Garmin 67, 67i and Etrex SE

[+PeoriaBill]

GARMIN 67, 67i and Etrex SE

Noticed that Garmin has introduced a new GPS, the 67 and 67i.  They have also introduced an updated version of the basic yellow Etrex model.  The new slogan is that Garmin takes you “deep into the woods” or words to that effect. Sounds great.  I just hope Garmin brings me back out of the woods! Couple of observations on the new units:

1.  The 67i like the 66r is a fixed lithium battery rechargeable unit.  It offers some very impressive run time of 180+hours in GPS mode and over 400hrs in expedition mode.  Sounds great, but I still want to be able to plug in a battery.  The need to be able to plug in a battery is hard wired into the DNA.
2. The 67i has only five of the major satellite systems, while the 67 includes Glonass for a total of six. No reason given.
3. No mention of loading compressed .ggz files, but I’m assuming they have the capability.
4. Maps are TOPO.  They offer various versions of Navigator, Marine, Hunting etc. at about $86 each.  For $599.00 I think they should give you whatever maps you want. Now days, map data is no longer a proprietary commodity as the info is widely available.
5. I have not heard why this GPSr is better than its predecessors?  Is it faster, more reliable, antenna better or is the only change that it is now multi gnss (satellite systems)? Reach technology is not new anymore.
6. Product support is a major part of any product release.  How will Garmin take care of these units?  Longer warranty, exchanges, refurbished units?  The battery will eventually need to be replaced.  Since this baby is locked up tight does that mean it is a throw away or is there a way to replace it and give it many more years of reliable service?  The NUVI is a prime example of the battery failing in three or four years and the units practically being given away on Ebay. Next time they release a product that costs $600, they need to release the product support package/plans at the same time. What item would you buy and not know this information??
7. Last topic:  The new Etrex SE. Same question as No 5.  It has all six gnss systems, but still a non map background. It is still a basic Etrex or a featureless  Etrex 22/32.

I like Garmin and if I want to keep geocaching I don’t have a lot of choice.  The above comments are my impressions after reading the new Garmin product advertisement.

[+Atlas Cached]

1. Can't teach an old dog new tricks.

 

2. inReach devices can not use GLONASS. Always the same reason. 

 

3. GGZ are still supported by GPSMAP 67 series.

 

4. The GPSMAP 67 series support the new Outdoor Maps+ subscription service that provides direct to device access of many Garmin premium map products for only $49/year.

 

5. The GPSMAP 67 series and eTrex SE are both evolutionary developments of prior models,  and both offer many improvements over their predecessors.

 

6. Hysteria purely for the purpose of hysteria. 

 

7. This is a great unit and I an certain Garmin will sell countless numbers of them. I very much enjoy using mine. 

 

Many, many details about all these new models over at GPSrChive.

[+Timpat]

Would anyone have experience using the Outdoor Maps+ Annual Plan? I'd love to hear if the Topo has 20 ft contours (or lesser interval), and what the STATE PLAT MAPS look like and the info that this mapset provides. I see Garmin's description states "parcel boundaries and landowner information" (where applicable). I work in the GIS/GPS survey field and this would be extremely helpful when in the field.

[+Atlas Cached]

There are multiple examples of those maps at the link provided above. 

[+Red90]

13 hours ago, Atlas Cached said:

5. ....,  and both offer many improvements over their predecessors.

 

What exactly?  I don't see anything.  The long battery life is a lie as it is saving position every ten minutes.  A useless feature for Geocaching.  I will assume battery life is no better than the 66.

 

No replaceable battery is horrible.  

 

Might as well use a phone.

[+Atlas Cached]

I've been using these devices for more than 6 months now. The battery life is not a lie. My eTrex SE still has the original set of Lithium AA batteries I installed when I first received it.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Atlas Cached

[+MaliBooBoo]

9 hours ago, Atlas Cached said:

I've been using these devices for more than 6 months now. The battery life is not a lie. My eTrex SE still has the original set of Lithium AA batteries I installed when I first received it.

