Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable
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Manufacturer: Garmin
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New from $162.89
List price $214.99
- Global positioning system (GPS) receiver with built-in Americas basemap
- 8 MB of internal memory for map and data storage; PC cable included
- Accuracy to less than 3 meters with WAAS correction data
- Rocker switch on front panel for quick and accurate map panning
- Compatible with optional Garmin MapSource software for downloading maps and waypoint data
Product Description:
The Garmin eTrex Legend GPS receiver is modeled on Garmin's popular eTrex, but adds the same base map found in Garmin's III+ and eMap models, along with 8 MB of memory. Housed in a translucent blue case, this powerful, 12-parallel-channel, global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver weighs only 5.3 ounces and measures 4.4 by 2 inches. It literally fits in the palm of your hand. The eTrex Legend's 8 MB memory enables you to download points of interest and map data from optional Garmin MapSource... read more
Description from Manufacturer:There are now enough handheld global positioning system (GPS) receivers on the market that you can be choosy when it comes to price, features, and design. Garmin--a leading manufacturer of car, boat, and personal GPS receivers--has a complete line of eTrex handheld receivers, with our Legend falling about midrange.With WAAS support, the Legend offers extremely accurate readings (rated to within two to three meters). (For more on WAAS, see the Frequently Asked Questions section.) A good-sized screen--288 x 160 pixels--makes it easy to see location details, and the Legend redraws maps quickly when zooming in or out of a position.
Its 8 MB of memory means there is also plenty of room for waypoints, routes, and saved tracks. The Legend will hold up to 500 waypoints, complete with a name and graphical symbol, 20 routes with 50 waypoints each, and it contains slots for 10 saved tracks. You can also download maps from Garmin's MapSource CD-ROMs (thorough but expensive accessories for the GPS receiver) to see street-level or topographic detail (depending on the CD-ROM title).
But one of the most striking attributes of the Legend is its comfortable and efficient design. While it rests easily in the palm of either hand, it's most suited for the left hand, where its handy click-stick can be manipulated with the thumb. The click-stick works like the pencil-eraser nubbin on laptop PCs and is handy for moving through screen icons and menus. It also works as a button when pressed down.
The Legend is coated with a waterproof, rubberized plastic shell that grips nicely. Weighing in at only 5.3 ounces, it fits into a pocket or clips onto a belt loop, going almost unnoticed.
The internal trip computer of the Legend provided a range of data about our hikes and drives, including current speed, average speed, trip distance, and time traveled (both moving and stopped). For those interested in checking out their foot pace and distance traveled, it's a handy GPS to have in hand.
Our only major beef with the Legend is that the receiver sometimes seemed to grow weak. Even when it wasn't in WAAS mode (which can be tough to maintain a signal in), it dropped the signal from time to time. We even lost the signal once while walking along the streets of San Francisco--it seems that the medium-size buildings were enough to interfere with the reception.
But this only happened on a few occasions. Most of the time the well-designed Legend was able to keep us in touch with up to 12 GPS satellites for a strong-enough read to maintain a tight handle on our location. --J. Curtis
Pros:
- Comfortable, compact design
- Click-stick for interface navigation
- Bright backlight
- Handy distance-traveled feature
- Sporadic reception within urban areas
- Can take several minutes for a cold fix
Comment: incredible piece of technology for the hiker Rating:
The GPS etrex Legend from Garmin offers the amazing possibility to locate oneself on earth with an accuracy of 1-2meters, this for an affordable price and a compact design (cell phone size), a lot of achievements!
The device is reasonably user friendly to use with a few menus and a tiny joystick. It is of course a bit tedious while driving and it is better to pull on the side, but when hiking in clear areas it is very usable. In the city the purpose of the etrex is sort of uncertain, better have the thomas guide, but the large paper pages would not fit in a pocket. A few luxury cars have now a GPS and nice display and probably in 10 years computer assisted driving will be very advanced.
With the etrex it is not possible to get lost in wild nature, unless batteries die down! For battery duration i measured about 50mA just on, +50mA GPS activated and +50mA light on, so at night the conso of total 150mA is a bit high (but light autoturns off rapidly).
I was unable to feel the WAAS mode so far, maybe the special satellite was not in view.
My favorite feature is the bread crumb tracks that follow my hiking or driving around with quite some precision. I was able to retrace nearby surface streets. I also conducted some geeky repeatability tests on a big soccer field and saw some dither of waypoints at each corner, but come on: 1-2 meters is good! Think of ancient navigators in the oceans looking at the sun and some stars with a sextant and locating themeselves to miles....
My main regret would be the screen, it is low resolution and no colors. The basemap of LA is super crowded of course. (Was it hard to insert one of today's fine color LCDs, like the back of digital cameras?). I could pay $50 more for this luxury. I will rank 4 stars then. Basically one needs to download the bread crumbs onto a PC which requires the rs232 cable (furnished) and i believe the mapsource CD (not furnished, add about $100. Note: maybe there are ways for the tech oriented person to have the PC interrogate the etrex without the CD, or for the digital photographer to take photos of the screen and stich them to recreate a big image...very tedious)
I give 'coup de coeur' for this marvel of high tech
Comment: Etrex Legend Rating:
I purchased the ETrex Legend for the sole purpose of Geocaching (look it up on the web if you don't know what I'm talking about). I soon found it invaluable for driving, finding my way around strange cities, snowshoeing off trail and hiking.
The Legend is a compact, easy to use unit. At its list price, it has a great price/feature ratio. The Vista has more memory and a magnetic compass, but I haven't seen the need for more memory yet and my [$$$] compass works just fine (and doesn't need batteries).
At first I was concerned about the 8 meg of memory not being enough, but I've downloaded the MapSource topo for northern NJ, southern NY to Albany and much of soutern Vermont with room to spare. On a trip to Sacramento, I was able to download the area around Sac, from San Francisco to Tahoe.
It comes with a base map that is very basic. It shows major roads, rivers, lakes and points of interest. I do recommend eventually getting one of the MapSource maps. If you are an outdoorsperson, you should get the Topo. If you travel often, Roads and Recreation is the one to buy.
There are some issues with reception under heavy leaf cover, but as I understand it, this is a problem with most GPSr's.
The clic-stick is a great feature, making navigating your way around the unit's features a breeze. The Legend is durable (I've dropped it many times) and water resistant (dropped it in water) and I recommend it to anybody who wants a full featured unit with map capability and doesn't want to spend a bundle.
Comment: Useless if you live near trees Rating:
The interface is nice, and the built-in maps are better than I expected (in and around Seattle, WA). However, the Legend isn't very good at telling you where you are. Getting a reading consists of a) finding a clearing, b) holding the receiver at arm's length away from your body, c) holding it parallel to the ground, and d) praying that it finds satellites. The Magellan SporTrak that got after my first miserable Legend experience had no problems holding satellite lock on the same trails, regardless of tree cover. The next day, I got my money back on the Garmin.
Posted at November 11, 2003 07:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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