Darn good GPS

A few months ago I discovered geocaching....where you use modern technology for treasure hunting. The idea of physical excersize in the great outdoors, technology, and using your detective skills in finding caches appealed to me.
As I was just a begginer and didn't know if I would stay with it I decided to start out without a big investment and got a used Yellow Etrex GPS(without WAAS) on eBay for $35.00.

As it turned out I became more engrossed in the hobby and reached the point where I wanted a better GPS.

I had only 3 requirements. That the GPS have a USB connection , that it have WAAS and that it be within my price range.

So I began researching the web.

I was left with a couple of units to choose from neither of which met the above requirements.

There was the $400 plus map 60cx that was just too pricey.
Or the lower priced Legend Cx that was a favorite of many geocachers but was still beyond my budget at close to $300.

All of a sudden Garmin introduced this new GPS called the Venture Cx. While it has what I want(USB, and WAAS
it was out of my price range at around $250.00.

I kept my chin up and went on with my geocaching with my good old Yellow Etrex with the outdated series port downloading, the monochrome display, and the missing WAAS.

Then one day on the web I ran across a Venture Cx that had come down to 209.00 including shipping...and ...there was a 50 dollar rebate available!

As it turned out I got it, after the rebate, for 156.00 .
And what a unit the Venture Cx is. It has what I want and a whole lot more.

Mapping on a GPS was not a big deal to me. Mainly, I guess, because I do mostly urban geocaching. But now with a handheld GPS with mapping I've noticed what a nice feature this is. The maps that comes with the Venture Cx cover mostly the interstate, lakes and rivers. It doesn't show, in detail, streets, avenues, etc like my Streetpilot i3 map and that's fine with me. If I want I can get a 1GB SD card and load that map into the Venture. And, or, if I decide to go geocaching in the woods I can always add a topo map. So there's a lot of options regarding mapping features on this unit. But I am fine with the maps that came with the Cx.

Another pleasant suprise: I didn't have a clue as to just how nice a color display could be. Even on a sunny day its easy to read.

Needless to say having a USB connection is great and hey, I finally have WAAS.


But there are lot of bells and whistles on this unit and I find I enjoy using practically all of 'em.
I really like the tracback, the rocker key for instant waypoint marking. I like the longer battery life.. 32 hours.

There isn't much not to like about this GPS. The closest thing approaching that is a minor concern I have about the rocker key triggering occaisionally while in my pocket...but aren't GPS supposed to be used out of pocket anyway?


All I can say is I am glad I got my Venture Cx. It is exactly what I wanted ..the price is right.. and it puts a lot of fun into my geocaching.