Garmin E-Trex Vista

[Guest markusby]

ng on gear that only works sometimes, or only when the conditions are right for it to operate properly.

 

The fact that Garmin would let a piece of gear out like this dissapoints me and I won't sell them. I'll sell the other Garmin products, but not the e-Trex line - if the top of the line Garmin loses signal under mild tree cover, I can't imagine the other models in the line up would be much better.

 

In the morning, I am calling Magellan to try to become a distributor for them - I've got the Nav 6000 and it's the best I've ever had. I know thier personal line of GPS's have a quad helix antenna so I can't imagine they would have the acquiring problems that the e-trex have.

 

Meanwhile, I have an e-trex Vista used once for a few hours and I'll let it go at my price - $250. Then again, I would feel bad sticking some poor family out in the woods with this thing, so perhaps I'll just send it back.

[Guest ClayJar]

Some people like the eTrex line in spite of the poor signal reception. I can see you're not one of them, but some people like the size and don't mind function following form. I don't know whether you could get $250 for it with the various Magellans and Garmin GPS V being out, though.

[Guest makaio]

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the Vista. I've been using my Legend for 6 months now and the only times I have problems obtaining or maintaining locks is when I'm in deep gullies with only 1 or 2 satellites available or in extreme overcast conditions.

[Guest SergZak]

I for one am really pleased with my Vista. True, the reception could be better but I've never really experienced any problems in that regard. In my opinion, I think it's a really well thought-out and engineered piece of hardware.

[Guest sunsetnkc]

hmmm, I sold my magellan and bought a Legend, it has seemed to always get me closer, with more consistant readings.

 

ps. do you use IBM or Apple.... lol

[Guest joshuabrand]

The Etrex line is a great line. The one and only problem is the patch antenna, however, that only has problems with extreme tree cover or when there's alot of land formations blocking most of your signals. All in all, they are great units, and my Etrex Venture was well worth the $170 that I paid for it. Great size, great functionality, great features, great price, great accuracy, etc., etc, etc.

 

In most circumstances, you would have to be either a heavy user of gps units or use them to the extreme to not be satisfied with the reception. I have little trouble getting satelite locks.

[Guest JollyBGood]

I have to chime in. I have nothing but praise for the etrex line. I've owned both the basic etrex and the vista and completely fell in love with them. I only upgraded because I got a GPS V as a gift a few weeks ago. But I gotta tell ya, whenever I see a yellow etrex a part of me wishes I'd held on to mine as a backup.

As I see it it's a give-and-take equation. What the etrex lacks reception wise it makes up for in many other areas. My dad is thinking of getting a GPS unit now that he's seen what you do with them and I wouldn't hesitate for a second setting him up with an etrex. I'd get him a VISTA but I think there are simply too many features on it he would never use.

[Guest jfitzpat]

marine unit with another manufacturer's personal unit. If you really think that there won't be a significant performance gap in some areas between your NAV 6000 and the Magellan GPS315/MAP330/Meridian, etc., I think you are in for a rude awakening - Especially since you are talking about a bigger committment than a single unit.

 

Good Luck,

-jjf

[Guest ClayJar]

Nice points, jfitzpat. I would have never thought much about temperature range (I'm currently a Louisiana flatlander). As for bulk, it doesn't matter as much for me, as I usually just do day hikes (but then again, 20+ miles in a day hike is getting toward long enough that bulk starts to matter). I've seen eTrex receivers really struggle in some of the dense forest around here (perhaps there's more water in the canopy).

 

Just goes to show that there's no simple answer to "which is the best receiver". GPS receivers are like shoes; you find what you like, and you don't worry about others' preferences.

 

[This message has been edited by ClayJar (edited 02 December 2001).]

[Guest Buck8Point]

I also Strongly Disagree with the Initial Post. I own a eTrex Vista, use it extensively, in harsh conditions, and have had no problems with it. I am as pleased with the ergonomics as I am with the features and performance. My unit has NEVER had any problems with maintaining a lock, in fact

I can get a good lock on my Vista inside my house with a shingle roof overhead..

I'm also pleased with the priority Garmin puts on keeping up with Software updates for the line. This is definately a good thing.

