Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable

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Title : Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable
Author : Garmin
Release Date : 20010126
Binding : Electronics
Regular Price : $268.99
Amazon.com Price : $ ( %)
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Editorial Reviews :
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

Buyer Reviews :
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.

(by Brian Sniatkowski)

Features/Technical Specs :
* 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

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