 

 

For the 67 how are they accomplishing this? More efficient battery? Or more efficient electronics? Or both?

 

dadgum, I may have to check this out though I already use a 66sr.

[+luvvinbird]

13 hours ago, Atlas Cached said:

I've been using these devices for more than 6 months now. The battery life is not a lie. My eTrex SE still has the original set of Lithium AA batteries I installed when I first received it.

 

 

Assuming you've been using the gpsmap 67 as well, how has it been performing? Will it soon also develop a host of annoying bugs like the 66sr?

[+Red90]

16 hours ago, Atlas Cached said:

I've been using these devices for more than 6 months now. The battery life is not a lie. My eTrex SE still has the original set of Lithium AA batteries I installed when I first received it.

 

With you looking at it for navigation most of the time and recording an accurate and continuous track?  You are getting a month of use without recharging?

 

Are you being paid by Garmin?

Edited March 16, 2023 by Red90

[+Atlas Cached]

1 hour ago, Red90 said:

 

With you looking at it for navigation most of the time and recording an accurate and continuous track?  You are getting a month of use without recharging?

 

Are you being paid by Garmin?

 

Everyone uses these for different purposes. 

 

You can not get best results from any GPSr if you have the Map displayed constantly with the backlight at full power. 

 

My GPSMAP 67 have been connected to PC from time to time to load data etc. I have never connected them to power because the battery was getting too low. I have not performed any dedicated battery testing yet. 

 

I am not paid or employed by Garmin.

[+Atlas Cached]

5 hours ago, luvvinbird said:

Assuming you've been using the gpsmap 67 as well, how has it been performing? Will it soon also develop a host of annoying bugs like the 66sr?

 

You know Garmins track record 😉

[+Atlas Cached]

9 hours ago, MaliBooBoo said:

For the 67 how are they accomplishing this? More efficient battery? Or more efficient electronics? Or both?

 

dadgum, I may have to check this out though I already use a 66sr.

 

So far as I can tell, the battery had not changed. The electronics are far more efficient. 

 

The 66sr is a wonderful device,  but the 67 is even nicer. 

[Sgt_Strider]

40 minutes ago, Atlas Cached said:

 

Everyone uses these for different purposes. 

 

You can not get best results from any GPSr if you have the Map displayed constantly with the backlight at full power. 

 

My GPSMAP 67 have been connected to PC from time to time to load data etc. I have never connected them to power because the battery was getting too low. I have not performed any dedicated battery testing yet. 

 

I am not paid or employed by Garmin.

 

How were you able to get your hands on a unit so quickly?

 

I just read that Garmin added a USB-C port. If true, that's huge! Can you confirm this?

 

It's amazing that Garmin supports all the major GNSS. I don't think the 66sr supported Beidou. 

 

Can you confirm how many constellations it can connect to simultaneously to get the best accuracy?

[+Atlas Cached]

13 hours ago, Sgt_Strider said:

 

How were you able to get your hands on a unit so quickly?

 

I just read that Garmin added a USB-C port. If true, that's huge! Can you confirm this?

 

It's amazing that Garmin supports all the major GNSS. I don't think the 66sr supported Beidou. 

 

Can you confirm how many constellations it can connect to simultaneously to get the best accuracy?

 

All these questions, and many more, answered in detail at GPSrChive.

 

Much like Elf, I know Santa!

 

USB-C is clearly easy for all to see.

 

The 66sr does not use BeiDou. 

 

The number of constellations used and accuracy are separate subjects.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Atlas Cached

[Sgt_Strider]

8 hours ago, Atlas Cached said:

 

All these questions, and many more, answered in detail at GPSrChive.

 

Nope. Just a press release. 

[+Atlas Cached]

29 minutes ago, Sgt_Strider said:

 

Nope. Just a press release. 

 

So you found that but missed everything else? The GPSMAP 67 press release accounts for less than 1% of all the information available there.  You will have to exert a little more effort. Maybe click a link or two,  see where that gets you. 🤔 

 

"You can lead a camel to water...."

