7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
GeoCaching and Etrex: A Great Pair
Date of Review: Apr 5, 2006
The Bottom Line: All the basic features and a data cable, inexpensive, but keeps up with the big boys.
I was looking for a handheld GPSr primarily for geocaching and decided on the eTrex Legend mainly because it was packaged with a data cable.
What you get:
A serial data cable: a must if you're going to geocache. You'll need to download MapSource (Garmin software) or EasyGps, but once you have .LOC software, you'll be accurately entering waypoints into your Legend in no time flat. You can manually enter waypoints, but the time differential is so dramatic, you'll be begging for a data cable.
Legend is packaged with a preloaded basemap. Menus will easily guide you to find, cities, waypoints, favorites, freeway exits. The menu also has points of interest and addresses, but I haven't figured out how to access these features. I figure you can load points of interest(POIs).
Additional customization from uploadable maps isn't much of an option because there's only 8mb of memory. Plenty of space for waypoints, tracks, routes, and some POIs, but not maps. I haven't taken it beyond the range of its basemap, so I'm guessing it'll have a plan screen while you're navigating on the East Indian Subcontinent (or virtually anywhere that isn't North or South America)
What you need to know:
Signal acquisition is fairly quick (about 30 seconds to 1 minute) in the open (Ideal conditions). Menus and buttons are intuitively easy to use. You won't need to read too much of the manual to effectively use your Legend. I've geocached with a friend who had a more expensive unit (Maps60 series) and while the Legend seems to loose signal from being in the car, it reacquires rapidly enough to keep up with the more expensive units. The screen can be well lit with the backlight and with brightness and contrast control it has good visibility in varying light conditions.
Versus (other GPSr I considered):
Garmin eTrex Yellow, Magellan Explorist 100/200, Lowrance Go: None of these had data cable transfer. The Magellan has a size advantage, but I prefer the button location on the eTrex. The Lowrance might have been cheaper.
What it can't do:
It is NOT appropriate for automobile navigation; you'd have to look at the smallish screen. Most handhelds aren't appropriate for that use. While higher end handhelds have audio alerts, you may still desire to have "voice prompting" for your car-based GPS navigation. The bearing, heading, and compass feature are only available while you're moving; it's a little inconvenient if your signal gets a little squirrelly - if that bothers you too much, you may want a higher end unit.