When it comes time for a new unit, I will definately be getting a new Garmin...Buck8Point

[Guest Jake.Hazelip]

Well, I just bought Jolly's eTrex Vista, and I have to say that overall I'm quite pleased with it as well. Sure, it has some troubles in tree cover, but it's a tiny palm-sized unit that has no external antennae. Furthermore, I don't understand the initial poster bringing up his brother's recent CORPS status (I'm assuming you mean the Marines and not corps of engineers). I mean, if he's in the military, and they want him to know his global coordinates, he'll be assigned what he needs and the military's units are far more accurate than our own commercial/civilian units...

[Guest Groover]

I too have had few problems obtaining or maintaining a satellite lock with my eTrex Venture in a forest. The only times it loses lock is when I let it dangle around my neck on the lanyard, but that only happens when I not using it. I can also get a satellite lock in my house in most places...

I'm very very happy with it.

 

Groover

[Guest adleus]

So did ya still wanna sell it? Let me know.

[Guest markusby]

Hey Jake - it shows you don't know very uch about the Marine Corps. Yes, they do issue GPS's. They issue Rifles and sidearms, too. It doesn't mean they are worth a dadgum. I ditched my issue Baretta long ago in favor of a purchased Glock - while I'm not allowed to use it for inspections or qual, it serves my purpose in the field and I don't have to worry about it jamming up on me. Same thing with the GPS's. THey issue GPS's that are complete crap, unless you are in a special unit like Recon. The GPS's are old and show only coordinates, take forever to get a lock, and unless you are in the desert with no trees, you can forget about keeping a lock. And they are as big, if not a little bigger than my Nav 6000.

 

And about comparing the two: My Nav 6000 might be bigger, but it is also four years older. I'm sure technology has gotten someplace in four years, hasn't it? I would gladly trade a little bulk for function. Or else why carry anything?

 

I'm glad you have had good luck with yours - it seems that many haven't as I'm looking through the posts. And I CAN compare the whole line because the Vista uses the same antenna and chipset as the other models, so it is only reasonable to conclude that the reception is similar for the rest of the e-Trex line.

 

I'm sure the GPSMap is much better - and I regret not purchasing one of them instead.

[Guest jfitzpat]

s in sidearm range and lives to tell the tale. A sidearm, like the sword, was principally a symbol.

 

But, history aside, I think the earlier post was referring to accuracy. That is now (largely) a myth. Military units used to be exempt from the dithering, which downgraded the accuracy of commercial units.

 

The milspec units are larger than commercial ones for two reasons - they are required to be more shock resistant, etc., and most contain an extra receiver for differential displacement data.

 

The ones I played with at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds a few years back certainly weren't 'crappy'. I'm surprised to hear that Marines are more poorly equiped than the Army! It makes sense that GPS aren't issued willy nilly in the Corp, that wouldn't fit the "rule of three".

 

-jjf

[Guest markusby]

Holy Cow! Everyone must think the Marines have awesome funding, but the truth be told, our budget is so short, it doesn't hold a candle to the other branches. Marines have always been known to make due with poor equipment and the Army's "hand-me downs." It's a fact. When I went into the FMF in 95 (I was with 3/6 Weapons, also known as 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the unot in Afghanistan) they were issuing rifles from the Vietnam era! Our The Marine Corps gets 6% of the military budget, not even as large as the budget for officer's billiting in the Army.

 

Yes, our gear is substandard and old. One of our main bases, Camp Lejeune, home of the 2nd Marine Division, was given to us by ther Army when they deemed it an unusable piece of land.

 

In the Corps, a grunt under sergeant doesn't carry a sidearm, unless he has a specific need to do so. I was in a STA platoon (Survaillence, Target and Acquisition) platoon and I carried either an M40 .308 or an M82, Barret .50 cal, so even as a LCpl, my T/O called to carry a sidearm. And I sure as hell wasn't packing the Beretta.

 

My other option was the H&K SOCOM.45 with the detachable silencer, and I did carry that one for a little bit, but I'm not a really big guy, so it looked like a sword hanging from my hip.

 

Another sign that the Corps is poor - we are the only branch of service that doesn't get uniforms issued to us. If we rip a set of utilities in training or other and they are deemed unservicible, we can't bring them to Supply like the Army, airfore or navy. We are required to go out and purchase new ones. Same thing with boots, canteens, flak jackets and all of our other gear. About 1/4 of your lowly paycheck goes towards gear replacement every year.