 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Atlas Cached

[+GeoTrekker26]

11 hours ago, Atlas Cached said:

 

All these questions, and many more, answered in detail at GPSrChive.

It’s too bad specific questions can’t be answered where they were asked, rather than using the forums as a portal to your website. 

[+Atlas Cached]

28 minutes ago, GeoTrekker26 said:

It’s too bad specific questions can’t be answered where they were asked, rather than using the forums as a portal to your website. 

 

"Whhhaaaaaaaa!!!!!"

 

You can wait as long as you like for individual repetitive questions to be answered here in basic detail, you do not have to visit a completely free zero advertising website with more than 20 gigabytes of free detailed information organized by subject and device. 

 

The choice is always yours!

[Sgt_Strider]

49 minutes ago, GeoTrekker26 said:

It’s too bad specific questions can’t be answered where they were asked, rather than using the forums as a portal to your website. 

I find people like him to be inherently unhelpful and to be frank, toxic. I don't understand this search this up yourself sort of attitude. If he doesn't want to answers then don't bother. The guy is ridiculous and he's been posting like this for ages. 

[+GeoTrekker26]

Wow. Didn’t take long for you to answer that.  I guess that answer wasn’t on your website. 
 

Questions asked and answered here can lead to discussion, you know, kind of like a discussion group. 

[robertlipe]

34 minutes ago, Atlas Cached said:

 

completely free zero advertising website with more than 20 gigabytes of free detailed information organized by subject and device. 

 

You're not WRONG, but you should probably be careful about planting such a flag in the ground.

It doesn't bother ME and I'm well aware of the struggle in trying to get your hobbies of helping others to be supported by others, but be forthcoming about it. After visiting those links, any purchases made within 48 hours generate a commission to whomever owns that Amazon tag.

To get ahead of it, I've run advertising on my sites for years and they've paid the bills. If I relied on donations to cover my battery costs, I'd have shuttered them long ago. 

If I can steer this back into more constructive criticism, the ability to actually link to a page or a topic on the site would be SO helpful in actually having conversations around it. "Here's 20GB of info. Go Fish!" isn't as helpful as it was there there was 200K of info on that kind of site.
 

[+Atlas Cached]

1 hour ago, Sgt_Strider said:

I find people like him to be inherently unhelpful and to be frank, toxic. I don't understand this search this up yourself sort of attitude. If he doesn't want to answers then don't bother. The guy is ridiculous and he's been posting like this for ages. 

 

Classic virtue signaling!

 

You can go into a bar and ask the bartender how to rewire your house, and have a friendly conversation about it, but you can also go into a library where all the useful information is already organized and cataloged for you to find!

 

This is how we learned new things before the age of an incredibly lazy generation that must be mouth fed absolutely everything!

 

Again, nobody says you have to visit any websites you find offensive. All of the information is there for those willing to discover it.

 

You can re-write the same book over and over as many times as you like, or you can read the one that is already written!

 

We all have a personal choice to use one source or multiple sources to get the information we desire. I do not understand why some are so offended and threatened when alternate or additional options are presented.

 

Make your choice. Let others make thiers. Move on.

 

 

[+Atlas Cached]

1 hour ago, robertlipe said:

After visiting those links, any purchases made within 48 hours generate a commission to whomever owns that Amazon tag.

 

Only links from the 'store' page have those tags, and that information is made very clear on those pages. No links shared here have any 'tags'.

[+Atlas Cached]

1 hour ago, robertlipe said:

If I can steer this back into more constructive criticism, the ability to actually link to a page or a topic on the site would be SO helpful in actually having conversations around it.

 

That already happens when the questions are specific, but general questions like "what are the differences" or "what makes one better than the other" will get mostly generalized responses.

[Sgt_Strider]

23 minutes ago, Atlas Cached said:

 

Classic virtue signaling!

 

You can go into a bar and ask the bartender how to rewire your house, and have a friendly conversation about it, but you can also go into a library where all the useful information is already organized and cataloged for you to find!

 

This is how we learned new things before the age of an incredibly lazy generation that must be mouth fed absolutely everything!

