Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable
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Manufacturer: Garmin
List Price: $199.99
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Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable
With the eTrex Legend, GARMIN has loaded a full basemap of North and South America into one small unit. The Legend is also designed to provide precise GPS positioning using correction data obtained from the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Brightly colored translucent blue case
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.
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With Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) support, the Legend offers extremely accurate readings (rated to within 2 to 3 meters). (For more on WAAS, see the Frequently Asked Questions section.) A good-size 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).
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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
Pros
- Comfortable, compact design
- Click-stick for interface navigation
- Bright backlight
- Handy distance-traveled feature
Cons
- Sporadic reception within urban areas
- Can take several minutes for a cold fix
The Garmin eTrex Legend GPS receiver is modeled on Garmin’s popular entry level eTrex, but adds the same base map found in Garmin’s III+ and eMap models, along with 8 MB of memory, making it a solid midlevel offering in the eTrex line just behind the eTrex Summit. Housed in a translucent blue case, this powerful, 12-parallel-channel, global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver weighs only 5.3 ounces and measures 4.4 by 2 inches. It literally fits in the palm of your hand. The Legend boasts the ability to hold up to 8 MB of amazingly detailed information that you upload for the area you plan to navigate. In addition to all that detailed information at your fingertips, the Legend actually gives you a higher-resolution screen than the slightly better equipped eTrex Summit. The massive 10,000 track log points of the Legend compare well to the 3,000 track log points the Summit model offers and the 2,048 that the Venture offers.
The eTrex Legend’s 8 MB memory enables you to download points of interest and map data from optional Garmin MapSource CD-ROMs to make your GPS unit more useful. The built-in base map of the Americas displays city and interstate highway information for North, South, and Central America, as well as U.S. highway exits. Address and business listings are displayed with data downloads. It also provides points of interest along lakes, rivers, and coastlines.
The Legend has a front-panel rocker switch that allows for quick and accurate map panning. View maps on a liquid crystal display with a resolution of 288 x 160 pixels. The unit is waterproof to an IPX7 standard, so it can withstand a dunk.
The Legend maintains a tight satellite lock, even in a forest. The unit can store up to 1,000 user waypoints with graphical icons, and it boasts Garmin’s own TracBack feature, which reverses your track log and helps you navigate your way back home. The eTrex Legend also uses animated graphics that will help you identify your marked waypoints quickly and easily.
Garmin makes some of the accessories to help you integrate your GPS with your life and your priorities. Keep your GPS at the ready while protecting it from knocks and bumps with the carrying case. If you’ll be on the road, you’ll want to have access to the most detailed topographical maps of the United States available: The Garmin MapSource CD-ROM (USA TOPO). And don’t let the product’s many abilities overwhelm you–train yourself in all the eTrex’s ins and outs with a handy instructional video.
The Garmin eTrex Legend comes with a PC interface cable, a manual, and a quick-reference card, and it’s covered by a one-year warranty.
Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable Features:
- 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; includes serial PC interface
Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable Reviews
Great Small GPS, but PC Cable is behind the times
I’ve been using the eTrex for about 2 months. All GPS functions work marvelously. However, the PC cable is a 9 pin female serial connector. I haven’t had a computer with this kind of connector for over 7 years. Since I wanted to download my datapoints to a navigation program, I bought a “Serial to USB” connector from Radio Shack for $40. After installing the connector’s software, my laptop recognized the connector cable, but not the eTrex connected to it. Best bet is probably to go with the Garmin cable for $60. Which is outrageously priced. Why they can’t catch up with the real world of USB connectors is a mystery. For handheld navigation though, it excels.Excellent with the caveats noted……..
…….in earlier reviews. It cannot pick up accurately if you are too close to buildings, under trees, etc, but i really dont know too many inexpensive GPS units that work under those conditions. For the price an excellent choice.Great entry level GPS
I’m very pleased with the accuracy and reliability of this GPS receiver. I’ve had to rely on the manual more frequently than I expected to and the mapping feature really isn’t very useful, but for the price I paid, it’s a great unit for my primary passion - Geocaching!!Enjoying GPS unit geocaching
Just started geocaching and picked up this unit. Coordinates easy to input by hand and easy to “goto.” But deleting waypoints took me a while to figure out. I had some problems getting service on overcast days that I didn’t expect. I haven’t tried to up/download any coordinates yet, but it sounds confusing. I like the basics on the unit, and especially the joystick control. I don’t like documentation and lack of intuitiveness of the more complicated actions, like routes and downloading. Also got a carry case and glad that I did!Best entry level deal available
I used this GPS all summer. First borrowed from a friend for a couple months and then decided to get exactly same one of my own.
My friend had his one for a while (i think two years) and recommended this eTrex Legend to me.
This GPS is not the best value or latest technology (check out the new “Cx” version of this eTrex Legend. note: “Cx” not the discontinued “C”), but eTrex Legend is the best one for the money, of you don’t care for color screen and lots of memory for your maps. It is reliable and durable (Garmin makes good stuff), great screen (better then Magellan, sorry), and enough memory (8MB inbuilt) for uploading Garmin maps of all your hiking areas. You can upload and remove them with included computer COM port cable. (the newer C and Cx use USB, yeh that’s handy)Click Here to find out more about the Garmin eTrex Legend 8 MB GPS with PC Cable