[Guest prv8eye]

quote:

---

Originally posted by markusby:

Holy Cow! Everyone must think the Marines have awesome funding, but the truth be told, our budget is so short, it doesn't hold a candle to the other branches. Marines have always been known to make due with poor equipment and the Army's "hand-me downs." .

---

 

Markusby,

 

LOL!!! I KNOW of what you speak.

I was an active duty Marine for 12 years.

As late as 1989 we were STILL using canvas "shelter half" pup tents which had not been improved since the Korean War.

We carried HUGE, bulky, back pack radios (prc77's) that couldn't compare with modern hand helds.

Before the ALICE pack came along we had no pack frames and would often complain of the fact that the BOY SCOUTS had better field gear than the Marine Corps.

The public watches media reports of the military which empahsize the latest aircraft or watch movies, and assume all of our troops are equipped with the latest gear.

If a Marine ground pounder wanted good, modern, lightweight, gear, warm clothing, a decent flash light or running shoes and shorts for his required three mile runs, he could only depend on his meager pay to provide these things.

Even when you did purchase your own gear, you would sometimes encounter some snot nosed lieutenant who would complain that your gear was "unauthorized".

I have litte doubt that it will be years before Marines are issued a GPS receiver that comes close to my "civilian" Meridian Gold.

Of course, part of what is most impressive is that, throughout history, even when equipped with the Army's worn out surplus junk, the U.S. Marines always get the job done with no excuses.

 

Semper Fi,

Gus Morrow

Oceanside, CA

[Guest markusby]

redit for trying to make themselves useful," said Thomas Donnelly, deputy executive director of the Project for a New American Century and a former staffer on the House Armed Services Committee. "At least they're making some attempt to respond to what the country needs to have done. The Army just seems to be spending most of its intellectual effort trying to find ways to stay out of it."

 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki has been pushing a plan to transform the Army's conventional forces into more easily deployed forces capable of a greater range of missions. But change isn't coming fast enough for many younger officers, if Internet chat rooms and e-mails are any indication.

 

In a November speech, Shinseki said, "The Army must change because the nation cannot afford to have an Army that is irrelevant." The Army may need to change more quickly than many senior leaders now realize.

[Guest steveor]

As a fellow Marine infantry veteran I would like to chime in: HELLO! What the hell does all this have to do with the Vista?

 

Signed, Proud Devil Dog Legend owner

[Guest Jake.Hazelip]

So...is this a ***** and moan session for jarheads or a discussion about GPS unit accuracy?

[Guest Hawk-eye]

Here's another guy's two cents ... just got back from a backpacking trip in Linville Gorge Wilderness area ... very deep, narrow gorge ... excellent performance from my Vista even on the two days it rained ... note ... the good lord provided three of the birds directly overhead ... which helped a lot in the gorge. The unit was not babied and stayed very wet for 48 hours ... performed as well as the Marines (in keeping with the earlier postings )

[Guest Hawk-eye]

Here's another guy's two cents ... just got back from a backpacking trip in Linville Gorge Wilderness area ... very deep, narrow gorge ... excellent performance from my Vista even on the two days it rained ... note ... the good lord provided three of the birds directly overhead ... which helped a lot in the gorge. The unit was not babied and stayed very wet for 48 hours ... performed as well as the Marines (in keeping with the earlier postings )

[Guest markusby]

Hey Jake hazel lip - I bet you were in the Air Farce, weren't you? I'm sorry Marines have a comradery you'll never understand, and I truly am sorry you weren't good enough to be one of us, but anything Marines talk about is appropriate for any discussion. We are the ones who have had to do much with little, so as I see it, we've earned the right to talk about what we want, when we want. And if you don't like it, please let me know - I'd be more than willing to give you my address so you can some over and discuss it.

[Guest rdwatson78]

I think Jake's point is that this a geocaching forum, not a military funding or effectiveness forum. Which is to say this discussion has gone totally off subject. Being a Marine (current or former) doesn't have anything to do with it.

 

As for the original discussion, I have a Legend and it has worked beautifully for me. I have only lost reception once in finding over 50 caches. It was in the car driving between 2 steep hills with heavy tree cover. Other than that one time, no problems. I think I'll keep it. rdw

[Guest jfitzpat]

My, how things change. Apparently honor and respect are no longer a part of the code. No Marine I knew needed to swagger or bluster like a school yard bully. Back then, the Corp turned out men, not blow hards.