 

Again, nobody says you have to visit any websites you find offensive. All of the information is there for those willing to discover it.

 

You can re-write the same book over and over as many times as you like, or you can read the one that is already written!

 

We all have a personal choice to use one source or multiple sources to get the information we desire. I do not understand why some are so offended and threatened when alternate or additional options are presented.

 

Make your choice. Let others make thiers. Move on.

 

 

Your website is garbage and stop telling me to visit it. I don't want to help you generate any revenue. Furthermore, stop responding to my posts since you have nothing constructive to add. I don't want your help anymore. 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Sgt_Strider

[+luvvinbird]

 

3 hours ago, Sgt_Strider said:

Your website is garbage and stop telling me to visit it. I don't want to help you generate any revenue. Furthermore, stop responding to my posts since you have nothing constructive to add. I don't want your help anymore. 

Try telling that to the hundreds of thousand Garmin users around the world who gain valuable information about the particular device they use. GPSrChive is a fantastic resource to be sure. There is a store, which you don't need to visit, and a yearly campaign for a small donation, which can be ignored if one chooses. On the other hand I guess it is possible to use other sources to provide the info you're looking for. I stopped wasting my time years ago after discovering GPSrChive.

[+Hynz]

IMHO the website is indeed a great resource and can provide valuable information for those who are willing to search for it. In my impression and as far as I'm able to evaluate this it is also not overly plagued by adds, hidden cookies and that sort.

But I must agree that the way Atlas Cached is communicating here in this forum is unfortunately getting more and more tiresome.....

[capt caper]

47 minutes ago, luvvinbird said:

 

Try telling that to the hundreds of thousand Garmin users around the world who gain valuable information about the particular device they use. GPSrChive is a fantastic resource to be sure. There is a store, which you don't need to visit, and a yearly campaign for a small donation, which can be ignored if one chooses. On the other hand I guess it is possible to use other sources to provide the info you're looking for. I stopped wasting my time years ago after discovering GPSrChive.

 

I agree. Atlas has been great over the years giving out info here as well. And like the GPSrChive for what it is.  I've owned gps units since 1995 and before that LoranC for work and pleasure of all types like Marine, Auto,Hiking.  And saved my life a few times I'm sure. Love the new units out now. And upgrade as much as I can. Garmin makes great stuff. Always did. 

 

 To the OP I saw a utube review out now on accuracy of the 67 vs the 66 and it seems to be better for sure.  I run the Garmin 700 now for hiking and love the  Lithium battery it uses. I bought another for a spare to carry. I tried Garmins AA adapter but found it bulky and made the unit heavier. The Lithium does a much better job all around.  Carry a Lithium storage block if worried about running out with a 67. 

[Sgt_Strider]

4 hours ago, capt caper said:

 

I agree. Atlas has been great over the years giving out info here as well. And like the GPSrChive for what it is.  I've owned gps units since 1995 and before that LoranC for work and pleasure of all types like Marine, Auto,Hiking.  And saved my life a few times I'm sure. Love the new units out now. And upgrade as much as I can. Garmin makes great stuff. Always did. 

 

 To the OP I saw a utube review out now on accuracy of the 67 vs the 66 and it seems to be better for sure.  I run the Garmin 700 now for hiking and love the  Lithium battery it uses. I bought another for a spare to carry. I tried Garmins AA adapter but found it bulky and made the unit heavier. The Lithium does a much better job all around.  Carry a Lithium storage block if worried about running out with a 67. 

 

I think I watched the same YouTube video as you. When selecting multiband, it doesn't seem like one can pick which GNSS to use. So which systems will the 67 connect to? The 66i in the video clearly selected GPS+Galileo. 

[+MaliBooBoo]

7 hours ago, capt caper said:

To the OP I saw a utube review out now on accuracy of the 67 vs the 66 and it seems to be better for sure.  I run the Garmin 700 now for hiking and love the  Lithium battery it uses. I bought another for a spare to carry. I tried Garmins AA adapter but found it bulky and made the unit heavier. The Lithium does a much better job all around.  Carry a Lithium storage block if worried about running out with a 67. 

