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Description:
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Garmin eTrex Vista Handheld GPS
GARMIN eTrex Vista -- This must-have outdoor and travel accessory combines a basemap of North and South America, with a barometric altimeter and electronic compass. The compass provides bearing information while you're standing still, and the altimeter determines your precise altitude. Trip computer w/ speed, distance etc. Accepts downloaded mapping data from Garmin's MapSource CD-ROMs, including Fishing Hot Spots (sold separately) Silver case for high tech look Basemap and bonus marine aids are factory pre-loaded Package includes - eTrex Vista, Marine Point Database, Basemap, PC interface cable, wrist strap, user's guide, quick reference guide Dimensions - 4.4H x 2.0W x 1.2D; weighs 5.3 ounces w/ batteries Display - 2.1H x 1.1W high contrast LCD with bright backlighting Power - 2 AA batteries (not included) Battery life - Up to 12 hours (typical use).
Garmin's eTrex Vista GPS receiver is smaller than its popular eMaps, but far more powerful. The Vista offers more memory, more features, and more convenience than any other GPS hardware in this price range. Don't be fooled by the product's small screen. Although smaller than the display used in products like the eMap, it has a higher resolution, letting it show more information more crisply. Small text can be difficult to read from a distance, but there are "big number" options available to make important data like your speed easy to read.
It's this configurability that makes the eTrex Vista so special. You can easily set it up to suit your needs, regardless of the situation. Menu choices are highlighted and confirmed with a small joystick near the top of the unit, providing an elegant interface for navigating a formidable amount of options. Our only complaint is that the joystick used to access all the product's features is offset to the left, making it nearly impossible to control using only your right hand. When the joystick is held in your left hand, however, every control is within easy reach of your left thumb, freeing your right hand to hold a flashlight, walking stick, lantern, or anything else.
This GPS unit's diminutive size and weight, not to mention its rugged design, make it an ideal hiking companion. It's waterproof in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes and is generously coated with shock-absorbing rubber. The barometric altimeter keeps a historical record of your ascents and descents, graphing elevation changes so you can easily track your progress. The ability to store waypoints, points of interest, routes, and other information means you can blaze your own trail and always find your way back to camp.
Best of all, 24 MB of internal memory makes it possible to store an enormous amount of data from Garmin's optional MapSource CDs, turning the eTrex Vista into an interactive road atlas. The memory isn't expandable, but 24 MB is enough to store street-level data for entire states in some cases.
A serial cable is included for transferring the maps from your PC to the GPS unit, but it's terribly slow. A USB connector, sold separately, transfers data in a fraction of the time.
The eTrex Vista was very accurate in testing, especially in a car on the open road. Accuracy diminished somewhat when the device was used in heavy tree cover or a dense urban area, but not enough that you're ever going to get lost or miss an exit. Used side-by-side with an eMap, the eTrex Vista kept up in update speed while displaying even more information on the moving map than the eMap did, cementing its position as perhaps the best all-around handheld GPS unit money can buy. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:
Small and light without sacrificing features
24 MB of integrated memory stores reams of detailed maps
High-resolution screen displays sharp text legible even at extremely small sizes
Cons:
Can't be used one-handed when held in the right hand
Smaller display is hard to read from a distance, as when the device is placed on a dashboard
Product Features
WAAS enabled
Compass provides bearing information while user is standing still
Altimeter determines precise altitude & provides a graphic profile of user's trip
Contains 24 MB internal memory for storing detailed map data
Package Includes: eTrex Vista, Marine Point Database, Basemap, PC interface cable, Wrist strap, User's guide, Quick reference guide
Technical Details
Receiver: 12 channels
Differential ready (DGPS): Yes
Acquisition time (cold): 45 seconds
Acquisition time (warm): 15 seconds
Update rate: 1 per second, continuous
Position accuracy: 49 feet RMS
Velocity accuracy: 0.1 knots RMS steady state
Dynamics: 6 Gs
Water-resistance rating: IPX7: protected for 30 minutes at a depth of 3.3 feet
Operating temperature range: 5.25 to 158.25 F
Interfaces: RS-232 with NMEA 0183, RTCM 104 DGPS data format, Garmin proprietary
Antenna: Internal patch
Battery life: 22 hours
Power consumption: 2.5 volts
Waypoints: 500
Track log: 10 tracks, 2,000 track-log points
Track back: Yes
Route log: 1 route with 50 waypoints
Points of interest: Downloadable from MapSource CD-ROMs
Compass screen: Yes
Moving map display: Yes
Map storage: 24 MB memory for downloads from MapSource CD-ROMs
Data storage: 24 MB
Sun/moon rise/set/phase: Yes
Additional features: Barometric altimeter, electronic compass, base map of North, South, and Central America, current speed, average speed, resettable maximum speed, trip timer, and trip distance
Display size: 2.1 by 1.1 inches, FSTN liquid crystal
Display resolution: 288 x 160 pixels
Display color: 4-level gray
Backlight: Yes
Battery requirements: 2 AA
Power cable: Optional
Carrying case: Optional
Vehicle mounting bracket: Optional
PC cable: Yes
Software: Optional map software available
Data card: No
Width: 2 inches
Depth: 1.2 inches
Height: 4.4 inches
Weight (with batteries): 5.3 ounces
Warranty, labor: 1 year
Warranty, parts: 1 year
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