 

The thread got off track, which is rude to others, particularly people with slow connections. No one is suggesting that you cannot start a thread called "Leather Necks Unite!", just that you conduct yourself honorably and courteously on the discussion boards.

 

Now, just for the record, my name is Joseph Jay Fitzpatrick. I, my brother (Lieutenant Thomas Luke Fitzpatrick, USMC, ret.), and my father (Captain Thomas Joseph Fitzpatrick, USMC, ret.), have all tried to do our part for God and country. But my boyhood friend, William M. Price, lLt., USAF, M.I.A

(10/12/72), *and his family*, paid a bigger price than most of us will ever know.

 

Now, if you are an Officer, a Marine, and a gentleman, you will apologize for misuse of the forum and threatening someone you are sworn to protect. Humans make mistakes, Ladies and Gentlemen accept responsibility for them.

 

If you truly believe that being a Marine entitles you to swagger and bully, as opposed to defending the constitution - or, if you are just ruled by testosterone. Let me know where you are stationed, I will come. You can explain what you think the Corp stands for in front of your peers, then settle it with me as you see fit.

 

-jjf

 

P.S. To others, I'm sorry this is off topic. The armed services in general, and the Corp in particular mean a lot to me. When someone says, 'Being a Marine means I get to be a jerk to whoever I want, or else!', it takes away from what America's Best and Brightest in Uniform are doing right now, in harms way.

[Guest markusby]

I'm glad your dad and brother were MArines. Why weren't you? ANd I wasn't being a bully - he was being a dick.

[Guest jfitzpat]

You know what they say about ASSUME... I don't need to hide behind my service record when I'm standing on principle.

 

I said, say where and I'll be there. Remember, it was your challenge, not mine.

 

I'm almost certainly twice your age, have only one working eye, and partial paralysis on the right side. True, I still pump a lot of iron and I climb a lot of granite, but there is no way I still have what it takes to make a real Marine tongue wash a latrine in front of his buddies.

 

But, if taking a beating is what it will take to stop you from being a public embarassment to the Corp. So be it. I'll be there.

 

Now, until I know where to fly or drive to, I'm done with you.

 

-jjf

[Guest Jake.Hazelip]

Mark, you appear to be a troll. I was beginning to think I'd found one of the few message boards on the web without one, and then you show up. For those who don't know what a troll is, they are people that deliberately act like an *** by derailing threads, undermining discussions, insulting and threatening people, and starting arguments and flame wars on message boards. I've never really been able to figure out why, but they do exist. Marky Mark over here is turning out to be a fine example. That, or he's simply an fantastically astounding jackass...

 

Now, I must admit that you have pointed out a flaw in my reasoning when I stated that I believed the military units would be far superior in accuracy to civilian units. I stand corrected. My thanks to you for the clarification. I'd still like to know what you expect for $200.00...

 

My service record, or lack thereof, isn't relevant to the original discussion. Since you're so curious, however, I must honestly admit that I am unable to serve in any branch due to physical limitations. Apparently, your lack of a brain has not limited you in any way. You have my congratulations and admiration on your achievement in the face of adversity.

 

You began a discussion about the merits and flaws of the eTrex line of handheld GPS units. I just bought one and chimed in. I came back to the thread to find a full-on gripe session about military funding. When I point it out, your delicate sensibilities are offended and you become a raging moron. I'm so completely thrilled that a hot-head like you can legally fire a .50 caliber weapon.

 

I'll spell it out for you in plain language since you seem to have great difficulty with abstract concepts such as respect and courtesy.

 

You are wildly off-topic. If you are no longer discussing the eTrex series, you are being rude. Your government-funded training or service to your country does not entitle you to be an ***. It binds you to the responsibility of being the best this country has to offer, as represented by your every action. When you threatened me because I dared to state how off topic you are (you delicate flower, you...), you failed in that responsibility completely.

 

My involvement in this thread is now concluded as it is no longer a viable source of information relating to the topic at hand.

 

-Jake

 

P.S.

For those of you stating your service records, you have my sincerest thanks and appreciation...and quite a measure of my jealousy directed toward you and your accomplishments. You should also know that while I cannot serve in the military, I will always work on the civilian and state-side of things to protect those very same civil liberties you fought to protect from outside threats, from those threats that exist inside our borders in any way I can as a well-protected citizen. I owe you that much and considerably more.

[Guest jeremy]

What the heck does any of this do with geocaching?! This discussion is over.