I saw this video too but think a more apples to apples to comparison would be the 66sr vs the 67, since the 66i used for comparison in the video is not multiband. As noted in the video itself.

[+Atlas Cached]

4 hours ago, Sgt_Strider said:

 

I think I watched the same YouTube video as you. When selecting multiband, it doesn't seem like one can pick which GNSS to use. So which systems will the 67 connect to? The 66i in the video clearly selected GPS+Galileo. 

 

You have two options, Multi-GNSS or GPS Only.

 

One option uses all available GNSS constellations,  the other option uses only GPS.

 

Multi-Band is only available when Multi-GNSS is enabled,  but it can be disabled. 

[+Red90]

On 3/16/2023 at 7:34 AM, Atlas Cached said:

 

Everyone uses these for different purposes. 

 

You can not get best results from any GPSr if you have the Map displayed constantly with the backlight at full power. 

 

My GPSMAP 67 have been connected to PC from time to time to load data etc. I have never connected them to power because the battery was getting too low. I have not performed any dedicated battery testing yet. 

 

I am not paid or employed by Garmin.

 

Ahh.  So you have no idea then.  I could say this about every Garmin handheld I've owned in the last ten years.  It is when you are on multi day trips, that it is critical to know battery life before you leave.  These are critical electronics when you are weeks in the bush and guessing at battery life is dangerous.  It is not helpful that Garmin is providing misleading battery life figures.  It forces people to waste a lot of time determining the numbers on their own.

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Red90

[+Atlas Cached]

38 minutes ago, Red90 said:

 

Ahh.  So you have no idea then.  I could say this about every Garmin handheld I've owned in the last ten years.

 

 

And it would be true. Every user experiences different battery run time based on how they use the device.

 

As I stated earlier, I have a very good idea that the times published by Garmin are very accurate. My GPSMAP 67 has never been below 70% battery during the last 6 months. My eTrex SE has been using the same set of AA batteries for 6 months.

[+Atlas Cached]

42 minutes ago, Red90 said:

 

It is not helpful that Garmin is providing misleading battery life figures.  It forces people to waste a lot of time determining the numbers on their own.

 

 

Sounds like your issue here is with Garmin, and your preconceived idea they are misleading the public with their published specs. Another of my favorite quotes: "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still!" Doesn't seem like you are even open to the idea that the published times could be correct. So have it your way.

[Sgt_Strider]

If anyone here does get the 67, I would be interested to know how long it'll take to recharge from either 0% or close to 0% to 100% battery life. 

[+Red90]

On 3/17/2023 at 1:30 PM, Atlas Cached said:

 

Sounds like your issue here is with Garmin, and your preconceived idea they are misleading the public with their published specs. Another of my favorite quotes: "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still!" Doesn't seem like you are even open to the idea that the published times could be correct. So have it your way.

 

I never said the published time were not correct.  Anyway.  You don't seem to want to listen, nor understand.  This make you as poor choice as someone to provide reviews on a product.

[+Atlas Cached]

2 hours ago, Red90 said:

 

I never said the published time were not correct.

 

Your statement below suggests exactly that. 

 

On 3/17/2023 at 11:45 AM, Red90 said:

It is not helpful that Garmin is providing misleading battery life figures.

 

[+Mineral2]

Well... I guess this means Garmin is no longer interested in supporting its hand-held touch screen offerings (I don't consider the Montana 700 to be a handheld. It barely fits in one hand.)

Long live the Oregon line.

[Sgt_Strider]

1 hour ago, Mineral2 said:

Well... I guess this means Garmin is no longer interested in supporting its hand-held touch screen offerings (I don't consider the Montana 700 to be a handheld. It barely fits in one hand.)

Long live the Oregon line.

Money talks. I kinda wished Garmin's touchscreen devices adopted dual-frequency GNSS. Perhaps they're not selling enough to justify product development?

