is reasonable, but you may want to check your battery settings in the device to ensure they are set to the type of battery you're using. For example, I use eneloop and have my eTrex setting on "Rechargeable NiMH". Other options are "Alkaline" or "Lithium". Setup -> System -> Battery Type Quote Link to comment
+Red90 Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Yes, I agree, that is very confusing. Garmin handhelds have the best screens I've ever used for direct sunlight. The backlight is only needed when it is dark. Your comparison shot is showing two devices with their backlights on. I'm not sure the point of that comparison. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 My eTrex 30x is easy to read. Inside photo, with the backlight on. Also easy to read whilst geocaching. Quote Link to comment
+Atlas Cached Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Current Garmin GPSr screens are so easy to read in sunlight you frequently can not even tell if the back light is on or off. Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Have you tried adjusting the screen brightness using the on/off button? Give it a quick press then use the toggle to adjust brightness to your liking or just press the on/off a couple of times and it will cycle from 0 to 50% to 100% brightness. I can cache all day on 100%. You can also adjust the time your screen stays lit up. Quote Link to comment
+stefanwilkens Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 (edited) I also had an explorist 210 and my etrex 20x (same screen as your 30x) is miles better. In the picture you posted it looks like: it's indoors the backlight is off on the GPSr The GPSr is laid down at an angle, the nuvi / phone are propped up. Here is an indoor picture with the backlight on 100% on both devices In outdoor conditions, I can say that the GPSr is very readable as long as the sun is in my back (shining onto the GPSr screen). Here's a sunlight picture with backlight off If your GPSr doesn't perform like this, i'd say something is wrong. Edited April 17, 2018 by stefanwilkens 2 Quote Link to comment
alandb Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Based on my Oregon 550, I have found the worst conditions for screen visibility are bright overcast days. Quote Link to comment
+Mineral2 Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 17 minutes ago, alandb said: Based on my Oregon 550, I have found the worst conditions for screen visibility are bright overcast days. It's worth noting that the eTrex 30x has a newer and brighter screen than the Oregon 450/550. It's more in line with the Oregon 600 and gpsMap series. Quote Link to comment
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