Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $116.00 You Save: $53.99 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $112.93 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver
Digital camera Review: Advanced GPS
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the eTrex Venture on sale over christmas as an upgrade for some Geo-caching
with my kids. The new unit is very sensitive -- showed 7 locked sattelites while indoors-- on the ground floor of a large 2-story house and locked in about 15 seconds.
I especially liked he averaging mode for fixed waypoints -- allowing a high precision fix (down to about 15M 3-d) at my location after 15 minutes. The screen was easy to see in daylight (why I bought this model). I like the pointed stick and
most of the menu org.
Quibbles: Default backlight lifetime is far too short for a novice user of the interface, figuring out how to fix it generated a lot of issues for a child (10 year old) user. (First time -- he thought he had broken it...) Does not come with socketed sd port -- I know this is the market point for the $100 higher version -- but as a designer of electrical equipment, also know the 'real' cost. Given the choice, should have a GB built in...
Digital camera Review: Almost Perfect for Geocaching
Summary: 4 Stars
We bought this GPSr specifically for our new hobby, Geocaching. Since we got it a few weeks ago, we have found almost 30 caches (shooting to get 8 more tomorrow since the weather will be nice). We are able to plug this GPSr in and download coordinates directly from the site(Geocaching.com).
The only bummer has been that it bounces around when we are in area with alot of cover. Hopefully this doesnt get too much worse when there is more of a canopy from foliage.
You cant upload any of the additional details about the caches to the GPSr, but that's OK because we like to get comments (hints) from messages other GC'rs have left on the site.
In summary, for the price, this has been an awesome GPSr for Geocaching. If you expect a GPSr to take you exactly where the cache is, then maybe this isn't for you. But we like the hunt, and this device has gotten us from 2 feet, to 19 feet (under heavy cover) from a cache. And we havent failed to find one since we got it.
Digital camera Review: An outdoor GPS receiver as revolutionary as the original eTrex
Summary: 5 Stars
Before buying this new Venture HC, I had spent many hours trekking with several of the original eTrex models over the years. I think it's fair to say that while the concept of the original eTrex was great, the execution was frequently disappointing.
It disappoints no more. The Venture HC is the eTrex perfected. It remedies almost every shortcoming that plagued the original models. The new high-sensitivity receiver is amazingly effective. Countless times I've stood in wide open spaces cursing my old eTrex because it wouldn't acquire a single satellite. Last night I turned on the Venture HC on the bottom floor of my two story house, and it locked onto 8 satellites...through the roof and the upper floor! No more "need a clear view of the sky" messages. Amazing.
The old monochrome display has become color, and the user interface is now substantially more intuitive, while adding even more functionality. The cable, which was serial on previous models, has been upgraded to USB, another welcome improvement. The case is somewhat wider than before, but the design bears a strong resemblance to the original eTrex.
A basemap is included but it's just that - basic. It shows the largest highways, bodies of water, and has some limited capability to display highway exit services. If you need turn-by-turn street directions, an eTrex is not for you. This is a GPS receiver true to Garmin's outdoor GPS heritage.
Promised battery life (14 hours) is near the bottom of the range when compared to the existing eTrex models, but is still perfectly adequate and has posed no problems.
One weakness that remains is Garmin's waypoint manager PC software. It has the feel and functionality of a software product released circa 1994. Garmin could certainly develop a better PC interface. For $49 you can buy ExpertGPS from Topografix, or download the free version (EasyGPS)from their website. Either is far more functional than the Garmin OEM software.
Still, the software criticism is a quibble. The Venture HC itself is great. It is a market changing product that renders all previous eTrex models (and many competitors) obsolete. Finally, an affordable outdoor GPS receiver that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Digital camera Review: Awesome GPS!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using my new Venture HC for a week now, and I'm amazed! the most surprising for me it's the precision, even when indoors I got 5 meters of precision. And it can be as good as 3 meters in open areas. The color screen looks very nice too, and it is very ease to use. I strongly recommend it! Nice purchase!Digital camera Review: Awesome reception, well worth the money, but one feature does not work
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased the venture HC because it's new chip provides top notch reception deep in the woods which renders all the other units without the "H" worthless, unless you operate in wide open area. My concern is that under Map Setup-General I have the option to "Lock on Road" but upon turning the feature on nothing happened to my route from one city to the next. The route is a straight line from one city to the next(as the crow flies). Lock on road is supposed to do just what it says it does lock the route on the roads, but nothing happens when I turn this feature on. The Garmin support line followed my every screen on the same unit over the phone and they said there is no "Lock on Road" option under Map Setup-General. Oh yes there is and it isn't locking on any roads. So Garmin took down my email and added me to the list. Great unit buy above all the rest as long as you don't need it to follow the roads.