[+Atlas Cached]

FYI, I am running a battery test on my GPSMAP 67 now, and after nearly 24 hours of use, I still have 85% battery remaining. I have the tracklog recording at one point per minute, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled, the electronic compass is enabled, and Multi-GNSS/Multi-Band are also both enabled.

 

More results to follow.

 

Update 01:

 

GPSMAP 67 now has 72 hours of constant tracklog data recorded at one minute intervals, battery still has 51% remaining.

 

I also decided to test the eTrex SE with a set of Amazon Basics AA Alkaline batteries. It is currently at 50 hours of tracklog data recorded at one point per second, and the battery icon still shows 4/4 bars! The display has been ON the entire time (not the backlight), and Multi-GNSS, Bluetooth and Electronic Compass are all enabled.

 

More results to follow.

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Atlas Cached
add info

[+Mineral2]

@Atlas CachedAre you moving around with it or is it sitting still in one spot? I wonder if that makes a difference.

[+Atlas Cached]

3 hours ago, Mineral2 said:

@Atlas CachedAre you moving around with it or is it sitting still in one spot? I wonder if that makes a difference.

 

Some of each - I do sleep at night

[+Merlin-K]

Very happy with the feel of my 67.  A lot less happy with the software.  Having problems downloading pocket queries and maps.  Getting frustrated.  And the Garmin response was "it's new software, there are always bugs"

[+gpsblake]

What is the geocache storage limit on the Etrex SE? Unless i missed it, the manual is kind of unclear on this other than saying it can store 5 gpx geocaching files, whatever that means buy I'm sure that means more than 5 geocaches. Maybe 5 files of 1,000 geocaches each? It does appear to have bluetooth and links up to Garmin Connect.  Also has an electronic compass just the more expensive units. $149 seems to be a real fair price. 

 

Now if there is a hack to put  some maps on it like the old Etrex 10 had (although not much). 

 

Manual

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-76DD39C5-047F-4599-892F-60C9207A6637/EN-US/eTrex_SE_OM_EN-US.pdf

Edited March 23, 2023 by gpsblake

[+Atlas Cached]

@gpsblake

 

How did you get maps onto the eTrex 10?

 

The eTrex SE is pretty limited to onboard storage and geocache data. Only 25 GCLive geocaches can be loaded at any one time. And up to 250 via GPX.

 

Do not let this dissuade you, however. I very much like my 'back to basics' eTrex SE and find it to be very pleasurable to use. It is a great affordable option for urban geocaching!

 

All eTrex SE specs are available here.

[+Atlas Cached]

GPSMAP 67 and eTrex SE Battery Tests Update posted above.

[+gpsblake]

How did I get maps into the Etrex 10?? You won't get much in it though, I got around 2 rural counties in it, which is sufficient for local cycling  but not much else. And it sucks up the memory on the 10 so you only get a few hundred geocaches loaded at best. Getting rid of the time zone map helped out some.  Link below is an old thread that helped me get them on the 10. 

 

250 caches on gpx files, so in that regard, it's not an improvement at all, probably by design so you buy the more expensive units.  The idea of having live GC via bluetooth is a good thing. 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by gpsblake
added more stuff

[+Atlas Cached]

Yes, the GPX geocaches are intended for off-grid capability, and it is expected, with this model, most caching will be done via GC Live.

 

Thank you for the link!

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Atlas Cached

[Sgt_Strider]

I checked the specs of the eTrex SE and it doesn't seem like it can record a track log? My purpose for this device would be to record a track log with a one-second interval. 

 

I'm curious if the Garmin 67's antenna makes it more accurate than the eTrex SE?

 

I wonder what the battery life of the 67 is recording a track log with a one-second interval and no backlight?

 

Recharging time from 0%-100%?

[+Atlas Cached]

30 minutes ago, Sgt_Strider said:

I checked the specs of the eTrex SE and it doesn't seem like it can record a track log? My purpose for this device would be to record a track log with a one-second interval. 

 

The website you don't like much has many examples of the eTrex SE recording a track log.

 

Also, I wrote earlier about recording a track log on my eTrex SE at one second intervals.