seige02 Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 Hey Vista owners, I was wondering if there are any downfalls or problems associated with the Vista? I have one on the way in the mail, and can't wait to get it. Do you ever lose satelite reception? Thanks! By now! Quote
+rdw Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 I used the Legend for nearly 6 months before buying a GPS V. It has the same antenna as the Vista and I never had any problems with sat reception except getting the WAAS sat in the trees. I've never compared the two head to head, but the V did not have as great a reception improvement as I excpected. The Vista will serve you well. The only problem is you will find it hard to put it down. rdw Quote
+rdw Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 I used the Legend for nearly 6 months before buying a GPS V. It has the same antenna as the Vista and I never had any problems with sat reception except getting the WAAS sat in the trees. I've never compared the two head to head, but the V did not have as great a reception improvement as I excpected. The Vista will serve you well. The only problem is you will find it hard to put it down. rdw Quote
jfitzpat Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 My Vista has been great. Do be sure to update your unit to the latest software on the Garmin site. I have some pet peeves about some of the features (ex. you can't select between barometric and GPS alititude for waypoints and tracks, and the dialogs seem to sometimes hide important options in the little drop menu). But it has been a real champ. My friend's Meridian is very nice as well, but I really like the small size of the Vista. And, for me, operating temperature range is a big deal. -jjf Quote
+Hawk-eye Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 Pretty much agree with all the above ... had mine since April of last year ... wonderful ... had a lot of fun with it ... have taken it all over South America ... backpacking ... caching ... had it soaked ... muddy and so far no problems ... signal loss ... yeah sometimes ... but nothing that can't be compensated for ... only complaint is the lack of the ability to connect an exterior ant. and maybe I'd change the interface around a bit ... but for the size, weight, and memory ... it can't be beat at the moment ... Quote
DARC Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 I have only two gripes about the Vista. 1) The patch antenna has a tough time pulling in signals under tree cover. If this is the most critical for you, then get a Lorance Globemap 100 as it had amazing signal pull ability especially under tree cover. In any other respect, the vista blows it away. 2) Lack of a power cube to run the thing at home. This means that you eat batteries when uploading maps, transfering location data, and doing screen captures. My Vista also suffered a small gash in the display from when I carried it in the same coat pocket as my compass. The unit really is rugged, but don't let anything grind against the display. Other then the above, the Vista is the best GPSR on the market. The expansive memory allows uploading large detailed maps (1 hr on battery) and it's one of the fastest units to power up and lock on coordinates. The vista is easy to control with just one hand without feeling that you might drop it. This unit justified the purchase of the Metroguide maps which contain recent map data such as streets, points of interests, and many trails. The most outstanding feature of the Vista is the size and weight. It fits comfortably in any pocket. Quote
+Firefishe Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 quote:Originally posted by rdw: I used the Legend for nearly 6 months before buying a GPS V. It has the same antenna as the Vista and I never had any problems with sat reception except getting the WAAS sat in the trees. I've never compared the two head to head, but the V did not have as great a reception improvement as I excpected. The Vista will serve you well. The only problem is you will find it hard to put it down. rdw The V has the same antenna as the Vista??? Say what? You been into that wacky weed again, boss? Seriously. The Garmin eTrex Vista has an internal patch antenna with no external antenna capability, whilst the Garmin GPS-V has an external removable--as well as position adjustable--quadrafilar helix antenna, mounted on a standard Garmin BNC connector on the outside of the V's case. The Vista and the GPS-V *do not* have the same antennas. Warm regards, Firefishe, The Only Ichthys Ever To Go GaGGy Over A Yagi! N8PZT -HamFishe@Large Quote
+Firefishe Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 quote:Originally posted by rdw: I used the Legend for nearly 6 months before buying a GPS V. It has the same antenna as the Vista and I never had any problems with sat reception except getting the WAAS sat in the trees. I've never compared the two head to head, but the V did not have as great a reception improvement as I excpected. The Vista will serve you well. The only problem is you will find it hard to put it down. rdw The V has the same antenna as the Vista??? Say what? You been into that wacky weed again, boss? Seriously. The Garmin eTrex Vista has an internal patch antenna with no external antenna capability, whilst the Garmin GPS-V has an external removable--as well as position adjustable--quadrafilar helix antenna, mounted on a standard Garmin BNC connector on the outside of the V's case. The Vista and the GPS-V *do not* have the same antennas. Warm regards, Firefishe, The Only Ichthys Ever To Go GaGGy Over A Yagi! N8PZT -HamFishe@Large Quote
+Geo Leo Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 quote:Originally posted by rdw: I used the Legend for nearly 6 months before buying a GPS V. It has the same antenna as the Vista ... rdw quote:Originally posted by Firefishe: The V has the same antenna as the Vista??? Say what? You been into that wacky weed again, boss? Firefishe He was saying that the vista has the same antenna as his legend, not the GPS V, which is true - it does. Now, who's into the weed? Quote
aznaz Posted March 15, 2002 Posted March 15, 2002 Yeah, Vista baby! Saw it, researched about it, bought it. I'm on my 2nd Vista now--the first one's electronic compass started acting up (after a fall), and BestBuy replaced it with no questions asked. You made a good choice! Quote
+rdw Posted March 16, 2002 Posted March 16, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Geo Leo: He was saying that the vista has the same antenna as his legend, not the GPS V, which is true - it does. Now, who's into the weed? Thank you Geo Leo. Never know what people will think up while you're not watching these forums. rdw Quote
+rdw Posted March 16, 2002 Posted March 16, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Geo Leo: He was saying that the vista has the same antenna as his legend, not the GPS V, which is true - it does. Now, who's into the weed? Thank you Geo Leo. Never know what people will think up while you're not watching these forums. rdw Quote
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