UPDATE: This model has been superseded by the new.UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For more current recommendations, please refer to our or our chart. Hands on with the Garmin eTrex Legend HCxI’ve had a chance to try out the recently. This is my first extended experience with an eTrex model since I purchased my first GPS — an eTrex Venture — many years ago.One of Garmin’s newer receivers, the Legend HCx updates the very popular. The “H” stands for, to ensure great satellite reception under canopy and in other situations where you have a limited view of the sky.
Quick linksLike its predecessor, the Legend HCx has a bright color screen and a micro-SD card slot for loading topo or highway maps. A great handheld GPS, the Legend HCx also autoroutes, so you can add maps and a mount, and use it for turn-by-turn highway navigation in your car. The button layout may make it a little awkward for this purpose though; a better choice for dual use might be the.
Related units. Step up to the to add a and. Moving down in the H-series line to the or, you lose the auto-routing capability and the expandable memory.
To see how the Legend HCx stands up against other Garmin models, check out my chartGarmin eTrex Legend HCx performanceThe new eTrex H-series uses MediaTek’s MTK chipset, which compared favorably with the 60CSX’s SiRFstar III chipset during.The Legend HCx also performed well in accuracy tests. In a hike in a local park with relatively dense tree cover, the accuracy was never worse than 23 feet.The other thing I noticed in comparing this unit to my 60CSx was the significantly brighter screen on the Legend HCx.Garmin eTrex Legend HCx layoutI doubted that I would like the button layout but, as Garmin usually does, they’ve made it pretty intuitive.
So let’s take a closer look at that before we go any further.These warrant a little further explanation:. Power key – In addition to the on/off function, you can press and release to adjust backlighting, and view the time, date and remaining battery charge. Quit / Page – Press to cycle through pages. This button will alsoterminate the use of any on-screen keyboard or back you out of a menu. Zoom in/out – In addition to zooming the map, on any other screen, use it to scroll through a list or use a slider bar. Menu / Find – Press and hold to see the Find screen.
Press and release to display a page’s menu. Press again to get to the main menu. Enter / Rocker – Press down on this “thumbstick” to enter.
Move the thumbstick / rocker right-left or up-down to navigate menus or pan the map. You can also mark a waypoint at your current location by pressing and holding.It may sound complicated, but it becomes second nature very quickly. You can discover most functions in the field. The two press and hold functions (Find and Mark Waypoint) are the only ones you really need to remember. The rest is incredibly intuitive.Customizing your Legend HCxOne of the great things about Garmin handhelds is that they can be customized to display the information that is most important to you. The hunter, geocacher, cyclist, and hiker will all have different needs.A great place to start, and a fine example of the degree to which you can customize the Legend HCx, is choosing what pages to display and the order in which they are displayed. To do this, press Menu, then press Menu again.
Then press Setup, then Page Sequence. The most useful in my mind are the Map, Compass and Trip Computer screens (shown above at right). Personally, I also add Main Menu, Satellite, Active Route, Find, Recent Finds, Routes and Tracks!The trip computer screen has lots of options for customization, as you can see. Each field can be changed independently, choosing from a list of 34 options. JUST RECEIVED ETREX LEGEND HCX AND TOPO US (MICRO SD) AND CITY NAVIGATOR (MICRO SD). WOULD LIKE TO AVOID SWITCHING CARDS BY INSTALLING THE CITY NAV INTO THE BASE UNIT MEMORY WITH THE TOPO IN THE MICRO SD SLOT IN THE UNIT.
CAN THIS BE DONE? AND IF SO, WHAT IS THE INSTALLATION PROCESS FOR PUTTING THE CITY NAV IN THE BASE UNIT MEMORY. I DID RECEIVE THE MAP SOURCE CD WITH THE LEGEND.ALSO I NOTED THAT WHEN (USING THE BASE UNIT MAPS) I TRY TO SET UP A ROUTE (SAY FROM DENVER TO LA) IN ANOTHER PART OF THE COUNTRY IT SHOWS MY CURRENT LOCATION AS THE START POINT – AGGRAVATING. WHAT DID I MISS?THANKS. I need to replace an eTrex Legend (I believe the original model) and am thinking of the eTrex Legend HCx. It is used entirely for walking (not driving) and mainly in urban areas (not mountaintops or on the sea).
I especially want to be able to add maps of 1st London England, 2nd all Britain, and much lower 3rd Paris. Can I do this & how?
Do I want DVDs or downloads or cards? If I get the inexpensive city maps, can I waypoint using them (major goal)? And is the HCx what I want?
The H part seems an advantage with tall buildings. I have 2 of the original etrex legends.
One I got to put on my motorcycle. It worked well. I navigated from Baltimore to Cape Coral Fl. To Atlanta Ga then to Ashville NC.
And back home on one down load or route and a few area maps. My question is would the back battery pannel switch from my old Etrex to the the HCx?
I only found one hadle bar mount availible for the etrex line and Gamin implies it is the same but never says for sure. I liked my Old Legend but since new computers come with out a serial ports, I have to move with the times. I just think water proof durable and pocket size is perfect for motorcycles.
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